There Is A Very Powerful List Of People Who Are The Very Best To Market Your Photography To. Do You Know What List This Is?

Photography marketing is all about getting qualified people to hire you to create their photography, rather than having them go to some other photographer in your area, or doing nothing at all.

Did you know that there is a group of people who are by far the BEST people to market your photography services to? If you market to these people you will have amazing results! They will respond much better than ANY other group of people that you could ever find to market your services to.

Who are these people?…

They are the people who you have worked with in the past.

That’s right. You have already worked with them at least once in the past.  Why are they such a great group of people to market to? Because they already know you are, they like you, trust you and believe in the value of your photography.

Sadly, most photographers completely ignore these people!  They are continually going after “NEW” clients. This is a huge mistake.

Most photographers put so much time and money into getting new clients into their photography business, but they don’t put any effort into staying in touch with the clients once those people have been photographed.

I call these valuable people my  “V.I.P.’s” – for “Very Important Patrons.”

You see, success in the photography business is all about RELATIONSHIPS – building them and maintaining them. If you really want to be successful in photography you must understand that the people with whom you have worked before are extremely valuable to your future success.

I had to learn this the hard way. For many years I totally ignored my V.I.P.’s.(Other than maybe sending them a card or an offer around the Holidays.)

The key to success with your V.I.P’s is to continue the relationship for years to come on a regular basis.  You will be amazed at how the “life-time value of a client” will go way, way up for you when you do this!

Here are the four best ways to market to, and continue the relationship with, your “V.I.P.’s”:

1. The telephone.  If you are really in a bad situation financially, one of the all-time fastest ways to generate revenue in your photography business to pick up the telephone and make a friendly call to your very best previous clients.

Now, do not misunderstand me, I am not talking about making a “sales call” to them. What I am talking about is calling them personally and letting them know how much you enjoyed and appreciated working with them in the past. Then ask how their family is doing, and let them know you miss them.

If you do this with a really friendly tone of voice – and smile while you’re talking to them, you will find that many of those people will say something like, “I’m so glad you called. I’ve been thinking about having little Johnny photographed again – as he’s changed a lot in the last six months, and I so love the photographs you created of him last time.”

You’re not calling to sell anything. You’re just calling to maintain the relationship.

Also, while you have her on the phone, you can ask her for her current e-mail address and her Facebook address so you can stay in touch by email, and “friend” her on Facebook.

2. The second best way to market to, and continue the relationship with your previous clients is via E-mail.

(This is why you asked for her correct e-mail address on the phone call above.)

E-mail is an incredibly effective way to stay in touch with your previous clients. The key is to send her four or five non-business related e-mails for everyone one e-mail that has something to do with marketing to her. I call this the 5 to 1 rule.

Most photographers, bless their hearts, only bother to send somebody an e-mail when they’re trying to sell them something. Big mistake! Remember this is all about continuing the relationship. So remember the 5 to 1 rule.

3. The third best way to market to and continue the relationship with your previous clients is direct mail. Direct mail is extremely effective now – since most photographers have discontinued using direct mail.

One of the best ways to use direct mail is to send your previous clients friendly cards – such as Valentine’s Day cards Thanksgiving day cards, Christmas cards, birthday cards, etc. This is wonderful at continuing the relationship with them – especially when you write a quick, personal, hand written note on the card.

4. The fourth best way is through Social media. Social media really is all about the relationship, so it’s a natural tool with your previous clients. But again the 5 to 1 rule applies.

Begin today to rebuild the relationship you had with your previous clients when they were in your photography business and working directly with you. If you do this and stick to it, you will be shocked and amazed at how many referrals you receive, and how many repeat clients you end up photographing for a tremendous amount of profit.

All the best,

Charles J. Lewis, M. Photog., Cr.

Photography Marketing With Exhibits Is Extremely Effective Today!

Photography marketing is critical to your photo business success. If you market correctly, you prosper, because the photography industry is full of artistic people who don’t know much about marketing. (I didn’t know ANYTHING about marketing when I first got going in photography.)

So once you start marketing very smartly, using proven methods, you will grow and prosper extremely quickly.

My all time favorite photography marketing method is to get free exhibits all over my community where my target market shops, eats, goes to movies, has her hair done, etc.

Let me give you an example of how you get a free exhibit.

