Lessons

Lesson Info

9:30 am - Studio and Sales

Way modernized the studio again we we brought way walked around the stores we see what the fashion what the colors originally we were we went into the blue tones the tiffany colors then we went into the browns then we will now we're goingto lighter colors you need toe always freshen up your studio every time they working it should have differences I went to sydney and carla garfield had a beautiful calligraphy from channel had a beautiful display of his images and the it was with a photograph of friend of mine from sydney we walked around and said wow it's so simple but it's so beautiful what they had done wass print huge images square format everything was square format with white border but it was printed on campus printed on campus but not mounted not mounted on a board or anything like that stretch canvas on the world everything was the same size created all those squares off three layers and then you get a big square somewhere it was so so well coming it wass so enjoyable it was a...

rt you're watching on the world. So so I've done all the prints and sometimes I have to get ideas from other people's and I've created though the world pain so when I go back I'm going to create that looks always it's good to change look off your your presentation the look off your images updated the books you have because like I said two years today we have twenty thirty sample albums he nice to you maybe it's exaggerated but we have a variety know like you see at the back there we have so many displayed all those we display them beautifully we make sure that they're clean nice because people come in what we need toe publish them clean so it looks always profit you goto beautiful designer store any fashion store you go and see and see their clothing it's perfectly put on top of each other it's not missing and when you go and pull out something and make it messy can see this husband coming quickly and fixing need again that's all he does all day that's his job to fix those clothings and when when he's talking to you he's already fixing all he prefers sometimes they prefer to pull it out themselves so they don't mess it up so then studio needs toby liked it it's it's very important that harvick this studio is or how tight if you have a small studio don't make it overloaded with a lot of stuff if you have large studio just traded nicely so create the environment beautifully the other thing we did way had all windows we have ten windows in the studio ten, ten windows and it was all open open open space but there was no privacy if we had clients few clients in the store and people watching from us that there was no privacy so one section off the studio we darken it close the window so we created a display for outside but inside was a closed room it's a it's a little space we put beautiful lunch beautiful music beautiful screen there we created a second area for for viewing so now we have three areas for viewing the two areas are open space more for new clients so they came were karan and see what's happening and the turd area is for finishing off works you know if the customers coming to view their album if they're picking up there are so many things like that what what that makes the difference is that when people see you so busy they don't they put them deposit you see they're saying three customers there we are busy do entertaining them and giving them drinks anything so they they see the business or they're good studio so so they there's the booking rate has improved I did we have also brought more drinks and more sweets, lollies and things like that unnie unnie I don't know where she finds it she finds hard she's a hard person she collected art so she finds heart shaped lollies silver heart shape lollies golden ship lollies, golden hearted chocolates the paces full off lollies but all heart shaped with we we we we give them drinks like coffees and things but coffees will make sure that it's not the typical paper paper cups coffee we make a nice espresso with the machine espresso machine we make sure that it's like a bar like espresso bar it's all served in silver trays and everything so it's it's a place that people sit down and relax wow you are so beautiful you're expensive it's out of my budget we loved it because sometimes this girl's would can't broke us also come coming back with their friends say I wish I booked you because I have another photograph her it was good but it's not you then sometimes also we get goes that are not come to bury in our studio because it's out ofthe there it's not them it's good also that because then she will not waste our time or waste her time she would say okay I'm sorry I don't like to start I want to hear it I want to hear also the negative because then we will manipulate more to see if we want that girl or it was a good result we didn't want her so many times also you get girls who get excited they want everything they commit themselves to the package and then after the wedding they can't afford it I don't want that also oh so so the way we've put the studio together it eliminates this problem but when we get a phone call we make sure that any girl because how can you decide what her budget how do you know she doesn't like your pictures even if you try from different suburbs different areas it's not gonna work? It could be a very eccentric bright who likes my job but she lives in the basic stop so you can charge on the phone so so and he's good at this and she's trained all stuff when they pick up the phone, they they make sure that they come into the studio they make always come into the studio. That's what so so important about the business? Yeah, yeah, just a question about that that khun b definitely and I'm still newer