following up...

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Do any of you follow up with couples after having a consultation with them? How often do you usually wait? Any advice for this?

[tim]

I don't follow up, I figure if they want to get back to me they will. I tell people that in meetings, to give me a call if they want to book and that I don't hold dates without a retainer, and that I don't follow up.

[PeaceFire]

I have one couple who said they wanted to book me, then said they had the deposit ready and then I didn't hear from them. I did follow up and it turns out they didn't have PayPal so they'd mailed a check and it got lost or something. They were able to cancel the check and send it again- no problem. So it's a good thing I DID follow up, because I may have booked their weekend without realizing they made all attempts to pay their deposit.

So if a couple says "We want to book you, where do we send the money?" I will follow up with them every 2 weeks or so until I get payment. If it's "We'll be in touch" and no mention of a deposit I won't follow up. Though I may send out any discounts or deals I have going on in an e-mail.

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I am having a problem similar to what peacefire had mentioned at the beginning to his reply. Tim made an important point of making sure the couple knows the deposit is the only thing that holds their date. I just got done replying to an email from a client that was inquiring about a date that a previous client had asked about a few months before. When I am talking to these people I am making no guarantee that their date is booked until their deposit is received.

[razyl]

I follow up on general enquiries after 2 weeks and actual meetings after 10 days. I think if you wait a while it's not pushy....and it's good to make sure they dont have any questions or simply need a prompt to get organised and book you!

It's a good time to mention about payment options and that no $$ paid = no booking. People often ask to hold a date or to let them know if someone else is keen.....I just say I could be booked at any time and nothing is locked in until a deposit is paid. I dont think you can do it any other way and be fair to yourself and your business.