Vendors - Figuring Out Your Top Twenty
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PHOTO .COM THIS WORKSHEET IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU PUT A PLAN TOGETHER FOR BUILDING VENDOR RELATIONSHIPS. List the names of event professionals you would like to work with as well as relationships that are already established. Remember, vendors should be a match on budget—If your services are affordable, choose affordable event professionals to partner with. If your market is the high-end bride, choose vendors that also serve that market. In our area, we prioritize relationships with facilities coordinators at venues. Popular venues often hold several hundred weddings per year. Most wedding professionals do not serve that many brides, and are therefore not able to send a high volume of referrals. For example, a high-end planner may only take 10- 12 weddings per year. Some of the planner’s clients may have already booked photographers, so if she sends you two brides a year, that’s a significant amount of her clientele. Whereas a venue can send you dozens of referrals, so it makes sense to focus the bulk of your time and efforts on venues- if you find this to be the case in your market as well. Your initial list should include a variety of relationships you aim to develop, including established event professionals you would like to work with, new event professionals that may not have partnered with anyone yet and finally vendors you already have an established relationship with and would like to take to the next level. Ready? Set? Here we go! FIGURING OUT YOUR TOP TWENTY LIST 1
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Vendors - Figuring Out Your Top Twenty
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PHOTO .COM
THIS WORKSHEET IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU PUT A PLAN TOGETHER FOR BUILDING VENDOR RELATIONSHIPS.
List the names of event professionals you would like to work with as well as relationships that are already established. Remember, vendors should be a match on budget—If your services are affordable, choose affordable event professionals to partner with. If your market is the high-end bride, choose vendors that also serve that market.
In our area, we prioritize relationships with facilities coordinators at venues. Popular venues often hold several hundred weddings per year. Most wedding professionals do not serve that many brides, and are therefore not able to send a high volume of referrals. For example, a high-end planner may only take 10-12 weddings per year. Some of the planner’s clients may have already booked photographers, so if she sends you two brides a year, that’s a significant amount of her clientele. Whereas a venue can send you dozens of referrals, so it makes sense to focus the bulk of your time and efforts on venues- if you find this to be the case in your market as well.
Your initial list should include a variety of relationships you aim to develop, including established event professionals you would like to work with, new event professionals that may not have partnered with anyone yet and finally vendors you already have an established relationship with and would like to take to the next level. Ready? Set? Here we go!
FIGURING OUT YOUR TOP TWENTY LIST
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PHOTO .COM
ESTABLISHED EVENT PROFESSIONALS
VENUES
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PLANNERS
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FLORAL DESIGNERS
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TIP: If you have already worked with vendors at least once, you’ll have a good starting point to build the relationship.
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PHOTO .COM
EVENT PROFESSIONALS
CHURCHES I BAKERS I INVITE DESIGNERS I MAKEUP ARTISTS I MUSICIANS OFFICIANTS I LIGHTING TRANSPORTATION I RENTALS I CATERERS
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TIP: Build a fan base of vendors in all categories. When brides hear about you from 3-4 sources that brides becomes a very strong lead.
IDEAS FOR CONNECTING WITH THESE VENDORS?
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PHOTO .COM
NEW EVENT PROFESSIONALS
LIST 3 NEW PLANNERS, DESIGNERS OR OTHER NEW EVENT PROFESSIONALS TO CONNECT WITH:
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TIP: If you do not know any new event professionals, get out to those networking events immediately and meet some!
IDEAS FOR CONNECTING WITH THESE VENDORS?
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TIP: Some great ways to connect with new event professionals are product photo shoots, offering generic wedding images for their new website, carpooling to networking events and going out to lunch.
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PHOTO .COM
CURRENT REFERRAL SOURCES & PARTNERSHIPS
TIP: If you aren’t regularly maintaining that relationship, there is ALWAYS someone fresher/younger more eager to step in and take your spot!
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR THEM LATELY:
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CURRENT PARTNERS:
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EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS TO STRENGTHEN
TIP: Not all of these relationships will blossom. Think of the relationship building efforts as planting seeds and watering them. Some will grow and flourish while others never do.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING STRATEGY:
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NAME:
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PHOTO .COM
PARTNERS FOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS
Some great ways to connect with new event professionals-product photo shoots for them, offering generic wedding images for their new website, carpooling to networking events and lunch.
List some ideas you have for connecting with potential partners if you are a portrait photographer:
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Now that you have a list together, go ahead and create your own spreadsheet or table to track the status of each of these relationships. I recommend updating the list monthly or quarterly to keep you on track.
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