in the business but to get people teo, I definitely took my prices off my website. I just did a starting at, but do you have any advice or tactics that you used on the phone that really gets them excited about coming into your studio and maybe because you are a known name? Maybe any advice for those who are quite known yet? Yeah it's a good question because it's a it's a difficult one I haven't worked out myself also because I'm not involved with it it's that's on his department she does presentations about it but I can give you a bit off idea as far as what I know is that the way the girls talk on the phone and they first thing they do is divert them away from pricing and everything because the first thing that how much how much look I can I can't do it whatever price but do you know my work? Do you know what I'm going to make? Can we meet somewhere if you don't have the studio you knew off course you've not whenever studio can we meet? Where were you from or this area there's a beautiful hotel there can I meet you? Get the hotel can I show you my job? You don't have to book me I'm going to buy your drink come over to meet the people because your personality is the most important part you see my personality if I see the clients I have a very high rate of booking the clients but I my patients is not there anymore looking at the diggers talking about them because I'm too busy my my energy goes to the wedding day so I much rather give the energy on the wedding day, then lose my energy during the week and my house in my studio is half an hour drive without traffic with traffic it could be a one in a half hour drive so I'm not going to do that every day and stress for it so so the girls this is the most important part when we hard denny she she she knows photography but this jesus sells person her job is to book weddings her jobs is to bring the clients in that's what we missed the most important part we miss in our industry will create photograph furs we do everything perfect but we don't have anyone to sell us that's what we are missing that's what we realize also when we had the other girl who was a long time with me she was a great photograph her but she's not a good sales person and when you're not to say if if I see the clients you come to me and say you're going to get married I say great I'm going todo I'll do this all day you're going to ask me how I know how much I don't worry about it I'll give you a big discount I'm going to give you everything because I don't want to photograph your waiting but what's going to happen I'm going to shoot wedding and I'm not going to make money so so what I've done I'm an artist I don't want to be involved with money I don't want to talk about money I hate talking about money I hate taking money from you it's not my business so give the dirty job to someone else and that's what we've done in annie's a businesswoman so she's she's quite calm feels she doesn't she's not scared to samar package is ten thousand dollars she's she doesn't give anyone discount if you're late with your order he charges you thirty percent she put all this rules ofcourse she she can be flexible after but first should she does the if you go toe bmw let's say you're buying a car until I like the car but I want I want the electric window I want the gps I want everything for the same price and the salesman said no problem I'll hear you take it I'll give it to us on a car for infield touch it won't happen everything has a cost and they don't change it look goto apple store there's no discount every accessory x is extra you don't even talk about the price because they this's our price you want my product it's beautiful you walking you love it you bite no one pushes you but they sell on the emotional on the on the presence on the view and everything and that's how my studio is operating it was very hard to get the right person to help any because the personality off the person makes the sales or not makes the cell we had few people before before danny they were great but they couldn't sell the product now with denny she is like annie she and she's young so she followed on his instructions quite a lot and she's she's excited that she's doing good cells you know from the starches making sells its better to do the cell before the wedding then after the wedding because after the wedding they don't have no money they don't have no money because if you're left after the wedding to do at the upsell forget it you're going you're not going to double your not going to keep and and that creates also problems they want everything but then they forgot that everything is extra and when they come and they say I want two hundred pictures in an album and you give them a figure they're going to be very upset did you? They forgot that you told them that it's all extra because all the fun before the wedding it's all fun also in most cases parents help before the wedding so if the parents and the bride and groom sit down and make their budget this letter parents have twenty thousand dollars to spend they might have a ten thousand tweet tweet a couple or saying okay we have got thirty thousand dollars for our budget reception flowers, cars, church abu video and maybe other things so this goes in the budget so if you have a high figure in that bracket you will you are going to be included in the budget let's say let an example you go to your photograph for in your photograph for says my prices one thousand dollars okay you're saying you got to do your parents and say my photograph is going to be one thousand dollars my reception is ten thousand dollars so that one thousand dollars is going into the butt it but me is a photograph for I want to sell you three thousand dollars after the wedding but that's after