How to Score Your First Client as an Event Planner

How to Score Your First Client as an Event Planner

The first time is always the most difficult. Starting off, especially in a highly competitive space, can be challenging because there’s always someone more experienced, ready to take the seed away.

However, this doesn’t mean that budding entrepreneurs will find it impossible to get clients.

The beauty of today’s world is that we are all on a level playing field. We can all reach out to our potential clients and pitch to them without fear. But, winning them over with no professional experience requires different strategies and quite a lot of diligence.

That’s our focus today. We shall share a few important tips that will help you get your first client as an event planner.

Start with your friends and family

Never underestimate the power of a good portfolio.

Event planning is a huge deal and clients take it very seriously. They are, after all, celebrating an important occasion. Starting with friends and family can help you gain experience, test the waters, and present yourself better.

Any experience is better than no experience, right?

Our advice is that you do a few projects for free or for minimal pay so that you can start building experience. At this stage, the emphasis is solely on building your portfolio.

Know your potential clients

Why is it so difficult to get your first client?

Because of trust issues.

It is hard for anyone to trust you with an event that’s close to their heart without knowing that you are good at what you do. So, you should work towards winning their trust or providing proof that you can get the job done.

You can do this by learning about them, their personalities, their expectations, etc. A detailed persona of your ideal client will help you understand how to speak with them, what points to cover, and how to sell your business.

This is even more important if you have absolutely no professional experience.

Find where your target market hangs out

Once you learn who your ideal client is, find them on social media; what channel do they hang out on?

Trust us, this is the easiest and quickest way to get your first client. Facebook and Instagram are affordable platforms and it is highly likely that your audience is active here.

Having said that, we urge you to check your notes on their personality and demographics to locate them and target them with specific, well-designed ads.

In your ads, you can speak about the results your event planning projects fetched so far. Speak in numbers so that it catches the eye.

Even if it is a family project or a college assignment, if it was successful, it is worth speaking about.

Make sure your communication is crystal clear

Your job is to leverage the impression you have cast upon your potential client. Clear, confident communication is the key.

Speak to them and focus on your strengths.

These can range from creativity and management skills to your passion for event planning. Always make sure when you speak to give examples, results and achievements. Share images and videos of past events if possible.

This will cement the trust further.

Lastly, make sure it is not a one-sided conversation. Ask questions just like the client does and understand the requirements - its' a two-way interview.

All that will be left after this is the negotiation and the terms of assignment, which you can sketch out through mutual understanding.

Following these steps will exponentially increase your chances of landing your first client for event planning without breaking a sweat. The online game is big and very fruitful for beginners. Don't be afraid to give it a shot!

Author: Sharon Vaughn

Sharon Vaughn is a Professionally Content Writer. Sharon has expertise in content writing for Marketing strategies, Event Planning, Photography, Technology, and other new kinds of stuff. She has received multiple awards for her writing skills and magical words.