As an events business looking to fill your calendar, you need to make sure every communication you have with potential customers is perfect. Not only do new customers want to know about your services and prices, but they want to trust that you’re a genuine, good-natured and friendly person too! And as we all know, first impressions stick. So making sure your initial quote is top notch goes a long way to securing the best bookings.
We’ve put together some top tips we’ve found work for everyone - from pizza vans, to mobile bars, marquee suppliers and everyone in between - plus an example of the perfect quote to help you get started!
Our Top Tips
- Introduce yourself
- Stick to 300 words or less
- Include a price & provide a breakdown
- Build trust with links to websites & socials
- Show off with attachments
- Save time with templates
- Don't forget a call to action!
- A follow up is always welcome
Let's dive in...
1) Introduce Yourself
No one likes a cold call or email, so create familiarity right off the bat with a quick introduction about yourself and your business. Keep things light, a sentence or two is perfect to make things friendly before you jump into the details.
And don't forget to address the customer by their name - while it may be easy to rush through a quick 'Hi' - never underestimate the value of a personal introduction.
2) Stick to 300 Words or Less
This is the first time most customers are seeing anything about your business. So keep in mind their priorities: they're looking for a quote & want to know why they should choose you.
So, keep the quote short and relevant. Make sure to include a cost and reference any specific information mentioned in the request so it’s clear your quote is personalised and you’re adaptable to the customer’s wants and needs.
For example: “I know you mentioned there will be several vegans attending the wedding, so I have ensured I include some options for them in the menu attached.”
Don’t forget, lots of information can be overwhelming, so try to keep the quote to 150-300 words.
3) Include A Price & Provide A Breakdown
As a rule, never send a quote without completing the quote cost field as quotes with a cost are 24% more effective.
Even if you’re not sure on all the details like the number of guests or special requirements, providing a rough guide is essential to give the customer an idea of what’s on offer & how that impacts the total price. You can then follow this up with a request for further information to help you provide a more accurate price.
Where you can, include a price breakdown, showing how your cost is made up of your time, equipment, mileage, etc.
And don't forget to include details of different packages / options if you have them.
For example: “Our prices can range from £20-40 per head for a three-course meal, and we have optional extras like cake, canapes, and prosecco. I’d love to hear more about what you’re looking for so I can give you a bespoke quote.”
4) Build Trust With Links to Websites & Socials
Customers coming to you for the first time don’t know how great you are. Occasionally they may be wary about trusting a completely unknown business with their special day. So build trust by referring them to your reviews, website, or social media pages where they can see examples of your previous work and feel confident in what you can do.
5) Show Off With Attachments
This is your customer's special day and they want it to be perfect. Help them imagine their day with you in it by including attachments. You can incorporate a mixture of photo attachments, documents such as menus, or links to videos that showcase your relevant work and set expectations.
According to our data, including 6-10 attachments accounts for 26% improved quote performance. So make sure you're hitting this marker for success!
6) Save Time With Templates
Templates allow you to store pre-written responses which you can quickly customise before sending. Don't forget to include personalised tags, pre-saved images and PDF attachments to give your customer everything they need right off the bat.
Responding promptly with a quality message will greatly increase your chance of locking in the customer - and the best part about templates is you can do this from the road within a couple of minutes!
7) Don't Forget a Call To Action
Sometimes customers need a little nudge. Ending your quote with something as simple as: “Give me a call to iron out the details on XXXX” can help turn potential clients into confirmed bookings.
8) A Follow Up Is Always Welcome
If you're waiting to hear back from a customer, try following up with them via phone or in Add to Event chat to lock in that booking! It never hurts to put yourself front of mind & top of the inbox.
Make sure you wait 24-48 hours to follow up so you don't overwhelm the customer!
The Perfect Quote
Perfecting your templates can take a bit of practice but over time you’ll find the best way to hook your new customers. Here, we've put together an example of the perfect quote to help you get started...
Quote Cost: £950
"Hi [Customer Name]
We’d love to be of assistance on your [celebration details]!
We are a family run, street food pizza van based in London but can travel anywhere throughout the South of England.
We’ve catered for many weddings in the past and our pizza ovens are always a talking point! Feel free to have a look at our Instagram page (link to Instagram profile) for some examples of what we can do.
There are a couple of options for you - we can either serve our pizzas in a buffet style, which requires less pizzas, or we could cook each guest an individual pizza. It’s completely up to you!
All pizzas are £8. Pizzas are all 9 inches. We can serve up to 100 individual pizzas in an hour.
Our PDF menu is attached (choose 4 pizzas from our menu or let us know if there’s something special you’d like!)
I’ve attached some images of previous weddings we’ve catered for too - these have all had different themes and we’ve loved adding a personal touch by naming our top pizza after the happy couple. This has always gone down really well with guests!
It would be great to discuss this further with you so I can provide a comprehensive quote and answer any questions you may have!
Feel free to drop me a message back here and I’ll be sure to get back to you right away. Alternatively, you can give me a call at a time that suits you on 07xxx xxx xxx.
Don't forget to also have a look at our website at [website URL] for more information about us & to see some reviews from our previous customers.
I look forward to hearing from you!
[Your Name]
[Your Business Name]"
The Winning Profile
On top of writing the perfect quote there are other things you can do to ensure you have the best possible chance of winning the business.
Ensure you have a complete profile
The details of your profile are also shared alongside the quote so it’s essential that you put in the time to make this look great. This means that you should make sure you have:
- At least 6 high quality, appealing images
- A strong description of the service you provide
- A brief overview of your typical clients
- Where possible a promotional video for your business
Positive Reviews
Your star rating is displayed next to your quote so even one 5 star review can really help to make you stand out. It also reassures the organiser that you provide a high quality, reliable service.
If you’ve previously completed a job through Add to Event it’s essential that you ask the organiser to leave a review afterwards as this can have a big impact on future bookings (how to collect reviews).
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