What’s the easiest way to keep brides and other clients happy? Give them great service, talent, and care. Sounds pretty simple, right? Unfortunately, it’s not. The biggest issue is how you relate to each other. Let’s face it. Most brides and clients choose their wedding and event vendors because they like them. If they feel a connection to you, they will trust that you’ll do a great job. I am fortunate to have a strong record of happy brides and clients. However, I’ve also had a few not-so-happy ones. Yes, I know, no one wants to talk about the unhappy clients. However, if you want to prevent future unhappy clients you have to acknowledge and think about those past unhappy individuals.
There are three big scenarios that are likely to make a bride or client unhappy:
1. Money. It’s very rare that I meet with a client who truly understands what things cost. Sometimes, I’ll have a fantastic connection with a new client, but then watch it crash and burn when the conversation turns to the wedding or event budget.
Lesson Learned: Have the necessary money talk sooner than later. Educate your client on the value of your services. You never want a client to feel like he or she is being ripped off.
2. Expectations. Remember that clients always want the very best for their guests regardless of their budgets and circumstances.
Lesson Learned: It’s essential to consistently remind your brides and other clients what’s possible and what’s impossible; just be sure to do so very gently. For example, if you’ve been hired to do an outdoor wedding, there’s always a chance the weather will not cooperate, and the event will have to be tented or moved inside. Don’t set your brides and clients up to expect sunshine; you can’t guarantee that. Prepare them for the possibility of cloudy skies and rain. Reassure them that you have the necessary backup plan in place should a storm roll in.
3. Promises. Yes, folks, it’s true: I tend to get extremely exited about the wedding and events I do. Most of the time this is a good thing. However, sometimes it gets me in trouble, because I start making promises that I may or may not be able to keep. When this backfires it often means the loss of time and money.
Lesson Learned: Never make a promise before pricing it out very carefully and knowing exactly how much time and energy will be required.
Even if we’re loathe to admit it, once in a while, we are going to have unhappy brides and clients. That’s just the way it goes. So you need to learn how to do damage control.
Now a few questions for you, do you have the courage to share an experience you’ve had with an unhappy client? What did you learn? And, on the flip side, have you ever been unhappy as a client yourself? Tell me about it in the comments!
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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.
Chandler Adaway Photography
May 5, 2011
I’ve had problems in the past thinking and promising that I can get things done sooner than I actually can. I still struggle with this. :-/
Jaime Lee Puskar
May 5, 2011
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you can do all of the above but if a client wants to be unhappy, they will be. I recently had a client who’s expectations I managed very carefully but no matter how far above and beyond her expectations I went, she was determined to try and get her money back – from me and from her other vendors. She was more concerned about nagging at people during her wedding than enjoying it. She ended up embarrassing herself more than anything.
Eve
May 5, 2011
I had a client where things were just not working out. She is a lovely lady and totally pleasant and sweet. But I just wasn’t getting her, and she could not communicate clearly what she wanted even though she had a clear idea of what she wanted. We were frustrating each other. It was SO tempting to pull out, to take the easy way out. Instead I forced myself to see it through, find a way to make it work. I literally went layer by layer… let’s get the cloth right, then the containers/vases and so forth (great tip from a designer friend). Layer by layer we figured it out. It was highly rewarding to see her face when she walked into the hall for the very first time. She was very happy and phoned me the following day to thank me.
I also find that money is a huge issues, and education too – key elements as you said. Keep well and thank you for your post
Difficult clients force you to work harder, and push you out of your comfort zone and as much as it if difficult it is as rewarding in the end.
Jason Hatch
May 5, 2011
I think it’s important for us to realize that the key to avoiding unhappy clients as you write about above can be summed up as communicate, communicate, communicate! As wedding professionals we are dealing with a lot of expectations some are very apparent and some are completely unspoken. By asking more questions at every step in the process we can minimize the unspoken expectations that lead to disappointment from our clients.
As a DJ just starting out in the wedding business it was a long and bumpy road to learning how to ask questions to refine the broader generalization that clients often brought me. Statements like “I want everyone to be dancing” need to be followed up by the question “Are you and your husband to be dancers?” If the answer is no the expectation needs to be cast in the light of reality…whatever the Bride does, so to the guests. if the Bride is not out on the dance floor but spends most of her time mingling the guests will likely follow her lead. Having this conversation in advance can help to recast the expectations and bring them around to a more practical understanding of the dynamics of weddings. This lesson was learned as many are the hard way.