Here’s three important notes:

1. Do not call ahead.  Just dress nicely, grab a couple of wall portraits in nice frames, and head to your first location where you want to get an exhibit.

2. Walk in and gently place your two framed wall portraits (16×20 to 24×30) up against … a wall where they will be in some light and look good when they person comes out to greet you.

3. You want to always talk in terms of how the location will BENEFIT – not what’s in it for you.

Let me give you an example. For this example, let’s use a restaurant.

Here’s the top 6 benefits to a restaurant for displaying your photographs on their walls:

Benefit #1:  The beautifully framed images will add to the decor, and give the patrons something to look at in the restaurant as they wait to be seated.  This puts them in a good mood, and they will be more likely to order more food, or wine, etc.

Benefit #2:  You will be changing these images every month.  So the restaurant looks fresh, and new and different every month.  This is good for the patrons, and good for the staff.

Benefit #3:  It gives your restaurant a “home town” look.  It’s obvious you are involved in the local community, as these are images of local people.  (By the way, I had one really upper scale restaurant in Grand Rapids which accepted my offer to put up images based solely on this point.  So don’t overlook it.)

Benefit #4:  You will be putting up, lets say, 10 photographs.  So when you go back to the studio after putting up the display, you will be calling these 10 families, and letting them know their portrait or wedding image is proudly displayed in this restaurant.

Now, each of these 10 families will very likely come down to the restaurant to see the photograph, and they will buy lunch or dinner, too.  And they won’t come alone.  You see, this is an ego thing.  They will bring some friends for lunch or dinner, so they can “show off” how their portrait is being displayed at the restaurant.

Benefit #5:  Every person knows approximately 250 other people.  So these 10 families are going to tell everyone they see and talk to that their portrait is being displayed at that restaurant.  And their going to tell all their friends on FaceBook and Twitter, too. Again, it’s an ego thing.  So, if each family only tells 20 other people, then that’s a total of 200 people who will be talking about the restaurant, and the owner didn’t have to lift a finger to get all this advertising – and it was free, too for the restaurant!  (10 prints X 20 people told about the portrait on display = 200 people minimum.)

Benefit #6:  Next month, this entire cycle repeats.  You put up a different 10 images, and call them, and they come down for lunch or dinner, and tell all their friends……etc.

You get the idea.  This is not nearly as difficult or scary as you think it is.  Plus, the more you do this, the easier it  becomes.

There’s a LOT more benefits you can point out to them, but what I just shared with you is EXACTLY how I sell my exhibits.  I rarely need to go any further than what I just shared with you above.

All the best,

Charles Lewis

The "Gift Plaque" Will Bring You In Lots Of Extra Cash You Otherwise Would Have Lost!

You work hard at marketing photography. Indeed, your photography marketing is probably one of the most challenging parts of your photography business.

So when people respond to your photo marketing, you want to be SURE you don’t lose someone who could have ended up being an excellent client of yours.

Believe it or not, if you do things right, you can bring in an enormous amount of extra cash to your photography business that you otherwise would have lost!

Here’s how:

The “Gift Plaque”:  A “Gift Plaque” is a beautifully done (but extremely easy!) item that brings in HUGE sums of money all year round!  It’s actually a “give certificate” but done much more elegantly and personalized for each recipient.  Plus, it mentions no dollar amount, which is so much nicer than the typical “gift certificate.”

Here’s how it works:

You and I will get many calls from people who have not planned ahead.  People who want to have a fine portrait created as a gift for the one they love, and who want it done right, but who waited too long before they called you.

Now, if we’re not careful, we can be so busy, that when someone calls we just say, “You should have planned ahead.  There’s no way we can do anything that fast…”  and send them away empty handed.

NO WAY!!!!!

Here’s what you do to bring in TONS OF EXTRA CASH: …….

…….First, you enthusiastically express what a wonderful gift idea a fine portrait is, and how much their loved ones will love and treasure it.  (Psychologically this let’s her know she’s okay to have waited this late to call us – this is very important to building the rapport necessary to help her become happily involved with fine photography.  It also begins the emotional excitement that is necessary for someone to invest adequate sums of money for photography!)

Next, you ask her the very same questions, such as the “Magic Question” and the “Qualifying Question” off of the Telecharts, just as normal.  (Remember, get her talking, by asking questions.  Don’t you do all the talking, or you will talk yourself right out of the sale!)

