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You Have 30 Seconds To Sell Me On What You Do … Go!

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You jump in an elevator and hit the button for your floor. Someone jumps in along side of you. As the doors close, he asks what you do.

As the elevator quickly climbs to your floor, you know you only have a few seconds to describe your business. What would you say? What is the most important thing about what you do that would make this person say “WOW”? What would make him want to get to know more about your business and invite you into his office for coffee?

Yep, that’s the premise behind an elevator speech. Its putting together words in a magical way that will allow you to quickly and effectively say what you do AND gather attention from the party you are speaking with.

Maybe you’ve heard of the concept of the 30 second elevator pitch. But have you ever truly thought about what you say in the first 30 seconds you meet with someone? Can you quickly motivate them to want more? Or are you more of a rambler?

An elevator pitch is more important today than ever. Not only is it important to make a good first impression, people have less time and more on their minds than ever. Meaning you have a small window to make a good first impression … or lose it forever.

If you have a networking function coming up, or just want to have your elevator speech in place for your next meeting, here are a few things to consider as you are creating it.

Write down what you do

As quickly as you can, write down what you do. Now write it again, only from a different perspective. Do it again. And again. Try writing it 15 to 20 different ways, all without editing. Don’t think about it, just write it from different perspectives. The goal is to get as many ideas as you can down on paper. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sales Tagged With: , ,

7 Things To Think About Before You Host Your Site

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It’s time for a new website. And if you’re thinking of doing some of the work yourself, you’ll have to invest in a great hosting company. Before you make your selection, remember all hosting companies ARE NOT created equally. Yes they pull you in with those low, low prices and those great sounding guarantees. But if you get with the wrong company, you may wind up paying the price down the road.

Before you make your selection, keep these things in mind.

What are the contract terms?

A hosting company may wave great prices in front of you. Yet in some cases it may come with the condition of hosting with them for a set amount of years. Do you really want to be tied in with a company for an extended period of time? Especially if you are new to this company and have no idea how reliable they are and if you will truly be getting quality hosting?

Do they provide you with backup?

Yep, stuff happens all the time. Networks can be hacked, power failures can wipe out data, a fire could start, or someone may press a wrong button. Uh oh. There goes all of your work and data. A great hosting company thinks about those things too. They make sure your data is backed up at on and offsite locations. (That doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t do your own backups on a regular basis.)

Are they a reliable company?

Before you go with a hosting company, make sure they will be there for you. Do a Google search and look at ratings. A site that is planning for the future will be out there and have reviews not just on their site, but will be on other sites as well. While you will always be able to find some type of negativity about almost all companies, it is important to find one that has a positive future.

What details do they offer?

Every hosting plan comes with a variety of details. Make sure you look at the 3 big ones – bandwidth, memory and disk space. You may also want to check on other features for future growth, such as programming language support, email accounts, server operating systems, etc. If you will be working with WordPress, we have found cPanel is one of the easiest ways to get your site online – its highly worth it as its “push a button” technology. Also consider if you will be integrating other features in the future, such as shopping carts, credit card transactions, and other secure data. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Website Marketing Tagged With: , , ,

Does Email Still Work To Find Photography Clients?

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I opened up my email program to find 350 new messages.

Now I’ll be the first to admit I don’t use email like most. I don’t have them downloaded into my mobile so I can keep a pulse on what is happening at all times. I usually open up email three times per day – morning, after lunch and before I turn off my computer for the day. If I’m out on appointments, that may decrease by one.

Out of the 350 email, I deleted around 340 of them just by looking at the subject line and the recipient. And I’m sure I’m not alone. I’ve read statistics that show email is now around 90 percent spam related – 10 percent true email. And I can definitely attest to that.

Which means to get an email opened, it has to have a great subject line and be from a trusted referral. Without one of those two items, it doesn’t stand a chance.

Do you use email in an attempt to gain photography business?

After reading that question, you probably went one of two ways.

Yes, and I gain new clients every time I send an email.

No, email is now a complete waste of time.

If you are in the yes crowd, congratulations. You’ve learned that email is a long way from dead, and it still offers a lot of potential in connecting up with potential business.

But if you are in the no crowd, now may be the time to rethink your approach to email. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Online Marketing Tagged With: , , ,

How To Book Clients Without The Face To Face Consultation

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I recently had a question come through on a post – What Are You Selling On Your Website?

