Question: How should I respond to email leads when they ask for prices?
“Thank you for sharing your videos about the automatic expert system. I would like to implement it in my business. I have a question though about brides that contact you directly (they don’t sign up for your newsletter or the bride “bribe”). I am assuming it’s not okay to sign them up for the automatic emails.
Do you respond with an email template? And what’s the best way to follow up with them? Should you give them your prices right away if they ask for them or wait until the next contact?
Thank you so much for your help. You are an inspiration.
By they way, we are wedding photographers.”
Sincerely,
Melinda
Answer: Use a proven 90% done email template to get them off the price question and one step closer to booking you.
Hi, Melinda!
This is a great question.
We recommend a different strategy for following up with the leads who contact you directly (covered in Week 3 of the Automatic Expert System) than the ones who sign up for your email newsletter and Bride Bribe.
It’s not a good idea to add them to your email list unless they have specifically requested it, or you’re likely to get spam complaints.
There IS a way around this if you’re using a service like Aweber to send your automated emails. If you send a copy of your contact form submissions to your Aweber email list (It looks something like this: yourlist@aweber.com.) it automatically adds those new contacts to your list.
As long as you require new subscribers to use double-opt in confirmation, they won’t be added to the list unless they want the emails. So this the only safe way to add those direct inquiries to your list.
Do you respond with an email template?
Yes! We give our AES students the Guaranteed Response Email template to use with the leads who contact you in Week 3. It’s 90% pre-written and you just need to modify the details for your business.
You can create an email template on your own that contains the information that will be the same for every response, then add personalized details for the first paragraph.
And what’s the best way to follow up with them?
The best way to follow up with a bride/groom really depends on two things:
- What contact information does s/he give you?
- What method of follow up is most effective for you?
Usually, I’d say follow up by ALL the means s/he provides on the contact form. Most wedding pros find that they have an easier time getting the meeting and booking the wedding when they get the bride/groom on the phone.
Following up multiple times with multiples methods (email, phone, postal mail) gets the best results.
Should you give them your prices right away if they ask for them or wait until the next contact?
This was a big stickler for Jeff when we got into the wedding business. He can’t stand it when he asks for a price and he doesn’t get an answer! He swore that would never be us.
At the same time, if you get into prices before finding out what the couple wants and establishing a connection with them, you can drive them away with a bad case of “sticker shock.”
Here’s our recommendation:
Provide a realistic starting price or price range in the first email, then redirect them to take the next action you want: usually a phone call.
This gives them a general idea, which is usually enough to satisfy them that you don’t cost $1 million, but it doesn’t keep price as the focus.
Don’t give all the specifics or it keeps them fixed on price. You really want to get them to take the next action that gets them one step closer to booking you.
Want to Learn More About Turning Leads Into Booked Weddings?
Watch this video to learn the 10 Fatal Follow Up Myths That Are Killing Your Wedding Business!
