What do you do when two customers want the same date?
Here’s another listener suggestion, this time from Euan in the UK. He had two couples asking about the same date (a good problem to have), and wasn’t sure the best way to handle the situation. I’m sure you’ve run into this, I know I have, and we don’t want them to feel like we’re adding pressure by just saying we have another inquiry (or enquiry).
Listen to this 7 minute episode for some ideas on how to handle situations like this. And keep the suggestions coming!
If you have any questions about anything in this, or any of my podcasts, or have a suggestion for a topic or guest, please reach out directly to me at [email protected] or visit my website Podcast.AlanBerg.com
Please be sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave a review (thanks, it really does make a difference). If you want to get notifications of new episodes and upcoming workshops and webinars, you can sign up at www.ConnectWithAlanBerg.com
What do you do when two couples or customers ask about the same date? Listen to this episode. Find out. Hi, it’s Alan Berg. Welcome back to another episode of the Wedding Business Solutions Podcast. This is a listener suggestion by Ewan in the UK, who said he had this scenario where two inquiries come for the same date.
The first one’s asking about a date. They want to meet and chat about it. And then somebody else asks about the same date. During that same time frame, so you haven’t booked the first client yet, and you haven’t acquired from the second client, you’ve told the first client you’re available, now the second one comes along, you’re available, you’re not available, what do you do with that?
And I think we’ve all run into that, it’s what we call a good problem, the good problem when two customers want you on the same date. I can remember one time I was booked for speaking and I got three more inquiries for the exact same date and nobody could move. I think one of them was able to move it.
The other ones already had their events planned. Well, just like you guys, I can’t be in more than one place at a time. And if you’re a multi op or you have, you can do multiple weddings on a day, you get to a point where your calendar is full. If you haven’t listened to the episode where I talk about your A dates and B dates and C dates, right, they’re the ones that you know you’re going to book.
This is one of those things that usually happens on an A date or an A plus date where it’s a popular date, you get an inquiry, and then somebody else inquires as well. Now, sometimes you’re already booked, and this is why you want to watch that calendar inventory and not give it away. for lower priced you know, packages and services on one of the most popular dates, because if you know you’ll get more inquiries, chances are you’ll get inquiries for a higher priced wedding or a higher priced event on that same date.
Like if somebody is asking about, you know, a birthday party on a Saturday night in October, and that’s your A plus dates, right? Well, they have to meet a certain minimum revenue. Otherwise you’re losing money by doing a small event. on a night when you could book a big wedding. Right? So what do you do in a case like this?
Right? Well, there’s what we call the ethical thing to do, right? If you have an inquiry from somebody and you, and they’re, they want to think about it and you say, that’s fine. My personal thing is. I don’t hold dates. I don’t think you should hold dates without a deposit because just somebody thinking about it.
There’s no commitment on their part. And you say, listen, these prices are good for the next 72 hours and, but I don’t hold dates. If I get another inquiry, I will tell you. And in this case, you and got an inquiry like that. And I think you should go tell the second couple, listen, right now I’m available. I do have another couple that I spoke to the other day.
Maybe it was yesterday. Maybe it was last night. Maybe it was this morning. I spoke to somebody else and I said, I don’t hold dates, but I did give them a proposal. So if you want me to do your wedding, great. I would just have to reach out to them, give them first right of refusal because I did say. Right.
If I get another inquiry, I’ll let you know. Now, if you didn’t say that, you’re really free to book anybody you want. The question is, what is the first couple or first customer say when they come back and say, okay, we want to do it. And you say, now I’m not available. And you didn’t give them the heads up.
I actually just had something similar happen to me. I had somebody come to me and I was available on a date. We booked it. And now they came and said, we need to move the date. I said, okay, but the date they want to move it to is a date that somebody else had said, we’re thinking about doing this event on this date.
So I reached out to the first one and said, What are we doing? Right. Are we moving forward with this or not? Because I can’t tell the other company I can move to that date unless you tell me we’re not doing it there. Cause if you tell me we’re doing it, that’s fine. Otherwise I’ll tell them I’m available and then I’m not available for you or you’ll have to move the date.