“Thank you for the info here. How would you go about creating a call to action for a product not yet created? For example, how would one get a client to book or purchase a package through a website without a consultation? I’ve struggled with this concept and would really appreciate your perspective.”

Really there are two answers to this question. You need both in order to complete a sales process online.

1. Content

2. Action

Lets start with content.

The one thing I write on probably more than any other topic is content. And in many ways, I’m showing you how to do it by actually doing it.

If you’ve spent time on this site, you know there is a huge amount of content – hundreds and hundreds of posts for you to search through and learn from. If you come in and read a post and like it, I’ll lead you to more content in a variety of ways. I love using Dig Deeper’s:

Dig Deeper: Why Every Small Business Owner Must Now Be A Content Provider

At the end of each post you’ll find additional posts related to the content you’ve just read:

And of course you can always head back up to the navigation and find specific information on just about anything related to building a photography business.

By reading content, we’re developing a relationship. You read and learn. And hopefully trust me to continue providing quality content that can given to you in a variety of ways. Including some things for sale.

The same applies to your prospects and customers. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Website Marketing Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Dumbest Questions You Can Ask Your Photography Prospects

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As a new business owner, your mind is filled with every last detail of your business. And with so much to learn, you probably don’t spend a lot of time mastering each piece. In many aspects, that comes along the way.

So you jump right in and do things as they happen. When a prospect comes in, you have an honest conversation. You tell them your opinions, your attitudes, and how you really feel. You ask questions and provide the answers you think you would like to hear? What’s wrong with that?

Yet in sales, if you ask the wrong questions, you may not only turn a prospect away, you may alienate future customers as well. Here’s why.

Smart questions build up the relationship you are forming with a prospect. Dumb questions fill a customer with doubt and self-questioning.

Smart questions make a prospect think about the answer and how you fit into it. Dumb questions leave everything open, guaranteeing they will turn to someone else for solid answers.

Here are the dumbest questions you can use to bring in photography clients and why they are dumb. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sales Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The One-Two Punch For Finding Photography Clients

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Its sad to see a photographer who is really good at photography, yet knows nothing about business.

When we were first starting to climb the ladder of success within the photography industry, we met a couple who were several years older and had several more years of experience. We looked at their work and instantly knew they were one of the best photography studios in our area. Until we got to know them and started learning more about how they ran their business.

When we would get together for dinner, they would proceed to list out several things they were currently working on. And those several things seemed to change every few months. Then they confided the real truth.

“As much as we love photography, we just can’t rely on it for a full time income. We have never been able to figure out how to push it to the point of creating a secure and profitable income.”

These people had some “major player” clients. They were written up in local media. They won awards and were recognized within the photographic industry. Looking at them, they were the people to model. They looked like they had it all together.

But while they were very good at photography, they had never taken the time to learn about the business world.

They created their pricing structure for the low end because:

They felt guilty about charging “too much”, even though it was their belief system that created what “too much” meant, not what others were willing to pay

They let the low end structure their pricing – and their high end was more than happy to pay it, knowing they got a “deal”

For all of these reasons and more, their marketing, pricing, and financial tasks struggled. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Get Clients Tagged With: , ,

3 Things Your Photography Clients Will Never Tell You … Unless You Ask

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What’s the best way to grow your photography business? If you said “through referrals” you are correct. The concept of referral marketing involves two things:

1. Being able to make your clients even happier and more profitable throughout the years

2. Having each client refer you to their friends and family.

These two steps are all you need to grow your business without spending a ton more on marketing.

And while its easy to assume your clients are happy and referring you, its completely different than really knowing if its true. To get a handle on these two things requires you to ask each customer these three things.

#1 – Why did you choose to use me?

Customers are selfish by nature. When they decide to use a company or service, its because you have met all of their qualifications as a business owner. Yet every client has different qualifications. For some that might include great prices, good customer service, or a strong rapport – all of which they will rarely volunteer unless you ask for the information.

So ask them.

Find out what you are doing right. Then use that information to hone in and do more of it. When you start seeing patterns – multiple people focusing in on what they like best – you may have found a unique selling point that you can use in your marketing to attract more people, just like them.

#2 – Is there anything you wish I offered or would do differently?

As a small business owner, chances are you operate to a certain extent with blinders on. That’s not bad – its easy to do. You get so close to your business because you live it and breathe it everyday, that its hard to look beyond the norm for something new. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Get Clients Tagged With: , ,

5 Steps To Talking Your Way Into Clients Hearts

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Last week I picked up the phone and called a woman I’m working on a project with. The phone rang several times and went to her voice mail.