Next, you describe with great emotion what a gift plaque is, and what a beautiful gift it makes.

For example:

“I can tell how important it is to you to have a beautifully done, custom portrait!  That’s what we are all about.  We have the PERFECT gift for you!  It’s called the “Charles Lewis Portrait Gift Plaque.”  (Obviously, you insert your own name here.)

You continue:  ‘This is a wonderfully created, custom plaque, beautifully printed on fine parchment paper, with the name of the person you are giving this to, and your name, of course.  It has some beautiful words, which you can personally write to the person, or we have some wonderful wordings you can choose from.  Then it is framed in a fine golden frame.

“Then it’s placed delicately in a beautiful black box, with tissue paper, and with a large silver bow.  You give this on the day, and it tells your loved one how this beautiful portrait is going to be created – in the future – and that he or she is going to receive it after it is carefully crafted and created.”

Then you ask the caller a trial close question:  “How do you feel about this?  Isn’t this exciting?”

Then, based on the response, you continue with your normal telephone techniques and questions from the Telecharts, and set up a time for him or her to come in and talk about this, etc. etc. etc.

See how powerful this is?  What you are doing is making it possible for a client or prospect of yours to invest in a finely crafted portrait now (yes, you collect the money now) and give it for a gift NOW, and then have you create this beautiful portrait after later.  But, YOU GET THE MONEY NOW!!!

Here’s a sample of one of our most popular wordings for our Gift Plaques:

Words on paper could never show
The wonderful you I’ve come to know.
Yet on this very special day
I have so many words to say.

A portrait is worth a thousand words
and so I give this gift to you…
A memory captured forever in time
Of this loving family…yours and mine.

This is the basic wording we begin with, and then we modify it to fit the specific situation or gift occasion.

Believe me, this brings in ENORMOUS amounts of money that would otherwise have been lost – and it’s SO MUCH nicer than a simple “gift certificate!”

Do this!  It will mean thousands of extra dollars to you!  Just be SURE every person answering your phone or emails knows exactly what to say, and how to say it!

Go for it!

Chuck

Posting Your Prices On Your Website Cuts Your Profits In Half! (At Least!)

Photography marketing is a lot of work. You put so much time and effort into the marketing of your photography, don’t screw everything up when someone responds to your marketing and visits your photography website.

Never, ever post your fees on your website.  If you do, you’re (at least) cutting your cash flow and profits in half!

This is a HUGE mistake I see so many photographers making right now. It’s really sad, because photographers think they are doing the right thing, but instead, they are losing so much business that should have and could have been theirs!

You know why this is such a bad mistake?  Three reasons really.

Reason #1.  If you give your prices online, it removes the single biggest reason for people to contact you.

Think about this. What’s the most common question you and I get from people who are emailing us or calling us? …. …. “What do you charge.”  Right?  So if you tell them what you charge, there’s absolutely no reason for them to contact you.

And if they don’t contact you, then you can’t “build rapport and trust” with them, and help them decide to hire you now.

Now, I totally understand that you may not agree with this – but I urge you to think about this very carefully. Building a successful photography business is all about relationships. And the only way you’re going to build up that relationship so that prospect becomes a client is by talking with her. So if she never calls you to find out what your fees are (because they are clearly posted on your website) then you’re never going to work with her.

Reason #2.  Your prices (numbers) are “left brain” analytical items, and we know that people invest in photography for “right brain” emotional reasons.

Almost no photographers “get” this.  For most people who contact you, the price is NOT the most important thing to them. I know, they do ask you how much right away, but that really isn’t the most important thing to them – there’s something else.

What is this “something else?” It’s the emotional reasons – why does she want the images created? What’s she wanting to express with the photography? What’s she want to capture and remember? What’s she want the images to say about the people in her life?

All these emotional things are way more important to most people than the prices. (At least to those “Warm Fuzzies” who we want to work with!) But if she sees all your specific prices on your site, she is “forced” into “left brain” and so she will usually not contact you about working with you.

Reason #3.  Most photographers pricing is very confusing to prospects.  And one of the major “rules” of marketing is that a confused mind makes no decision.

You and I know all the prices by heart – we deal with them every day.  But for our prospects, the prices are confusing, and because they are confused, they don’t go any further.

