Referrals matter!
/I can admit --- I can be a cynical consumer, thinking that companies in service related industries have other motives for recommending certain vendors. Speaking from the experience of being a vendor, I can report that this is not always the case! Yes I have had my fair share of vendors approach me, not knowing a thing about me and the first thing out of their mouth is, if you recommend me I will give you money. However, if your first instincts are "trust this person" I say trust that person. Also, REFERRALS MATTER! When speaking of Wedding Planning, this message hits home far more often. If you are a vendor on a wedding, no matter what the budget, you have a huge responsibility. The responsibly to pay attention to every detail and never think something like, "We do this every weekend". Brides, Grooms, Parents and families, need to know their wishes are being heard. If a vendor does not help them feel heard, then this vendor is only going to contribute to their stress.
When you come to a planner before booking other vendors, you may save yourself a lot of heartache, aggravation and even MONEY! Some things that can happen when you book a less than perfect vendor....
-They do not take your timeline seriously.
-They do not take your time seriously.
-They wait until the last hour to get the information that they need to serve you, information you did not know would matter on your big day, therefore usurping your time and stressing you out.
-They make mistakes: they play the wrong song at the wrong time, the arrive too late to set up well because they did not pay attention to the different parameters at the venue. When you called their cell phone, they did not answer or their phone was off.
-They promised and delivered beauty, but it did not look quite like what you were expecting.
-You cannot get the cell phone number of the driver the day before or the day of.
-The bus driver that arrives is new to driving busses and does not know how to do certain turns, leaving the bus on the street, with the local police threatening to make the bus leave when the guests have yet to board.
-They do not show up....yup. yes. seriously.
-The are so eager to book they don't keep track of their calendar well and, what do you know, they are double booked.
-Oh they did not tell you, they, the person you booked with, will not actually be there the day-of your event or wedding.
-and other aggravations...
When you have a referral...
-The vendor appreciates being referred. It just feels great - take it from someone that gets referred :)
-The vendor is excited to serve the wedding/client and not themselves.
-The vendor understands that they are part of an entire team, even if they have not worked with the other vendors on board.
-They are patient and understand that every facet of the event matters to the client.
-They are accommodating and communicate clearly. The inform you of what they need to do their job well before the event, during the event and after, so there are no surprises.
-Referred vendors have been validated by someone else that you trust.
-They do their homework! This could be visiting the far away venue before hand, even when they do not have to, etc.
The vendor that gets referred is not just talented, but a nice person that does the entire job!
If you were flirting with the idea of hiring an event and wedding planner but you were not sure of the process or perhaps your budget, enlisting in some consulting can really help you make the most of your time, budget and special day.
While there are many vendors we love, we do not refer all of them to everyone. There is such thing as chemistry and style, and in some cases, location. There is a reason I refer some vendors to one client and not to another.
I greatly appreciate the vendors that I relay on. I have experienced the alternative and I do not want to go back! There are times when we do not blog or chit chat about events for other reasons than clients having us sign an NDA. Sometimes they have brought on vendors we are not sure about, having not worked with them before and also not having previously heard anything about them from anyone. Rest assured, we and all planners work with new vendors all of the time, as that is just part of the job!
Thanks for reading!
;)
Ash