Owning a photography business requires you to do so many things well. From your photography to your marketing you have to constantly be changing and improving. But what about your sales? You can do everything else right but if you don’t get the sales, none of it matters.
The first step to effective sales averages is to have them in person. It’s a fact that when you conduct sales face to face your average is much higher due to the excitement and visuals you provide. It enables your customer to understand how they can decorate with portraiture.
Speaking of visuals, show examples of how to decorate with portraits. This can be done with visuals in the studio, examples in your slide show, and use any printed materials that help inspire your customer. You can even have them take pictures of their room for you to use during your sales session.
Timing. Don’t make your customer wait 2 weeks to view their images. Schedule the viewing session no more than 3 – 5 days later. Make sure you explain how the sales process works, and timing, with your initial consultation with your customer. In fact, you can not only schedule the photography session in advance, you can also schedule the viewing session in advance.
The right pricing. This is where every newer photographer struggles and prices their prints much too low. You must be profitable or you won’t be in business for long. If you are unsure or just want to double-check if your pricing formula is right, Watch PPA’s Bridget Jackson’s “Pricing Basics” recorded webinar.
Projection is the next key to higher average. Projecting your session images enables the customer to not only view them better, but it gives you the tool to show them what the actual size would be of the portrait size they are interested in. Even if you only have a laptop to use, it’s still effective.
Don’t use inches in your wall portrait terminology. Use names like – Love Seat, Fireplace, or sofa size Portrait. This helps people relate to where they would hang a portrait.
Sell collections in addition to your ale carte pricing. And show examples of how a collection looks in some printed materials and ideally have a display that shows your most popular one in your studio or your own living room if you operate out of your home.
Offer Good, Better, Best, and Super combinations for your finishes. Upgrades enable you to give your customer a finishing choice and the ability to put more profit in your pocket.
Don’ts
- Don’t have any pricing ending in .00.
- Don’t use 5’s or 0’s in your pricing. For instance. $495. Just round it up to make it $499. Or $500, make $499. It’s the psychology of pricing.
- Don’t say four hundred and ninety-nine dollars. Just say four ninety-nine.
It’s one thing to overshoot but it’s another to overshow. If you give people too many choices they can’t decide. Let them know in the initial consultation that you are going to photograph more than they will see because you only show the absolute best and no duplicates. So on sales day don’t show more than about 40 images. Otherwise, you risk decision fatigue and that kills sales really fast.
Sales sessions should last no more than about an hour for the same reason as overshow fatigue. There are exceptions but avoid sales fatigue by having your sales strategy in place and that will help you guide your customer and give them a wonderful experience.
Make it an experience. Build excitement by calling the sales session “Show Time” and have your customers bring any additional family and friends. Include favorite snacks and soft drinks ready to go when they come in as well. Make sure you’re ambiance is just right. I’ve known some studios who actually baked chocolate chip cookies in the studio & served them in order to bring in the right atmosphere.
These key things will enable you to be profitable and give your clients the experience that will keep them coming back.
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