So you are miles ahead if you do NOT put your prices on your website.

I urge you to carefully consider what I’ve talked about here today. It will have a HUGE positive effect on your photography business if you do NOT put your prices on your website.

All the best,

Charles J. Lewis, M. Photog., Cr.

Do This And Watch Your Sales & Profits SOAR Higher Than You Ever Dreamed!

I urge you to never show your images on a computer monitor! Instead, project the images into a 40×50 or 40×60 frame, over a sofa!

Most photographers don’t realize that the single, biggest decision of their career is how they present their images to their clients.  It’s way more important than what camera to use, or what version of PhotoShop is best.

But sadly, most photographers give little thought to this huge decision.  They put all their time & efforts into creating great images, and then screw it all up by not presenting those images in the best way to their clients.

For portrait photography, there is only ONE, all time best way to present your portraits to your clients for maximum impact and sales.  What is it?  Projecting the images into a 40×50 or 40×60 frame, with stretched canvas in it, which is hung over a sofa!

Nothing – NOTHING can come even remotely close to producing the huge amount of impact and sales …. (and how much your client will enjoy her photographs in her home) that projecting your images can!

Why is projecting your portraits so powerful? Five major reasons:

Reason #1. It’s a proven sales law that the first image is lasting image. In other words, if you show someone their photographs by projecting them into a 40×50 frame, that becomes their first image, and everything after that looks positively SMALL.  Plus, you are educating your clients as to how beautiful their images will look in the more appropriate, wall sizes.

Reason #2. The Soaking Law – This is a very little understood law of human psychology which says that the longer someone holds a figure in their mind, the smaller that figure becomes as they get used to it.

So when you first show your clients a 40×50 projected into a frame over a sofa, and then volunteer the investment for that size, that number will at first seem really substantial.  But as you continue to show the other images at that same size, the number you first quoted them will slowly shrink over time, and by the end, will seem much smaller.

Then end result is they are much more likely to invest in a nice wall portrait for their home, and when they do – THEY WIN. You see, we are not trying to “trick” anyone – no way. What we’re doing is helping them make the right decision for them – so they will get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of their photographs.

Reason #3. Projecting allows you to “sell down.”  Selling down is where you start with your best, and slowly work your way down until you get to something your client is happy and comfortable with. It helps your clients make the right buying decision for themselves and their situation.

Selling down is much more helpful to your clients than “selling up”  – which is where you start with something small, and give them the investment for that size, and then move up to some other size, and give them the investment for that size. This is very confusing to them.

Reason #4. This gets your clients really excited – because their images look so fantastic when projected to a 40×50 or 40×60! This really shows off the beautiful images, and helps the clients see them really well, and  become very emotionally involved with them.

Reason #5. It’s a proven fact that you sell what you show. By showing the client her images in these beautiful wall portrait sizes, rather than on a computer monitor, you are letting her clearly see and FEEL how much enjoyment she will receive from them being proudly displayed on her walls in her home.

I urge you to do this for yourself!  It’s extremely easy to do with digital images, and the results will shock & thrill you!

All the best,

Charles J. Lewis

Here's a HUGE Tip To Increasing Your Photography Business Success

Never let the original images (”proofs or thumbnails” or whatever) leave your photography business.  And, by the way,  that includes posting them online, too!

This is a HUGE mistake I see photographers making all over the world right now, and it’s costing them thousands of lost dollars, pounds, euros, etc.

Here’s an important sentence to remember always:  “Just because we CAN do it doesn’t mean that we SHOULD do it!”

Trust me, you do NOT want to be posting your images online so people can go see them and “place their order” on the Internet.  And you don’t want to put them on a CD so they can take them home and make their decisions. Why not?  Because ….. the “order” they place will suck – no matter how “good” a photographer you are!

If you are doing this at the moment, I urge you to stop immediately. It’s killing your sales & profits.

Personal portraiture & wedding photography require personal one-on-one service from you as the artist/craftsperson.  This is NOT pressure, it’s good service.  It’s being with your clients to help them make the right decisions for THEM.

Yes, if you present your images correctly while you’re meeting with them (Secret #6) you will make a lot more money, too, but the primary reason is to take good care of your clients and help them make the right decisions for themselves and their family, so they will get the maximum enjoyment out of their images.   It’s totally a “win-win” situation for everyone.

