Dealing with Client Enquiries - Part Two
Last time we covered ideas for dealing with phone calls from clients. In this
issue let's take a look at the other popular (increasingly so) method that clients
use to contact us - email.
Taking a step backward for a moment - in order to formulate a full reply (or
phone the client ) you need information that isn't always initially provided in
an email.
The best way to overcome this is to have a form on your website which
includes all the details you require. There's no need to ask for too much
information or make the form too detailed at this stage (more about removing
obstacles we sometimes put in the way of clients is planned for a future issue).
When you have all the information to hand you may choose to phone them for a
chat but this isn't always possible and an email response is called for.
A phrase often quoted by marketing experts is 'Long copy will always outsell
short copy'. Let's look at this from the DJ perspective:
A client makes an enquiry with 2 DJs in their area - one replies "Yes, I am
available and can do your function for £XXX". The other replies with a detailed
narrative of their service, experience, background and how they can make the
function a success.
There's a far better chance that the 2nd DJ will secure the booking even if
their price is higher.
I deliberately haven't provided a full example of the long reply as it needs to
be individual to you, but here's some things you could include:
- That you are available
- That you are familiar with the venue
- That you have experience of the type of event
- That you can provide the music requested
- Any additional options you can offer
- That you can meet with them if required
- That you have PLI etc (blatant plug - see right!)
- Include some recent testimonials
- That you'll confirm everything in writing with them
- That you use professional equipment
- That you are happy to answer any questions they may have
- Your price for the event
This will take some time to prepare however once you have a final draft it
can be adapted for each client - saving you lots of time.
Don't forget to not only spell check the reply, but to also look out for
grammatical typos - 'there', 'their' & 'they're' will all pass a spell check but
might not be in the right context - if in doubt check
it out!
Good luck!
Paul
PS It's also a good idea to have the spell check
permanently activated for outgoing emails (Tools, Options then Spelling tab in
Windows Mail). This 'borrows' the dictionary from Microsoft Office so if this
isn't a viable option for you then look at installing a program such as
http://www.spellchecker.com/ |
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