You’ve got the couple in front of you, they’re interested in your services, but they still haven’t booked. If you’ve found yourself in this situation you can be left asking whether it’s them or you.
While some couples can be more difficult than others, there are ways to persuade those clients to close. You could be doing this in person, over the phone, via email, or even text. The way that you ask for a sale can directly influence whether or not you’ll close that, no matter where you’re asking.
If you’re left asking how you can increase your chance of closing more sales, we can help. Together with business consultant and wedding sales expert David Staughton, we’ve taken a look at how you’re asking for the sale. And how likely you are out of 10 to be able to close that sale.
Identify where you and your sales staff lie to see where you can make improvements.
Selling 0 leads out of 10
It might sound counterintuitive when you’re a sales consultant but this definitely happens! You could walk a couple around your venue and they could love it. But if you don’t ask and you don’t have a visual sign to ask for you, then you’re not likely to close that sale.
Don’t leave it up to the couple to make the decision whether or not they want to book with you. If you simply wave goodbye and say “let us know if you’re interested” or “good luck planning!” then you can wave goodbye to that sale. You need to show that you want to be involved in the wedding of a couple, rather than the other way around.
Selling 1-2 leads out of 10
Businesses that only sell one or two weddings out of 10 still won’t do the asking. But they’ll have something else that does it for them.
It could be a sign that says “book your wedding before you leave today” or an email signature that says “book your date now” outside of the body of your text. Whatever it is, this can get you a few sales yes. But it’s definitely not the way that you want to be going for a successful business.
Selling 3 leads out of 10
Next on the list are the businesses who ask for a sale. But they ask badly.
You might be wondering how you can ask badly for a sale, mightn’t you? Well, that is precisely how! By asking an indirect question for the sale rather than a direct one you’re not convincing enough to your couples.
“You don’t want to buy, do you?”
“You don’t want to pay a deposit, do you?”
“You don’t want to purchase this, do you?”
“You don’t want a wedding here, do you?”
The list goes on. These businesses will still get a few sales, miraculously, but by changing the way you ask this question you can increase your conversion rate bit by bit.
Selling 4 leads out of 10
A good benchmark for all of your sales is the four. This is the straight ask for a sale and often start with “would you like?”
“Would you like to make a booking?”
“Would you like to order this cake?”
“Would you like me to hold the date for you?”
“Would you like to pencil that in?”
This is a direct but decent ask. It’s not overtly pushy so you won’t put any of your potential couples off. But it gets you asking for the sale in a direct way.
If you’re currently operating at a 0 -3 then start trialling this more direct ask to see how your conversions go. Remember, it’s important to sell the value of your business or services before you ask for a booking.
Selling 5-6 leads out of 10
We’re getting into the heavier asks now and the more you practice and tweak these to your own couples the more likely you are to convert more.
It’s time to start persuading your couples to make a booking rather than just asking them. This can play on any of the elements you have already spoken to them about to convince them that your services or product are the one that they need.
Take a look at what previous couples have done and use this to help convince new leads. Working on the time of year or different trends can also help you with different elements to persuade them.
“Most people choose this one.”
“This is a really busy time, so I suggest that you book it in.”
“A lot of people have chosen this for their rustic wedding.”
“This is our most popular package but we only have a few left.”
Consider what points of difference your business has, what is most popular, and how you can use this to persuade more couples to book your services or buy your product.
Selling 7 leads out of 10
Up your game that little bit further by the way you assert your question or persuasion. To add to your persuasive style lower your pitch to become more assertive and use the recommendations in the above section.
“Look, you really need to book that in.”
“There’s not much availability.”
“That’s the day that you need.”
Your tone is everything when you’re selling. It may sound silly, but practice in front of friends or family, or even in front of the mirror, to master the assertive low pitch without coming across as aggressive.
Selling 8-10 leads out of 10
Finally, we’re at the businesses who will get the most out of their leads. These are the people who are connecting with their couples and implementing all of the above techniques. But they then go that one bit further.
Connect with your couples on an emotional level and tell them a story to help persuade them to make a decision. Most of your couples won’t have planned a wedding before so they don’t know how everything works. Chat with them about it and add your selling question in story format.
“We had a bride come in last week who had the same issue. She came back later and that date was gone, so I strongly recommend that you book.”
“We had a couple come in last month to book this package. We didn’t hear back from them for ages and now we’re no longer available for that date. I would hate for that to happen to you guys so we’d love to book you in now.”
Find the right story that works for you, your business and the needs of your couples and use it to persuade them to make that booking. We know you’ll have past experiences to play off here so there’s no need to make it up either! Find your balance between genuine and concerned to help make sure your couples not only book with you, but also have the most amazing day that they can.
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