There are many ways in which your business can stand out above the rest and you might be surprised to hear that having the lowest price isn’t always the top priority for couples when they are choosing their wedding suppliers.
So, what are couples really looking for when choosing a wedding supplier? Here are some key areas that can make or break their decision to choose you.
Value over price
While competitive pricing will ensure you don’t price yourself out of the market, don’t undersell yourself thinking being the cheapest will secure you more bookings.
In fact, couples will be willing to pay for something they know will be more personalised and not run-of-the-mill, or for a service that is different to what other suppliers offer. It could be a niche offering, or including what is usually an additional cost as standard.
If they can see value in your pricing system, allowing them to stretch their usually tight budget a little further, it will place a big tick next to your name on their supplier shortlist.
Responsiveness
You could have the most eye-catching website in the world, or the most gorgeous Instagram wall with regular updates. But if you take more than a few hours to respond to emails or social media message enquiries, you will be sending all of the wrong signals to potential clients.
Everyone in this technology-driven world is time-poor, that is no secret, but couples will be quick to move onto another supplier if they feel like you won’t be available when they need you as perceived unavailability will equal unnecessary stress for the couple.
Dedicate some time throughout the day, even if it is in between other tasks, to check your email and social media and respond as needed.
Charisma
Inject some of your winning personality into all that you do! Anyone can churn out a professional-sounding cookie cutter email, but if you communicate in your own language, you immediately go up several notches on the personality scale.
Unless you are servicing a very high-brow clientele who expect communications to be of the utmost professional at all times, chances are you are dealing with young couples in their 20s and 30s, so you can tone it down a notch.
When it comes to face-to-face meetings, be open, honest, and relaxed and show that you are there to look after the couple and to do your utmost to bring their dreams to life. Don’t worry if you don’t click on a personal level with every couple who contacts you, but do your best to get to know them as this will stand you in good stead.
Reliability
It is one thing to be responsive when it comes to communications, but another entirely to be perceived as reliable. This comes from always being there to demonstrate a willingness to create solutions to any hurdles that arise.
It is going above and beyond what the couple are asking of you and always delivering on what you have said you can.
There’s an old saying in retail customer service that you should always under-promise and over-deliver. Being reliable is about saying you can definitely get something in for the couple in two weeks, and delivering it to them in one-and-a-half.
If things ever go wrong, which they can do from time to time, you can exude reliability by stepping up, taking charge, and making amends by sourcing an alternative product or service if needed. Open communication and not trying to cover up your mistakes is the best path to creating trust with your clients.
Positive reviews
Word-of-mouth recommendations are a priceless form of advertising and they are also a great influencer in who couples will choose to supply their wedding.
If they have a shortlist of two or more suppliers with comparable pricing and products or services, this could be the winning factor. The supplier with a higher star rating or more positive reviews will win out over one that has less or even no reviews.
This is why it is important to encourage past couples who have reached out to you after their wedding to offer their thanks to also place their comments as a review on your Facebook page, on Easy Weddings, or on Google.