“Hi, you’ve reached ‘Sally’. I hope you’re having a great day. I can’t get to the phone right now, so leave a message. If its important, I will be checking messages when I get back. Oh, and by the way, I do a variety of things. I’ve been helping people as a virtual assistant lately, so if you have any work you’d like me to help you with, I can do that. And I’m with a great MLM company that sells this juice you’re really going to love. And I’ve been working with a company that lets me do spa parties in your home, so I could set up a party with you and your friends soon…”

On and on it went for well over two minutes, describing all the different things she can do. I was calling her for a completely different reason – a personal project we are working on together – and I was overwhelmed with her message. Imagine if you did want to use one of her services – would you really have her full attention no matter what you decided to do?

Have you listened to your own phone message lately? What are you saying to callers? Do they leave a message because they are excited for the opportunity to possibly work with you? Or are they leaving a message grateful to not have to listen any more?

Even the smallest things like re-recording your voice message can have lasting impact on your business.

Tip 1: Is it about you or them?

Does your message say more about you, or give them the information they need? “I’m not here” is obvious so why state it? “I offer these services” is just confirming what they already know if they have reached the point of calling you. Instead, turn it around and tell them what’s in it for them – “Are you ready for a unique portrait experience?” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Customer Service Tagged With: , , , ,

How To Clone One Client And Turn Her Into One Hundred Clients

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Jenna has been planning on having a family since the day she married her best friend. They were going to work for a year, buy their first home together, settle down and start their family. One year came and went. So did the second year. And the third.

Finally after many trips to fertility experts and tens of thousands of dollars in treatments, Jenna and her husband were pregnant. They were ecstatic. They wanted to enjoy every moment of this child from this point forward.

They found Trish, a photographer who specializes in maternity and baby portraits and instantly knew they had to use her to remember this experience forever. Two weeks before the baby’s due date, Jenna and her husband entered Trish’s studio, and captured the joy and love they felt for their first child. Three weeks later, the baby was born – a little girl who became their pride and joy. Another two weeks flew by and Jenna brought in her baby girl for her first baby portrait.

Jenna didn’t just love her portraits; she loved everything about the experience. She purchased everything Trish recommended – from wall portraits, to albums, to collages and digital albums she could share online with family and friends far away. She became an evangelist for Trish’s business, raving about her in every play group and meeting she attended.

Sounds good, right? Wouldn’t you love to have a client like this? What about having 100 clients like this?

When you see it written out like this, its easy to get excited and see how this one client could help your business grow massively.

Yet then something happens. The mail comes. The phone rings. An order is “lost” and an “emergency” suddenly commands attention. And the thought of your perfect customer disappears.

So customers come and go. Some are good. Some not so much.

Yet if you stop and think about it and reflect back on who your perfect customer was and who you would love to work with again and again – Jenna’s name pops up every time.

So the key to success isn’t bringing in more customers. Its bringing in more Jenna’s.

But how do you do that?

Clone her of course.

Okay, I’m not serious about cloning her. We can’t do that yet ;) But if you’ve fallen in love with “Jenna” as your client, you can bet there are 100 more “Jenna’s” out there that are in similar circumstances and they would make just as great customers as Jenna was.

How do you reach those other 100 customers? You speak directly to them. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Get Clients Tagged With: , ,

The Two Most Important Words In Your Photography Marketing Plan

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With just a few minutes of reading to finish this post, you will become better at marketing your photography business, all because you learned the two most important words you can use in your marketing tools and why they will help you.

Two words. By using these two words over and over again in your marketing, not only will it enhance the way your prospects and clients look at you, it will also help you discover a stronger connection with your clientele. All because you focused in on what they truly love the most.

In the last two paragraphs, I’ve used both words again and again. Did you catch them?

If not, let me share them with you now.

The First Word Is You

Let me share  two paragraphs with you.

I am a photographer who specializes in model portfolios. I have photographed clients in many locations, from inside my studio to on-location work at some of the best hotels in the world. I can provide you with a great portfolio that will have agencies knocking on your door.

or

What would make you look your best? Do you enjoy a day of pampering, where someone else is in charge of hair and makeup, ensuring you look your best? Or would you prefer to have a part in the direction of your special day – helping to create the perfect portrait experience you’ve dreamed about?

Which do you prefer? What is more compelling about the second paragraph? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Get Clients Tagged With: ,
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