So you want to connect with an event planner, do you? You want to come and show us how great you are and win over a long-term partnership? Well, here are a few tips you should know from my own experience, corroborated by countless event planners in late-night vendor vent sessions. Here are 3 things NOT to do when trying to make a connection with a new event planners.

Find Your Unique Value
What are you offering? What do you do better than the vendors that we already work with? You have to assume that any event planner you’re approaching has already spent considerable time vetting the vendors that they work with. We love our vendors and while we’re always open to working with someone new, they have to bring something new and different to the table. So what is it that you can offer that’s going to add value? Focusing on this is WAY more important than just letting us know you’re an AV company or a florist.

Speak to ME
We’re busy and our inboxes are overloaded. As any other business person, event planners are constantly organizing their inboxes by priority and looking for any excuse to delete. You know the #1 reason we delete an email? Because it wasn’t directed to us. It’s spam or a mass mailing. Whatever the case, the easiest emails to ignore are those sent to a thousand other people. Or worse, those that look like they were sent to a thousand other people because they weren’t specific in their outreach. Do some research on my company and reflect on what services you offer that you think could be a great fit. Or share something new that you’re doing that you know my type of client will love. Put some time and effort into the outreach and you will be surprised to see how much of a return you get on your outreach.

Don’t Call First
I get it. A call is more personal and you know that hearing your voice is a great way to make a connection. However, it’s simply not the primary form of communication these days and if you’re spending your days making calls, I’m sure you’ve noticed that you’re getting a lot of voicemails. The best thing to do is to send us an email introducing yourself and making your services stand out. Then – feel free to follow up with a call a few days later. Even better, when we respond, use the opportunity to set up a time for us to do a call so we both can prepare for it and make it a priority.