The holidays are all about giving and giving back. It’s true for family parties, corporate parties, and venue-specific events like those held at bars and restaurants. Most event planners struggle with finding new ways to engage attendees. You can help solve this pain point for your clients when you pitch them a holiday photo booth. After all, not only do the resulting images generate buzz, but they allow you to leverage social proof to make each event a smashing success.
We’re giving you everything you need to start pitching decision-makers so that you are fully booked for business this holiday season.
Your 10-step guide to pitching a holiday photo booth
So you’ve decided to ramp up your holiday photo booth game. Great! If you haven’t started pitching it yet, then begin reaching out to your existing contacts now. And, likewise, start connecting with new leads as soon as possible.
Some companies start planning their holiday parties and events as early as September, but many don’t start firming up plans until sometime in November, and some even last-minute. Why do they start so early? Because venues and services book up fast. However, the bulk of the party planning may not be in full swing until much closer to the date.
1. Make a List of Contacts
Start by making a list of companies you’d love to work with on a holiday photo booth. If you don’t already know them, scour their websites and/or LinkedIn to find out who you need to contact in each company. If the company doesn’t list a planner, you can start with the person heading up their marketing department or call and ask who is in charge of event planning.
Before you pick up the phone (or send an email), be ready with a good script and talking points so that if you happen to connect with a decision-maker right away, you can speak with confidence. Be prepared with your elevator pitch and menu of services in case they ask you about services for other types of events!
2. Create a Pitch Email or Phone Script
Your pitch should lay out what your offer is and why it’s beneficial. It should be short like that:
Hi [Name]!
I’m a local business owner and I’d love to chat with you about plans for your upcoming holiday party. I have some ideas to really up the fun factor and employee engagement and possibly even help you create some great marketing materials for the future.
Can we set up a 15-minute call to talk further? I genuinely hope to hear from you!
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
If you have appointment software like Acuity or Calendly, include a link in your email so they can easily book a time slot.
3. Reach out (via phone or email)
Now that you have a list of holiday photo booth prospects, start setting up calls. Reach out to your contacts and see how many calls you can book. Have your calendar handy!
4. Ask them about their holiday party plans
Once you get them on the phone, get as much information as possible about their party. The more details you have, the most easily you can determine if your services are a good fit, and your availability. Find out the day of the party, the venue, and how many people they expect to attend. Companies that are expecting less than 20 guests may not be a good fit for you but use your best judgment here. You never know!
5. Talk about themes
Themes do not have to be a major point of discussion, but it’s helpful to know if they are planning a party theme. You may be able to create some custom graphics or make some decor suggestions that are easy to DIY.
6. Solve their goals and challenges
Some of your prospects may not have any specific goals for their holiday party. Others may say getting people to have fun, open up, or participate in some other way. Once you know their goals, you can show them how a photo booth can help them with each.
If they need to increase party engagement, well, everyone loves a photo booth! And with a mobile photo booth, you can ensure that the booth follows the action around.
Or if they want to use the party in marketing initiatives, you can sell them on the video function to record what people love.
Similarly, if they want to build buzz within the local community, you can guide them in selecting a hashtag to use when attendees share the photos socially. And, they can participate in the best photo contest to win prizes.
Even if they don’t mention specific pain points, you can use the features and benefits of your photo booth software to help your client understand how your services are a great addition to this party as well as future events.
Onebooth has a lot of feature and lets you personalize a campaign to your heart’s content. Check it out!
7. Offer an incentive for booking while on the call
Some clients may need to run a holiday photo booth up the flagpole and get budget approval. Others may have control of the budgets. When possible, you want to speak with decision-makers, but that may not always be a reality. With that in mind, you can offer a booking incentive. Some ideas might be a 10% discount on a Q1 photo booth if booked at the same time or a free upgrade with custom graphics.
8. Close them on the call
You don’t have to make a hard sell to close them on the call. But if you make it easy to pay a non-refundable deposit with an online booking tool or an immediately generated invoice and contract, you’ll save yourself time on follow-ups.
In addition to securing their booking, it gives them the added benefit of locking in the date and time for their holiday party.
If they don’t book right away, schedule a follow-up call a few days later to see if they have any questions or concerns you can go through with them.
9. Follow up promptly to begin planning
Once you have their booking, follow up with them to ensure that all the details and plans are in order. If you know you’ll need some additional information or details from them, set expectations and a timeline right away.
10. Deliver on your promises
Whatever you promise in terms of communication, follow up, and day-of-event services, be sure to deliver on it. Surpass those expectations if you can, and you’ll be more likely to get future business from them, as well as a great testimonial and referrals.
Ready to start pitching your holiday photo booth services?
Now that you have your 10-step guide to pitch a holiday photo booth at your clients’ holiday parties, it’s time to maximize the merry, add some extra magic to the air, and spin up some holiday jolly. Have questions for us? Let us know in the comments.
Don’t forget to try out Onebooth for your iPad photo booth for free!
