Back to basics

Whether you’re winding down for the Easter weekend, or preparing for a busy few days packed with weddings and showcases, one thing’s for sure – a bank holiday always sees an influx of enquiries from couples searching for their dream wedding venue. So, are you ready for it? Over the next month, we’re going to go back to basics. We’ll guide you through the sales journey – step by step – from first contact to the booking. Today, it’s all about the enquiry email.

So, what is it?

The enquiry email is a couple’s first contact with you. They’ve obviously seen something they like – whether that’s on your venue website or socials – and want to find out more, so you’re doing something right. Now it’s up to you to build on this interest and create some momentum, to hopefully lead to a firm booking. If you’re thinking “what the heck do I say?” you’re not alone. So many wedding venues have no idea how to craft the most effective response to that initial enquiry email, and tend to fall back on a standard reply. But we don’t want you to do this! It’s a wasted opportunity to make a fantastic first impression. Here’s what you need to know.

Know your customer

One of the most important places to start is to define your venue’s business goal – whether that’s having 100 weddings a year, increasing the current spend or even elevating the whole brand and moving into a higher spend market. Once you’ve decided on this you need to determine the client persona. It is not about marketing to every couple within a 20-mile radius – you need to get deeper and really nail down who they are (something The Venue Experts can help you out with). Once you know your customer – really know them – you can make sure your enquiry email response is pushing all the right buttons.

When to reply

The answer to this is as quickly as you can! This is your chance to make the very best first impression and a speedy response shows you are on the ball and really value your potential customers. Aim to reply the same day, but don’t leave it any longer than 48 hours – if you do, chances are your competitors have responded before you. Time is of the essence here, which is where outsourced venue sales really come into their own. By passing this job onto The Venue Experts it means we can make sure every single lead is followed up quickly, while you focus on the operational side of things.

What to say

You want your enquiry email response to be short (no longer than a couple of scrolls on your iPhone) but personable. Make sure your email reflects your venue’s tone of voice. It’s your chance to build a good rapport with the couple. The subject line can be a deal-maker or breaker – you need it to stand out in your couple’s inbox, so think carefully about what this should be. Honestly, we can’t stress enough how important this first email is; get it looking great, make sure it’s easy to read, that it serves a purpose and leads your couple to the next stage in the sales pipeline. Always include a call to action at the end of your email – a question is great – to keep the interaction going.

What not to say

What not to say is just as important as what to include in your email. The biggest piece of advice we can give might surprise you. Whatever you do, do not start your email with “Congratulations on your engagement and thank you for your enquiry”. Every venue uses this exact opener. You can do better! In a recent survey, 48% of couples enquiring at wedding venues said ‘nothing stood out’, so don’t be one of those forgettable venues. Also, don’t send a standard template email to every couple – you need to make sure you answer their questions, if they’ve asked any on the contact form, and make them feel like their enquiry is important. And finally, don’t dead close the email – as I mentioned before, give the couple something to respond to.

How to move on to the next step

At The Venue Experts we always recommend creating a handcrafted 5-week email journey, to keep contact with the couple if they don’t respond to your initial reply. You’d be surprised at how many couples actually go on to book a viewing after the 5th email. You want to make it as easy as possible for clients to arrange a showround, so use something like Calendly to book it in. Just make sure you qualify every viewing and make sure each couple has all the basic information (things like pricing, menu options etc) before you meet.

How can The Venue Experts help?

We totally get that this all seems a lot of work for an initial email response, but the fact is it works. We want you to get the best results for your venue and give your couples the best experience, which is why we offer an outsourced sales service to make life so much easier for you. Our amazing sales team can handle everything from the initial enquiry, while our marketing team can craft the perfect email responses to capture potential customers’ attention – and hold it. If you’re ready to transform your sales, get in touch. Click here to get started. #outsourcedsales #weddingvenuesales #enquiryemail #TheVenueExperts