Communication Your Couples

8 Things You’re Doing Wrong in Your Lead Replies

By Alan Berg

During our recent Lead Replies webinar, we discussed how to reply to inquiries and get ghosted less. Many of the questions we received during the webinar centered around what pros were doing wrong in their follow-up messages that cost them a valuable booking. Here are some of the trends I noticed and what you can do if they happen to you.

 

Replies that are way too long

Do you know what your replies look like on a mobile screen? If not, start BCCing yourself for a week or two to get an idea of what your replies look like to your couples. Don’t send a wall of text, or it may intimidate a couple and cause them to not reply back. Instead, try to keep your messages brief so they won’t have to scroll, unless or until you get a long reply from your couple.

 

Asking for the call or meeting right away

I know this is what YOU want. But if it’s what they wanted, they would ask for a call, meeting or tour in their inquiry (or they would have called you, to begin with.) And while you can ask for these things, don’t do it in the first reply and not as your only question. A good idea is to make it the PS in your message, so you’re asking them a question designed to continue the conversation, but also giving those who want a call or meeting an easy way to schedule it. Here’s an example:

“P.S. Interested in chatting instead of messaging? I’m always happy to set up a call!” 

Then, hyperlink an app like Calendly or something similar so they can chose a call time that works for your schedule.

 

Not asking a question or creating dead ends

This is an easy fix. If your message ends with a period or exclamation point, even if you asked a question before it, you’ve created a dead end, effectively ending the conversation that they started with their inquiry. People tend to scan messages before reading them. If they don’t see a question mark, there’s no sense of urgency to reply and your couple will likely miss the point of your message and not follow up. 

 

Burying your question

If you are asking a question (not just for a call, meeting or tour) and then you write anything after it, you’re masking it. When they scan your message they’re not likely to see the question mark. Always make the question its own paragraph at the end of your message, followed by your name. Don’t even include a saturation like “I look forward to hearing from you” or something similar.

Pro-tip: When thinking of a question to ask, make sure it’s a low-lift question. A question like, “what is the vision of your wedding?” can feel daunting. Instead, ask something like, “How many guests are you planning for?”, “Have you chosen a venue yet?” or “Are you planning on having florals?”

 

Asking more than one question

This should feel like a conversation, not an interrogation. When you’re having a conversation in person or on the phone, and you ask a question, you wait for a reply. You don’t keep asking questions. You want this to feel conversational, not transactional.

 

Giving way too much information in the initial reply

Before a couple reaches out to you, it’s a guarantee that they’ve researched you. From scouring your social media to reading your reviews, they already have a good idea about your business. So, in your reply, don’t be redundant and just treat this inquiry as if it were a phone call. Ask better questions to show that you’re interested in providing them with amazing results. 

 

Focusing on yourself, not on their results

Couples don’t want your products and services, they want the results you can provide them. So, talk to them about their wedding, not in generic terms, but in more direct language. Don’t say “our couples”, say “your wedding”, or “your guests”… Try to use the word “you” more than you do “I”, “we” and “our”.

 

Not providing a personalized touch to your reply

It’s OK to copy and paste a reply, it just shouldn’t look and feel like it does. Remember that they’re seeing more than just your reply and if it feels like you’re not taking a personal interest in their wedding, they’ll find someone else who does.

 

Dodging the pricing question

When a couple inquires, you’re always going to get a question about your pricing. In this situation, be sure not to give specific prices because that number can stick in people’s minds. Instead, provide a price range and ask for more details from the couple so you more accurately determine how much you’d charge them if they decided to book.

Pro-tip: Whenever a pricing question comes up, it’s best not to automatically assume that they’re window shopping. So, answer honestly and if they don’t reply back, be sure to follow up.

 

Not following up enough

The couples that reach out to you have already put you on a very short list of possible suppliers for their weddings. And most of the others who’ve gotten this same inquiry are going to give up too soon. If you follow up at least one more time than you are now, you’ll get more replies. When that’s working, follow up one more time than that. As you may have heard me say before, if you don’t ask, the answer is always No!

 

Photo Credit: CandyRetriever/Shutterstock