Intro by Skip Cohen
Sarah Petty just recently shared this post as a video on the Joy of Marketing blog. With so much of her outstanding advice, the transcript is always below the short film. In this recent post, she hits on one of the most talked-about topics in any business/marketing workshop involving photographers – posting your prices.
I’m right where Sarah is, but I want to hit the topic and go a little deeper.
We’re in a word-of-mouth business and your success is built on a foundation of relationship-building. Every customer contact whether through your website, a phone call or text message is an opportunity for you to exceed customer expectations and make yourself habit-forming.
That means a fast response time to questions whenever you’re contacted. And, when it comes to pricing, it’s a chance for you to sell your personality. A portrait sitting, for example, isn’t just the final portrait as much as it is the experience. It’s about building a relationship with your subject.
As Sarah reminded us in her post – not everyone is your client. When you’ve got somebody shopping and price is their primary motivator, they’re not necessarily interested in the things that make your work different, and better than the competition.
If you absolutely feel you have to put a price point up on your site, then do a “Starting at $_____” point, and then take advantage of the opportunity to start building the relationship when they call.
Most important of all – seize every chance you get to communicate directly with potential clients!
By Sarah Petty
Should you put your photography prices on your website?
I say “no”.
My name’s Sarah Petty and I have run a profitable photography business for 20 years….through film, through digital, through all of it, even before websites.
But here’s the thing, people want to talk to you.
We’re selling something emotional, so they need to know that they like you, that you have things in common, that you get them and you get what their vision is. Okay? They can only do that by talking to you.
A lot of times people who are shopping online are price-sensitive buyers.
They’re doing just that. They’re looking for the biggest deal and those aren’t the best clients for you.
You want clients to pick you, fall in love with you and your work, and create something magical and beautiful together.
Okay? So, I say, “take the prices off your website. Get them on the phone. Explain your products and services and what you do that’s different than everyone else, and then have a client for life.
