Fully Booked This Weekend? Here's How to Still Say Yes
Your Saturday is filled, but inquiries are still rolling in. You're worried that if you keep typing "sorry, I'm booked", you're leaving real money on the table... and there's a simple way to keep it: grab and go balloon garlands.
For a long time I didn't see the point. Why sell a lower-priced item and add more work when my weekends were already full? Turns out I had it completely backwards.
Your weekends only stretch so far, and not every client wants to pay for a full install anyway. Some have a smaller budget, some have a Sunday party you can't get to. A grab and go option lets you say yes to all of them without adding a single weekend hour.
Stop Turning Away Weekend Inquiries
The shift that changed everything for me: grab and go garlands don't belong on your busy weekend schedule. You make them and hand them off during the week.
Now when someone wants me on a Saturday and I'm already booked, I offer a grab and go garland instead. I've had a half dozen pickups on a Thursday afternoon... $600 I would have turned away.
Ali from Charming Garlands sees the same pattern. Whenever she blocks off a weekend, her grab and go orders for the Friday before go through the roof. People still want balloons; they just need another way to get them from you.
Make Hanging Foolproof
The question you'll hear most is "Will I be able to hang this?" Ali's answer: if you can tie your shoelace, you can hang a grab and go.
Send garlands out fully built, with a hanging kit that looks the part. Hers includes:
- Two removable Command hooks and two 260s
- A branded pouch with a clear window showing her business card
- A "Let's Get Poppin'" tag with a QR code linking to hanging instructions on her website
She started with plain Ziploc bags and upgraded once she realized clients could be spending $140 on a garland. Presentation matters!
Keep Pickups Off Your Weekend
This is where most of us get it wrong. Ali offers zero weekend pickups:
- Monday through Friday only
- One two-hour morning window and one two-hour afternoon window
- Times that work for her and her family
Air-filled garlands look great for at least three days in a temperature-controlled space away from direct heat and sunlight, so a Friday pickup easily covers a Sunday party. And those set pick up windows also mean you're not waiting around on one late customer.
Size and Price With Intention
Ali offers grab and go garlands from 4 to 9 feet. She caps them at 9 feet because anything longer may not fit in a client's car.
She prices them the same per foot as her installed garlands; the client saves by skipping her delivery and installation fee. My pricing is structured differently, so mine come in a little lower. Do what fits your model.
Key Takeaways
- Offer grab and go garlands when your weekend is booked
- Keep pickups on weekdays in set windows
- Include a professional hanging kit with clear instructions
- Cap the size so it fits in an average car
- Promote them; they won't sell themselves overnight
Want to hear it straight from Ali? We dig into all of this on the podcast in episode 83.
