How to Get More Puja Bookings as a Pandit or Purohit

A purohit's work has always come by word of mouth: someone he served tells someone else. That has not changed, but where people look for a pandit has. Someone who has just moved to a new city has no purohit of their own to call, so they ask a neighbour, the society WhatsApp group or a temple office, or search on their phone. This guide is for the pandit or purohit who wants more of those calls to reach him: what to do after every puja, how to set up WhatsApp so it works for you, how to collect reviews, and how to get requests from people in your city through Purohit.app.

Start with the people you have already served

The person whose griha pravesh you did last month is your best source of the next booking. Three habits turn one puja into several:

• Send your details the same evening. A WhatsApp message after the puja, with your name, the pujas you perform, the languages you conduct them in and the areas you travel to, gets saved. A number written on the back of a samagri list gets lost.
• Ask plainly for a referral. Say it in so many words: "If anyone in your building needs a purohit, please give them my number."
• Stay in touch around the dates that matter to them. A short message a few days before the tithi of their yearly shraddha, or before Mahalaya, or before Satyanarayan on Purnima if they do it every month, brings them back to you. Once or twice a season, never daily: a number that sends too much gets muted.

Set up WhatsApp so it answers for you

People now often write on WhatsApp before they call. The WhatsApp Business app, which runs on the same phone number, has tools that save a busy purohit real time:

• Business profile: your name as people say it ("Pandit Ramesh Sharma"), a short description listing your pujas and languages, the areas you serve and the hours you take calls.
• Catalog: one entry for each puja you perform most, with what is included and how long it takes. People can look before they call.
• Quick replies: save the answers you type every day, such as the samagri list for a griha pravesh or how far you travel, and send them with a shortcut.
• Greeting and away messages: an automatic reply when someone writes for the first time, or while you are in the middle of a puja, so nobody waits in silence and goes to the next name.
• Labels: mark each chat as new enquiry, confirmed or done, so no request is forgotten in a busy month.

A broadcast list reaches only the people who have saved your number, which is one more reason to send your details after every puja.

Have one page you can send to anyone

When someone asks "who is this pandit?", a link answers better than a long message. On Purohit.app every purohit gets a page of his own, with his photo, the pujas he performs, his languages, the areas he serves and the reviews people have left. You can forward it on WhatsApp, print it on a card, or put it in your WhatsApp profile. It can also show up when someone searches for your name.

Ask for reviews after the pujas that went well

People choosing a purohit they have never met go by what others say about him. After a puja where the host was clearly happy, ask for a review the same day, while it is fresh. On Purohit.app you have your own review link to send; a review there appears on your page, and purohits with good reviews are shown higher in lists of their city.

Be easy to say yes to

Many bookings are decided in the first phone call. A few habits make that call go well:

• Answer, or call back the same day. Someone who needs a puja next week cannot wait days for a reply.
• Say what your dakshina is and what it covers before you are asked, so there is no awkward moment at the end. Our guide to what a purohit costs lists the usual ranges people are told.
• Send the samagri list on WhatsApp, and say clearly what you will bring yourself.
• Confirm the time and the address the day before, and arrive on time.

List everything you can do, and everywhere you go

Someone who wants the puja in Kannada, or done the way it is done in Bengal, looks for a purohit who offers exactly that. Write down every puja you perform, every language you can conduct it in, and every area and nearby town you are willing to travel to, on WhatsApp and on your Purohit.app page. A purohit who lists only "all pujas" is harder to choose than one who lists Satyanarayan, griha pravesh, namakarana and shraddha by name.

Leave your number where people ask

Some people never search at all: they ask whoever is in front of them. The office of your local temple, the manager of a marriage hall, the puja samagri shop and the flower seller near the temple are all asked "do you know a purohit?" often. Leave them your card, and tell them the pujas and the areas you cover.

Get puja requests through Purohit.app

Purohit.app sends you requests from people in your city who need a puja. This is how it works:

1. Register with your name, city, the pujas you perform and your languages. It takes about two minutes, and your page goes live at once.
2. Install the Purohit app and sign in with the same number. When someone in your city, within about 50 km of it, or in another city you list under the areas you serve, asks for a puja, the request arrives as a notification with the puja and the area; open it to see the date.
3. Take up what suits you. Accept a request and you get the person's number, and they get yours. Call them, agree the puja and the dakshina, and do it.

Purohit.app is not an employer and does not handle the payment: what you agree with the person stays between the two of you. Nothing is assigned to you, so you take only the requests that fit your dates. Register here.

What to avoid

• Raising the dakshina on the day. It loses the next booking from that person and every one they would have sent you.
• Paying for promises. If anyone asks you for money up front for "guaranteed bookings", ask exactly what you are paying for and what happens if none come.
• Accepting a request you cannot do. Once you accept, the person has your number and is waiting for your call. If your dates change, tell them at once so they can find someone else in time.