“This is your business. If you’re going to invest time and energy qualifying a lead to decide whether to book an event, you need to ensure you’re making the right decision. Because whatever you’re saying ‘yes’ to, you’re saying ‘no’ to something else.”
May Yeo Silvers discusses recognizing red flags when speaking to potential clients, a skill every event planner needs to master. She emphasizes the importance of being selective with your time and energy, sharing three key warning signs that indicate a lead might not be the right fit for your business.
What should you do when a client mentions they already have a friend or family member in the industry? How do you respond when they want to source their own vendors, creating a potential loss of control over the event’s quality? And what’s the best way to handle objections about your fees? May walks listeners through each scenario, offering clear strategies to navigate these situations with professionalism and confidence.
This episode challenges event planners to think critically about how they are qualifying their leads. May’s actionable advice reminds listeners that being selective is not only okay—it’s a key ingredient to building a successful, sustainable business.
Quotes
• “This is your business. If you’re going to invest time and energy qualifying a lead to decide whether to book an event, you need to ensure you’re making the right decision. Because whatever you’re saying ‘yes’ to, you’re saying ‘no’ to something else.” (09:41 | May Yeo Silvers)
• “You have to find out what is the ultimate desire. What is the ultimate motivation for them to have this event? What is the result that they want that they will say, ‘I will pay whatever it is to get that result’? You need to find out: What is extremely important to them about this event, and what do they want the outcome of the event to be? How is it going to impact them? How is it going to impact their business? How is it going to impact their relationship with the people at the event?” (28:30 | May Yeo Silvers)
• “Anytime you spend your time and energy on something you’re uncertain about, you’re taking away from pursuing something you feel more confident about. Time and energy are so precious.” (31:34 | May Yeo Silvers)
• “You can be the most skillful planner, designer, or decorator—those are all incredible skills. But if you can’t sell and close, then your skill remains a hobby. It might bring you fulfillment when you do events, but if you’re aiming to run a business and turn your passion, skill, and talent into revenue, you must learn to sell, qualify, and close.” (34:40 | May Yeo Silvers)
Links
The most important skill set to have apart from being a talented planner, designer and decorator is to know HOW TO SELL. You can be the BEST in what you do, you can be the BEST marketer of your services, BUT if you don’t know how to sell, your talent can only be showcased through non-paid events.
If doing events gives you fulfillment as a hobby, fantastic. But if you want to turn your passion AND talent into a profitable business, you need to learn HOW TO SELL.
Inside our 24 courses for $24 Business Kickstart Bundle, one of the modules is Slaying Sales. There are videos of roleplay and also a video of me talking to a lead and closing the lead, so you see me in action! The bundle also includes all the fundamentals of business such as pricing, marketing, legalities, and mindset and productivity hacks. Click on this link https://learnwith.mayyeosilvers.com/kickstart-24ob47oto67-podcast to check out what the bundle offers!
Connect with May at: [email protected]
Website: www.mayyeosilvers.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayyeosilvers/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mayyeosilvers
IG: www.instagram.com/mayyeosilvers
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayyeosilversofficial
FB private group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/events4anyone
