View Full Version : Following up lost sales
deltic
23-03-2012, 09:14 AM
when i send a quote out if the booking is not confirmed within a week, i send a simple follow up e-mail from djep.
Just checking to see if you are still looking for entertainment for your Wedding on **/**/2014. You requested more information about MobileDjCumbria and I would be happy to speak with you personally.
Please give me a call on ***** ****** or reply to this email indicating your current status.
when people reply saying they have booked another provider, it now becomes a lost sale. So what i am asking is does anybody follow up a lost sale to find out why it was lost, and how do you approach it.
On occasions where I've pitched for gigs and not hear back, I'll sometimes follow up with an email to politely request any feedback they have that could help me improve the way I promote my work. I've had a few comments back, which I always thank them for, and they've been generally constructive. In One case, I expected to not get the gig and it transpired they did want to book me, and gave me feedback anyway, saying my communication was excellent...so I wonder if the notion of following up maybe played a part in sealing their decision?
hammy
23-03-2012, 10:13 AM
I use the same as you Andy, Via Djep.
Solitaire Events Ltd
23-03-2012, 10:57 AM
This is one of my really big bug bears in that people just don't bother to reply even if you follow up the quote with a courtesy email.
It's just rude if you ask me.
deltic
23-03-2012, 10:59 AM
This is one of my really big bug bears in that people just don't bother to reply even if you follow up the quote with a courtesy email.
It's just rude if you ask me.
i get a fair proportion do reply to the follow up,i just don't get any indication as to why i lost the sale.
lazersounds
23-03-2012, 11:31 AM
This is one of my really big bug bears in that people just don't bother to reply even if you follow up the quote with a courtesy email.
It's just rude if you ask me.
Sounds about right, i've lost count the amount of quotes i've given with no response, don't take 2 minutes to say if interested or not.
Mind you down here people are only intersted in one thing....:eek:
Price.....
Even a quick email to say sorry you are out of our budget would'nt hurt.
DeckstarDeluxe
23-03-2012, 11:34 AM
This is one of my really big bug bears in that people just don't bother to reply even if you follow up the quote with a courtesy email.
It's just rude if you ask me.
Indeed, I chase up once but no more than that as a golden rule. Everytime someone has given me a reason to why they didn't book its been about price.
Mark Wild
23-03-2012, 11:50 AM
I only chase up if it's gone as far as confirmation being sent out. If I quote an enquiry and they don't reply, I feel they obviously aren't interested any more.
Excalibur
23-03-2012, 11:53 AM
I only chase up if it's gone as far as confirmation being sent out. If I quote an enquiry and they don't reply, I feel they obviously aren't interested any more.
In the light of what's been posted above, are you perhaps missing a trick? Especially if it can be done automatically. It's something I may consider.
DeckstarDeluxe
23-03-2012, 11:56 AM
I only chase up if it's gone as far as confirmation being sent out. If I quote an enquiry and they don't reply, I feel they obviously aren't interested any more.
I'd suggest a trial run of chasing these folks up, I did a batch recently and two came back and booked. Sometimes they have been busy but a few have said they had forgot so a good chance that would of been someone who didn't book.
deltic
23-03-2012, 12:05 PM
I'd suggest a trial run of chasing these folks up, I did a batch recently and two came back and booked. Sometimes they have been busy but a few have said they had forgot so a good chance that would of been someone who didn't book.
neil that is pretty much as things happen, been busy forgot etc and a portion of these people end up booking.
i want to go a step further and find out why i am loosing some bookings, as has been said above probably price which i can accept because i am not in the cheaper end, what i am trying to find out is why people are choosing x over y apart from price.
In the light of what's been posted above, are you perhaps missing a trick? Especially if it can be done automatically. It's something I may consider.
What you need is a CRM system :D
hammy
23-03-2012, 12:10 PM
I'd suggest a trial run of chasing these folks up, I did a batch recently and two came back and booked. Sometimes they have been busy but a few have said they had forgot so a good chance that would of been someone who didn't book.
Exactly the same happened here, So do a trial run.