Interesting note…One of the questions that I ask brides & grooms in my initial consultation is…”When you close your eyes and picture your wedding reception…what do you see your guests doing?” The overwhelming majority answer in almost the exact same way…and it’s not the answer you’d expect them to give a DJ…
Almost all clients respond…”I see them talking and having a good time…oh and dancing of course!” The vision they have is of interaction first through conversation, a shared experience of joy and THEN dancing! Communicate, communicate, communicate!
Finally (and this won’t apply to many of the service providers who aren’t expected to stick around into the evening) I use the system of “Three touches” At three separate times (after the introductions or shortly after the beginning of the party, post dinner, and then finally with about 1 1/2 – 2 hours left in the reception I approach the couple, get them to physically turn around and survey the party and ask them “How do you feel so far? Is there anything else that I could be doing to make the day more special?” This gives the client the opportunity to “course correct” if they aren’t feeling that their expectations of the day are being met. This is done without ego and I am happy to make any changes they request. This gives them an opportunity to evaluate while there’s still time to satisfy them.
Ultimately the responsibility that we have is to leave our clients with memories that will last them a lifetime. No Bride wants to have less than perfect memories of her wedding day (no Groom either for that matter) and it’s up to us to clearly understand what those memories should look like so that we can frame them perfectly!
Wendy Kidd
May 5, 2011
One client that I could not make entirely happy simply didn’t communicate with me. Instead of coming to me and telling me anything was wrong, she would yell at my assistants or tell vendors that she was upset. She lied to her fiance, blaming obstacles on me instead of owning up to not completing tasks or making decisions on deadline. I was only made aware of this by the fiance coming to me with his concerns. When we spoke, I let him know the situation, but it was uncomfortable for both of us. I was never really able to get an open communication with the bride, but their day ended up beautiful and what they wanted, so in the end, they had no complaints. It was just a very tough process.
Catie
May 5, 2011
I have been the unhappy client post-wedding. I was a happy client, thrilled in fact, until after the wedding. It was then that the communication and follow through ended with one of my vendors. The experience took a 180 and it was no longer a great experience. I felt like we became second rate, the vendor didn’t care about us, and lapses in emails grew larger and larger. I was thrilled the service on the day of, and so excited about everything that followed. However, because the experience suffered, I’m no longer happy about my decision. Knowing what I know now, I think I would have hired someone else. While my expectations where met on the day off, now, almost two years down the line and I would definitely have a different review of the experience. I think that following up and following through on promises and contracts is HUGE. Answering an email in a timely manner is so important. Communication and expectation management is key.
Jean Neuhart
May 5, 2011
Thanks for sharing some tips on preventing the unhappy client. Communication if key, as well as being able to “read’ other people. Do you understand and get them, or no (and vice versa)?
I agree with the earlier post that if a client wants to be unhappy, they will be. Sometimes you can see it coming. Other times, they seem like the sweetest, most reasonable person, only to have their evil twin show up on wedding day. No matter what you do, according to them you are wrong. Luckily in over 15 years I’ve only had one true bridezilla. It would take way to long to tell the whole story, but she definitely falls under the category of a client wanting to be unhappy.
Angela
May 6, 2011
In my experience so far in the event business, I have had only one unhappy client. She wanted a concept which was not what we do. I did not like the concept of what she wanted and tried my best to capture it as much as possible. On the day of her event, her friends walked in and said- No way, they could never have been the ones that designed your event. Lesson learnt!- never ever do anything that does not capture your true essence especially if your gut feeling is telling you otherwise. It is not worth it.
Nicole Goodyer
May 6, 2011
English exactness topped with several years of being an LA based event planner….my wedding was just another job to enjoy preparing (in a record 28 days but that’s another story) Flowers ordered :NO carnations and colour sample of orange bridesmaids provided for colour match. My floral memory of the day “Flowers were yellow and was greeted by a full carnation arrangement at the alter!”…..I am now a floral designer and so never want any of my clients to experience what I went through! but you can’t please all the people all the time no matter how hard you try with all the details. A recent bride ordered pure white Columbian roses and wondered why I was agast at a request to have “No stems in the vase just a small wet pack posy on top”……….umm not till all the requested “small wet pack posies were sitting on top of the vases” and the look of disappointment on her face did we realise she was somehow expecting long stem levitating roses!!! beware of jargon and make sure all parties really ubderstand the brief.
