Reevaluate, Restructure and Reap the Benefits with Jessica Robertson
After 19 years of being a professional photographer, in January I stepped back and asked my team three questions. Are we serving our clients to the best of our ability? Are we maximizing sales? Do we have products that match our imagery? After some honest evaluation, the answers were no, not completely. We could serve our clients better. We were not fully maximizing our sales. And the products we offer could expand Benefits without complicating the process.
Here are 10 ways that we solidified and reevaluated our process, pricing and products.
Connect: Make a Friend and Be Grateful
Every single connection is critical to the success of our business. When the phone rings or an email comes in, we want that client to feel as if they are our only client and the most important person. We want to hear about their child or their family and show a genuine interest in being their portrait photographer for life. It is critical that we start the flow of excitement from the very first connection we make with them. While we do have a process in place for things that should be covered in the initial interaction, we want an organic and authentic conversation to take place. We want to become people that they know, like and trust.
We also improved our client experience by expressing our gratitude. We thank them for thinking of us for their portrait needs throughout the process. We express gratitude for referrals and for being a returning client. The client Benefits from the fact that we do not take them for granted and we are thankful they have chosen us for their portrait needs.
Consultation: Listen and Generate Value
“Hi, so nice to meet you. Thank you so much for coming in today to chat about your portraits. Please tell me about your vision for your portrait session. What ideas do you have?” This is literally how I start my consultations. Yes, I do have an information sheet that they complete so I have a place to jump back to if they give me a blank stare. The creation of portraits as a collaborative effort. I try to create images that are an authentic visual representation of who that person is. Sometimes it is subtle and comes down to an expression that takes a mother back to when her daughter was little. And other times, it is more overt in terms of documenting an athletic interest or hobby. The location might be significant or hold a special memory. My goal is to “see” the individual or family so that the imagery I create is a true reflection. So the result of part one of the consultation is to listen and start creating a visual plan for the session. I want them excited!