So it’s the same thing for you and you probably can’t. People can’t move the date for you like they can for me for a sales training and sometimes for a speaking. So I think the right thing to do is you reach out to the first customer and say, I need a decision because somebody else wants to book me for that date.
But I told them, I spoke to you first, I gave you first right of refusal, but I need to know, and I need to know bye. Reasonable amount of time, which would be, you know, end of the business day or whatever. ’cause somebody else that wants to give you money, , that’s what they want to do. The, the thing that I always run into that I’m sure a lot of you run into is you don’t want it to sound like you’re just saying that, and you don’t actually have somebody else, you know, on the line for that.
And that’s how I always feel funny with that is I don’t say that unless it’s true. And when I do, I don’t want people to think, Oh, you’re just saying that. Like nobody else, you don’t really have somebody else there. I only say it when it’s true. Otherwise, I’ll book you for that other date. And when I tell somebody, as of today, I’m available, that’s what I mean.
As of today, I’m available. That could change later today, that could change tomorrow, that could change next week. In the case of this, this one, you know, I was booked for this customer in August, and now they want to move to July. I’m like, well, which of these dates they’re asking me I’m available? And I said, I might be available on this date.
I might not. Let me go back and find out. And I went back to the other customer. If I don’t hear back within again, reasonable amount of time, don’t, you know, don’t send it to them at midnight. You didn’t hear about back by nine in the morning, but a reasonable amount of time. You know, if you don’t hear back, then go ahead and book the person that is.
Yeah. Get ready to give you money because again, I don’t think you should hold dates without money because there’s no commitment on their part. Some of you some of my clients do a refundable deposit to hold the date, hold the date for three days or something. Those of you holding dates for a week and more, it’s too long.
There’s no sense of urgency for them to make a decision there. I think it should be shorter. A lot of states have a 72 hour rule, but that’s after the contract is signed. So within 72 hours, somebody could back out. I don’t know if that’s universal around the world and everywhere, but in a lot of places, when you sign a contract, that’s what the local law is that you have 72 hours and you could cancel and get your money back.
So from the ethical standpoint, if you spoke to somebody, told them you were available, I think it’s ethical to go back and say, listen, I have somebody else interested if you want to do it. We do it, let’s do it now, and I’ll tell them I’m not available. If you don’t go back to them and then they come back and want to do it, I think you’re going to have somebody that’s ticked off that you didn’t at least give them a heads up.
And if you’re doing it like I am, only when it’s actually true and somebody comes back and thinks you’re just saying that, well, you know that the truth is you’re not. Right? The truth is that you do have somebody on the line there, and I think, you know, your, your conscience can be clear that, no, I only say that when it’s true.
That’s true in this particular case. And if, obviously, in most cases. They’re not going to be able to move the date for you. Some of you, they will with the venue. They might be able to move the date for you. They’ll say, okay, I’ll, what else do you have? I’ll take a different date. But for a lot of you, you know, who are further down the line after the date is booked, you’re available or you’re not, and I don’t think you need to lock up your inventory.
For someone that has not given you a commitment. And that commitment to me is even more the money than the than the contract. Yes. You want the contract signed, but I think the money is more important. That’s a bigger commitment there. So you, and thank you for that for that suggestion, keep the suggestions coming everyone.
And I hope this give you a little something to think about. Thanks.
I’m Alan Berg. Thanks for listening. If you have any questions about this or if you’d like to suggest other topics for “The Wedding Business Solutions Podcast” please let me know. My email is [email protected]. Look forward to seeing you on the next episode. Thanks.
Listen to this and all episodes on Apple Podcast, YouTube or your favorite app/site:
- Apple Podcast:
- YouTube: www.WeddingBusinessSolutionsPodcast.tv
- Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3sGsuB8
- Stitcher:
- Google Podcast:
- iHeart Radio: https://ihr.fm/31C9Mic
- Pandora:
©2023 Wedding Business Solutions LLC & AlanBerg.com
