As a new wedding planner you will need to give a good first impression at meetings with brides and fellow wedding vendors. You want the brides to hire you and want vendors to recognize you as a high-quality wedding planner so they are willing to join you in creating the weddings your brides want.
Here are 5 things you must do to create a good impression at all of your meetings:
1) Prepare in advance
Set a goal for your meeting. For a bride, your goal might be for her to sign a contract. When meeting with another wedding professional, you may want to find out if they would be a good fit for your brides and if they are willing to exchange referrals. Once you know your goal, you’ll know what you need to bring with you, such as your portfolio, a contract, marketing brochures for others to share, etc.
2) Plan to be early to your meetings
Check the route to the meeting place in advance and leave in plenty of time so you can get there early.
3) Avoid stressful situations before any meeting
The morning before a meeting with a potential client, or a vendor who could potentially refer brides to you, is not the time to have a heated discussion with anyone. Your negative feelings from that conversation will carry into your meeting and you will not be at your best.
4) Plan your attire and accessories in advance
You should look well-groomed and professional so check your clothes and shoes the night before and be sure what you want to wear is clean, pressed, and polished.
If you plan to carry a handbag, briefcase, or tote bag to the meeting, it should be clean and free old receipts, papers, and miscellaneous items so if you need to get something from it, you can find it easily and nothing embarrassing spills out. If you don’t look organized, the other person will assume you will not be able to organize a wedding.
5) Put away and turn off your cell phone and/or tablet
It goes without saying that you should not talk or text while you are meeting with anyone. Put away your phone and iPad or other tablet (unless you will be showing a presentation or your portfolio on it) and turn them off so you don’t get any unwanted alerts.
Once you are at the meeting, remember that people are attracted to people who listen to them when they speak, so be sure you aren’t the one doing the majority of the talking.
And don’t forget to send a note later thanking the person for your meeting, even if it didn’t result in a client or a partnership, it’s worth the effort. You never know if something might work out for you with them, or someone they know, in the future.
