Poll: Where do you meet with the prospective clients

[Bonsai]

These polls are pretty nifty. Here is mine (and I am actually quite interested to read your answers!)

Where do you meet with your clients? After polling, feel free to comment on pros/cons of your answer.

[bruceo]

I have a very nice office, but I probably only meet with an average of 1 bride a month.

[AndrewMSV]

I used to meet at my clients' and prosses homes to show that extra touch of customer service, but I found that the balance of power tips in their favor when I'm on their home turf.

So now I just meet at Starbucks.
mmmm... grande soy almond extra hot no foam latté... mmmm

[Daniel Runyon]

I meet mine on the astral plane, no sht

[Bonsai]

Almost always in our studio (storefront). Once recently we drove an hour to meet a couple halfway, real nice couple, spent quite a while with them at Dunkin Donuts, and you guessed it... they didn't book us. I know you can't win them all, but jeeze...
We had to use our laptop to show the DVDs, way too much natural light for the screen, the audio, of course wasn't great, people walking by, very distracting, and Madonna music playing (loudly) in the background. That just doesn't compare with sitting on a leather couch watching a big screen plasma (with the shades drawn, if need be). And if you book right at the first meeting, we'll throw in a Lindt Chocolate.

[Brian]

Other: Coffee shop typically. Meet somewhere half-way. Downside is it can be a little loud.

[JC/DV]

You'll probably think this is strange, but on their wedding day is normally when I meet most face to face for the first time. Most of the bookings are from people far away (couple of states). Though we have lengthy email and phone conversations, this method HAS worked well for the most part. If I had to do a percentage of those I met face to face vs. not, I'd say only 5% I met with.

[Daniel Runyon]

Me too JC, as I told you a few days ago all of my work has to be about 2 hours from here to make any $$$

[Bonsai]

You'll probably think this is strange, but on their wedding day is normally when I meet most face to face for the first time.

No, not so strange. You do have a high percentage of not meeting until the wedding day, but we have had our fair share of the same (I didn't figure that into the poll, except under "other" I guess)
Since we usually go to the rehersal, we meet the "never mets" the day before the wedding. A lot of times they are couples refered by past clients, and they trust their friends, so meeting wasn't an issue for them.

[EricLudwig]

I meet them in my studio. Couldn't decide on studio (as the home) or studio (at home but seperate) because next week we will move into our new home where I will have an attached studio with private acces at home. Right now I meet them in my living room (sucks). Anyway I responded "home office (at home but seperate) because that is how I plan to do it from now on.

[cowboy13]

I don't meet with them at all. Normally just talk by phone or email...either they like the product and what I am saying or they don't.

[Junray]

Starbucks! for some hyphie juice. Actually, Toffee Nut Latte. Non fat no whip and half toffee nut, please.

Neutral zone is always the best, like Andrew stated. Unless you have a studio so they could be amazed with all your toys. They probably sign up right there and then.:lol:


JR

[Julian - Studio VC]

When we returned to New Orleans after our Katrina experience we had to look at options after we shut down our studio. We now meet brides here in our home/studio but we took our TV show on the road. We don't meet many brides here but even when we do it has had little effect on our business.

BUT, after some thorough research we did take our TV show on the road and a coffee shop is now where we call home for the show.

The change has brought our show to a new level... it's actually made it more alive and we now have a studio audience.
We invite brides to come by and pick up brochures, local wedding magazines and bridal show tickets. We run a tab which allows brides, their guest and local wedding professionals to order beverages while we're there.
The shop owners love us because their places (they have three outlets) are now becoming the hottest spots in the area for brides to meet their vendors.

[Daniel Runyon]

yeah i saw that a while back and was blown away that you can get all of these brides THAT involved and focused on their marriage preparations as a group sharing the same experience. pure genius.

[Doug Puckett]

I have yet to meet any bride I have booked with this season. Well, I did meet with one but AFTER the contract was signed....

Everyone else has been a combo of phone and email.

