Some others have said it right. Don't call or pursue any more. Consider it a no deal and move on. If she does contact you that shows that she really is interested. If she doesn't then she is definitely not interested.
pollux114 wrote:
I guess in a show of good faith and to keep her from going elsewhere I told her I would hold the date until I got back and got the contract signed.
You NEED to give her notice now if you choose to work with someone else or just terminate your relationship with her. If you hadn't said you'd hold the date, then you could just move on. Now, you can't just move on without telling her.
if you're having this many reservations about even booking her, can you truthfully say you'll give her your best once the wedding comes around? graciously cut her loose and quit stringing it along.
As everybody else says, if you have a bad feeling about it and don't need the business then drop it. Saves stress in the long run.
Saying that though, a couple of points I picked up on:
1) Why on earth did you not call her when she didn't turn up? Everybody has a cell these days and I always make sure I text my clients when I get to the meeting location 5 mins early so they know I'm there. Then if they're 10mins late, I call.
2) Why do you need to meet with them to book? I know we all like to but I operate on a first come first serve basis. If I like the sound of somebody on the phone and they want to book me I email them the contract. Then it's their business to get it back to me ASAP.
Thanks everyone, lots of good advice here. It seems this is the kick in the arse I needed to revise some of my practices. Holding dates for people was something I did in the beginning when I needed to grab every booking that came my way, but taking a step back now it's pretty clear that I don't need to, nor should I do it anymore.
@Photo197726, the latter was correct....no physical address confirmed. Lesson learned.
@CRFTony, do you always tell people you don't want to work with that you're booked? Any other good excuses if I have reason to believe that they could find out I'm not actually booked?
Oh, and I'm cutting her loose if anyone is interested....I don't want or need to deal with that.
If you don't want to say you're booked, just say you're unavailable. You don't need to expand on that and if you suddenly become available for a different client later on, well, so be it.
I know some photographers who actually tell clients that they "aren't a good fit" or something along those lines. I guess that's another option.
I don't understand. If she already chose you and met you at your bridal show, why the need for another meeting?
Send the contract (via email, fax or post). It's up to the her to send it back along with the retainer. You also need a, "void if not returned after" on that thing, like 5 days or something.
This seems to be more your fault than hers. You're supposed to be the professional.
So much good advice in this thread. Don't hold dates, don't chase the clients, email or mail a contract if you cannot work out an immediate meeting date, verify the address, place and time, get their cell phone number and make sure they have yours, you could have had the contract ready at the wedding fair to have her sign there or take with her, etc. Look at it from the bride's side and then wonder why she's hesitating to book you? If she was excited about booking you, it wouldn't have taken this long to get there. That is part of your job. To give her reasons to be excited about booking you and then close the sale.
You seem to be a nice easy-going guy. Nothing entirely wrong with that, but you need to have set rules and sell to the person who first makes a firm decision, writes the check (or send a paypal payment) and signs a contract. I know you realize this now, but then why not cut her some slack since you were a party to this happening? Is there a reason you wanted to work with her to begin with? I'm assuming there must have been at one time.
Just something to think about. Your approach is what she's going to be reacting to. You can either cut your ties, as you're planning... or send the contract, with the notice of no longer holding the date and what it takes to book. Give her a chance to sign if she wants, while still being able to book any other bride who is ready to sign.
If you cut ties and get a bad reaction, I wouldn't necessarily see that as a sign it wasn't meant to be. One of my favorite brides of the summer would probably have reacted badly had I at some point early on said it just wasn't working out (her schedule /my schedule, her requests to concessions that I chose not to meet), instead, she was fantastic to work in the end. Listen to your gut feeling, but realize you're also responsible for the end results.
I would say if you feel like it isn't a good fit for you to be able to not only do your best for the couple, but also to enjoy the process just move on. It sucks but I think this could be alleviated by really being frank that without a deposit and a contract a date is not reserved. This puts people on a time schedule and lets them know your dates are a hot commodity. If they really want to reserve they will get you both instead of just feeling comfortable that a date is theirs.
This sounds like a really unfortunate situation... definitely sucky!
what scott said. from start you made too much effort to one client who never gave you any money before.
keep it straight, short for all new customers. do not book date until retainer or contract is signed
Pandacat wrote:
You don't have to tell her anything. Don't call her anymore. If she wants you, she will call. In the mean time, if you can book with someone else and they pay your retainer and sign the contract, then you are booked for that date. If she calls back (highly unlikely) then you simply tell her "Sorry, that date is booked. I didn't hear back from you."
Exactly! Why make it so complicated? You don't owe her anything at this point.
Rather than telling clients you don't want to work with that you have a booking (when you don't have one), I would say "I have an obligation that day." Your obligation is to preserve your sanity. Nobody has to know the details of what you have going on for that date, they need only know that you're not available for their job. Never make excuses - if you're asked to go somewhere you don't want to go, say "I have plans" or use the 'obligation' phrase. I do not feel I am misleading people when I say "I have plans," because sometimes I just plan to do nothing & hang out at home.
