Prepare Your Clients For The New Year Panic

This time of year can be pretty quiet as far as client contact goes.  From November 1st through the holidays, they are pretty busy just like the rest of us, but you may soon find out, that as soon as the holidays are over and the new year comes, it is like they all of a sudden realize their wedding is now this year.  

It took me a little while to realize this pattern.  Honestly, from November - to the 1st part of January, I really enjoyed the break.  After all, I wanted to enjoy the holidays too.  

But once the new year rolled around, I would get call after call of a couple's in panic mode. Our wedding is this year and there is still so much to do! Even if there wasn't much to do, they had not been focused on the wedding for months and they need to get refocused on it.

After years of this happening, I decided to make a small change.  Every year, I would schedule 1 week of solid appointments with my clients. Even if we didn't have anything to do. We may just recap what we still have to do in the new year, even if it isn't much and even if their wedding isn't until late fall. 

I found that when we met in December, and I shared that many couples feel that panic in January when the year changes, that they didn't panic or at least didn't act that way to me.  If they did get nervous, they may have remembered that we just met a few weeks ago and I assured them we had a plan to tackle the planning in the new year. 

If you have couples who are planning their wedding in the next year, try touching base with them in December.  If for nothing else just let them know you were thinking of them and are excited to help them with their wedding in the new year. 

This is a good rule of thumb for any clients that you may not plan to see for a few months.  Checking in to get a temperature reading on their frame of mind is always helpful.

If for any reason you choose not to see your clients in December, be prepared, they may just call you in a panic when they realize, AHHHHHH they are getting married "this year".

If you have experienced this same thing, share it in the Bridal Cafe so others can learn from what you have been through.