Thanks for your time Maestro Preston
nnamdi
May 6, 2011
i have met several unhappy client with personal issues most might not disclose. Money truly is always there major point forr been unhappy, they want this but can not afford it. All i did for one of my client i met for the first time was to get her the best she expected within her budget by bringing low my own profit merging so as to build that relationship. I did not promise the imposible and i also made her understand that it’s not always that way but just helping out
Tere
May 6, 2011
Yes to both. I was ripped off for my wedding by a vendor who did not do what she was paid for or promised. Years later as a planner, I had my first disappointment. My first out of state bride was a nightmare. She was very picky and insisted on things that were impossible – like a certain shade of purple rose. I did all I could do but she expected the moon. Now I explain to my clients what I am able to do with the budget they provide to me. This way they don’t expect too much but I do always try to give more.
Debbie
May 10, 2011
I had a client, a very big client, with a budget of $30,00 for flowers and decor… I had a meeting with her to go over invitations and before i left i got pulled to a very important meeting concerning losing our house we were building (long story)… I called her 15 minutes before the meeting to explain my situation and she right on the spot said she couldn’t trust me, that it could happen on her wedding day, so on and so forth and decided not to work with me
Nothing i did would cut it for her, mind you, she is the pickiest bride i have ever worked with!! So in the end i though tit was for the best!!
thyme for celebration
June 7, 2011
One of the reasons I became a professional event planner was the disappointing service we received from our caterer. While I had arranged most of the wedding myself, finding the venues, organizing the rentals, and doing all of the floral arrangements myself (and paying for someone to deliver and set everything up), the caterers, a substantial chunk of our budget, were unable to follow some very specific instructions regarding service. We had a list of what wines to serve at the coctail hour and what wines to pour at dinner, which they completely disregarded. We got back unopened cases of wine when we wanted all of the wine to be served. The appetizers were really good, but the main courses (Alaskan Salmon and Halibut, because I am from Anchorage, and filet were all WAY overcooked, and they ran out of mashed potatoes, even though we had less people that what I had paid for. Also, I had paid an extra $250 dollars for buffet decor which they FORGOT, and they forgot to reimburse me for (thinking I wouldn’t notice) When I complained about these things after the event they brushed them all aside. They are still in business and I went into business for myself (including opening a restaurant) so this wouldn’t happen to my clients
Susan
June 20, 2011
I would like some advice. I am 4 years into my events floral business, (60+ events) and have never had even one tiny complaint. Last month we did a wedding that involved cube vases that were to have rose petals scattered at the base. We set up everything, took a few photos, I sent (as I always do) a congratulatory email the next day,asking how they liked the flowers, and happily went about my business for the next month. Most of our customers reply back with gushing praise; but some we never hear from, so I didn’t think too much of not hearing back. Last week I got a email that said, while she was “content” with most of her florals, we had failed to scatter the rose petals; gave the minister a tulip bout instead of a calla, did not provide her a vase for repurposing; and the tulip arrangement we did for the reception card table was insufficient, and that these contract violations were unacceptable. None of this was true, except for the rose petals. We immediately sent a $50 gift card (8 tables worth of petals), apologized about forgetting the petals, and explained that the bout was there, there was just an “extra person” who somehow lined up, so we made an “emergency” bout; that her wired bouquet would not fit in a vase; and that we felt the tulips that came in were a little smaller than we usually like to see, but in fact she had paid her bill late, and we had to order from a secondary source,and lost our first-tier discount. We did point out that the tulip arrangement looked almost identical to the sample in our quote. (Our contract actually allows us to charge up to 10% more but we didn’t, because we always feel they will get mad…) We also pointed out three extra items we had given her (just because we like to surprise them.) She responded that we had compromised their wedding pictures, and how dare we try to make excuses, and that we violated our contract…and now she added that her bouquet fell apart, (I’m certain that’s untrue) and that we didn’t stay to repurpose (we did), and we didn’t give her all those extras (we have photos of some of them)…well, you get the picture. She now claims that we should have told her that paying late would cause us to order from a secondary supplier, and they would have driven a check to the shop instead mailing it, when I prompted them that they were past due. Any advice? This one will never be salvaged, but how could we have better handled it for the future? Do you think this girl wants a refund? Our contract does say we can substitute flowers if necessary, so we’re covered on the bout, at least….auuugh!