.png)
Respond to Every Potential Client
How potential clients reach you, what's yours alone and what's shared, why every one of them gets a reply, and what a strong first reply says.
Someone just called you, contacted you from your profile, or FindBartenders just sent you an event. Now what? Reply, every time. This page covers the ways people reach you, which ones are yours alone, and what a strong first reply looks like.
How potential clients reach you
| Who it goes to | What to do | |
|---|---|---|
| Someone contacts you from your profile | You only. They chose you | Reply promptly, even if you can't take it |
| FindBartenders sends you an event opportunity | You and two other nearby bartenders | Take it and contact the host fast, or decline it so it can go to someone else |
| Someone contacts you directly (phone, your website, someone you've met) | You. It happens outside FindBartenders | Reply promptly, like any other client |
Someone contacts you from your profile
A client fills out the contact form on your FindBartenders profile, or uses Request This Package or Request This Experience on one of your offers. They chose you. The inquiry goes to you alone, and nobody else on FindBartenders sees it. It's your opportunity, and how you handle it is on you.
- You get an email titled "New Message from a Potential Client" with a View & Reply to Message button
- The conversation is in your messages in your FindBartenders account
Reply promptly. If you can't take the job, still reply, politely and professionally. That person picked your name out of everyone on the platform, and how you answer is part of your reputation.
FindBartenders sends you an event opportunity
Sometimes a host asks FindBartenders to help them find a bartender and get quotes. When that happens, FindBartenders sends the event to the closest bartender who fits it, plus two more nearby. So this one isn't yours alone. Up to three bartenders may be looking at the same event.
- You get an email titled "This may be a good referral for you" with the event details
- It also appears in Manage Leads in your account menu
Want it?
Accept it in Manage Leads and contact the host right away. The host is comparing, and the first good reply makes the first impression.
Can't take it, or don't want it?
Decline it in Manage Leads, and add a reason. Don't leave it sitting. Declining lets FindBartenders pass the event to another bartender, so the host still gets help.
Event opportunities are time sensitive. Check your phone, email and account regularly so nothing sits. If a host says when they prefer to be contacted, respect it.
Someone contacts you directly
Some business never touches FindBartenders: a call, a message through your own website, or someone you met before. These are potential clients just the same. They won't appear in your FindBartenders account. You'll see them on your phone, in your own email, or wherever your website sends inquiries.
- A phone call from the number on your profile, or on one of your Packages
- Your own website, after they click the website link on your profile
- Someone you met at an event who looks you up later through your custom URL or QR code, then calls, emails or messages you
Every potential client deserves a response
Whichever way they reached you, if you have their contact information, answer them. Even when you're booked that day. Even when you don't offer that service. Even when you don't want that particular job.
Someone reached out to you. Answering them starts a relationship. They now have your name and number, they've spoken with you, and the person who can't hire you today may hire you for their next event, or send a friend your way. Ignoring them throws all of that away.
Can't take it? The job doesn't have to be lost. Another bartender on FindBartenders might be the right fit, and that's the start of a referral relationship. See Turn a job you can't take into a connection.
What a strong first reply includes
Thank them and use their name
A personal opening shows you read their message.
Confirm what you already know
Repeat back the details they gave you: event type, date, location, guest count. Don't ask for anything they already told you.
Ask for what's missing
Ask only the questions you need to quote accurately. See Understand the Event Before You Quote.
Make the next step clear
Tell them what happens next: a quote, a quick call, or a few more questions.
Share where to see your work
Include your FindBartenders link so they can see your albums, reviews, packages and services. The more events, reviews and videos you've posted, the more that link does the selling for you.
Response habits that build trust
| Do | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Reply to every potential client, even when you can't take the event | Leaving a call, a profile message or an event opportunity unanswered |
| Keep replies short, clear, and friendly | Long blocks of text or heavy sales language |
| Give a realistic next step and timeframe | Promising things you haven't confirmed |
| Keep the conversation professional, in writing | Sharing a final price before you understand the event |
Not a fit? See Say No to the Wrong Job for how to say no and still leave a good impression.