As a wedding planner a great source of referrals is other wedding vendors but don’t expect them just to refer brides because you’re a wedding planner. Here’s help for getting them to refer business to you.
Question
I want to offer a referral gift to vendors to encourage them to send brides to me. I want to send them something, like a gift card, for every referral. Can you tell me how to do this?
Answer
I don’t recommend offering incentives to get vendors to refer you. You want them to refer you because you’re the right wedding planner for a bride.
Ask yourself, “What would a bride think if she found out I was referred to her because I offered gifts to vendors?” It might sound to her like you offer “kickbacks” to get business and that is a sure way to lose business.
Instead of spending time and energy finding ways to pay for referrals, become the planner who wedding vendors want to refer.
Here are 5 tips to help you be the wedding planner who gets great referrals from vendors:
1) Have a niche, specific brides you are targeting
It’s easier for wedding and event vendors to remember you when you’re able to tell them the specific type of brides you want and the services you offer to them. If you don’t, they’ll have a hard time separating you from all of the other wedding and event planners who also want their referrals.
2) Get to know the vendors and the services they offer
Don’t let your relationships be one-way streets. Spend time getting to know them and their services so you can also refer them, when appropriate, to one of your brides. In addition, vendors are more likely to remember and refer a planner who took an interest in them than one who just asked for referrals.
3) Be the best at what you do
When vendors refer you, they’re putting their own reputations on the line. They’ll only refer you if they know you will do high quality work and give excellent customer service.
4) Act professionally
Vendors won’t refer you if they find you unreliable or unreasonable. You need to make a good impression with them, just as you do with your brides. So, get to meetings on time, always be professional when coordinating their services at weddings and don’t make unreasonable demands for discounts when you negotiate contracts for your brides.
5) Make it easy for them to refer you
Offer to give them some extra business cards to distribute. Or, to really stand out, you could also give them wedding planning tip sheets or checklists, with your contact information, that they can give to brides who may need your help.
Always remember to send a handwritten thank you note to anyone who gives you a referral, whether or not the bride becomes your client. When vendors know how much you appreciate them, they’ll send more referrals your way.
And if you have a pressing question about starting or running your wedding planning business, you can send me an email at questions@sharonhill.com. I’ll answer them on this blog or in my ezine, “Wedding Planner Tips,” which you can subscribe to here.