Legal Sales Tools for Event Professionals
Feb 27, 2012 Wedding Planning InstituteLegal Sales Tools for Event Professionals
By Cho Phillips
In general, the wedding and event industry is dedicated to providing extraordinary celebrations and creating lifelong memories. During these special occasions clients and industry professionals are commonly overwhelmed in the planning and execution of an event. As a result, many legal pitfalls are potentially lurking for unsuspecting event professionals.
Routinely, wedding and event planners fall into a pattern of discussing and providing services before a written contract is executed. Although it can be a challenge, a priority should be placed on finding a comfortable balance between friendly business and responsible planning. Of course, no one wants to be the person pointing out all the possible things that may go wrong on a bride’s big day. This type of pessimism may suggest that the company has had past problems dealing with customers or are only concerned with securing their payment. However, to avoid having clients turned off by this process event professionals should express to a client how and why it is beneficial for each party to openly discuss otherwise gloomy subjects before event preparations begin. You may find that thoughtful disclosure on tough topics tends to show qualified experience and mature professionalism. These qualities will help relieve any client apprehension towards finalizing an agreement. Thus, a core balance between competing business concerns ought to be where the parties arrive when an agreement is finally implemented.
Similarly, document transparency is paramount to the satisfaction of any costumer experience. Typically, event professionals new to the industry will utilize cost-efficient generic internet templates. In contrast, seasoned industry leaders more often than not, will hire an attorney to finalize each separate agreement. Regardless, of where you are in your career, what is essential is client participation during contracting. In other words, give the client a chance to participate in defining the main provisions of the contract. What you may discover, is that after this process the client’s trust in your business will skyrocket. For that reason, when the day comes, clients will be able to fully indulge in their moment, without the worry of any unwelcomed surprises.
Tips for professionals:
Preparation is everything. Any attorney will tell you that a legal contract cannot be created until the goals and wishes of the parties are defined. Therefore, be prepared to sit down at length with each potential client and meaningfully flesh-out their objectives. If an event professional has properly prepared, then the negotiation over contract details should be reasonably pleasant.
Furthermore, event professionals need to research and understand any potential liability exposure they may have regarding a specific project. Some of these risks are associated with breach of contract claims, employer/employee tort liability or intellectual property infringement. If hiring an attorney is not in the budget, there are plenty of resources an event professional can use to help them get legally educated. These include plainly-explained legal supplements and free legal aid.
Last piece of advice, do not informally negotiate product and service contracts. Generally, this practice can be attributed to the initial “wooing” of the client. Although our industry may at times demand a gentle touch, all event professionals should enter into well-defined written contracts with each client. Some important considerations to contemplate include the rights and duties of each party in relation to payment terms, the modification of service dates, and any foreseeable changes to event details. The reason for formal contracts is because to many ill-defined handshake deals reached in good faith have ended in costly litigation. More importantly, it only takes one contentious misunderstanding not in writing to irreparably harm your business reputation in the community. As a result, once a well-defined contract has been signed a legally protected event professional may begin work on a client’s project.
Legal Disclaimer: Information contained in this article is for general guidance. Accordingly, the information is provided with the understanding that the authors and publishers are not herein engaged in rendering legal or other professional advice and services. As such, it should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed attorney or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a licensed attorney.
Photo Sources;
Client meeting - http://www.weddingpresentsstore.com/wedding-contracts
Legal contract - http://www.designaglow.com/store/storefront.php
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