Client Management
When I first started to build my bridal business, it wasn’t too hard to keep track of clients. I had 1-2 weddings per month, and it was not only easy to remember their names and a bit about their life, but I basically memorized their wedding dates as well. As I grew, however, this became increasingly harder to do! I had to develop some tricks and tools to be able to manage all of the weddings I was booking, and to keep myself sane and organized.
One of the first things I recommend doing, if you don’t already have it, is to have a separate email that is specifically for your weddings. This will keep all of your communication in one place, so it’s easy to find details about a specific wedding if you need to. The second most important thing to do is to start a spreadsheet for each year. Include name of the bride, wedding date, wedding location, how many people she has in her wedding party, and any other information that is helpful for you to remember. For each inquiry that you get, put in the information on the spreadsheet. If they book with you, change the color of the text or make it bold. If they don’t book, then just delete them from the spreadsheet. This will help keep all of your wedding information in one place, provide a quick reference when you are checking on wedding dates already booked, and help you remember whether someone booked or stopped communicating with you.
If you already have a spreadsheet, or are just feeling overwhelmed with staying on top of everything, I highly recommend purchasing CRM software (“customer relationship management”). There are a handful of them out there, but the one I love the most is called Honeybook. It is specifically designed for wedding professionals and other creatives, and has honestly changed my business. It keeps everything in one place, including invoicing and contracts, and has made my life SO much easier and less stressful.
Who doesn't like to make their lives easier???