You have spent years learning how to create the images you create. Plus, you have invested a lot of time and effort to actually create the photographs for your clients.  Now, don’t screw everything up by not investing a little more time & effort in presenting these beautiful images to your clients in person with them!

So do NOT fall into the trap of posting your images online or sending them home with your clients in ANY form.  You are an artist. You create lovely images.  Now act like it and take good care of your clients.  They will thank you for it.

All the best to you and your photography,

Charles Lewis

Here's one of the all time most important "pieces" of the "photography success puzzle."

Whether you have a store front photography studio on main street or work out of your home, here are eight key points to making top money with your photography business.

Marketing & Selling Key Point #1.  You sell what you show.

This seems so obvious, but unless someone constantly reminds you of this, you can forget it. In our photo biz, the big money, 80% of our profits, come from helping our clients become happily involved with wall portraits as home décor. If you’d like to do the same, then it’s vitally important you not … show anything in your photo business that is smaller than a 24×30.

No 8×10’s or 5×7’s in frames sitting on tables. No groupings of 8×10’s and 11×14’s on the walls.

Now, I know what you may be thinking.  “But Chuck, how do I show off all the variety we offer our clients?”  Well, you do that by having a sample book of 8×10’s or 11×14’s – each sample book is of ONE PARTICULAR SESSION TYPE – for example, you have one for seniors, one for families, one for children, etc.

Then, all you do is bring out the ONE book of the particular client type with whom you are meeting.  Don’t have all the books sitting out in the studio.  Only have the one book that applies to this client.

This way, when she first walks in, your client only sees beautiful wall portraits on the walls, and nothing else.

Marketing & Selling Key Point #2.  The first impression is the lasting impression.

Really, everything we’re going to talk about deals with this law.

That’s the major reason we put wall portraits in our studio.  That’s why we dress nicely for our clients.  We only get one chance at a first impression.

But what I mean here is that you want your studio to look like you are successful.  Remember, “NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS.”  If you want to BE successful, you must FIRST LOOK successful.

Now, I don’t mean you have to go out and buy all new furniture for your photo biz, and a new car, etc.  But what I do mean is that you want things to look like you are really successful.

Simply take everything that doesn’t look “successful” out of your studio client areas.  You don’t want anything to distract from the feeling of success.  For example, don’t have any camera equipment, mail, props, bare prints, etc. laying around.  This is clutter.  And that kind of clutter does not “say” success.

What “says” success is having everything very neat, clean, orderly.

Having nothing out in the “lobby” or other “client areas” that isn’t absolutely imperative to the look and feel of the environment.

Just to be clear, I’ll say it again: everything I’m saying here applies whether you have a store front studio, or have a studio in your home.

Marketing & Selling Key Point #3.  Have your studio look like a home.

You want your studio to look and feel like a home.  You want “home” type furniture around.  This does two important things:

First, it helps a client feel comfortable when she walks into your studio.  And if she feels comfortable, she will be much more likely to work with you, and invest in more photographs

Second, it helps her immediately see how nice your fine photography looks on the walls of a home.  She can think to herself, “Gee, I have a sofa about that size in my home.  Boy, a portrait would look nice over that sofa, just like it looks so nice here….”  That’s the beginning of wall portrait sales.

Marketing & Selling Key Point #4.  Keep the colors in your studio very soft and muted.

You want your portraits to be the most colorful items in your studio.

So, if you specialize in color portraits, I highly recommend you keep all the other tones in your studio very soft, such as off white, or beige, and soft golds, etc.  You want the eye of the viewer who walks into your studio to go immediately to your beautiful portraits on the wall.

Marketing & Selling Key Point #5.  Don’t have samples of different sizes of the same image.

Don’t get trapped into this one!  Many photographers, who don’t know better,  take one family portrait, and print it in all sizes, from 11×14 up to 24×30. They then hang them side by side, so people can see the differences.

All this will do is confuse your clients, and sell you a lot more of the small sizes.  Simply use the projecting to show the clients what the different sizes look like – using the client’s portraits.

Marketing & Selling Key Point #6.  Never, ever have photos sitting on the floor.

I understand that as an “artist” you want to have lots of different images available to you to show perspective clients.  You want them to see how versatile and creative you are.

