Choosing The Right Photography Products For Your Business

With so many different photography products out in the market place, it can be very hard to know what products you should sell.

Which ones are right for you?

When I talk about products I mean canvas, frames, print boxes, acrylics, albums, USB cases, etc, etc.

The majority of your clients don’t really have any idea of what they want, at least until they have seen their photographs.

They may have some idea of what they think they want, but the reality is, they generally don’t know what is available.

When a potential client asks, “What do you charge for an 8×10?”, or “How much are all the digital files?” they aren’t really asking what you charge for an 8×10, or how cheap your digital files are, but more likely they are telling you that they need more information about your products.

So when asked that question you can introduce them to your product range, and discuss their benefits.

Some clients will want a lot of small prints, some will want acrylic wall prints, some will want framed prints, and some will want canvas, while some will want digital files.

picture1

I remember when my studio used to do bucket loads of weddings and I had about ten different album covers on offer. I grew tired of spending so much time in selecting an album cover with couples, so I approached my supplier and asked what album cover colour they sold the most.

I was surprised when they told me it was black, but I changed all my samples to black, and you guessed it, everyone chose it.

I did the same for my frames, and again everyone bought black frames. Alternative colours were available if anyone asked (which they rarely did) but I offered them at a more expensive price, which always led the customers happily back to black.

The first step for a photographer choosing products for their business is to know what products are out there in the marketplace.

The second is to ask a lot of questions of the suppliers about those products, so that they are best able to match their clients’ needs.

Choose products that are in demand, but add your own little branding touches, like wrapping your own personalised ribbon around them, or having your logo embossed in a prominent place.

Keep in mind that your products should suit your positioning in the marketplace.

Choose your products to suit your sales and to maximise your profit and introduce new products regularly and see what your customers like.

Select products that your customers like and buy, rather than what you like.

For more info on products and pricing contact Bernie ….info@aswpp.com.au or www.berniegriffiths.com

photographybusinesscoach  bernie griffiths

Choosing The Right Photography Products For Your Business

How Much Do You Charge? 

When your phone rings do you get excited?

Or do you think that it is just another potential customer who will waste your time just asking questions about price?

Are you expecting them to ask that common question… How much do you charge?

What you say next will either cost you money, or make you money.

So is there a  secret to answering a phone enquiry?
If you haven’t prepared yourself with handling a phone enquiry you may lose the customer to your opposition.

You don’t want your customer to leave you, saying “thanks, I’ll think about it, and get back to you” because they never do of course.
So what’s the answer?

In business we spend a lot of money to attract potential customers, so when we get “cold” leads or any general enquiries, we must handle them in such a way that we can turn these enquiries into customers, either straightaway, or at a later date.

So try this process of questioning the prospect about her needs, getting to know the triggers that motivate her, and build rapport that will generate trust.

The end result is a much better chance of successfully taking a booking, or at least having a client in the future.

Having a phone script to follow will help you guide the potential customer in the direction that you want and not spend the whole conversation discussing and dissecting your price list.

You need to build a relationship quickly, so that the person on the other end of the phone feels a natural likeness for who you are, and what makes you different from all the other photographers.

Key questions to ask in answering a client enquiry over the phone are………….

  1. Have you seen our website?

What did you like about our photos? We specialise in emotive relaxed portraiture etc.

Tell her about your brand and what separates you from other photographers.

  1. Was there a time frame that you wanted the photographs taken?

Could be an anniversary, or special birthday. You also need to know the time frame to check your availability and create a need for the customer to book.

  1. Who will be in the photographs?

You need to know whether it is one subject or a big group, to give you some idea how long the session will take.

  1. Where did you hear about us?

You need to know what marketing strategies are working.

  1. Do you have an email address?

You need to know this so that you can put their email address into your database,  to send them regular emails with information, and special offers, that may cause them to make a booking further “down the track.”

  1. What’s most important to you about having a professional take the photographs?

You need to know the answer to this question to find out the dominant buying motive. Listen carefully to the answer, as you may be given a great opportunity for her to reveal, in an emotional way, why she should work with you.

  1. Tell them your session fee plus a guide to prices of your products.

This is the main reason that the customer is phoning, to get information. You don’t have to go into prices in great detail, but rather to see whether they are your customer or not.

  1. Tell them your photography and ordering processes.

This will give clarity to how you do business.

  1. Tell them that “the only time that you can decide what you want is when you see

your  photographs, and it is at this time I will go through all of the products, and pricing,

and from there it is up to you”.

This clarifies your sales process in a relaxed and truthful manner, that all will be revealed about price when they see their photographs. It is only then that they can decide on how much they will be spending.

  1. Tell them what makes you “different”, and emphasis it, so that you can create value in the customers mind.

You must know what makes your business different to any other photographers, and they can then decide if they want to connect with you.

  1. Tell them that you are happy to send further information by email. This would be information, not a price list.

This is an opportunity for you to highlight your brand, and include lots of testimonials.

  1. Tell them that you are happy if they are in the area, for them to drop by and see your samples. Then they can see exactly what they are getting for their money.

A Day For Photographers…Perth

Get Rid Of Your Photography Business Frustrations!

Following the highly successful seminars in Sydney and Melbourne, it is now time for Perth.

The whole day will have a focus on what makes a studio successful, and will include going through the following critical points.

Sorting out Websites, Social Media, Business Principles, creating a Price List, Photographing for Sales, Creating more Business, The Retail No Pressure Portrait Selling System and more….going to be a full day.

  1.   Developing Your Photography Into A Clear Brand.
  2. Getting the Right Customers.
  3.   Developing A Conversion System To Convert Leads Into Customers.
  4.   Building Your Price List To Maximise Sales.
  5.   Test and Measure Strategies To Keep You On Track.
  6.   Facebook Marketing for a constant flow of Customers.

BERNIE GRIFFITHS

www.berniegriffiths.com

THE 5 KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS

GEOFF FISHER

www.fisherphotography.com.au

THE ART OF ATTRACTING HIGH PAYING PORTRAIT CLIENTS

JOHN RICE

www.eternityphotography.com.au

DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY IN TODAYS WORLD

BOOK HERE FOR EARLYBIRD TICKETS

Enquiries….info@aswpp.com.au  Bernie 0418509228