Ideas for renting out Chair And Table Covers please

[oodya]

Hi,

I am looking for ideas for a new business that I have started recently. I am renting out Chair And Table Covers for all functions / events (Weddings, Engagement Parties, Receptions, Birthdays, Corporate events etc) and would like a bit of help with promoting my business. I am thinking about potentially writing a letter to banqueting halls, hotels (that have function halls), but don't know if this is the 'strongest' way to approach this. I am based in Leicester and offer excellent quality Covers at excellent prices.

Creating an advert on Google is not a big option for me, as my budget would be far less than those advertising on there now.

Anyone got any powerful ideas to assist me please?

Thanks in advance,

Oodya.

 

[LicensedToTrade]

The simplest ideas are often the most powerful. The wheel has been around for quite a few years now, it still works so there is no need to reinvent it.

I am a little surprised that you hadn't thought about how you would bring your product to market before you set up shop. But it is a fairly common mistake and you are addressing it now.

Do as you have suggested and put a sales proposition letter together. Don't put any prices in it just stick to the facts, spend time talking about the benefits rather than the features. Everyone knows what a table cloth does and its limitations, so you need to focus on how you are better than existing companies you are competing against and what benefits you can provide the prospective customer that surpass the competition.

Keep the sales letter brief, your aim at this point isn't to get the sale, it is to get yourself either a telephone conversation or a physical appointment with the person responsible for making the decision about table cloths.

Make sure to mention who you are as an individual and what your position is within the company, keep it professional but light and try and put across that you are in fact a human and not just a piece of paper. Make sure to mention that you will be following the letter up in 3 days time and stick to that promise. Give them a call in 3 days time, remind them of who you are and that you have sent them a letter. At this stage you have a choice: Do you want to try and sell to them now, or do you want to aim for a physical appointment so you canmeet them face to face? This varies based on what service you are providing, if you are selling toilet roll then a meeting is a little much, the phone wil suffice. I'm not sure about your business but I would try for a meeting.

Try to fix a time and date, make sure you are on time and well presented. In this instance you need to be in a suit. Get yourself a name badge that has your companies name on it and your own.

This is now your opportunity to sell your product and close the deal. You want to leave this meeting with either an order or a date for another telephone conversation or another meeting. Anything less and your chances are somewhat reduced.

Above all be honest about what your company is capable of, don't make promises you cannot keep.

Best of luck!

 

[Be Known PR]

It will be a tough sell to get in to banqueting halls and hotels as they generally either have their own stock or have an existing supplier who provides them with a wide range of linens etc and are therefore likely to have a rate that you can't compete with. If you are confident that you can offer a better price then it is always worth a try, but remember that a good marketing strategy is about using your time and resources efficiently to get the best possible return.

Another option would be to target party planners in and around your area because they will tend to deal with functions in a vast array of locations where they often need to source everything. Also worth looking at marque providers because they usually also provide clients with the tables and chairs.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

 

[babybearcrafts]

HI

I may have a couple of ideas for you. I make wedding stationery and I know from the hours that I spend on the forums that people are looking for reputable, trustworthy and resonably priced chair covers and bows.

Could I suggest that you firstly get your self registered on Hitched. This is a brilliant forum for wedding suppliers. You can have a free listing in their directory for 30 days and then is only 25.00 a year. Additionally you can add to your signature that you are listed in the directory and openly tell people about you business when people are looking for such things. Another good website is wedding ideas magazine here you cant be as open but if someone asks the question do you know where I can get chair covers from you can say I may be able to help and put a link to your website.

Will you be supplying them on a mail order rental basis as well as I know this is how several companies do it especially if they are resonably priced. If you do this though make sure that always arrive in good time and are not creased etc. I know I probably telling my grandmother to suck eggs but this is oe of the biggest complaints.

Secondly there are a load of free supplier listing sites that allow you to list for free in exchange for links etcc.

Approach your local hotels and ask them if they have a preferred supplier or if there is a list of recommended suppliers that they give out.

