I know I promised this article on getting discounts for your wedding on Wednesday, but I got busy. But it's here today and now - that's what matters! Let's get right into it because I have lots to discuss!
1) Phrasing - Whenever I say that I think of Archer. Anyway, we're use to getting asked about discounts all the time, but the way you ask can have a big impact on how we feel. People who are pushy and rude about it won't get as far as people who are nice and reasonable. Think of this as a job interview - I'm trying to impress you and get your business, but you also need to impress me a bit too so that I want to work hard to get you as a client. Be nice, be open, and be genuine.
Sorry, another tangent- back to phrasing! Just remember to ask for discounts politely by saying phrases like "Are your prices flexible?" or "Are you open to discounts?" instead of just spitting out there "Can I get a discount?" You can also be real general and say "Is there room for negotiation?" The theme is to test the waters by seeing if any wiggle room exists before going in for the kill.
2)Always ask! I can't just give stuff away for the fun of it! Always, always, always ask if prices can be discounted. But once again, be polite and try to wait until the end of the site tour or, better yet, when you receive a proposal. It bothers me personally when people call and ask "Can I get a discount?" when we just scheduled their site tour. You don't even know if you'll like this venue and you already want a discount? That's starting off on the wrong foot in my opinion.
3) Upgrades, not freebies - The best wedding discounts are not always the ones you get in dollars, but in value. They are also the easier one for me to provide. No, I can't reduce your beverage bill by 50%, but I may be able to provide you premium product at house prices. It makes your bar looks nicer, it doesn't cost me as much to provide that upgrade and you still get to save money.
Honestly, when clients ask me to straight up discount the beverage bill by $1,000, I flat out say no. However, when they ask me to provide premium product at house prices, I go back and do some numbers. I look at how much they are spending on the entire rental and how often we've booked that date in the past. It's not going to knock $1,000 off their bill doing that move, but it will save a few hundred dollars. Do that enough times with each vendor and you'll get the discount you wanted and the event you dreamed of.
4) Do your homework - Would you buy a car without knowing how much the car is selling for an other dealerships? No. So why do you do that with your wedding? Do your homework and learn the costs of everything. For some reason, most people greatly underestimate the cost of a wedding. Let me spell it out - a good starting point is $100 a person to cover all your costs. I won't be surprised if you spend more.You're not just paying for the product, you are also covering all the staff costs associated with that item.
Shop prices by reading websites, read wedding boards and see what other brides have said, and ask for lots of proposals. It will help you ask for something reasonable instead of completely off the wall.
5) Know when to back off - Like any good hand of poker, there is a time to step away. Don't be a butt if you're not getting your way. If you're not happy, then walk away. There are so many wedding vendors out there, I know there is someone perfect for you and your budget!
Good luck!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Don't leave your vendor meeting without this!
So I promised a great article on getting discounts and I promise it's coming! I just need some time to tweak it. This week I wanted to keep it in the same ballpark of wedding budgets by talk about...
Proposals!
You already got one great proposal to land you here (that's me being funny!), but I want to work on getting even more. When you meet with vendors, there's a lot of talk of options but none of it should be real in your head until you see numbers. Never leave a vendor meeting without receiving or requesting a proposal.
Honest moment - you probably will receive it after the meeting. I like making them after I meet with a couple so I can customize it to their preferences. It's hard to tell someone the costs when you don't know what you want. What follows is my advice on proposals...
1) Never hesitate to get one - Take this to be the broad meaning of getting one for all your options. Maybe you're on the fence about getting lighting at your event - don't be. Make some phone calls, meet with some lighting companies and get a proposal. In the long run, this can help you eliminate or incorporate options faster since it gives you a bottom line to look at.
2) Ask for more than one - I can imagine some vendors hating me for giving this piece of advice, but I think it's a good practice to get two quotes from each vendor: one that is your dream and one that is your budget. On that note, be sure to give vendors ballpark budget to work within for that second quote. We don't want to lose your business because we couldn't read your mind.
3) Learn when you want an estimate vs a full proposal - Proposals do take time, so if you're not feeling to strong about a vendor try to push for an estimate off the top of their head (which they should be able to do!). That way you're getting the cost without costing them too much time. It's also a good idea to check out the website to see if they have any ballpark numbers. Many companies don't so be sure to ask on the phone what price range they typically fall in.
