Over the past several years, I've had a lot of success securing business from people who indicate they are interested in my service, but don't pull the trigger right away.  I thought I'd share some tips and tricks I've learned.

Getting Hot  Vs Warm Leads

First off, there is a huge difference between a hot lead and a warm lead. I've tried to setup my system to deliver leads on the hotter side of the spectrum. Showing information on my website regarding packages and pricing has been a huge help in reducing the number of warm leads.

Also, I've experimented with a lot of ways to collect contact information. I've come to believe a person who is willing to click "Book Now" on my website as being a lead on the hotter side. Keep in mind, this assumes they have seen my pricing. If they can afford my service and indicated they are ready to pull the trigger, I'm willing to invest in helping them find the right fit.

For those of us with a Check Cherry account, lead collection is all baked into the platform. When a customer starts a reservation process but does not finish, you will have access to their contact information.  Check Cherry will also send you an email notifying you of the lead.

Whoo! Hot Lead Came In. What Now?

There are several reasons a person started the process of booking your service, but did not finish. In general, they still are unsure which service provider is right for them. As such I tend to take the consultative approach. It's my job to help them evaluate my service and if I'm not a fit, I am here to help guide them in a helpful direction. Basically, it's less about closing them and more about helping them. I want to make sure their needs are met and they find the right fit.

Furthermore, by reaching out and communicating my desire to help them I begin to establish a rapport. I've found the consultative approach is so much more agreeable to people these days. Does anyone really want to receive the "hard sell"? Again, this is less about closing a person who started booking your service and more about helping them find the right fit for their event.

My Current Process

It's not uncommon for a person to not respond to my first few contacts.  As such, I've decided to  reach out to the customer a total of 5 times over a two week period of time.

If I don't receive a response, it's considered a dead lead and I stop pursuing. Not every customer requires the five steps. It can be stopped at any time once you determine if the customer is no longer interested in booking my service. Also, if they have already booked someone, do not try to win them over. It's a lost cause and reeks of desperation. In fact, I don't even care who they booked with, I just want to ensure they have a positive interaction with my company. After all, they might come to me next time for help.

Here is a run down of my touch points:

1. Send Intro Email
Send a welcome email, introducing myself and opening the door for communication. I make it clear I am reaching out to help them. My tone is light, personal and open.

2. Make A Phone Call
If they don't pick up, I always leave a voicemail introducing myself and providing  my contact information. I'm sure to mention the service which they expressed interest and let them know I am available to help guide them to finding the right fit.

3. Second Email
This time I get a bit more direct (still very friendly). I ask if they have already have found service provider. Basically, I'm  doing my due diligence and want to make sure you are all set for your upcoming event. If they are all set, just let me know and I will take them off my list.

4. A Second Phone
Pretty much same a the first. I tend to mention I've contacted them via email and phone and have not heard back. I'm here to help. Did I say I always leave a voicemail?

5. The Walk Away Email
Finally, I send a note letting them know I will no longer be contacting, but should they still need the service I can contact you and you will be happy to take care of them. 

Grandpa Always Said

"Early bird gets the worm." In this business, time is of the essence. I do my best to immediately contact each lead.  By reaching out and introduce myself in a prompt manner, the customer is always impressed and it makes a great first impression. Don't worry about bothering them or stalking them. Instead, put on your helpful hat and go out there and secure your next event.

Bonus Tip
I've found templates can be really handy in making this follow up efficient. Be sure to keep a few on hand and tweak them as you learn how people respond.

 With Millenials increasingly becoming the biggest sector of the global market it's imperative photo booth operators of all generations know how to reach and appeal to them. In fact a recent Deloitte* survey predicted that by 2025, Millennials will account for 75% of the global workforce. So if you haven't already made Millennials part of your marketing strategy then consider this your wake up call!

And yes you absolutely need a marketing strategy just for them. The reason being is that Millenials, also known as the Y Generation, are very different to the previous generations so unless you are also a Millenial you're unlikely to intuitively have any clue how to appeal to and reach them effectively.

Millenials In A Nutshell

There is loads of articles with more in depth characteristic trait breakdowns to be found online for those of you interested but in a nutshell a Millenial is:

The most numerous, tech savvy, well educated, impatient and adventurous generation of truly global citizens in Western History.

How To Target Millenials

1. Give Value Not Sales Pitches – Millennials have an in built sales pitch detector and once you trigger that you've lost their attention for good so don't try. Instead offer them value to get and maintain their attention. Great content especially something entertaining which helps them understand your product in a more passive way is a much better tactic. For instance a video with cool music showing off your booths and attendants in action will be far more appealing to them than pages of text telling them how good you are.

You can also give them great value by building an ecosystem of free to access content via your blog eg “Our 10 Best Tips For Choosing A Wedding Venue” or “Must Have Inclusions For A Great Prop Box” All of these articles will position you in the mind of the Millennial as a trustworthy expert and that all goes a long way to convincing them that you are the photo booth operator they want to book with.

2. Make it Convenient To Book You – This is the generation that has grown up with on-demand services and entertainment. They aren't used to waiting for things so make booking you super convenient and super easy. Add a “Book Now” button to your site and ensure it's not just a static inquiry form you're sending them to but an easy to use booking and payment engine. Services like Check Cherry integrated into a photo booth website absolutely nails this and will really appeal to the Millennial client.

I can already hear those of you from the other generations saying “I would never book a photo booth or something similar without talking to the company first!”. On this point as a Gen X'er myself I totally agree but this article isn't about appealing to us old fuddy duddy's it's about appealing to Millenials and they aren't like us. The good news is this is not an either or scenario, you can have the best of both worlds by catering for both.

3. Mix In Their Social Circles – I'm not talking about hanging out with them (although that can be an effective albeit possibly creepy strategy) so much as make sure you're engaging them online via their favorite social networks.  Forbes** recently found that despite Facebook being the no.1 social site it has increasingly become yesterdays news for Millenials have moved on to newer and more cutting edge social sites like Snapchat. So make sure you are up to speed with the latest social sites and how they interact with them to maximize your engagement with Millennials.

4. Be Mobile Responsive – Millenials spend more time on their mobile devices than any other and they are using them for every part of the sales process. If your site isn't mobile friendly then chances are they are gone as quickly as they arrived. Wordpress and many other web platforms are making it increasingly easier to ensure your websites are mobile responsive and Google is even basing their search ranking on how responsive sites are too so there is no excuse not to be.

Once again this isn't an either/or scenario you can continue to appeal to your traditional markets who like me prefer to use a PC by having great website pages just make them mobile friendly too.

5. Integrate Video – Millennials go mad for video content, especially if it's good and easily shareable. This is a double bonus for those photo boothers that do this well thanks to the SEO boost video content gives your website rankings. Just make sure you create something of value, if you're not confident enough to create your own employ the services of someone who is.

Conclusion

If you can improve your reach and appeal to the fast growing Millennial market the bookings are going to follow. And no matter what generation you're from that can only be a good thing for your photo booth business.

Happy Boothin!

* https://www2.deloitte.com
** https://www.forbes.com