The economy is showing signs of rebounding, but if the miniscule increase in retail shopping for the month of April (0.5% over last April) is any indication, there may be a long way to go until Americans are back to spending money the way Americans spend money–like drunken sailors on leave.
The good news, then, is that it’s not too late to take advantage of the weak rebound. How? Clients are still nervous about their job stability, and you can help assuage that fear, and be a part of the solution. One way you can do this is to offer an opt-out insurance program.
If a client books an event for, say, $2,000, and you require a $750 deposit, an additional $200 insurance policy can assure the client that if they cancel the event, for any reason, they get their deposit back.
“A lot of my clients are booking two years out, for parties that cost $2,000 or even $3,000, so what’s another $200 to them?,” says DJ Adam Weitz. “This way, if they lose their job, or something comes up and they need to cancel the event, they’re protected, and get 100% of their deposit back.”
DJ Adam says the program has worked well, and his company—which, like everybody, took a hit in 2009—has made enough money to pay down the debt they accumulated in the worst of the recession (Adam also reports that his clients are beginning to pay with credit cards again, not cash).
“It’s a great program because it helps us help our clients manage their finances. We’d been trying to figure out ways to finance our clients’ credit options, and the insurance program has been a great way to do it.”
