Close more sales and get paid the price you deserve.
Selling yourself isn’t easy for everyone, and even though you may be a terrific photographer, if you can’t sell yourself, it’s going to be hard for you to have a successful business. Keep these keys in mind in order to close more sales and get paid the price you deserve.
1. Don’t compete on price.
If you think getting business makes sense by undercutting the market price for your services, you are mistaken. You didn’t sell your photography, you’ve just sold a commodity and you’ll never have the time or money to build a successful business. Plus, all of your customers will be price-driven, not quality-driven – which will make your business unsustainable.
2. Sell your service.
Although you may have a magnificent portfolio, not all clients can fully appreciate what makes one image better than another. You can separate yourself by selling a higher level of service. Spend the time upfront to get to know what your client is looking for and assure them of your ability to deliver what they desire -or how your style can achieve the results they desire (as long as you are certain you can). If they are concerned about your abilities, show confidence by selling them a per image price rather than a day rate. Nothing sells like confidence, and you just might make more money than you would have with your day rate.
3. Work large. Work smart.
A one-man shop is difficult to manage. You do the accounting, answer the phones and pay the bills. Find outside help with some of the more mundane tasks like culling, color correction and album making. Stick to what you do best and mark-up outside services to deliver faster, increase your suite of offerings and perfect your unique craft.
4. Differentiate.
Explain your vision – what your way of seeing communicates. Illustrate the value of a strong image – how they define a moment in time, how the right image gives your customer something unique in value. Show the experience of an average photograph vs. an exceptional one.
5. Look for eye-openers, ask why you were chosen.
Find out what triggers people to purchase your photography – it’s as simple as following up and asking why your customer selected you and what did they like the most about using your services and expertise. This way you can further refine your message in the sales process.
To find out more how your photography business can work smarter watch our working smarter series.