Should You Even Offer Partial Planning?
When you are in the process of starting a wedding planning business, it can be hard to decide which services you are going to offer. And, while it can be easy to start by building your packages around what potential clients ask you to do, it can also put you in a spot where the differences are unclear. Today, then, Heather is to talking about that grey area when it comes to wedding planning services to help you develop packages that are different enough. Read on to learn about the pros and cons of certain wedding planning services and get her advice to help you successfully sell them!
When planners and coordinators start their business they often offer whatever it is they are asked for first; refining them as the need and requests from clients does. And, while the good thing of starting with this approach is that you can offer any services you want, there are still some fundamental questions you should be asking yourself to make sure you are growing in the direction you want.
Do you love working with a couple who has a strong idea of what they want? Do you love hearing their plans and ideas and you are great at helping make them happen? If so, then you should offer wedding coordination or wedding management services.
Do you love working with couples who are looking for an expert to take the lead and guide them through the entire planning process? Do you have strong in project management, client communication, and design skills? If so, then you should offer full service wedding planning and design.
The problem is, your inquiries have varying needs and some of the people who want to hire you need a service that is in between. So, what do those packages end up including? A little from this package and a little from that?
I personally love clean cut answers and can honestly tell you (from experience), offering services other than “Full Planning,” “Wedding Coordination,” or “Wedding Management” will put you in the middle of a grey area. Why is that? Because, when you offer services in the middle, there is a ton of room for confusion—so, let’s talk about the pros and cons of those middle services.
Design Only
This is a common complementary (but additional) service to wedding coordination or wedding management, especially when the client needs visual support but does not want or cannot afford full planning. That being said, some planners offer design only services without any additional service paired with it.
The Pro: You get to design something for a couple oftentimes without having to execute it.
The Con: Couples might not understand the limited scope of the service. And, if you are not there to execute the design it might not turn out the way you planned it.
Partial Planning
This is a very common level of service and one many couples feel like best suits their needs when it comes to their involvement and budget (because they see this as the compromise between wanting full planning and staying in budget). Couples who have already booked their venue oftentimes think this is the best package for them as well. But:
A big misunderstanding in the wedding industry is that full planning is only for couples who have not booked their venue when, in fact, venue selection can be part of full planning not always necessary. Working with a couple to plan their wedding from venue selection to end of their wedding weekend is still very much full planning.
The Pro: You can offer a level of service that your market wants and get paid much higher than coordination or management fees. Plus, you get more control and/or involvement than you would providing coordination or management.
The Con: Couples are making decisions without you but they can conflict with your recommendations and/or process. And, they might not fully understand the limited scope of the service.
Custom Planning
When we offered multiple services at LVL Weddings, I considered this the best middle service because custom planning is full-service planning customized to exactly what the couple needs or has left to plan.
The Pro: Like with partial planning, you can offer something that your market wants and get paid much higher than coordination or management fees. It enables you to fill the exact needs of inquiring clients and is pretty easy to sell.
The Con: Couples might be booking you after they’ve decisions made that might conflict with their budget and priorities (because they didn’t know). And, like with partial planning, couples might not fully understand the limited scope of the service.
Ask Yourself
How do I craft the middle services? What should they include and what should they not?
How do I keep from providing full planning to partial clients?
Am I confident in placing and enforcing boundaries with my couples?
Do I have tools to clearly explain the services I offer?
What will I do when couples want more than their package includes?
Do I have strong processes for me to easily offer multiple levels of service?
Do I enjoy the process and result of all levels of service?
Do I shine best at a certain level of service?
Does offering 3+ services allow me to reach my personal and professional goals?
What services do I get leads for the most?
What services do my ideal clients book?
Tips to Help You Successfully Offering “Design Only,” “Partial Planning” or “Custom Planning” Services
Be Focused on Education from the start
Couples asking for or purchasing this level of service may be doing so for a variety of reasons (but budget is often one of them). The biggest issue I see with offering these is the misunderstanding of the scope of the services which can end up in you fighting a drive to “go above and beyond” because, in the end, you want to make sure your clients are happy. So, it is extremely important to ask why they want this service and talk through how this service is executed step-by-step.
Tools, Templates and Process
Offering these mid-tier levels of service can be really challenging on your professional workflow. Be sure to utilize tools that make communication easy, help you clearly define your role and theirs as well as allow you to set up a refined internal process. Step one? Craft templates to keep you both on track and follow the process you have in place to ensure smooth planning.
Evaluate what works for you
No two years in business are exactly alike. And, while it might make sense to offer these middle services some years, it might not during others. I recommend really taking a deep look at your goals, your bookings, and your clients and offering what is best for both you and your business—always remembering that it is okay to change.
Cheering you on!
xo, Heather