Excalibur
23-03-2012, 12:11 PM
What you need is a CRM system :D
Is that recommended for a person of my advanced age? :confused: :confused: Bear in mind I've got a weak heart. ;) ;) :D :D
DeckstarDeluxe
23-03-2012, 12:20 PM
neil that is pretty much as things happen, been busy forgot etc and a portion of these people end up booking.
i want to go a step further and find out why i am loosing some bookings, as has been said above probably price which i can accept because i am not in the cheaper end, what i am trying to find out is why people are choosing x over y apart from price.
Only reason that I've been given, I've asked a number but none of them replied apart from the ones mentioning price.
Mark Wild
23-03-2012, 12:25 PM
In the light of what's been posted above, are you perhaps missing a trick? Especially if it can be done automatically. It's something I may consider.
I'd suggest a trial run of chasing these folks up, I did a batch recently and two came back and booked. Sometimes they have been busy but a few have said they had forgot so a good chance that would of been someone who didn't book.
I might be indeed, I was just replying to how I do things at the moment, I'll email a few and see what comes of it :)
deltic
23-03-2012, 12:29 PM
Only reason that I've been given, I've asked a number but none of them replied apart from the ones mentioning price.
i have replied to a lost sale today with the usual thank you for the opportunity to quote and i hope it all goes well etc.
but this time i added a couple of questions
did you get a range of quotes and what were they and also asked if the lowest price was the major factor in booking the dj.
not holding my breath for a decent reply.
the enquiry originally came from a listing site,which initially made me think price shopper, but maybe not necessarily so.
Danno13
23-03-2012, 12:54 PM
I always chase anything that looks to be a good booking, but only once and I don't hold my breath about hearing anything back as 9 times out of 10 I get ignored.
It's particularly frustrating when it's last minute and you've bounced several emails back and forward and you're already half planning logistics, for if they do give the go ahead, and then they don't have the courtesy to just say "no thanks" ...
Is that recommended for a person of my advanced age? :confused: :confused: Bear in mind I've got a weak heart. ;) ;) :D :D
Well you can track opportunities and take care of some automated tasks such as email followups etc
You can also report on conversion rates etc
Well you can track opportunities and take care of some automated tasks such as email followups etc
You can also report on conversion rates etc
Care to share any tips / recommendations on a good CRM system?
Dynamic Entertainment
23-03-2012, 01:49 PM
I only chase up if it's gone as far as confirmation being sent out. If I quote an enquiry and they don't reply, I feel they obviously aren't interested any more.
Thats my thoughts too...although I think Peters right;
In the light of what's been posted above, are you perhaps missing a trick? Especially if it can be done automatically. It's something I may consider.
Im gonna start it off and see what happens :)
soundtracker
23-03-2012, 03:07 PM
I chase three times unless I hear back from them, I've booked half a dozen so far this year on the third chase up, and people often apologise to me for not having sorted things out quicker.
ppentertainments
23-03-2012, 03:39 PM
I follow up on lost sales most of the time. Enquiries from directories etc I don't bother too much but the ones where I feel as if they may have booked me I do.
I keep the follow up simple and straight to the point - asking for their feedback if they don't mind in order to help myself continue to improve my services. I always finish off by wishing them happiness for the future and hope they have a great day, to show there is no animosity.
It is actually rare I dont get a reply and the replies can be suprising. As DJ's I think we are often guilty of assuming people don't book us purely because of price. Whilst many are due to price I have had a variety of other reasons including recently
1. They booked someone with more experience of kids parties
2. They booked someone who offered the monogram projection (something I learnt and now do)
3. They booked a DJ who promised to get everyone up dancing :confused: :confused:
4. The DJ had a good backup plan in place (something I now mention in more detail)
The greatest benefit was actually for my race nights last year. I increased my prices but got few bookings. Quite a few replies did come down to price BUT £20 made all the difference. I reduced my fee by £20 and had my best year ever.
I also found similar with my uplighting. This was not selling too well and I found that I was overpriced - but not by much and was worthwhile reducing the prices slightly to gain the work.
deltic
24-03-2012, 06:42 AM
ok reply from the first person asked,as predicted price was the only consideration.
