As a planner you never want to make your client feel like they are spending more than necessary. Helping them understand how to best utilize their budget, while also being upfront and explaining any additional expenditures, is part of the job. From the start, you not only want to understand the client’s vision and their budget, but also have an awareness of your worth and the benefits you are able to offer. Recognition of all event costs is key, and this is to include any additional value-add product costs you as the planner are taking on!

The clients do not need to know the particulars of your planning expenditures, but they need to be able to see value in the tools you are passing along to them. All planners have some sort of Planner/Management Fee which includes anything from an hourly rate or overall cost for time given with relation to planning the event from start to finish. This could also include any additional staff that will be involved with the planning or day-of needs. Likewise, if you have a subscription to ORO, it makes sense to pass along some of that cost to your clients. They are after all, receiving faster & superior service compared to planners that don’t have the same resources at their fingertips.

Having an outline or selling strategy behind these value-add benefits will aid you in effectively communicating the value to clients. This could be anything from delivering faster service through up-to-date information and deadline reminders to the ability to help problem solve expeditiously. Educating your clients on the use of such unique products/service features can further differentiate you from other competitors, even if there is a slight increase in your planner fee.

When you look at your yearly expenditures for the company and break those out between average number of events per year, the amount to each should be negligible. It does, however, takes some foresight and honest recognition of the type service you want to put forth to your clients. If a potential client has come to you looking for planning services, they are seeking your expertise for a reason! Prove to them that not only are you and your team worth it, but that you come with a set of tools that make their life easier as well. It can be scary to take on more costs, but confidence and investment into you and your business is paramount to building your value and worth to the end client.