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!

As we all know, first impressions stick. Your quote can often be the first introduction a customer gets to your business, so make sure it’s a good one. Here’s how:

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 'Hi' - never underestimate the value of a personal introduction. You can make this easier using template tags.

Put yourself in a customer’s shoes & keep in mind their priorities: they're looking for a quote & want to know why they should choose you.

So, keep the quote short and sweet. Make sure to include a cost and 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 included some options for them in the menu attached.”

Don’t forget, lots of information can be overwhelming, so try to keep the quote to 150-300 words.

As a rule, never send a quote without completing the quote cost field as quotes with a cost are 24% more effective.

Even if you’re not sure on all the details like the number of guests or special requirements, providing a rough guide is essential to give the customer an idea of what’s on offer & how that impacts the total price. You can then follow this up with a request for further information to help you provide a more accurate price.

Where you can, include a price breakdown, showing how your cost is made up of your time, equipment, mileage, etc.

And don't forget to include details of different packages / options if you have them.

Customers coming to you for the first time don’t know how great you are. Occasionally they may be wary about trusting a completely unknown business with their special day.

One effective strategy to build initial credibility is to include reviews from platforms like Google or Facebook. Upload screenshots or provide direct links to these reviews so potential clients can validate your reliability.

We also recommend including links to your website or social media pages where they can see examples of your previous work and feel confident in what you can do.

Help customers imagine their day with you in it by including attachments. You can incorporate a mixture of photo attachments, documents such as menus, or links to videos that showcase your relevant work and set expectations.

Templates allow you to store pre-written responses which you can quickly customise before sending. Don't forget to include personalised tags, pre-saved images and PDF attachments to give your customer everything they need right off the bat.

The best part about templates is you’ll never miss an opportunity to quote. You can fire off a personalised, perfect quote within a couple of minutes - no matter where you are!

Learn more about templates here.

To maximise your visibility and relevance on Add to Event, regularly update your profile settings. Ensure that your service preferences and location requests are accurate and align with your offerings. Keep your individual service descriptions and images refreshed to showcase the best of your business and attract more attention.

Keeping these settings up to date also means that you can be confident you're matching with all the right requests for you & not missing out on any great opportunities!

Sometimes customers need a little nudge. Ending your quote with something as simple as: “Give me a call to iron out the details on 07xxx xxx xxx” can help turn potential clients into confirmed bookings!

To secure bookings effectively, quick follow-ups are crucial. Contact customers within 24 hours after sending your quote to keep the conversation warm. Use clear and concise language to propose actionable next steps, like scheduling a call to finalise event details or confirming availability.

For more best practices, explore our detailed guide on Follow-Up Strategies.