the wedding but if you tell them that it's two thousand dollars if you want this package if you book it now we'll give you a couple of extra pages never discount give them a couple of extra pages the budget now your photograph it will become three thousand dollars so already what the photograph for wants to learn is included in the initial budget so that way you know that what you want to learn from this wedding is included then if you want to add more to the right more to the packet it's it's easy to go four thousand dollars but to reach four thousand dollars from the first one thousand dollars is going to be very hard so make sure that you total you want to learn from a wedding is solved before the waiting so if I want to make ten thousand dollars on a wedding I much rather sign a contract with them before the wedding then reached it after the wedding this way everything is included and they will forget also they spent ten thousand dollars there would come and spend more because they have another two thousand dollars on the side so they can easily outsell up selling in my studio is not pushing they have a package okay because this's what package you have this includes so many pictures here's your proof you've got eight hundred proofs select your favorite come back each spread is extra it spread these extra so if you come with fifty pages you know that it's going to cost you so much extra so also either you eliminate or yuet and when they come and sit on for the decision I don't see time and again with them this is very important because I cannot upsell I cannot sell always stick with the package and if my if my studio needs to earn more than the two thousand dollars and I just earn two thousand dollars I'm not going to make any money off of work for nothing no I've worked for the stuff for the rent and everything else so it's very important it I have a good salesperson so the best investment in my studio we replaced a photograph er with a self person I much rather shoot less weddings and sell more more product and it's working fantastic the bringing the salesperson bringing a stronger cells person into the business did improve our business weii we are learning more is here money coming in and working less so itwas fantastic product it's always good to have a variety of new products it's always good to have new stuff even if you're not going to sell it people seeing a virus variety of products in your studio they know that if they come back they might buy they pick portrait on a on a metal or they're going to buy that big portrait on the canvas or they're gonna have their father so you need to have a lot of extras sellable products or they know that it's not only an album there's more to buy let's face it guys we need to sell toe earn money if you should wear ten waiting any of charging two thousand dollars a year you're just living you're not thinking off your future if you're shooting twenty winning and you re shooting you're charging two thousand dollars you're not doing anything you're living today what about tomorrow when you get older what's going what's the future going to be you know when you have kids are you going to be able to send them to college when you when you have how harry hard times like recessions anything are you going to survive without working? So you need also to play in the future that future should be added also to your income you have great business now make sure that you plan for the future or some earn enough money so you can leave if there's a bad time you know suddenly everything stops how you're going to live so you need to plan for the future so that income should be ended you go have a big tripod at the reception a couple of hanging there and suddenly little kids running drop the tripod is tungsten light it falls fires everywhere the bright areas on fire the cake is christ do you have insurance? I have you protected yourself or you're going to lose your house you know do you have insurance at work for the stuff? Ah do you have insurance for yourself for ah what happens? You see that's my priority what happens? I break my leg and I did five years ago I wass I missed eight weddings I was in hospital. Is that going to cover me is they're going to cover me today to get the best photograph to cover the wedding many years ago in a one off the forum's there was this guy photograph for it's not too far away two years ago a photograph for said can you help me? Everyone said, how can we help you? Oh, I booked this wedding in hawaii and it was a good destination wedding I take the prices it was one hundred dollar on special with the airlines I purchased the ticket for me and my wife it I thought it was going to be great holiday so it it covered us four hundred dollars for for our expensive there I took all the money I paid the ticket the airline collapsed they don't have any more flights now I can't afford to buy a new ticket can you help me to buy tickets I beg your pardon you should have thought about those things earlier you know this is not a holiday this is you're asking her way and for for the governors to help you when you're taking business away from them for cheap price you know it's not about the holiday it's not about you have to think big picture you have to see what's going to happen in the future anything can happen these days we can't predict entity anything can happen so don't say okay I'm happy to do this it gives me five one thousand dollars a day a week our case should hundred weddings and yeah but plain is dead a thousand dollars gonna last forever I've been in business thirty years and I'll see so many great photographs come and disappear so many come and disappear it awards it's typical you see all these award winning photograph us they becue and they