Hi Andy
Yes, my decision was purely based on price. Quotes ranged from £900 to £190.
Sorry I didn't book you this time!
wensleydale
24-03-2012, 08:45 AM
I follow up once after sending a quote- most of the time you dont get a reply, but if people take the trouble to reply I generally ask if there was a reason why they didnt book- every time I've had a reply to this question it's been price, which I'm happy to lose out on, however I suspect that there will be other reasons for me and for others too- sometimes the "fit" of the person just isnt right, and I dont believe that you can secure 100% of enquiries as bookings just because no one person can be all things to all people.
Some will hate the "hard sell" detailed earlier, some will like it- each to their own.
ppentertainments
24-03-2012, 09:13 AM
ok reply from the first person asked,as predicted price was the only consideration.
Hi Andy
Yes, my decision was purely based on price. Quotes ranged from £900 to £190.
Sorry I didn't book you this time!
That's one hell of a price range - no wonder people are so confused when booking a DJ.
Dynamic Entertainment
24-03-2012, 10:27 AM
How long do people give it after sending off the initial email before they follow it up?
katman
24-03-2012, 10:59 AM
ok reply from the first person asked,as predicted price was the only consideration.
Hi Andy
Yes, my decision was purely based on price. Quotes ranged from £900 to £190.
Sorry I didn't book you this time!
They obviously couldnt get through to Sid then :D
Care to share any tips / recommendations on a good CRM system?
I would of course (as it is my day job) recommend Microsoft CRM. The online solution is good and links to outlook.
If you are looking for an open source solution, have a look at SugarCRM.
soundmaster mobile disco
24-03-2012, 02:07 PM
I normally email as a follow up within 7 days.Most time i dont even get a reply back,so i take that as a thanks but no thanks.
It is nice when i do get the occasional reply back.then i can ask who they booked and at what price.
STEVE HANLEY
25-03-2012, 03:15 AM
[
It is nice when i do get the occasional reply back.then i can ask who they booked and at what price.
After they finally do give you a reply back Gary, telling you they've booked else where. Do you really get a second e mail back telling you why?
when i send a quote out if the booking is not confirmed within a week, i send a simple follow up e-mail from djep.
Just checking to see if you are still looking for entertainment for your Wedding on **/**/2014. You requested more information about MobileDjCumbria and I would be happy to speak with you personally.
Please give me a call on ***** ****** or reply to this email indicating your current status.
when people reply saying they have booked another provider, it now becomes a lost sale. So what i am asking is does anybody follow up a lost sale to find out why it was lost, and how do you approach it.
Yes always just for feedback on what swung it to someone else. If we get the same answer a lot we adjust that.
This is one of my really big bug bears in that people just don't bother to reply even if you follow up the quote with a courtesy email.
It's just rude if you ask me.
Tell me about it very rarely get anything back. Just had one that had asked to pencil in their date and they would confirm. Chased it twice now and they are not responding so have obviously gone with someone else.
Technology has made it so easy to be rude!!!!
Johnny P
26-03-2012, 10:07 AM
Remember that just because you have sent them a quote they may not be ready to book. Quotes are worth chasing up particularly those for dates sometime distant in the future.
Vectis
26-03-2012, 10:36 AM
Remember that just because you have sent them a quote they may not be ready to book.
:agree:
... especially if they hadn't envisaged that a deposit would be required.
DeckstarDeluxe
26-03-2012, 11:01 AM
Just had my third booking confirmed from my latest batch of chase ups which I did last week.....
JAMdisco
26-03-2012, 11:06 AM
I usually wait 5-7 days before following up with a quick email, only takes 2 minutes and as has been said above, often I get the booking.
Only last month I had a similar thing happen, I rung the lady immediately after receiving an email (on my phone) and she was impressed with the speed of response (I was actually just picking up a takeaway lol). She said "I only posted it 10 minutes ago". Sometimes a speedy response helps seal the deal.
Anyway, she said she'd think about it. Then just after I'd had my dinner, the phone rung for a disco for a repeat booking for the same date. I explained that I'd had an enquiry and would need to follow it up.
