Stand Up Against The Knot’s Proposed Price Quote System!

I recently got a few emails from The Knot asking me if I wanted to participate in beta testing a new quote system. Boo!

I chose not to participate. The Knot described the new program as “providing us with details such as the wedding date and venue” so that we could give the lead a number ASAP. Sigh!

Like many of you, I get the majority of my clients from The Knot (more than half). I’m pretty sure one of the reasons for that is because The Knot advertising is *not* Thumbtack or Gig Masters or any of the other “price is the priority” websites (Gig Salad, Wedding.com).

For vendors with below average and average prices, quote websites are a great fit. (No judgment—I was once there myself. Remember Decidio? Seven years ago that was my bread & butter!)

For those of us priced on the high end of average or above, the website that provides the couples willing to pay the highest documented prices for wedding DJs (among other vendors), is The Knot.*

*In 2014, the average bride/groom on The Knot  spent $1,124 for their wedding DJ. In contrast, those who shop on price quote website Thumbtack who reports an average spend of $611.

Unwelcome Changes at The Knot

Therefore, the introduction of a quote system is very disappointing. As we gain experience, we no longer “lead” with our price as we once did. We now lead with our expertise, knowledge, and hard-earned reputation.

In addition to not wanting to turn The Knot into a price shopper magnet, I was also irritated that The Knot described this new quote system like it was going to give us extra information about the couples.

Just a heads up to the big wigs at The Knot, but you already give us the couple’s date and wedding location—this isn’t new.

Now this is pure conjecture, but it seems that The Knot is not asking its advertisers what kind of changes we’d like to be beta testing…and instead only considering what the people who don’t pay their salaries want.

In the last few months, The Knot has also taken away our leads’ real email addresses and replaced them with Craigslist-style relay addresses.

Send a Letter of Protest

So, Book More Brides community, if you are paying almost $2,500 a year to The Knot (as I am) and feel that these changes do NOT represent you and other wedding pros interests, I highly encourage you take a minute to copy and paste the following email to myaccounthelp@theknot.com (be sure to CC your local sales rep):

Hello,

I am an advertiser on your website, and I am greatly displeased to learn that you are beta testing a quote system for wedding vendors.

One of the reasons I spend $2,500+/- annually on advertising with The Knot is because your focus is on quality, style, and substance rather than simply pricing. Currently, you offer clients who are willing to pay premium prices for wedding services–not “price shoppers” but rather “quality shoppers” or “expertise shoppers.”

A quote system would not represent what is best for your advertisers, as it would simply encourage “price shopping.” Wedding professionals who prefer to work through quote-delivery websites already have a myriad of options (Thumbtack, Gig Masters, Wedding.com, Gig Salad, etc). If that is how we wanted to attract business, we wouldn’t be paying a premium price to The Knot for advertising.

Trust me, if I want to merely generate quotes for people who can’t even bother to email back and forth with me before seeing a price, I’ll do so elsewhere where I can advertise for well under half of what I currently pay to The Knot.  

I urge you to take care of your advertisers as we take care of you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME HERE]

A long-time, loyal advertiser

What do you think about these changes?