The countdown to booking season is on! As this year comes to a close and you're wrapping up your last weddings, it’s the perfect opportunity to start preparing your lead management process for the upcoming booking season. Having a solid foundation before the storm begins will ensure your success in the new year. Yes, that means it's time to do a maintenance check on your business practices! Today, we're helping you prep your Aisle Planner account for booking season to make sure that when engaged couples start knocking, you’re ready!
Set Up Your Lead Contact Form
It’s important to make it easy for couples to get in touch with you to inquire about your services. And, it’s also equally as essential to move leads through your booking process in a timely manner. So, one of the first things you should make sure you’ve completed prior to the rush is your Lead Contact Form.
Setting up your lead contact form not only makes it easy for your potential clients, but it also makes it easy for you! When someone fills out the form, all of the information is automatically dropped into your Lead Manager and once you book them, you can create a project from their Lead Record in just one click!
To access the form, click on Leads in the menu of your Settings and then on Contact Forms. Once you are on the Contact Forms page, you can (and should):
- Customize the base URL, which we'll use to create a unique URL for each of your Lead Contact Forms
- Write a welcome message (this will appear below your logo and above the form fields)
- Upload your logo in the form preview section (if you haven't already)
Pro Tip: Be sure to manage your lead sources and service types before linking your Lead Contact Form to your website. Read Setting Up Your Lead Contact Form for a set-by-step guide.
Update Your Templates
In the last few months, we’ve expanded our line of templates to include proposals, contracts, and invoices. So, if you haven’t taken the time to set those things up in your Aisle Planner account, now is as good a time as any!
In addition to setting up your “sales” documents, you should take some time to make sure that your welcome kits, note, budget, and checklist templates are up to date as well. For more info, check out The Ultimate Guide to Aisle Planner Templates!
Set Up Your Online Payments With Wedpay
During booking season things move fast. Potential clients expect to receive everything quickly as well as pay easily. Having your online payment account set up in Aisle Planner (in addition to your proposals, contracts, and invoices) ensures that your potential clients can seamlessly move through the booking process and pay that oh-so-important deposit without breaking a sweat!
To set up your Wedpay payment account, log into your Aisle Planner account, head to the Banking tab in your Business Settings, and begin the application process.
Organize Your Calendar
If you’re anything like us, your calendar can be a little crazy at times—especially when we’ve forgotten to put something in it! So, a piece of advice—go into your business project and add dates/ times that you already know you're not available for events; that way they’ll show on your master calendar and you can avoid mistakenly telling someone you are available.
Everyone has a preference for what calendar platform they like to use, so we've ensured that you can sync the AP calendar with your preferred platform. This increases visibility and accessibility. Your team and clients can check on the calendar whenever they want and on whatever device and platform they want.
Calendars can be synced to:
Make a Great First Impression
Like the old adage says, you never get a second chance for one. And, with competition seemingly ever-increasing in the event space, it’s never been more important to make sure you’re showing your prospective new clients your best side all the time and everywhere. Do a quick check of every site and social media channel you market your business on, including your Aisle Planner Marketplace Listing. Make sure your descriptions, contact information, and links are up-to-date. Refresh those hero images with pictures of your latest work and update any photo galleries (hint: this is where sweet-talking your favorite photogs really pays off). The proof is in the picture pudding, so to speak, so put your best foot forward and select those standout events from your past year.
Archive Finished Projects
Lastly, you should make room for all the new clients you are going to book! So, whether that is archiving any finished projects or upgrading your account to accommodate more, you want to make sure that your new couples have a home on Aisle Planner!
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The simple, powerful, and complete software solution for the modern event professional. Designed by event pros for event pros, Aisle Planner is a beautiful, all-in-one platform where you can market your business, connect with and close new clients, collaborate with your partners, and design and deliver spectacular events down to the very last detail.
Hero photo courtesy of Menina e Moça
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