Bridal Marketing Group

We all know this scenario too well…a bride signs up for more information at your wedding show booth or from your website; you call her, leave a message (because who answers their phone anymore) and for some reason she won’t call you back.  Doesn’t she want the information she requested?   No matter how persuasive, compelling or brilliant you may be, it’s difficult to build a relationship with a bride if you can’t get her to call you back.  So, what should you do?

• Be persistent without stalking them –  The trick is to call consistently and leave a message.  Tell the bride precisely when you will call her back again.  You could say something like, “If I don’t hear from you by March 15th, I’ll call you back on the 16th.”   More times than not you’ll get a return call.

• Let her off the hook - In a voice or email, it’s a great idea to tell a bride that its OK for her to say no and that you realize she’s calling a lot of different companies like yours.   Say something like: “If you’ve chosen to go with a different company, that’s okay.   Please let me know so I don’t become a follow-up pest.”  The vast majority of the time, one of two things will happen – she’ll either call you back and say, yes, she’s chosen someone else, or she’ll say no, we haven’t made a decision yet, and apologize for not getting back to you sooner.   Either way, you’re ahead of the game because now you know the truth about what’s going on.

• Send a handwritten note - Sending a handwritten note will dramatically increase your chances of getting a return call.  Why? Because a handwritten note increases your likeability, helps make people feel good about you and the bottom line is people like nice people.  Email is easy to write but a handwritten note means that you’ve taken time out of your busy day to stop, grab paper and think specifically about that person.

• Create a deadline – After every conversation, you should gain agreement from the bride as to next steps, and the date it will be accomplished. That way, when the time for the follow-up call comes around and the bride doesn’t show up, you can leave a message like: “I’m calling because the last time we spoke, we agreed to chat today about….”  Reminding them of your agreement will help move them to call you back.  If she doesn’t return your call in a couple of days, keep calling, and gently remind her of your mutual agreement.

• Change your media - If a bride hasn’t responded to an email you sent within 5 business days, call to ask them if they received it.  Likewise, if they haven’t responded to a phone call, send them an email.  Everyone has their own preferred way to communicate. Your job is to find out which communication tool is easier for the bride.   Specifically tell a bride on her voice mail messages that you’ll be sending them an email as well in case that is better for them, and in your email let them know that you’ll be calling in case that works better. This not only increases your chances of reaching the bride but also shows them that you’re putting their interests first.

Remember, that there’s only so much you can do but…it’s well worth the effort.