Get yourself to wedding fairs and before hand approach the hotel and ask if you can dress a table or if there a mock room they are setting up can you dress it.

I think that is all I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[sineadnorton]

To get well known, you need to be at the wedding fairs. Set up a table at these and have 3 options, d.i.y for the small budget (hire only), small wedding, and then large wedding with perhaps centrepieces, candelabras, fishbowls etc . Get in with a balloon company who do the arches.

In fact, get your name out with every local wedding supplier, wedding dresses, stationery, florists, etc. some companies who have been around a while might have tired stock, and your new stock may be welcome. A voucher or a special offer for the bride if they book before a certain date for this year would be a start. always market the fact you liase with all local venues on behalf of them, consult with them freely about colour schemes and set up (expect on the diy option)

You need to find where the brides are. There are numerous forums where brides discuss various wedding matters. Hitched is one of them, why not post a special offer and get them to register a bit of interest, find out their dates etc.

larger hotels might have their stock but newer licensed premises for civil ceremonies may not, and some may not want the hassle of dealing with the matching colour schemes for the brides! Rather than sending out mail, I would ring up and see who the wedding co ordinator is and when they are available and go and make an appointment to see them, with a business card and present my offer to them at the appointment. They maybe get piles of emails and letters from various businesses, but there are probably few people who call. They might have a supplier but maybe have been let down, or you might be able to undercut prices etc.

Also you need to check your covers fit their chairs as there are all sorts of sizes.

we are a laundry company in Northern Ireland. from march - sept we launder thousands of covers for 6 different companies and it is fierce competition!

good luck!

 

[oodya]

Thanks for everyones relpies. I will be calling some of the hotels / banqueting halls etc tomorrow. As you mentioned - there is not harm in trying. Let's just hope I get a few positive responses from them - rather than them hanging up on me.

I will keep you informed.

Thanks again.

 

[An Oasis]

If you can do large quantities target events management companies, they do more events than virtually all the others combined. There are a few large EM companies in your neck of the woods.

Apart from supply what other USP's do you have?

 

[Top Quoter Ltd]

Hi

I used to work for a marquee manufacturer, you could approach some of these as they may want to rent off you for any of their functions they may assist with.

Or contact marquee hirer's as they may be able to use you too.

Sometimes when people want events they want everything done for them so event companies may use you too.... I know of one called 365 events Ltd.

Hope that has been of some use to you

Vicky

 

[Tracy H]

Hi,

I am looking for ideas for a new business that I have started recently. I am renting out Chair And Table Covers for all functions / events (Weddings, Engagement Parties, Receptions, Birthdays, Corporate events etc) and would like a bit of help with promoting my business. I am thinking about potentially writing a letter to banqueting halls, hotels (that have function halls), but don't know if this is the 'strongest' way to approach this. I am based in Leicester and offer excellent quality Covers at excellent prices.

Creating an advert on Google is not a big option for me, as my budget would be far less than those advertising on there now.

Anyone got any powerful ideas to assist me please?

Thanks in advance,

Oodya.

give my mother-in-law an email with prices she does weddings for 200 plus, and many want chair covers and table covers (she has table covers but still hires them in if they want a different colour to what she has) she has a brochure she show the bride/mother if they want covers and they pay extra, I know she is really unhappy with the people she is using due to bad delivery they been coming on the day, when she likes to have them on the chairs for creases fall out overnight.

She does not charge a surchagre to the bride and pays the next working day after the wedding (i.e. when they settle any balance and everything has gone OK).

Just follow the link below to her site and send her a fax or email.

 

[Partyweaver]

Hi Oodya,

I currently launched my website recently for the same game you are playing, (Weddings) if you see in The Partyweaver Network Directroy you can add you listings for free there under Vendors > Table Wear.

Google "Partyweaver" you will soon find it. If you want me to add your lising their by all means get back to me

Have a great day

 

[Williams lester]

I have a client in this line of business, most of the business they get (both corporate and weddings etc) is from recommendations. They have spent 5 years and close on £100k building up reputation and stock and have only started to break even in the last few months.