Hold That Date!
As our 2008 wedding season draws to a close and we gear up for Christmas and holiday events, I wanted to get back to some blogging and quickly touch upon a subject that many times is of great distress for brides; Vendors that do not hold dates for brides and grooms.
While each entertainer has his/her own way of running his/her business, most professionals I know will not hold a date for a client indefinitely without a deposit. Still, many brides will post on blog sites such as (“The Knot”), that they were upset when an entertainer that they met with last month simply “booked their date out from under them”.
While I cannot defend another entertainer when I do not know what was or was not promised, I can say this; when you make a living as an entertainer, many times you must strike while the iron is hot and fill your calendar with the client that is ready to commit to the date. Imagine our frustration when a client leaves our office and days or sometimes even hours later, the phone rings with another bride wanting the same date and willing to meet immediately to sign a contract.
[ It leaves the disc jockey in a tight spot. Do we tell the bride that is ready to book that we have another bride interested in her date, (even though she has left no deposit, and risk losing a paying client), or do we make the appointment and take the commitment from a bride who is ready to secure her entertainer? ]
Please, I’m asking all who read this to pay attention when you meet with your potential entertainers. If they promise to hold your date for you, even if you have left without giving them a deposit, then they should do just that – hold your date. However, if they made it clear that they do not hold dates without a deposit, you must be fully prepared when you walk out of their office without leaving a deposit, that you are playing a game of chance – especially if they are entertainers that are in high demand.
You really have to put yourself in their place before you get upset. Imagine making your living by selling your services and people ask you to commit to them without giving a commitment back to you in the form of a deposit. Where do you stand with that client? Will they call you back to let you know that they chose someone else? Probably not – after all, that’s a difficult message to deliver.
As you may have guessed, the reason for the subject of this blog is because we are faced, as I type this, with two brides wanting the same date and neither one has left a deposit. As you can imagine, one bride is going to very disappointed and there is nothing I can do about it. It’s first come first served and with the economy talking a dive you will be seeing more dates being booked without warning because everyone is going to scramble to fill their calendars as quickly as possible. Money is going to be tight and the most popular entertainers are going to book even faster in 2009 and 2010.
So, if you meet an entertainer that blows you away and comes highly recommended book them. You may want to ask for a few days to think it over, but get back to your vendors with an answer one way or the other. A professional should not take it personally when you choose to book with a competitor. After all, it could be price, personality or simply comfort level that tips the scale in one direction or another.
[ It benefits both parties to know where they stand. We’re not left wondering if a potential client is still interested in our services and the current bride on the phone with us can get a straight and clear answer as to whether or not we are available for their date. ]
Happy planning and see you in 2009!
Ron
UPDATE:
The couple who prompted this blog did not get back to us and lost the date to another couple who came ready to book. We gave the first couple over 4 weeks to think it over, making it very clear that we do not hold dates without a deposit.
While each entertainer has his/her own way of running his/her business, most professionals I know will not hold a date for a client indefinitely without a deposit. Still, many brides will post on blog sites such as (“The Knot”), that they were upset when an entertainer that they met with last month simply “booked their date out from under them”.
While I cannot defend another entertainer when I do not know what was or was not promised, I can say this; when you make a living as an entertainer, many times you must strike while the iron is hot and fill your calendar with the client that is ready to commit to the date. Imagine our frustration when a client leaves our office and days or sometimes even hours later, the phone rings with another bride wanting the same date and willing to meet immediately to sign a contract.
[ It leaves the disc jockey in a tight spot. Do we tell the bride that is ready to book that we have another bride interested in her date, (even though she has left no deposit, and risk losing a paying client), or do we make the appointment and take the commitment from a bride who is ready to secure her entertainer? ]
Please, I’m asking all who read this to pay attention when you meet with your potential entertainers. If they promise to hold your date for you, even if you have left without giving them a deposit, then they should do just that – hold your date. However, if they made it clear that they do not hold dates without a deposit, you must be fully prepared when you walk out of their office without leaving a deposit, that you are playing a game of chance – especially if they are entertainers that are in high demand.
You really have to put yourself in their place before you get upset. Imagine making your living by selling your services and people ask you to commit to them without giving a commitment back to you in the form of a deposit. Where do you stand with that client? Will they call you back to let you know that they chose someone else? Probably not – after all, that’s a difficult message to deliver.
As you may have guessed, the reason for the subject of this blog is because we are faced, as I type this, with two brides wanting the same date and neither one has left a deposit. As you can imagine, one bride is going to very disappointed and there is nothing I can do about it. It’s first come first served and with the economy talking a dive you will be seeing more dates being booked without warning because everyone is going to scramble to fill their calendars as quickly as possible. Money is going to be tight and the most popular entertainers are going to book even faster in 2009 and 2010.
So, if you meet an entertainer that blows you away and comes highly recommended book them. You may want to ask for a few days to think it over, but get back to your vendors with an answer one way or the other. A professional should not take it personally when you choose to book with a competitor. After all, it could be price, personality or simply comfort level that tips the scale in one direction or another.
[ It benefits both parties to know where they stand. We’re not left wondering if a potential client is still interested in our services and the current bride on the phone with us can get a straight and clear answer as to whether or not we are available for their date. ]
Happy planning and see you in 2009!
Ron
UPDATE:
The couple who prompted this blog did not get back to us and lost the date to another couple who came ready to book. We gave the first couple over 4 weeks to think it over, making it very clear that we do not hold dates without a deposit.
posted by Ron A. Lamoreux, Jr. | 6:14 PM
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