We are delighted to present this new weekly series on our blog called EMPOWER THEM!
Every week, we’ll give you an idea for a quick, easy task that you can delegate to your intern (ahem, apprentice) during their internship, that’ll help them learn more about what it takes to be an event planner and how to run an event planning business.
Keep in mind, when delegating tasks to your interns, you are doing this to help them learn real, hands-on skills in the events industry.
This is your chance to empower your team in learning how you do what you do at your firm!
This will save you time, allowing you to focus on higher yielding tasks like sales and client relations.
some the best apprentices of The Simplifiers, photo credit: Studio Uma
So, let’s dive in…
FACT: did you know that 9 times out of 10, brides tend to book the very FIRST wedding planner that calls them back?
Our rule of thumb is always aim to reply to a new prospective client within 2 hours of them emailing or calling you. Always. We believe she hires the first planner that she has an emotional connection with.
So, when you get a new inquiry, what do you do?
TIP: automate this system…as soon as you get a new email from a prospect, forward it to your apprentice and have them call the bride immediately.
The call could go like this:
apprentice: Hello, this is _________ from (name of your wedding planning firm)! We just wanted to give you a quick buzz and let you know (wedding planner’s name) is really excited to chat with you about your wedding. She/he can give you a call later today. Are you available at 3pm today?
Then, once the call is scheduled, have your apprentice plug it into your calendar system (we recommend Google Calendar!) Easy peasy. The bride walks away feeling assured that your firm is super responsive, you have an organized calendar full of sales leads and the apprentice gains client relation skills.
what skills the apprentice learns:
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customer service
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time management skills – handling your meeting calendar
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client relation skills
Try it out this week…and let us know how it works!