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Is This What You Are Doing Wrong With Your Sales?

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Are you wondering why sales aren’t where you think they should be? Are you wondering how you can get more people to your site who won’t just look, but will actually buy?

Its hard not to fall into the trap of entitlement. If you look around you, everyone talks about the overnight success stories, and the businesses that have grown from $0 to $1 million in a matter of days. Just yesterday I was emailed a story about a company that is now making $600k a month, though they were almost bankrupt a mere six weeks ago.

Entitlement is a part of our culture. We watch a show or movie and we movie from concept to solution in under two hours. Entire serial killer mysteries can be played out in less than one. So why shouldn’t we be able to build a business in a matter of weeks? We’re entitled to it, right?

The problem with entitlement within our business model is we lose site of what is truly important. Our thoughts drift to:

  • I have the most amazing product/service ever
  • My services deserve attention
  • Nobody is doing anything like me
  • I’m charging less so I should fill up twice as fast
  • Its [insert whatever you choose] fault, not my own [i.e. the economy, my parents, my spouse, my lack of education, etc]

Yet none of that is the real problem. The real problem is we bring all of our focus internally instead of placing it where it belongs … on the consumer.

A few months ago I chatted with a woman who lost her job and was trying to build up her photography business to replace her income. Her goal was to build up a portrait business that consisted of boudoir, maternity and baby portraiture. She had some great work and had a huge potential to make it grow. Where she was lacking was in marketing and sales.

So we began talking about the best way get her work out there into her community. After a little work we decided her best bet would be to get her work on the walls of a local doctor’s office. She sent off a letter and after a week … nothing. To say she was put off by the whole experience was an understatement. She was ready to throw in the towel on the whole project. Until I asked her a few questions. [Read more...]

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3 Trends You Should Be Using In Your Own Sales Techniques

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Its no secret that people are less accepting of more traditional types of sales methods and marketing. How many people truly use a yellow pages anymore, or trust an ad they see in a newspaper? The percentages are dwindling rapidly.

But one thing will always remain true.

People hate being sold to. But they love to buy.

Because they hate being sold to, its more important than ever to use current marketing methods that will give your potential customers exactly what they want; without feeling like they’ve been speaking with a used car salesperson.

Attract in great numbers, then focus on filtering

When you’re in business for yourself, its easy to fall into the trap of wanting to “book” every person you talk with. Yet that isn’t reality. If you book every person you talk with, you’re actually doing things wrong. You’re prices are definitely way too low. And you probably haven’t defined your product enough to make it exclusive so that you attract a certain kind of clientele.

Yet through all of your marketing methods, it is good to drive a large amount of traffic to your business, then selectively choose the ones that are right for you. Its called funneling your prospects.

Dig Deeper: The Photographers Marketing Funnel

Funneling can actually work in two ways.

First, through all of your marketing, you can drive customers into a marketing pattern in which they learn more about you. It may be through a marketing campaign in which you mail out postcards regularly, or online as a part of a drip campaign with email marketing. Only a select few will really like what you do, calling you to book a session.

Second, once you have customers in your business as a paying client, you can funnel them to other areas of your business. A business portrait client can turn into a baby portrait client, and from there a family portrait client. You simply move them from one part of your business to another by keeping them in the know of what you do.

In either case, its all about focus. Bring people in; then focus on how to convert them into clients. Again and again. [Read more...]

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7 Ways To Make Money For The Holidays

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Only 52 more days until Christmas.

Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, chances are some of your clients do. And with the many other holidays that fall around the end of the year, there is always something to celebrate somewhere.

This year, times are tight. People are out looking for more meaningful gifts that cost less, yet still show how much they love them. What could be better than photography?

But with only 52 days left until the big day, what can you do now to bring in some business in the coming weeks? Give these ideas a try.

1. Give A Gift Certificate

For many people, the holidays is the only time of the year the entire family is together. People come from near and far to celebrate together, then head off to the far corners of the world for the New Year. A gift certificate could brighten a mother’s day when she knows she’ll have a current portrait hanging on her wall to enjoy all of next year. It’s the perfect gift to give on the big day, and use a few days after Christmas to capture the entire family together. And you can print a colorful certificate on your printer, and frame it in a keepsake frame perfect for the final image.

