Unfortunately, because of the economy, business isn’t what it used to be. So it’s understandable that we’re willing to take on any client who want to hire us for a garden wedding, reception, or creation of a few bouquets, regardless of how small his or her budget may be. But let’s take a closer look at both sides of this issue, and evaluate whether or not this is a smart business practice.
First, the GOOD news:
1. Even if we don’t make a lot of money on a job, it keeps us working. Every job is an opportunity to practice our designs and/or services. We gain experience and continue to grow.
2. From a more spiritual point of view, we should be grateful for every job we’re offered. My instinct is always to say, “yes and thank you,” to anyone who appreciates what I do and wants to hire me.
3. Every job presents an opportunity to meet other potential clients and exposes us to new possibilities and situations.
Now, here’s the NOT SO GREAT news:
1. Because you’re in the service industry, you need to give cheaper and smaller jobs the same amount of effort that you give bigger jobs. However, if you’re trying to juggle multiple jobs that are bringing in vastly different sums of money, it can be especially hard to give equal attention to all of them. You don’t want your bigger jobs to suffer on account of your smaller jobs.
2. If you’re not meeting your margin and you accept too many small jobs, you’re in danger of not making a living.
3. What’s more, until you take a stand and define a minimum, it’s unlikely your company will ever be offered bigger jobs.
Please understand that if you’ve figured out how to take on jobs of any budget, make a good profit and provide good service, then this is not an issue for you. You don’t have a problem. However, in most cases, clients want everything under the sun, and they want it at minimal cost. Clients should pay for exceptional service and a vendor who is willing to go above and beyond for them — those shouldn’t come cheap.
In other words, don’t sell yourself short!
What do you think?
PREVIOUS
George Bernard Shaw once said: “You see things and say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were and say, ‘Why not?’” That quote embodies how Preston Bailey approaches every event.
Brittany
April 21, 2011
I agree. There needs to be a balance and sometimes in order to reach a different target market you have to only service that target market. I think the transition could be what’s so hard, especially if you don’t like turning down business.
Catherine S
April 21, 2011
Could not agree more! Your blog inspires me, thank you for posting such wonderful articles.
Kate Lett
April 21, 2011
I agree, but for us we are a fairly new company and getting our work out there is very important at the moment. I feel that in the future we will put a minimum on our services, but for now we have to keep the business moving forward and it is very rapidly.
Emilie
April 21, 2011
Although I advertise that I am a full service wedding coordinator, I seem to only be getting day of coordination brides. How can I transfer and receive more full planning clients? Thank you for this post. I am a less than a year old company and have 18 weddings booked but all day of coordination. Any advice?
Thank you!!!!
Angela
April 21, 2011
This blog just took the words out of my mouth. I am at a point where it is so difficult for me to keep accepting small jobs as it seriously undermines the bigger jobs. However the small jobs sometimes are good to pay the daily office bills. I wish i could just say No and then give excellent and full attention to my bigger clients. I believe you get in life what you accept and sometimes if we just take that bold step, we just might get what we really want.
Nichole
April 21, 2011
Emilie – I was in the same place until I just stopped offering Day of Coordination. The only way that I will do Day of Management is if the couple wants us to do the design (not the planning – just the design). Day of Coordination was beginning to take a heavy toll because I was dealing with substandard vendors and Aunt Lucy and Cousin Mary. No one sees that you didn’t pick the vendors or the design – only that you were the Wedding Planner and things didn’t look good nor did the vendors perform as professionally as they should.
By offering a combined service of Design & Wedding Weekend Management, I made my life easier.
Maria Kirk
April 21, 2011
I couldn’t agree more! How can people charge so little and still make a profit?
Lush Floral
April 21, 2011
It’s a leap of faith to go ahead and set a minimum–but I found it was an important growth step for me. It doesn’t mean I will never take on smaller jobs here and there (certainly during my off season especially!) but it keeps me focused. Also I’ve been doing it long enough to know that I’m just not going to be making any money on budgets under a certain amount (as you pointed out– they take the same amount of effort!) Great post.
Marie Glodt
April 21, 2011
Great blog Preston.
Keep up the good advice!
Marie Glodt
Travel to Maui
Emilie
April 21, 2011
Thank you Nichole!
