Has it ever occurred to you that some of the best dollars you can spend in your wedding marketing is spent on sucking up to your fellow vendors. I’m not kidding. I have seen it done using big bucks and small bucks. It can be something as simple as a timely thank your note or as elaborate as a five course dinner. .
Doesn’t it make you feel wonderful to receive a gift for no reason? Or as a nice thank you, job well done pat on the back? It let’s you know someone thought of you and appreciated your product or service. It makes you remember the giver and think of them in a good way. Bingo!
Now, spin this with the fact that referrals are still how most brides find their vendors. Once a bride finds a vendor she trusts, she is going to ask for referrals for her other services. The goal here is to get the vendors who already have your target brides to refer you. First you have to get them to not only notice you but also to be in the front of their mind when asked for a referral.
Of course, the best way to do this is to ‘use what you do’. For me that was easy. Heck, I fed everybody every chance I had. At bridal shows I always held back a box of samples to feed the other vendors while the brides were tied up at the fashion show. Head to their booth, schmooze a little, hook them up with a sugar buzz to get through the last half hour and break down. I was a god!! Well not really, but they sure did remember me.
My favorite photographers always sent me very nice shots of my cakes. They did it unsolicited and quickly. Because of this, their work was all over my portfolio for every one of my clients to see. When someone asked me for a referral, their names were on the tip of my tongue. I am fairly sure that they did this for a lot of vendors besides me. Did it cost them money? Of course, but a lot less then a full page color ad in a magazine would. Let me add here, that these guys are some of the most heavily booked photographers I know.
A limo company I work with used their resources to spoil a whole group of vendors. When a local wedding magazine decided to host a Christmas party for its advertisers the owner of the limo company got the guest list and provided car service for the guests. Result, one very happy magazine publisher, (because it made him look great) and a whole list of very happy wedding vendors. All of whom I am sure will refer this limo company. Did it cost her anything? Again, sure, but it was a Tuesday so her cars probably weren’t fully booked anyway. She had to pay her staff, but count that against the advertising budget.
If what you do doesn’t easily translate into gifting to other vendors, send a note to the vendors you worked with last weekend to say how much you enjoyed their flowers or food or professionalism or what ever. The more often you write a note like this, the easier it gets. An it only takes a minute. Anytime you have occasion to meet one on one with other vendors, take a goodie basket. Even if you had to buy it. At the very least, bring the coffee and the bagels!
Martha Stewart, love her or hate her, is a marketing genius and has used the art of the suck up to perfection. She always took a basket of muffins or a box of fresh baked cookies when she went to seal a deal. It may sound trite, but it works. Keep it up and over time it will pay off in a tight knot of friendly vendors you regularly refer you.
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