Image Source: https://www.honeybook.com

Making big girl purchases for my business always makes me sweat. Seriously, random warm spells are normal in my book. At the end of 2016 I learned about this new online system called HoneyBook. I’d seen a lot of bloggers and wedding photographers I followed used it and singing its praises.

Currently, I had been using a variety of free systems to organize my business:

1. PayPal for invoicing

2. Docracy for contracts

3. Google Calendar for scheduling

4. Google Drive for storing signed contracts, pdfs and timelines

5. Google Docs for timelines and shot lists

6. Gmail for email communication and client interaction

Clearly, I had a ton of different things operating all at once to try and streamline my business and make it simple for my clients to book and receive images. But, I always felt like I was constantly toggling between websites and taking tons of time to write and rewrite emails.

There had to be a better way, right?

Enter HoneyBook.

I’m all about free trials, so I signed up, logged in and got to work. My first impression of HoneyBook was it had a great, clean interface. Everything felt organized (as it should) and was very easy to figure out even without a tutorial. I started putting my clients and weddings into the system and was hooked.

This software does it all…not exaggerating. From the time your client fills out an inquiry through your contact form on your site, their information is sent directly to you and they receive a questionnaire about their date. From there, I send them a pre-made brochure and a custom email with the click of a button. The client can take a peek at my offerings and pricing, select which package and a la carte options interest them and submit it with another click. MAGIC!

And if that wasn’t slick enough, once my client selects a service they’d like to book, HB creates a contract with their information, venue, date, etc. all filled in AUTOMATICALLY! Whoa. Game changer.

I can send this agreement with an invoice and payment schedule right to the client. Now, after this step is when I like to schedule an in-person meeting with them. This way, they know my services, pricing, contract terms and payment schedule all before walking into our consultation. It’s a great time saver that helps both me and my clients decide if we’re right for each other before the meeting and we can use the consultation as a final confirmation and to get to know each other a bit 🙂

Needless to say, I absolutely adore the HB initial client process and from there it lets your client pay from their invoice and send it directly to you bank account. Yay!

Overall, HoneyBook is an A+ in my book and one of the best investments I’ve made for my business and my client experience. I’m looking forward to a fun-filled year with less admin work and more interaction with my brides.

HAPPY 2017!