Client Meetings

[Mark Hendren]

For those of you who don't have a studio or office (like me), what do you do to show your examples to potential brides during the meeting? I have been using an Ipod with external speakers for the last little bit, but just got a DVD player to replace my old one that broke. Seems to be the easiest thing to bring to a coffee shop or other off site location.

Just wondering if anyone else had a magnificent idea that may have been missed on the forum.

Mark

[Ken Diewert]

I'd prefer to run .avi or .mov files off a laptop - just for the improved quality over DVD, if nothing else. Not to mention the ease of moving form one file to another.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Mark

I also use a "home office" and I usually tell the client that I will come to them and I haven't yet found a bride that doesn't have a big screen TV and DVD player!! However, most of the time any media is un-necessary as they have already been mailed my samples DVD and she has watched it so the meeting is purely a formality to sign up and discuss times with the bride (and of course get a booking deposit!)
I have thought about a portable player but there seems no need for it???

Chris

[Lukas Siewior]

I sometimes go to clients house and play the dvds on their equipment. This way they know how their wedding will play on their own set, and also get to see different pieces of finished projects - not just samples.

[Rochelle Morris]

Hi Mark,

When we first started out in business, I used to go to client's home and Like Chris said, they would always have a tv & dvd player for me to show off our work.

Now clients come to me and we still have a home studio (our living room). I send out a sample for those people who can't view our work on the blog. This has made it so much easier and wastes less of my time. I live on the outskirts of Melbourne and most of my clients come from the other side of town - anywhere up to an hour drive. This year I met a client who booked me and who has a child, at a children's playcentre to go over details of her wedding.

I figure that if a client sees our work, knows our prices and still wants to meet us, they're keen. Having people come to me allows me to pull out a wedding that I feel will give them the best indication of what to expect - one that will be in a similar environment and even at the same venues. We don't book every wedding and that's cool - the right company for the right couple :)

[Don Bloom]

I pretty much do the same as everyone else. either go to them, meet in a coffee shop with my portable DVD player OR my laptop which I prefer over the DV player OR I have them come to my house which is set up with a more or less private family room so I canshow DVDs there.
Since it's jut my wife, my dog and me I don't have to worry about kids runnig around which in talking to a lot of folks seems to be a big draw back to having people over to the house.
However in many if not most cases over the last 4 or 5 years I don't even meet with them. They've seen my stuff either on my site OR they've seen their friends DVDs, they call, we talk, I send them my service agreement, they send me a check, I put it in the book. Gotta love referrals and the net.

[Louis Maddalena]

Laptops all the way! I do have a space in my home though where I meet with clients, but often meet with clients who are far away and for those people to help make it more convenient, I go them with a laptop.

[Chris Harding]

I always figured that the bride is my client so it's up to me to put myself out for her!! It would be easier and cheaper if they came to me but I try to provide a service (In Perth anything resembling service is non-existant!!) My website, of course, has all the information she needs, upfront prices and a big variety of online samples to cater for both Church and Civil weddings as well as different ethnic groups so quite often they don't even want a DVD!! Normally when I get a call it's a "come and do the paperwork" one. I haven't yet had a bride who I have visited at home who has said "I'll think about it" so for me it's usually a administrative formality as they have made up their mind already and the home visit is purely to meet the couple and sign a contract.

I think however that a laptop is probably a good idea ...I did have one client who's DVD player had a missing remote but we still managed to use the menu sequentially!

I was actually thinking about a media player??? That way you could take the player and an HDMI cable and show them samples in HD!!!! Down here they are already below $200!!
Anyone else use a media player at the client's home???

Chris

[Philip Howells]

Not in the couple's home but two, each driving a flat screen on our wedding fair kit.

For client meetings I prefer to take DVDs of all possible variations I think I'll need and simply play them. It has the added benefit as someone else pointed out of showing them our quality programmes on gear they're familiar with.

The reason I don't use a media player in clients' homes is that a media player means at least two boxes, two power supplies and cabling - which will often mean upsetting the couple's existing set up. Plus there's the scrambling behind the set etc.

Conversely for fairs etc the media players are great. I have all the gear mounted on a small platform which also hangs on the single chrome column that carries the two screens, The leads are made up as a single snake so set up means plugging in the snake to the power and to the four boxes and the HDMI links to the two screens. This Spring we're doing fewer fairs (since we've been featured in a Bridal magazine and we're laying off the cost of the ad in that against a couple of fairs) but it's a comfort to know that everything's ready to roll whenever we need it.

[Eugene Brown]

Hey Mark,

Have you talked to any of your photographer friends who have studios? We currently share a studio with a photographer. This was one of the best things we've done for our business.

They already have it decorated with their wedding pictures everywhere, and it just puts the bride and groom in the wedding mood:)

Most of the time when we meet with couples its really just a formality. They've more than likely already seen our blog or website!

So while we speak with them we have a few of our wedding teasers playing on the big screen in the studio.

It really took us to another level once we started meeting clients one on one without the coffee shop noise and people listening in on our conversations!

Just something to consider!

Also, if you do decide to do that, be sure and share a studio with a good photographer! :)