Patricia Simitakos The Eco Conscious Planner
April 21, 2011
Although it is very hard these days to turn down any work – especially if you are new to the game – it is very important to weigh the benefit to your business as well as the outcome for your clients, so I couldn’t agree more. I decided a long time ago not to take on very low budget clients or “day of” type of requests, because that starts to become what you are known for. Building a brand the right way is tough, but worth it in the end!
debbie
April 21, 2011
I take small jobs in my low season… But in my peak season where I know I get booked fast I turn them down
Jason Hatch
April 21, 2011
You know that old theater adage…”There are no small parts, just small actors.”? I want to sort of apply that to our events. I suppose you could re-frame the question “Does accepting small fee for small jobs help or hurt your business?”
When you are starting out I encourage everyone to get in there and get “dirty” by taking in as much experience as you can professionally handle. There are no short cuts to learning any craft but volumes of experience are invaluable when taken with heavy doses of honest critique and self evaluation. If you are new to your field take the work in front of you and be grateful for it.
Once you have experience, you’re in high demand and have a stellar reputation you are subject to the law of supply vs. demand. There’s just one of you and many calls for your time and talent. That’s when you begin to choose the jobs you want to take that will challenge you to grow ever better.
Then there’s another level…where reputation transcends the given task itself and enters into the realm of “celebrity” and brand.
Consider this…What is the value of a Preston Bailey designed bouquet when compared with something less inspired? I cannot imagine you not putting all of your heart and soul into creating even just a single bouquet…thus the scope of this job may be more focused but it still carries the full weight of your reputation. (That’s one MONSTER bouquet!)
I often perform at simple, understated destination weddings here in the Fingerlakes area of NY state with guest list of maybe 40-60 people. No elaborate lighting, or expectation of a crazy dance party. You could “define” this as a small job…but the cost is still the same. The client is paying for more than the demands on my time on the day of the event. They are paying for my experience to guide them in the planning and for the peace of mind that the execution of their entertainment will be flawless and as they envisioned.
Setting aside any hard goods that go in to creating what we create for our clients isn’t the real value to what we all offer as professionals our talent, experience and creativity? I believe it is.
So I guess the new adage is…”There are no small jobs…just small budgets and limits on time. “
StilettoFotog
April 21, 2011
I’m a firm believer in “charging what you’re worth”. However, I am also a firm believer is “paying it forward”. I volunteer for two non-profits and provide my photography services GRATIS. However, when it comes to regular business, I not only want my clients to be satisfied, but I have to be happy as well. After being in the photography business for awhile, I KNOW when a potential client wants “something for nothing”, and unlike other vendors, after the event is over, my real work has only begun. I have actually turned down potential clients based on our conversations, and have politely suggested they continue looking for another photographer. The bottom line is that we all had to start somewhere…but, never sell yourself short. You know your worth…charge accordingly!
Nicole
April 21, 2011
I agree as well. I just started my event/wedding management company and I get a lot of small jobs from friends/family referrals. Those jobs didn’t provide me enough to pursue my dream of doing this full time. I live in a good market (Ft. Lauderdale/Miami) to get big clients but without the work to prove it seems as though my jobs will be small. I’m thankful for the referrals because I love what I do. In the meantime I’ll take on the experience because it’ll prepare me for when the opportunity does come.
Paul Pannone
April 21, 2011
http://www.ewednews.com/post.cfm/understanding-how-to-price-your-services
Edwina Milford
April 21, 2011
We recently decided to create a minimum spend policy for our peak season months. Our smaller jobs were taking almost as much time as our larger jobs however we were finding it was for little or no profit. Although we may disappoint some clients with the minimum spend, we’ve found that over the course of months we are not running around like idiots all the time and consequently having more time to spend on our larger clients giving a better service and standard. Our profit margin seems to have increased because of this which we’re very happy about. Of course, in our non peak season, the little jobs get us through!!!
Veronica Foster
April 22, 2011
I couldn’t agree more. And actually I am working on getting rid of our “Day of Coordination” services, as I put just as much time into those clients as I do my full plan clients so nothing goes wrong and my reputation stays intact.
Also thank you so much for your blog and your fantastic advice. I truly do appreciate each and every post.
Indira de Fodor Venezuela
April 22, 2011
Absolutly true!! But i think if you dont love your job, and you don’t believe in your talent, you never can get greats oportunities!!
