Do You Charge Extra for Favor-Type Requests?
We are party planners, we help people, and our job description isn’t exactly fixed. Having said that, do party planners go out of their way to provide solutions for concerns outside the party or event?
Think favors. Not the party favors we already know so much about, but the other kind. For example, a former client who you planned a bachelorette party with suddenly called you during a very bad time (a present client nagging you, or some other party-related issue that’s about to explode). She needs a quick referral for hotel reservations in Italy. So, you the ultra-busy planner, robotically recite a travel agent’s phone number. A few minutes later, the distressed former client calls again, this time telling you that she couldn’t work with the travel agent and that she’s confused.
You stop in your tracks and realize the obvious: she wants you to handle the problem and simply provide a solution that she can work with. The question is, do you or do you not charge her for your efforts?
My answer is ‘no, you don’t charge anything for a favor’. See, clients could be just clients to us, but to them, we are some of the most dependable people they have ever met. We make things happen, and we just helped them arrange the biggest events of their lives. In our business, that kind of relationship with our prospects and clients is what we aim for.
If you are ever in this type of situation and you need to book a hotel reservation in Italy for a client quickly, here are some useful links: Hotel Venice – Hotel Florence – Hotel Naples