2. Special Events Over The Next Couple of Weeks

Set up a special event and shoot over the next couple of weekends. Depending on where your studio is at, it can be on the beach, in a park, or right in your studio. Here in Colorado, it’s a great time of year to take snow portraits. Or use something that says “holidays” and put together a unique background. Put together a package that gives them a framed image perfect for holiday giving. If you make it a limited edition, you’ll be able to build on this concept year after year.

3. Sell Seasonal Packages

Want to sell more to your best clients? Set up a 4 seasons package. Over the next year, they can come in for 4 special portrait sessions all based around the 4 seasons. Then you’ll frame it in a limited edition frame – perfect for giving next holiday season. [Read more...]

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7 Deadly Sins Of Sales

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Want to become a better business owner Become a better salesperson first. The heart of every good business is their sales process. And while you don’t have to spend hours every day refining your pitch, there are some simple things you can do that will polish up your presentations.

1. You don’t build the story and the interest.

Think back to the best movies or the best books you’ve read over the past year. If you were to synopsize them, chances are you would have a great beginning that pulls you in, a thrilling middle that captivates interest, and an end that leaves you satisfied. Your sales presentation should be the same way. Set up your story by using examples of clients that have come to you, what was wrong with the way they’ve done things in the past, and how you’ve helped solve the problem.

2. You offer too much.

People shut down when they have too many choices. We’re all busy in our own daily lives, and even though we may be looking for a new product or service, we want some hand holding along the way. If you’ve ever had a 2 year old child in your home, you know the best way to deal with their growing independence is to offer two choices would you like this or that The same holds true throughout our lives, and simplification will always win out over complexity. Start by allowing people to choose between two or three packages; and then customize it on the other side. [Read more...]

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6 Phases of a Sale

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When does a sale take place? If you said when money exchanges hands, you are only partially correct. The sales process is actually much longer, and in theory, goes on for the life of your business. How so? Read on, and you’ll learn how to expand your own business by taking control over your sales process.

Vision
What type of photographer are you? Do you photograph weddings, or commercial portfolios? Do you meet with clients every day, or is it just you, your camera, and the great outdoors? No matter what your niche, you are in the process of building up your reputation.

How do you want that reputation to be vocalized to the world? When a client from your past comes in contact with a friend who asks about photography, do they know how to talk about you? What do they say? That is your vision.

It’s the mental picture you paint for the world. It’s the way others talk about you. And if you do a good enough job, the “sale” can occur right here. If a new mom shows off her images of her baby to a group of new moms and says, “I found the best baby photographer in the world”, that’s your vision at work. [Read more...]

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The True Value Of A Client

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So you are a wedding and portrait photographer. How much value does one new person bring to your business?

Wedding – $2,500Finding Value of a Photography Client
Newborn portrait – $500
3 month portrait – $500
6 month portrait – $500
9 month portrait – $500
12 month portrait – $500
Family portrait – $1,000
2 year portrait – $500
3 year portrait – $500
4 year portrait – $500
5 year portrait – $500
Family portrait – $1,000
2nd child Newborn portrait – $500
3 month portrait – $500
6 month portrait – $500
9 month portrait – $500
12 month portrait – $500
Family portrait – $1,000
Family portrait – $1,000
Family portrait – $1,000
Family portrait – $1,000
Family portrait – $1,000
Senior portrait – $1,500
Senior portrait – $1,500
Family portrait – $1,000
Wedding – $2,500
Wedding – $2,500

When you add that all up, it comes to $24,500. So if you are just opening up a photography studio today, and plan to be in business 25 years from now, this strategy is more than doable. In fact, it’s the best way to plan out your marketing strategy.

And if you know a client has the potential of bringing in $24,500 over the next 25 years, how much would you pay to market to them and bring them in? How much would you give to keep them happy?

Filed Under: Blog, Six Figure Photographer Tagged With: , , ,

5 Ways To Get Them To Say Yes

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After you’ve spent an hour with a potential client showing them your work and talking straight from the heart, watching them walk out the door knowing they will never book can be very difficult.