4) Use that proposal to work your discounts - when you ask for a discount before seeing the costs, I get nervous. Let me at least propose something to you before we look at cutting it down. It also helps that we have something we can both look at when cutting costs. Trust me, having the proposal will help with this!
Good looks Brides to Be! I promise another kick-ass post next week with how to work these proposals to cut your costs!
Proposals!
You already got one great proposal to land you here (that's me being funny!), but I want to work on getting even more. When you meet with vendors, there's a lot of talk of options but none of it should be real in your head until you see numbers. Never leave a vendor meeting without receiving or requesting a proposal.
Honest moment - you probably will receive it after the meeting. I like making them after I meet with a couple so I can customize it to their preferences. It's hard to tell someone the costs when you don't know what you want. What follows is my advice on proposals...
1) Never hesitate to get one - Take this to be the broad meaning of getting one for all your options. Maybe you're on the fence about getting lighting at your event - don't be. Make some phone calls, meet with some lighting companies and get a proposal. In the long run, this can help you eliminate or incorporate options faster since it gives you a bottom line to look at.
2) Ask for more than one - I can imagine some vendors hating me for giving this piece of advice, but I think it's a good practice to get two quotes from each vendor: one that is your dream and one that is your budget. On that note, be sure to give vendors ballpark budget to work within for that second quote. We don't want to lose your business because we couldn't read your mind.
3) Learn when you want an estimate vs a full proposal - Proposals do take time, so if you're not feeling to strong about a vendor try to push for an estimate off the top of their head (which they should be able to do!). That way you're getting the cost without costing them too much time. It's also a good idea to check out the website to see if they have any ballpark numbers. Many companies don't so be sure to ask on the phone what price range they typically fall in.
4) Use that proposal to work your discounts - when you ask for a discount before seeing the costs, I get nervous. Let me at least propose something to you before we look at cutting it down. It also helps that we have something we can both look at when cutting costs. Trust me, having the proposal will help with this!
Good looks Brides to Be! I promise another kick-ass post next week with how to work these proposals to cut your costs!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Discount Wedding II: The double booking trick
It's about time I did another article about wedding discounts and budgeting. Similar to my older post "How to ask for a discount" I'd like to go over one suggestion that you can do to help get you a discount and keep your budget down:
Share your wedding venue with another event.
Sounds weird, but roll with me for a second. Rental fees or food & beverage minimums are set to cover the baseline cost of doing business. That includes the cost for a venue to have the lights on, the doors open, the heat on and the minimum amount of staff to run the place. If a venue already has another event that is covering those costs, a second event during the same time period would cost them less in operating costs.
Not all venues can double book; you definitely have to do your homework and ask a lot of the right questions to make this work. So below are some of those questions you can ask to try and wiggle a discount using the double booking method:
1) Do you allow for multiple events on the same day?
2) Would guests from the two events share an entrance or a bathroom?
2a) would they run into each other in any way?
3) Is there a guest count limit or any time constraints for booking two events on one day? (It's weird to ask and may not apply, but my venue will not allow both events to start at the same time for example to prevent guests from getting lost)
4) Could you check your calendar for days that you already have an event booked and are willingly to book a second event?
5) Would you be open to discounting your rental fee (or lower your food & beverage minimum) if I booked on the same day as another event?<-- This phrasing is key!!... and I think I just got an idea for my next blog post. I'll tell you why to say it this way next week!
Share your wedding venue with another event.
Sounds weird, but roll with me for a second. Rental fees or food & beverage minimums are set to cover the baseline cost of doing business. That includes the cost for a venue to have the lights on, the doors open, the heat on and the minimum amount of staff to run the place. If a venue already has another event that is covering those costs, a second event during the same time period would cost them less in operating costs.
Not all venues can double book; you definitely have to do your homework and ask a lot of the right questions to make this work. So below are some of those questions you can ask to try and wiggle a discount using the double booking method:
1) Do you allow for multiple events on the same day?
2) Would guests from the two events share an entrance or a bathroom?
2a) would they run into each other in any way?
3) Is there a guest count limit or any time constraints for booking two events on one day? (It's weird to ask and may not apply, but my venue will not allow both events to start at the same time for example to prevent guests from getting lost)
4) Could you check your calendar for days that you already have an event booked and are willingly to book a second event?
5) Would you be open to discounting your rental fee (or lower your food & beverage minimum) if I booked on the same day as another event?<-- This phrasing is key!!... and I think I just got an idea for my next blog post. I'll tell you why to say it this way next week!
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