Open Air Business June/July 2017

FUNCTION VENUES
are in terms of space (ceremony,
daytime reception, evening event?)
and the number of guests they
want to invite. From here, think
‘nurture, nurture, nurture’. Show
interest in their individual wedding
plans, passion about your venue
and ask open questions like: ‘What
are you looking for in your wedding
venue?’ or ‘What are your priorities
for the day?’ so that the enquirer
can expand on their thoughts.
The idea is to start finding out
what they want, so that you can
showcase how your venue meets
their needs.
After the initial enquiry and the
phone has been put down, you
can email or post your venue’s
brochure to them. There’s no
telling when they will be in contact
again, so the next stage is chasing,
but give it three days - you don’t
want to come across as pushy! Give
them a call or send a kind email
a few days later asking whether
they have received the brochure,
offering to answer any queries they
might have and inviting them to
your venue for a showround. If you
don’t receive an answer straight
away, wait two weeks until you
chase again. Remember, most
couples can only research and
venue hunt in the evening and at
the weekends so working through
the shortlisting process takes time.
SHOWING OFF
Hopefully by now you have
had the opportunity to paint a
picture for the client of what their
wedding will look like and they
want to come and see the venue
for themselves. This showround
is your best opportunity to make
the sale. You know the couple
has made a certain commitment
to the property by being there
so it is important to return that
investment and get it right. Here
are my top tips for the perfect
guided tour:
› Don’t go rushing into the tour as
soon as they step onto the site; the
key is in making your clients feel
comfortable and welcome
› Ask how long they have to see
you. Not only might this indicate
their overall interest level in your
property, but it means you can
tweak your technique to suit their
needs
› Walk the spaces as their guests
would see them: ‘This is where you
park, this is the view the guests
would have as they walk to the
main event space, this is where
your drinks reception would take
place’ etc. This allows clients to
build up a visual of their day
› Have an iPad with you to show
how the spaces look all set up.
You’re trying to mentally render
each client’s individual wedding
for them but not everyone is good
at imagining the final look so
having a few visual clues will really
help you ‘sell’
› Refer back to the notes you have
taken so far. If they have already
indicated that food is a priority,
show where the catering tent sits,
how easily the caterers can get
access or just wax lyrical about
the great food and service your
preferred suppliers list caterers
offer
› Show enthusiasm for your own
property and be sure to point
out key features such as how the
lighting is perfect for the afternoon
ceremony or how the scale of the
space is perfect for any number
of flexible seating arrangements.
Couples want to feel like you have
their best interests at heart and
your passion will be infectious!
› Advise as accurately as you
can what the wedding will cost.
Not just your own costs, but
approximately what your marquee
and caterer suppliers charge. You
want to do this towards the end of
the showround (after the couple
has already fallen in love with your
venue) but you also want to be
accurate and realistic – there is
nothing worse for a consumer than
sheepishly having to admit you
just can’t afford what you want
› Always finish with a close.
Without being pushy, ask the
couple what they think of your
property, how many venues
they still have to see and when
they think they might make a
decision. Offer to follow up with
any information they might have
requested during the meeting or to
provisionally hold a date for them.
Remember, wedding sales is
all about building a personal
relationship so show excitement
over a couple’s engagement and
proposal story and congratulate
them. This shows that you are
genuinely interested in them as a
couple.
The showround is the best
GETTY IMAGES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isabel Smith has 10
years in the wedding
industry behind her
as one of the UK’s top
wedding planners and
business consultant
to venues and other
suppliers. Isabel’s
expertise spans
marketing, sales and
operations as she
helps new vendors
launch as well as
assisting established
businesses should
they find their
sales falling. www.
isabelsmithconsulting.
co.uk / www.
isabelsmithweddings.
co.uk
opportunity to talk up your venue
but also to listen to what a couple
expects from a wedding venue.
Getting a better understanding
of their needs will help you to
sell your venue’s best features
in response to their needs. This
nurturing approach builds their
confidence in you.
After the showround, follow up
with the couple as soon as you
can with any information you
promised, telling them how lovely
it was to meet them and of course
inviting them to come back to you
with any queries they might have.
When it comes to chasing, wedding
clients need to be treated with
extra care so keep a light, helpful
and consistent tone. At the end of
the day, this is their wedding so
you can’t expect a quick decision
(CONSIDERATION). Be patient, not
pushy!
As you can see, selling is
all about personality and
professionalism. It’s not always
smooth sailing but it doesn’t have
to be difficult either. If you can
master the technique, follow the
sales pipeline and the showround
method outlined, you’ll continually
be improving your own selling
skills and securing those bookings
in no time (PURCHASE).
Then you just have to nail the
wedding itself so that your clients
are blown away and becomes
spokespeople for your venue
(ADVOCATE). But that’s another
story…
WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM 15