Michael Wade
April 22, 2011
Holding firm to your desired rates is one of the hardest things a business owner can do. I have a wife and 4 kids who depend on me to bring in an income. If I give my prime dates away to budget brides I’ll lose the good paying jobs. I think we need to decide how much we want our income to be and plan the journey to getting there. Then stick to it and work hard to reach the goal.
Dave Williams
April 22, 2011
Great post! Ironically, some of the smallest weddings we have filmed have inspired other clients to book much larger films. This is not to say we don’t have a minimum, but we have learned that smaller events can be very nice and still profitable. We do have four crews, though, so I would probably not answer the same way if we could only take on one per day.
Melonie Karl
April 22, 2011
I’m in business to make money. Yes I love walking my clients through the event planning process, being creative etc. However “small ” jobs are time consuming, and based on my experience they seem to come with the most difficult clients attached. Give me a client who understands that “you get what you pay for” any day.
Gloria Brown
April 22, 2011
Preston, you are totally on the mark with your points. This is why YOU are where you are today! Thank you for being so sharing with us each day!
Candice
April 22, 2011
I love your blog! I can totally relate to every post! It is just amazing that all of us wedding planners, no matter where in the world face exactly the same issues. I was just discussing this point last week with my partner, and we totally agree with you. There are both pros and cons, but to provide quality work/service – there is a certain minimum standard that we provide, and its just not possible to go below that and look at taking on quantity, at the cost of letting quality suffer.
Yemi Osunkoya
April 22, 2011
I totally agree with your statement that one shouldn’t sell ones self short. Apart from anything, it’s not really fair to the customers that are paying the higher fees and it may ultimately damage your brand. I feel if you know the value of your work, you should steady your nerves and stick to your minimum fee. It’s easy to panic and consider selling yourself short. HOWEVER, one must ensure the work is done to the highest standard so the client is ultimately paying for value and a great experience of customer service.
Angela
April 22, 2011
Debbie- Thanks for that great advise. Think that is something I will incorporate as well. Emile- Honestly i stopped accepting on the day coordination jobs when we had an event and the couple had advised the restaurant to have lunch ready by 2.00pm and all guest had arrived at the venue by 12.30pm and had to wait almost an hour for lunch to be served and we had guest saying- on the day coordination or event management – they are all the same. It was a decision we had to make to protect our brand and image. of course we lost out on jobs, but currently are beginning to reap the benefit of that decision. We lowered our Event Management cost to attract more clients and honestly it has worked. Also i felt so disconnected from the events that we did on the day coordination. Hope this helps.
Lida Simonova
April 22, 2011
I really think the one with expertize shouldn’t sell himself sort! You can give a good advise to a client or offer your student for a cheap job but never go yourself
Anonymous
April 22, 2011
just like the facts of life…you take the good – you take the bad. You may not always be a success that way in your own business, but keeping yourself employed and employable will open you up to greater knowledge and opportunities
Chris C
April 22, 2011
These are great points!
Also, small project does not necessarily translate to little profit. For example, we evaluate a project on the feasibility and ease of it. As a floral designer, I would be more than happy to take a “small project” that will take very little time to produce AND still get paid $200.00 per hour (net profit). It boils down on how you present it.
YOUR NAME a. dickson
April 22, 2011
I think u r absolutely right. It takes hard work to provide exceptio
Nal service. We should not b afraid to demand. Adequate payment. Its fear thatmakes is sell ourselves short.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY?
Meta
April 22, 2011
You are always very timely in your message. I hear exactly what i need to hear from you to provoke thought or urge me to action. I thought about this earlier this year when i heard some one say that they did do a lot of jobs during the year but took really big jobs so that they di fewer. I tried this philosophy and it has been very good for me. Last year i worked nearly every weekend and was worn out. This year I have only taken large events and find that I have time to hone my skills, try new products and be much more creative in the events that i design. All of the smaller jobs kept me busy but also kept me for doing an extraordinary job for everyone. Keep dispensing the good information. I have been an adimirer of your work ofr years.
Meta
Jana
April 23, 2011
We are on the verge of setting a minimum but I am struggling with the best way to “weed them out” so to speak. Do you post it right on your website? Do you talk to them until you feel comfortable with the “what’s your budget” conversation? At that point I would think it would not come across very well, if you basically told them they were not spending enough.?? I would love to hear some suggestions on the most acceptable way to do this. I don’t want to sound snobby, but don’t want to waste time on something I know I don’t want either.