In this module we dig into the nitty gritty details of how to make the sale. We offer tips and advice on how to move wedding couples from a live lead to coming in for a site tour. We'll go over best practices on response times, customizing the right things in an email, meeting Millennial and Gen Z couples where they are, and much more. And you don't want to miss our Lead Tracking Spreadsheet below. Used consistently, this will change your event business.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN WHEN YOU DIVE INTO THIS MODULE:

HOW TO CREATE A VIRTUAL VENUE TOUR

HOW TO MAKE THE SALE

2020 VBBC • MODULE 4

Refer to the time-stamped show notes below when you want to revisit any particular portions of the episode.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

SHOW NOTES:

2:37 Weddings are the intersection of love and business - and that makes them dicey.
3:36 What makes selling to Millennial and Gen Z couples different.
5:30 The importance of the 24-hour turnaround from lead to response.
6:42 Meredith has an “a-ha moment” about why these couples want such quick response.
9:05 Hayley’s #1 tool for meeting that 24-hour deadline.
10:15 The controversy over the “auto-responder” email.
15:53 Why your RFP response email MUST be personalized.
17:15 The struggle of personalizing emails with very little information to work with. Ways to deal with this challenge.
20:00 Email “fluffing” and why you need to change your mindset about
this issue.
22:01 How to end your RFP emails with a “call to action”.
23:05 The magic of the “PS” in an email.
23:45 How many times should you follow up once you send your RFP response email?
26:50 Two strategies for getting warmer leads to set up the site tour.
28:59 The struggle of Lead Tracking.
31:13 Why we created our Lead Tracking Spreadsheet.
34:01 The issue of Event Manager Burnout - what can you do to stay fresh?
37:30 We need to learn to speak up, push back and say no when we need to say no.
39:10 Setting healthy boundaries so you can do your job for a long time.

Today, we’re talking about a topic of utmost importance.

Really, it’s the whole enchilada. We’re talking about how to make the sale.

We’ll go over best practices on response times, customizing the right things in an email and meeting Millennial and Gen Z couples where they are.

AUTO RESPONDER EMAIL SWIPE COPY

This resource gives you an example of a really warm, engaging auto-response email, plus, swipe copy you can customize to make it your own.

EMAIL TEMPLATES

A Google Sheet to help you manage your entire lead process.

No joke: this is the single most valuable tool of the entire Venue Business Bootcamp content series. Used consistently, this will change your
event business.

LEAD TRACKING SPREADSHEET

SPREADSHEET

YOUR TOOLS FOR THIS MODULE

LEAD TRACKING SPREADSHEET TUTORIAL

Spend 10 minutes with Sheets Guru (and Here Comes The Guide COO) Lisa Shields and you’ll know exactly how to use this powerful tool.

VIDEO

Hayley Forsburg came to Here Comes The Guide in 2019 as a Regional Account Manager, after having been a Director of Private Events, Catering Manager, and Wedding + Events Coordinator. She is passionate about helping wedding venues reach their potential, and she attacks each work each day with fierce intention. She also just so happens to have the cutest family around, complete with a bevy of animals.

HAYLEY FORSBURG

Meredith Monday Schwartz started at Here Comes The Guide in 1997 (we didn't even have a website back then—there might also have been dinosaurs running around!) and was a wedding venue specialist for 10 years before taking over as Chief Bossypants in 2007. In the years since she joined HCTG, she's learned a lot about wedding couples, wedding venues, and running a company profitably—and well.