However, don’t do it.  Not if you are dead serious about making MORE money with LESS work.  Have each of your wall portraits beautifully framed, and presented on the wall, where they belong.  Do NOT ever set photographs on the floor, leaning up against the wall.  This is totally disrespectful to your work, and conveys non-verbally to the client that you do not place a high value on your talent and imagery.

Marketing & Selling Key Point #7.  Each photo must occupy it’s own plane of space.

You want each portrait on the wall to occupy it’s own plane and space.

(I learned this from the great photographer and salesman, Ken Whitmire.)  By this, I mean that you don’t want to have two 30×24’s hung side by side in your studio.  Because both of those images would be occupying the same “plane” of space.  It will be a hundred times more powerful and “artistic” to take those two images down, and replace them with only ONE 30 x40.

Now, sometimes, you will have a long wall, which has a door in it.

Okay, now you can display one wall portrait on one side of the door opening, and another wall portrait on the other side of the door opening.  Because the door “breaks” up the single plane. You also can use potted plants, small trees, etc. between wall portraits on a long wall.

Marketing & Selling Key Point #8.   Be sure your portraits are well lit

Always have some effective lighting, either in the ceiling, or track lighting hung down from the ceiling.  In our studio, almost the ONLY lights in the client areas, are lights which are aimed at the wall portraits.  Remember, you want your portraits to be the brightest items in your studio.

Also, NEVER, EVER have ANY fluorescent lights in your client areas.

Remember, you want your studio to look and feel like a home environment.

I hope this has helped remind you of some of the important aspects of your studio design.   Do this correctly, and prosper beyond your wildest dreams!  Do this incorrectly, and work way too hard for way too little money.  It’s that important.

All the best,

Charles J. Lewis

If You Run Your Business With The Correct Policies, You'll Be Running To The Bank To Make Big Deposits!

Question: Are you running your photo business, or is it running you – and how’s it working for you?

One of the biggest mistakes I see photographers around the world making is they don’t have very specific, carefully determined policies which they adhere to – no matter what, regarding the running of their photography business.

In my opinion, here’s the top 9 most important policies for the portrait end of your business:

1.  No photography will be done without a Pre-portrait Interview.  Period.  No exceptions.  Why?  Because this interview is a critical part of the “System” for making your studio extremely profitable.  In this interview, you inform them of your policies, prices, etc. and collect the Pre-Paid Creation Fee (see below.)  This is also where you let them know, in a very positive, enthusiastic way, that your Originals don’t leave the studio, and aren’t posted online (see below,) and that you project the images for them, about a weak or two after the session.

2.  No photography will be done without a Prepaid Creation Fee, paid in ADVANCE of the day of the session.  And, the Creation Fee does NOT ….  go toward the finished  photographs.  This is important because you want your clients to be fine with paying you for your time and talent.  If they are willing to give you a Creation Fee, that does not go towards the purchasing of the images, but only covers the time involved in planning and creating them, then they are probably going to be good clients to work with, because they understand that you are a creative artist, and that your time & talent are valuable.

3.  The Originals never leave the studio.  No exceptions. No paper Originals are printed. No “thumbnails.” No CD of the images for them to take home & make their decisions. In this day and age, you just CAN’T allow this.  If you do allow this, you might as well take out a gun, and shoot yourself in your shutter hand, because you are KILLING your chances for good sales and profits.  (See #8 below.)

4.  50% minimum paid before printing the portrait order.  And everything is paid in full before leaving the studio – no “partial order pickup” or any other arrangements.  Back before I knew any better, I was so excited to get a decent sale, that I often would be afraid to ask for payment, thinking it would kill the sale.  So I’d go ahead with the order before having AT LEAST 50%.  Then, the client would end up never picking the order up, or wanting to only pick up part of it, and I had lost not only the sale, but I had lost the printing costs, too!  The same goes for when the client picks up the finished portraits.  Never, ever let ANYTHING leave your studio that isn’t paid for in full, and be sure the entire order is paid for before any part of it may be picked up. 

Now, I do have a few students who are having good success with a payment plan for their clients.  I feel this is okay, as long as you do it with a credit card.  The client gives you the credit card number, etc. and gives you permission to charge a certain amount each month, until the balance is paid off.  But, in my opinion, you still don’t want to order the photographs to be printed, until you have collected at least 50%.