[RT Steele]

Always in their home, typically in the evenings. Makes it particularly convenient for them if they have kids.

"Hey mister! I got 2 pet fish now. Wanna see?"

"Go away son. You bother me."

Last month I was in a home with a cat the size of small cow. The bastard was shedding so much hair It looked like I was wearing a sweater when I left.

- RT

[bmitchell]

Always in their home, typically in the evenings. Makes it particularly convenient for them if they have kids.

- RT

I used to do that, but I caught too many colds. Jelly fingered germ farmers!:x
Of course, I've had clients bring their whiney screaming kids to my office, sometimes with loaded diapers.:eek:

[Shadow]

Meet them in my studio.
I used to have a separate room in my house dedicated to editing, demos, client meetings and such but it was a pain as our house is small and I would get my husband to load up the dogs and the boy and drive around until the clients were gone so that there weren't any screams or barks when they were here.

They did have to contend with my fat cat who almost always would come by and squeeze his fat arse through the DOG door (note: not a cat sized door) but he is so fat it would rattle the door and his legs always were hanging out in a most dramatic fashion. It was as if he was saying, LOOK.. look at how they treat me, pitty me".

I hated having people know where I live because I had two mental people who thought they could come by my house at strange times (8am and then ring the door bell incessantly and also at 11:40pm at night - as if this was normal practice).

So now I rent a room in a photo studio and have decked it out with my funky chairs and such and that's where they meet me. It's a pain to have to go there but better than having to clean all the time and shoo out the boys.

_____
That was a whole lot-o-typing for me just to say "I meet clients at my studio".
Can you tell I'm procrastinating something?

[Shadow]

For those that meet at Starbucks - how do you handle the audio aspect? Do you show the demo on a laptop?

[AndrewMSV]

For those that meet at Starbucks - how do you handle the audio aspect? Do you show the demo on a laptop?

I show my demos on a fat @$$ laptop. I try not to turn the audio up too loud (once someone asked me to turn it down and it was kind of embarrassing) but I don't mind turning it up louder than the tired, pretensious, college sophomore fake John Coltrane restaurant jazz music.

That's all there is to it.
I usually just show a SDE first and maybe a portion of a photomontage. Then, if they want to see more I can bust out my Case Logic filled with recent DVDs and pop one in. Otherwise the SDE and the photomontage usually is enough.

Oh, and also, I have to be very charming and polite and offer to buy them coffees and so forth.

That's about it.

[freddymedal]

I got a nifty 10"...........Portable DVD player I use, and either meet at their house (use their stereo system), or some nuetral location, and I had 2 clients come to my house in the last 2 day's so I'm all over the board on that.

I had 3 meetings today, and 2 postponed :arrow: w/good excuses.

[RatVega]

I probably split between my home or their whatever for those I meet face-to-face. I do a fair amount of my biz over the net, but that's because I do mainly post. I can't remember the last time I met a bride, my wife usually does that.
I get visits from other pros from time to time, either dropping off or picking up work, and I make the ocassional delivery. I'm actually a bit of a hermit...

Got a call yesterday from a guy 75 miles away. We put together a deal to cut some HD over the next 5-6 weeks. He'll start upping the materials Monday. The last time I actually saw him face-to-face was a few weeks ago when I shot some footage for him. Maybe I'll see him again in late June...

[Earl]

Home office/studio

The clients' homes

Restaurant in area

Coffee house in area

Phone-call/e-mail, then at the event

Once, I met with a groom client at his place of employment - a fire station; another was also in civil services - a police officer at the station.

In a rare event we signed up a location wedding party going to Hawaii and arranged/rearranged seating to discuss the venue, agenda and particulars while in the air.

We've met with several at a cemetery church office - yes, they hold wedding event there for people who can get past the surroundings.

Met with a couple who played softball at the park after their game - was the only time they had to spare.

• Home office - 80 percent
• Restaurant/coffee shop - 8 percent
• Client's home - 8 percent
• Other - 4 percent

Earl Chessher
CorElAnn Productions
Huntington Beach, Calif.