I rang the lady back to explain and said I wasn't too bothered if she wanted to book someone else as I had another client. I think this is what pushed her to go ahead and book me.
Sometimes desperation does not come across very well and I think this is why I got the booking. :)
CRAZY K
26-03-2012, 06:50 PM
Yes always just for feedback on what swung it to someone else. If we get the same answer a lot we adjust that.
We got something cheaper--which we hear a lot here--presumably is the exception to that rule :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
It certainly is here:daft:
Shakermaker Promotions
26-03-2012, 06:57 PM
If I have quoted someone then I will follow up the enquiry if I haven't heard anything after 10 days. It will be a courtesy email usually asking "Could you possibly let me know if you have found Disco Entertainment for your function?".
A few times I have had people come back to me who have obviously forgotten about it and said "Oh yes, are you still available?" and it's worked out ok.
Sadly though, most of the time I don't get anything back which sees me agreeing with Darren in that I think it's rude. I have the courtesy to get back to people as quickly as possible (maybe that's seen in some eyes as desperate? I don't know?), so why someone can't simply get back to you and say that they have booked elsewhere or whatever does my head in.
It probably is down to price as some others have stated.
The only time I will follow up more than once is when I have sent out booking forms which state that they need to be returned within 14 days and they haven't turned up. I have one at the moment that has booked me for the first week in January. It's come from 2 other parties I have done and she is very eager but the forms were sent out 2 weeks ago now and I haven't had anything back. I'll chase it a couple more times and see what happens.
We got something cheaper--which we hear a lot here--presumably is the exception to that rule :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
It certainly is here:daft:
Definitely the exception to the rule.
I have now lost 4 bookings in 2 weeks as we have no video footage on the website. That needs to be sorted asap as that is clearly something people are now looking for.
[QUOTE=
It probably is down to price as some others have stated.
[/QUOTE]
Definitely. Find me someone who wants to admit they can't afford it! Not going to happen, unless they are the 'what a rip off' ignoramous brigade.
Here's an example of a followed up quote that I very nearly pulled off, but just missed out on...
Having originally quoted the customer back in February, she called up yesterday and asked a number of questions, which I responded to, she added in a few additional services and I provided her a quote. I followed that up with an email to confirm details and recieved the following emails...
Hi Ryan,
Unfortuantely, ***** and I booked with another DJ this evening. Thank you for getting back in touch and all the best!
****
---------------------------------------
Hi ****,
I'm sorry to hear that, but happy you have sourced a DJ you are happy with.
Can I ask what it was that made you go with the other DJ? I would gladly receive any feedback you can offer to ensure my sales pitch is effective in the future.
Kind Regards
Ryan Dale
Harlequin Roadshow
01865 375179
07970 337554
www.harlequinroadshow.co.uk
-----------------------------------
Hi Ryan,
We went the other DJ based on his confidence, his experience (he full time) and based on how well we got along with him.
To be honest, we were certainly considering you as our DJ. I thought it was really great to speak with you - you were friendly and provided all the information I asked for. My suggestion would be to talk about the weddings that you have done before, feedback you recieved from them ("The last wedding I was a DJ for was a great sucess because.....") - I think this will make it more personal.
Good luck Ryan!
*****
-------------------------------
Hi *****,
Thank you for your email and feedback, I can utilise this to ensure I tweak my communications going forward.
Wishing you and **** a happy and successful wedding day.
Kind Regards
Ryan Dale
Harlequin Roadshow
01865 375179
07970 337554
----------------------------------
So there you go...a piece of feedback which, although not great (possibly being a bit too honest posting this up here) but equally...I don't believe my pitch lacked confidence, but I don't hear my pitch from a customer's perspective, so happy to accept that, I don't believe in ballsy exaggerated sales pitch, claiming to be something I'm not, but maybe I need to take a slightly more boasty edge. I take on the advice regarding Customer feedback within my sales comms.
So there you go. The one that got away. Disappointed to miss out, but given it's my one clear weekend in June and I have a summer with enough work to keep me happy, it could be worse.
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