5.  Never give away free photographs.  I don’t care how much the client invests with you, you do not give away free photos.  You can discount them, under special circumstances, if you like, but you don’t give them away for free.  This also goes for your marketing.  For example, many photographers, who don’t know any better, give away free wallet portraits for seniors, if they book by a certain date.  I don’t recommend this.  What this does, psychologically, is decrease the perceived value of their photography, and dramatically hurt the total average sale in the end. 

6.  No nights or weekend appointments.  This is a real Life and Family killer!  As a professional, it’s vitally important that you “train” your clients how to treat you.  If you are available any time of the day or night, any day of the week, etc. this trains them that your time is not valuable to you, and that they can get you to do anything for them.  The result is they don’t show up for appointments, or they show up late, and they have little or no value for you or your time and talent (and thus your product and service.)  The clients are running you, and you are out of control.

On the other hand, if you are available only certain hours, and certain days, and if you are extremely busy and booked up, and you stick to this, then this sends an entirely different message to your prospects and clients.  It says your time is valuable.  It says you are successful, busy, and in great demand.  People want to work with people who are successful.  Thus, they will modify their schedule in order to work with you.  (Yes, there are exceptions from time to time when the lighting requires you to create the images at sunset, etc., but other than this, you don’t work evenings.)

7.  Never mail out price lists (or publish them on-line!)  Never, ever mail out or publish on-line, your prices.  It’s just not smart, and it usually sends business away if your prices are high enough for you to make a living.  Or, sending out your prices attracts business to you for the wrong reason, if your prices are extremely low.

8. No images published on line.  I can’t stress this enough.  Any time you let your images leave your studio, whether physically, or on-line, you hurt yourself in many ways.  Just because we can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it.  The technology can hurt you so easily.  Remember this always:  People invest in photography for emotional reasons.  And the point of highest emotion is the first time your clients see the images.  Therefore, you must be with them at this moment, and help them to become happily involved with your images, right then and there.  To do otherwise is business suicide for the photographer.

9.  Always project your images.  Never show your client anything smaller than a 30×40 to start – and preferably a 40×50 or 40×60.  We know that the first image a client receives of her photographs is the lasting image.  It’s a proven law of sales.  Therefore, every time you break this law of projection, you suffer the consequences.

This is the single most important business decision of your career – how you present your images to your clients.  This one decision will determine, all by itself, where you live in your community;  where your children go to school; what kind of car you drive; how many vacations you take; and how much fancy photo equipment you own. 

If you will set these nine above policies as THE WAY you run your business, you will sleep better at night, and you will earn more, much more money, on less, much less work.

All the best,

Charles J. Lewis

Are You Throwing Thousands Of Dollars That Should Have Been Yours - Into The Trash Every Week?

There’s a huge mistake most portrait and wedding photographers all over the world are making these days that is costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars. Do you know what this mistake is? Are you making this mistake yourself?

Here it is: most photographers put a huge amount of time and effort and talent into creating their photographs, but then they screw it all up by taking little or no time to present the images to their clients properly, and help the clients make their buying decisions.

Now, I realize that most of us don’t like to sell, because we think it’s pressure or trickery or manipulation. But that is not selling. Selling is finding out what people want helping them to get it. It has NOTHING to do with pressure, trickery or manipulation.

One of my cardinal rules of success in photography is to ….  spend at least as much time presenting the photographs to my clients as I have spent creating those photographs.

This means no thumbnails to take home. No images posted online. No paper proofs.

The client comes into the studio, in person, and makes her decisions with our assistance, as we project the images, into a frame, over a sofa.

Now, you may be thinking that this is a lot of extra work, and that you don’t have the time to do this. But let me warn you – you’ve put all that time and effort into creating these beautiful photographs, now take the extra time to present the images correctly, or you will be leaving thousands of dollars on the table, and your client’s will be going home with not anywhere near the number and sizes of photographs that they should have.

You see, the question is: Do you believe in what you’re doing or not?

If you believe in what you’re doing – and in the value of photography that you’re creating – then you owe it to your client to assist her with her buying decisions so that she gets the maximum amount of enjoyment out of her beautiful photographs. Please understand, I’m not talking about pressure or trickery here, I’m talking about taking really good care of each of your clients – in person – so they end up owning photographs that will give them the maximum amount of enjoyment for years to come.

