You finally got a customer, a live one. She paid the $300 or $750 to book the photo shoot. She selected the "grand session" that includes 4 photos 8x10, 8 photos 5x7 and 1 photo 11x14. You came, you made the photos, you processed the photos and now you either go to her place to deliver the photos or she comes to your studio to pickup the precious photos.

Do you give the photos? or Do you start with the real "sales pitch". If you answered start with the real "sales pitch", you've just doubled or tripled your profit without increasing your rates.

What do I bring?

  1. I go the customer's house1
  2. I have my "old/trusty" laptop, sometimes with the projector, sometimes not2. Why not always bring the projector? Some customers are "kitchen table" customers and some are living room customers.
  3. I have a 16x20 sample photo to show them what such a large print looks like. You need to show a big print, if you want to sell a big print.
  4. I have an 11x14 framed sample photo to show them what it looks like.
  5. I also bring a couple of frames to show them how they will look like.

What do I do?

  1. We go through the edited photos, no music or "Pro-Show Gold".
  2. I shut up, zip it, keep quiet.
  3. She first selects the photos she likes.
  4. Then we go again through the one that she likes to decide which goes on the 8x10, the 5x7... and hopefully there are more pictures that what was originally booked.
  5. Then I always try to find one photo that would look good as a 16x20. It's usually as close up, a head shot...

If you offer photo albums, always bring 3 photo albums: an "economical" aka cheap, a medium and a "deluxe" album.

Now if you have done your job right, you can easily double your profit! Without raising your rates. If you also get the appropriate information3, you will be able to make even more profits, because you will be able to sell more 2 month before the next birthday...

 

1 I don't have a studio ↑

2 That depends on the weather, the age of captain, where the wind comes from and mostly on the client ↑

3 The Harvey66 from Harvey McKay ↑

Tags: Biz101 | Customers | Pricing