Hi Friend,
* This episode was actually filmed the week before coronavirus started in the US! This is not lost on me. (God is faithful!)
Are you feeling tension or anxiety from your clients as they navigate an ever changing world?
It’s understandable right?! As planners, we are heartbroken for our clients when things don’t work out the way they hoped and often feel overwhelmed by the desire to fix something that is largely out of our control. For almost two years, engaged couples grappled with the impact of coronavirus on their wedding planning. But that’s not the only factor that adds tension to the planning process. Sickness, family dynamics, budget restrictions, and a million other things can add to the stress that clients are experiencing.
Remember, the majority of the time, the tension and anxiety that your clients are feeling has nothing to do with you. You are an incredible planner and you’ve helped dozens of brides enjoy their dream day. However, the tension your clients are feeling could have something to do with unmet expectations.
But, be encouraged that there are a few things that we can do to alleviate stress for our couples.
This content was born out of an amazing team call with the wise women of Chancey Charm. I’d never survive COVID without their wisdom and encouragement. Feeling really grateful for this job and team in this season. God is faithful.
So, with that let’s dive into my top 4 tips for wedding planners experiencing client tension or anxiety:
1. AUTORESPONDER TEMPLATE DURING HIGH VOLUME SEASONS: ( I worked on this with Skylar Caitlin – who is an email genius and has great email templates you can snag here!)
At certain points during the year, you’ll get an influx of emails and meetings (think Spring and Fall wedding season), and some emails can wait, while others are time-sensitive. Even if you can’t respond instantly, an autoresponder email lets your client know that you received their email and it gives them a timeframe within they can expect a response. Here is a template you can use:
Hi Friend,
Thank you so very much for reaching out. Please know that your request is a priority for me, and I am working hard to get to your email.
Our team is experiencing a high volume of emails, calls, and meetings. So, we ask that you allow 48 hours for a response.
Thank you for your grace in this season,
[Planner Name ]
2. POSTPONEMENT PLAN
Does your client need to postpone? We like to have a postponement plan pre-prepped and even included in our contract when possible. This is a GREAT way for us to start pivoting with our clients, focusing on their NEXT BEST YES.
Part of this plan is a physical, paper-copy of the wedding timeline in month-by-month format. Using this, your clients can see exactly what needs to happen as the new wedding date draws closer. It also reminds them that in the end, everything is going to work out, even if it’s on a different timeline than they were anticipating.
If you missed my YouTube video below, it was actually born out of our February team call on the subject of handling client tension, before Corona was affecting the US. SO timely y’all, God is faithful and this is not lost on me!
3. IF YOUR CLIENT WANTS TO CANCEL
If you have a client that is looking at canceling their wedding, I encourage you to talk through the cost to cancel vs postpone. This may encourage your client to make this decision to move forward with a new date. We are heartbroken for these clients and want to help them navigate this with facts about their choices.
4. BALANCE
I know it can be easy in a season like this to feel responsible and over-commit yourself for the future to try to make things better. But, I want you to feel the freedom to maintain balance for the year and coming weeks ahead. Don’t feel like you need to accept every wedding that comes your way, or soon you’ll be overwhelmed and feeling the same stress as many of your clients.
I’m hoping and praying that this post, along with my podcast and video, gets you in a better headspace as you move forward with tough client situations.
Rooting for you!
Sarah Chancey
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