Who here has ever had that “once the wedding is done, I’m off the hook” thought? My goal is to squash that thought right out!!
I loved having some time to talk about all things offboarding with my friends over at Catersource. We know that onboarding is important, but our OFFboarding sometimes gets lost! This is that after-event process that spans really from the event day & beyond. When I was in this off the hook mentality, I noticed a few things:
- I missed my clients
- I wasn’t seeing as many referrals
- My business didn’t feel as satisfying
When I sat back and really took a look at the process, I realized how wedding wide this mentality is! I knew that the key to fixing my feelings and process would come from tying up those loose ends with a smile.
Okay, well a little more than just a smile.
This starts on the night of the wedding. Ending the night with a goodbye and thank you goes a long way, and not just with the couple. In recent contacts, many vendors say that the planner never thanked or contacted them after the event. Making a quick moment with the vendors for a quick “Goodnight” and “Thank you” is going to help out this offboarding process. It is a fantastic way to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication to the couple, share Instagram handles, find out when pictures will be ready, so that everyone has some closure at the end of the night.
Not only does this change the relationship between yourself and the vendors, but this helps with your relationship with the couple. We feel the need to ask for a review right after the wedding. I’m here to tell you, it’s better to wait; don’t do it right away- not during the honeymoon! Because we offboarded the vendors, we can have an idea of when the photos are arriving. Ask to be CC-ed on emails regarding follow up so you can plan accordingly. Have the client review as they reminisce on their magical day through the photos. Let them spark memories, and leave a thoughtful review, instead of something rushed and inauthentic.
There is a way to gently off board instead of bouncing at the end! Keep in mind that we spend so much time with the couple that it would be weird if we just disappeared. Connect on IG, comment on future pics, keep up with them! That is how we make those mindful connections, so that we can always be their go-to person for weddings.
And if you want to learn more about Offboarding, we have a mini-course that teaches this step-by-step with email templates and a workflow for Asana. Learn more here!
