As an events business looking to fill your calendar, you need to make sure every communication you have with potential customers is perfect. Not only do new customers want to know about your services and prices, but they want to trust that you’re a genuine, good-natured and friendly person too! And as we all know, first impressions stick. So making sure your initial quote is top notch goes a long way to securing the best bookings.
We’ve put together some top tips we’ve found work for everyone - from pizza vans, to mobile bars, marquee suppliers and everyone in between - plus an example of the perfect quote to help you get started!
Our Top Tips
- Introduce yourself
- Use brief, customised messages
- Build trust
- Save time with templates
- Get excited!
- Explain your price
- Upsell yourself
- Don't forget a call to action!
Let's dive in...
1) Introduce Yourself
No one likes a cold call or email, so create familiarity right off the bat with a quick introduction about yourself and your business. Keep things light, a sentence or two is perfect to make things friendly before you jump into the details.
And don't forget to address the customer by their name - while it may be easy to rush through a quick 'high' - never underestimate the value of a personal introduction.
2) Use Brief, Customised Messages
Keep the quote short and relevant. Make sure to reference any specific information mentioned in the request so it’s clear your quote is personalised and you’re adaptable to the customer’s wants and needs.
For example: “I know you mentioned there will be several vegans attending the wedding, so I have ensured I include some options for them in the menu attached.”
Don’t forget, lots of information can be overwhelming, so try to keep the quote to 2-3 short paragraphs.
3) Build Trust
Customers coming to you for the first time don’t know just how great you are. Occasionally they may be wary about trusting a completely unknown business with their special day. So build trust by referring them to your reviews, website, or social media pages where they can see examples of your previous work and feel confident in what you can do.
4) Save Time With Templates
Templates allow you to store pre-written responses which you can quickly customise before sending. Don't forget to include pre-saved images and PDF attachments to give your customer everything they need right off the bat.
Responding promptly with a quality message will greatly increase your chance of locking in the customer - and the best part about templates is you can do this from the road within a couple of minutes!
5) Get Excited!
Whether the event request is like no other you’ve worked before or something very familiar, get excited about the event! This is your customer’s special day and they want it to be a celebration - show you share their joy by adding photos, videos, or other documents that showcase your relevant work and set expectations. Give encouragement to get the plans moving.
6) Explain Your Price
Even if you’re not sure on all the details like the number of guests or special requirements, providing a rough guide is essential. Give the customer an idea of what’s included in the quote and the factors that affect the total price. You can then follow this up with a request for further information to help you provide a more accurate price.
For example: “Our prices can range from £20-40 per head for a three-course meal, and we have optional extras like cake, canapes, and prosecco. I’d love to hear more about what you’re looking for so I can give you a bespoke quote.”
7) Upsell Yourself
Think of your most unique selling points (perhaps you’re a wedding cake maker that also offers iced cookies or personalised cake toppers that no one else does) and be sure to drop these into your message. Of course, avoid being forceful or sending a long list of all your services, but if there’s a relevant add-on that you know helps you stand out from the crowd, be sure to mention it in your first quote!
8) Don't Forget a Call To Action
Sometimes customers need a little nudge. Ending your quote with something as simple as: “Give me a call to iron out the details on XXXX” can help turn potential clients into confirmed bookings.
The Perfect Quote
Perfecting your templates can take a bit of practice but over time you’ll find the best way to hook your new customers. Here, we've put together an example of the perfect quote to help you get started...
"Hi [Customer Name]
We’d love to be of assistance on your [celebration details]!
We are a family run, street food pizza van based in London but can travel anywhere throughout the South of England.
We’ve catered for many weddings in the past and our pizza ovens are always a talking point! Feel free to have a look at our Instagram page (@example-instagram-handle) for some examples of what we can do.
There are a couple of options for you - we can either serve our pizzas in a buffet style, which requires less pizzas, or we could cook each guest an individual pizza. It’s completely up to you!
All pizzas are £8. Pizzas are all 9 inches. We can serve up to 100 individual pizzas in an hour.
Our menu is attached (choose 4 pizzas from our menu or let us know if there’s something special you’d like!)
I’ve attached some images of previous weddings we’ve catered for - these have all had different themes and we’ve loved adding a personal touch by naming our top pizza after the happy couple. This has always gone down really well with guests!
It would be great to discuss this further with you so I can provide a comprehensive quote and answer any questions you may have!
Feel free to drop me a message back here and I’ll be sure to get back to you right away. Alternatively, you can give me a call at a time that suits you on 07xxx xxx xxx.
I look forward to hearing from you!
[Your Name]"
The Winning Profile
On top of writing the perfect quote there are other things you can do to ensure you have the best possible chance of winning the business.
Ensure you have a complete profile
The details of your profile are also shared alongside the quote so it’s essential that you put in the time to make this look great. This means that you should make sure you have:
- At least 6 high quality, appealing images
- A strong description of the service you provide
- A brief overview of your typical clients
- Where possible a promotional video for your business
Positive Reviews
Your star rating is displayed next to your quote so even one 5 star review can really help to make you stand out. It also reassures the organiser that you provide a high quality, reliable service.
If you’ve previously completed a job through Add to Event it’s essential that you ask the organiser to leave a review afterwards as this can have a big impact on future bookings (how to collect reviews).
Follow Up
If you don’t hear back from the organiser after a few days it can help to drop them a follow up message through the platform. This will be emailed straight through to them and can also be a good opportunity to ask them any additional questions regarding their event.
On occasion, if you haven’t heard back regarding an event that you think you’re especially suited to you can also text or call the organiser. Many requests include the organiser's phone number which you can access after submitting a quote. We don’t recommend using this before they’ve had time to view your quote but it can be a really useful way to follow up later on.
We hope you've found this helpful in structuring the perfect quote and profile! We'd love to hear from you - what're your top quote-writing tips?!
