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Hey guys! Mark Rossetto here and welcome to this video on How to Boost Your Photography Sales with the Ultimate Client Experience.
Being a photographer, sometimes it’s frustrating to see others in the industry who have mediocre photography, yet they’re the ones getting booked. They’re the ones that are booked out three to six months in advance, making all the money and sharing it on Facebook and Instagram… and it frustrates you!
It drives you nuts because their photography is average, but they’re getting lots of work.
That’s because the “planned experience” affects everything! It’s not just your photography that stands out.
The client experience can be divided into eight different areas. What I want you to understand is that everything affects everything. The experience is just as important as the photographs we take.
So what are the eight areas?
1. Your Environment
Your “environment” is where you meet and greet your clients. It’s where you meet with them for their photo shoot, in-person consults, design appointments – if you have a studio or on location.
You might have a brilliant location and when people walk into that space, you are already creating the “ultimate client experience” because you’ve got the perfect setup. But you could also have a location where you meet prior to your photo shoot.
Instead of meeting at a coffee club or local café, go meet at the nicest and fanciest hotel suite foyer that you can find. If it’s in Melbourne, it’s the Park Hyatt and the Langham – somewhere that represents you and your brand with that quality and style.
When doing your photo shoot, are you doing it in a nice environmental space?
We all know those places where you have the stinky beach and the nice beach. Don’t take your clients to the stinky beach; their client experience will be hindered.
All they’ll be doing is complaining about how much it stinks.
Take them to the nice beach, take them to nice locations. The environment is important and it sets the scene of your quality and brand that you want to offer.
2. Pricing & Products
When you compare USB drives to print and wall art, there’s only so much a client can do with a USB of images. Is that the client experience you want to give?
Are you the studio that says “here’s a USB drive, I hope you enjoy it, print away” …. OR …. Are your the studio that gives the ultimate client experience by giving them beautiful products that stand out from the crowd. Products that you know department stores can’t replicate?
3. The Phone Call
Do you like talking on the phone? Or do you hate it and just want to email everything?
See, the difference is when you call a client, you build rapport – you can’t do that on email or messenger.
Over messenger, you don’t get the conversation and tone. Or get to giggle, laugh, and build rapport with your clients.
Which means, if you have had that phone call with them – not just by email or message – when it comes to the shoot, you’re already the best of friends.
You already know what makes them laugh and giggle. You’ve connected with them about their family, the experience, what they want to do with their images, and what you’re going to offer in the photo shoot. It helps you plan your entire shoot, as well.
4. Your Photography
Your photography helps creates a unique experience.
Is your photography fun, playful, giggly, full of laughter and colour, and bringing lots of personality?
Or is it more moody and more artistic?
Your photography will set the scene of the experience. Remember, the experience is just as important as the photography.
You have to create beautiful images, but make sure you have fun while taking those photos so they can really enjoy the whole experience.
5. Your Marketing
Your marketing consists of so many things and one of the most important aspects is your website.
You might have the best quality and award-winning photography in the world, but your website an afterthought running on an old theme. Or the design looks old and outdated.
I’ll give you an example.
A client of mine in Australia was competing with other photographers in their town. This award-winning photographer had amazing images, amazing quality, amazing service, amazing products, but her website was very mediocre.
It was outdated, slow and clunky.
Her competitors had a super modern website. Their photos were just as good, but all they offered was a USB drive.
Se essentially her beautiful, good quality, finished product and an average sale of $2,000 was competing with other photographers offering $200-$300 for a USB and beautiful website.
So as part of your client experience, make sure your website is up to scratch and represents your brand.
Another part of marketing is printing your marketing material.
There’s something about getting something tangible – a booklet, a flyer, a brochure printed on nice paper stock. Something that screams ‘quality.’
When you go to buy a car, they don’t walk away and go, “I’ll send you a PDF.” You walk away with a booklet.
Something tangible in your hand that screams ‘value’ and gives your client a great client experience. They can touch and feel the pages and read through your story and portfolio.
Another important one is your logo. Is it kind of dated? Make sure your logo represents your brand and is slick and clean.
6. One Percenters
The “One Percenters” we do, affect everything.
So what are one percenters? They are the little things we do that make our clients go, “aww, that was so nice.”
It’s the sign in front of your house at the shoot that says, “Welcome Rossetto family.”
It’s the glasses of water with ice and lime in it.
It’s the bottles of water and the bug spray you take on location.
The umbrellas for the wedding photography. If it starts to rain and the bride and groom go, “oh my goodness. It’s raining, what are we going to do?” You’re like, “I got this. I’ll get my umbrellas. I’ve got four black ones and four white ones. Which ones do you want?”
These are the little things we do to make our clients go “wow”.
I have a client gives her newborn client a beautiful pendant with the child’s name on it. Her clients go ballistic. It’s a great surprise.
7. Systems & Workflow
Are you taking your clients through the same system and workflow to give them a great experience each and every time?
Like a well-oiled machine, each company has their own systems and workflow to guarantee the results. We need to make sure your clients are looked after and they get the right information at the right time.
I’ve mentioned the experience of a PDF in comparison to printed stock. Another example is the use of a CRM such as Studio Ninja or Tave. CRMs have the ability to automate your contracts, invoices and questionnaires – all built into a single platform with a client portal to let them fill it all out on their phone.
Gone are the days where you a client a PDF and they need to print it in order to sign the agreement THEN either take a photo of it or scan it to send it back to us.
It’s just too much effort.
Give your clients a great, slick experience and make sure that your systems and workflow are up to scratch.
8. Building Rapport
Building rapport with people is one of the most important things we can do as photographers.
Are you connecting with your clients? On the phone? During the photo shoot?
Do you know how to handle those newborn babies and the parents with the newborn babies?
Do you know how to handle the snot-nosed teenagers that don’t want to be there. Can you adapt into your cool mode and connect with them?
Parents of the bride and the groom – can you be professional enough to be THE professional, but slip into Party Mode when you’re doing the location shoots?
How you connect with your clients will also determine the client experience. We need to make sure we work on this at all times.
So there you have it. Eight quick steps.
Eight quick things you can look at to give your client the “ultimate client experience”.
If you give your clients a fantastic experience, it WILL boost your sales. Your sales will grow because you’re giving them so much value and service, they are going to LOVE you.
How to Boost Your Photography Sales with the Ultimate Client Experience
