by Sarah Petty
As a photography business owner, if you dread selling to your clients because you know that there are going to be objections, you’re not alone. I hear from photographers all the time that they would rather not have the sales presentation at all than to be put in the uncomfortable situation of facing objections.
But objections don’t have to be those inevitable, dreaded parts of the sales presentation. Instead, think of them as opportunities to get to the root of why your client REALLY isn’t buying, so that you can overcome those feelings and close the sale with a thrilled client.
There are several times when you can overcome objections, but I prefer to handle them BEFORE the sales appointment, so that the experience is more comfortable for both the client and myself. Then, when it comes time for selling, I’ve already overcome my client’s concerns, and the ordering is easy and low-pressure.
Here’s an example of an objection I come across in my photography business when I explain that we focus on creating large wall art for my clients’ homes: “I don’t want a shrine to my kids.” You can handle this objection a few different ways and here’s one I use in my photography business.
Ask a question. Redirect the conversation to open their mind to another way of looking at photography. When the client says they don’t want a shrine, respond by asking, “What do you hang in your home?”
Typically when I ask this question, it will uncover that people don’t give a lot of thought to their home décor. So when you ask them, you are encouraging them to pause and think about photography as home décor and not just an image or two for dad’s desk and the grandparents.
Not to mention, they may start to question the last time they decorated their home and justify to themselves increasing their budget for photography, as it becomes décor for their home and not just small images of their family.
By overcoming objections such as this one prior to meeting for the ordering appointment, I take the pressure off the selling situation. I’m free to focus my attention on helping my clients pick out the images I know work best for them, ensuring they leave thrilled, and ultimately resulting in a fantastic sale.