Being good at photography isn’t enough. You also have to be great at selling.

1. Be confident.
The more comfortable you are with your products and services, the easier it is to sell. Set your packages up for your own goals and needs. Understand exactly why things are placed together, why timing is important, and why you’ve selected the materials you have. Then stick to your guns. Don’t allow changes and switches unless you know exactly how they impact your profit margin. Always have them go to your ala carte pricing – which should be more expensive than your packages – if they want to make changes.

how to sell your photography services

2. Don’t react.
The most common way to react to a customers questions and comments at the end of your sales presentation is to give in to their doubts, and start making counteroffers. Yet this is the worst thing you can do. Let them talk it through, especially if there are two or more in your studio. Repeat your sales points, and stick up for your pricing. Don’t make adjustments – adjustments before they book with you mean you’ll be willing to change things throughout the process.
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Selling Your Photography – A Book Review

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Is there still a need for assignment photography? Do advertising directors still hire out photographers on a regular basis? Can you really make money selling your photography in the media and editorial venues?

When I picked up this book, those were the first questions that ran through my mind.

I checked the publishing date of Richard Weisgrau’s Selling Your Photography book – published in 2009. Okay, another good sign the information might be relevant to where we stand today. So I sat down and started reading.selling your photography

“The market for publishable photographs is growing faster than ever before. With that growth, the demand for photographs of all types of subjects has increased.”

“Whether you are an amateur or professional photographer, the opportunities to publish your photographs are growing every day.”

Those are Weisgrau’s opening remarks. And it only gets better from there.

Selling Your Photography covers everything from beginning to end. It starts by giving you a market overview – how the current market looks for today’s photographer, and what you can expect if you start out as an advertising, media or corporate photographer. He moves through setting up your business model. And talks at great length about finding your market segments and how to reach out to your target client. He has a great chapter on licensing and pricing, and even provides samples of letters, estimates and licensing agreements for you to follow and use. And ends it by providing online resources that should keep you busy for weeks.

And in between, you’ll gain a ton of useful ideas that make this book a definite for your library if you’re serious about selling your photography.

Selling Your Photography: How to Make Money in New and Traditional Markets
By Richard Weisgrau
215 pages
Published 2009

Filed Under: Blog, Books and Training Tagged With: , ,

Sell To Clients On Location? New Tool To Help Sell Your Photographs

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I’ve long been a fan of using projection to motivate prospective clients to book with you, and to sell your post 060409 work to clients after the shoot. The only way to bring in large sales is with projection.

When we first started out in the 90’s, projection was unheard of for small businesses. Instead we put everything together using multiple slide projectors. It was noisy and hard work, getting everything to align properly. But the outcome was so worth it.

Then slowly computers improved, and projection became affordable for the small business. And you could do so much more with your “show”!

I’ve been watching projection change over the years, and every year I’m amazed by the size, weight, and portability of the newest projectors. I picked up the June 2009 edition of PC Today magazine, which is all on making the most of your mobile photos and videos, to learn more about the latest and greatest devices.

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Increase Your Sales With Multiple Poses

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Photographers like to take close up images. And for very good reason: People love to buy close up images.

But will a customer really buy a 20×30 of an image if it shows just a face?

Probably not. So instead of snapping a few close ups from different viewpoints, why not take environmental images as well?

One of the reasons we’ve always enjoyed on-location portrait sessions (as opposed to in-studio) is the ability to capture a part of the environment in the image as well. And if the subject is very small in the image, it’s almost required that a larger print is made for displaying.

1. Start by taking the more traditional poses. Take your standard images close up, capturing great smiles and angles.

2. Back it up. Now take a look around you, and find a way to make your client a part of the surroundings, not just the main focus of the image.

rox park

image by Crystal Touch Photography

3. Talk to your client ahead of time to find out what she loves. Maybe she has season tickets to the theater – why not incorporate your local theater into the background. Or maybe she loves hiking in the great outdoors. Add trees, flowers, mountains – whatever you have in your local area into the background.

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