I know it’s tempting to just present your images online for the client to order from, but you’re really doing her a disservice by not spending any time with her after the photographs are created, and helping her with her selections.

So if you honestly care about your client’s, and honestly want to earn a great living doing your photography, and honestly believe in the value of your photography, then please take my advice and invest some of your time and money in discovering how to present your photographs to your clients personally – in such a way that they will get the most enjoyment out of your beautiful images.

That’s the least you can do for your clients, and it will do amazing things for your cash flow and profits, too.

All the best,

Charles J. Lewis, M. Photog., Cr. A-ASP

Start Using These Tips NOW And Watch Your Photo Business Grow & Prosper!

Question: Is there something you can do in the next seven days to be assured of bringing in more money RIGHT NOW – regardless of the economy or all the cheap competition everywhere?

The Answer: Yes!  Answer your telephone and e-mail price inquiries correctly! There’s GOLD in them!

Here’s three powerful tips:

1. Always use the “Redirection Question.” 

Here’s how the Redirection Question goes:

A prospect calls or emails you and asks: “How much do you charge?”

You answer: …….   “I’ll be happy to discuss our fees but may I ask you a few questions first – so I know exactly what it is you’re looking for?”

By using the “Redirection Question” you are “redirecting” the prospect’s mind away from the question of price and onto the fact that you actually care about her and want to find out what it is she’s looking for.

This is an extremely powerful, little-known secret for telephone and e-mail handling of the questions about price. I urge you to use this with every phone call and every e-mail that comes into you.

2.  Use the “Magic Question.” I’ve talked about the

Magic Question before, but just in case you missed it, here it is again:

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s most important to you about ____________?” (Where the _________ is what she is asking about – a family portrait, child’s portrait, wedding photography, etc.)

This is one of the most incredibly powerful and effective ways to find out what is known as the “DBM” – which is the dominant buying motive of that prospect – the one thing she wants to be sure to get out of the photography that she’s thinking of doing.

If you just ask this Magic Question and listen carefully to her answer, you will be given a wonderful opportunity to show her, in an emotional way, why she should work with you rather than any other photographer in the area.

It’s extremely powerful.

3. Handle the “Stalls” correctly.

A “stall” is a statement a prospect or client says that she thinks will “stall” you off – make it so she can just get off the phone or whatever and then she will never call you again most likely.

The reason “stalls” are so powerful, is most photographers don’t know how to handle them, so it’s an easy “get away” for the client or prospect.

I will write a complete article on this in the future, but for today, let’s cover one of the most common stalls you and I receive all the time on the telephone & sometimes even in e-mails.

This stall goes like this: Prospect says, “I’ll have to talk with my husband about this, and I’ll call you back.”

You and I have heard this hundreds of times, right?

Here’s your response to this stall: “I understand completely.  If you don’t mind me asking, what do you feel he will say when you check with him?”

Then, you SHUT UP!

What this does is it asks her to speak some more – rather than just hanging up. And as long as you keep the conversation going, you have a chance to turn it into a paying client.

Now, she might say, “Oh, I think he will say it’s too much money.”

(That’s always a common response I get.)

So then you say something like this: “You know, I totally understand.  I would probably say the same thing if I were him. Let’s say you call three photographers. The first one says ‘$50′ the second one says ‘$100′ and then I say ‘$300-$500′. I would probably say ‘I don’t know where we’ll go, but I know where we won’t go – we won’t go to that guy who said $300-$500!’  And you know what? That could very well be one of the biggest mistakes ever. Why? Because the fact that we charge a little more is the VERY REASON why you should seriously consider working with me.

“I can tell from talking with you how very important these photographs are to you. You want something special.  Something that touches your heart and makes you cry tears of joy every time you look at the photographs. And that’s what I specialize in creating for you. In fact, I GUARANTEE that you will cry tears of joy the first time you see the images, or I will give you all your money back.  Let’s get together and chat, no charge, and no obligation………”

See how you just turned someone who was going to walk away and never call you back, into someone who just might take the next “baby step” and come in to chat with you?

Very powerful – and remember – this is a win-win. Yes, you win by very possibly getting her as a client – but she wins, too – as she receives the beautiful images that only you can create for her in your special way.

I sincerely hope these three tips have been helpful for you. Now TAKE ACTION on them!

All the best to you,

Charles J. Lewis