make better pictures and then suddenly where our disguise anymore is it one ofthe hit like the music and you see one music angus tom and whatever it is and they decide is he so it's so who is the people like jack michael jackson's anything continually have brought beautiful music continually have been reliable continually people by their song that's where you need to be you need toby I have a business that's going to run you for a long time girls, any questions on internet? Is there anyone there? There are people there they do have questions a a lot of curiosity around the subject fashion tv from singapore ass your bonnet if a bride to be it does not know when I know you went to your purchase you do sell your shooting style that your von look or do you always sell yourself as an award winning photographer? Very good question award winning doesn't mean anything anyone can work with win awards this day's way sell ourselves is the is the style of photography the year one style because don't forget the air vent is not one person only it's a group of people it's vito is also yerevan vito is also should for your van so we sell the style off work we sail the style that were present in the studio if we change the style, everything changes and you need to change also so it's very important we sell the style off the work vlad asked why do people who are not from melbourne and can't come to your studio to book the wedding choose you when you were first starting out, how did you expand the geographic scope of your clientele if they couldn't experience her studio? Okay, that's it that's a good question. Okay, our best. We based our studio. I live outside melbourne, nearly outside melbourne and if I build my studio ally said this yesterday. Also, if I may be in my studio in the area I live, I'm going to attract only clients in my standard it's. Always good to go outside your area next day, job or even higher where the clientele are best better, where the client I can afford more than one you can afford, they should be always better with them what you are. So we always operated our business in the closest suburbs off melbourne, so in center so everyone can access that area from all the summer. So it's, quite a center area now even the new studio which we brought the building is right in melbourne, the new suburb of melbourne, so its very center. So anyone can go on the freeway and straight to my studio from any area off off melbourne. So that way we get clients because also the fashion designers and everyone are close to close by, they can visit one and then they can come to my studio so so the debt makes the heart makes a great center look microsoft iria here in seattle they're based in the centre and restaurants and everything around them so that's a hub if you want to see microsoft year toe countered that have been having few photograph is in your area having few broads basa dressmakers in your area will bring more business to the area also so there's few hops like that in melbourne for bridal services, which is a great thing so talkto people may be created a special help, you know, maybe rent a big warehouse share with other people, other photographs, other stylists, other hair may head three hairdressers create a hub where people can come and evening and they can see everyone everything. So then it's a one once one sport shop so this has been going in melbourne for many years most off the photograph er's too distant off center center helps no don't you shoot clients and other countries as well? So how do you do, teo? Ok that it comes more thanks to the internet and the popularity you are that brings you more into the international market. The international market is a good, good thing, but I don't like it very much because traveling to another state traveling toe another state if it's one hour flight it's ok, but if you go overseas let's say you go to europe it takes you to fly there a couple of this until you relax a couple off these big concerts for days, then few days toby there to shoot the wedding that's a whole week to shoot the wedding if you're not going to make good money out of it there's no point in doing that because don't forget you have to charge them for the airfares so your prices are going up so so people might start budgeting so the whole cost is is better structures so they don't they might not spend as much money whereas if I stay in melbourne they should two weddings I'll make much more than they're traveling traveling business so I much rather should awaiting in melbourne and go where I want to go with my own money then I should travel overseas and plus if you have a family it's a difficulty so I am less and less and less shooting overseas weddings unless it's watered I don't want to shoot it anymore if I goto one toe if I want to go to italy I'll buy my own ticket and fly to italy when I want not when a client wants me there seven days away from my studio from my business is not only we can it's as full seven days so you should charge them each day you were away from there so it doesn't it's not really but if you're a young photograph for it's it's, new and you want to experience that? Why not have done that? Everyone should do the party five serious business, then then try to get your lockers instead ofthe outside your local area. Dave bassi had at that says, I'm a college student and new in the wedding photography. How do you find the right sales person? Okay, that's, that's the hardest part, actually the right sales person. I feel that anyone outside your industry will be the better self. Get a shoe sales person, get a claude says person because they're not going to sell you on the technical side. They're going to sell you because they like you what were job they're going to be, you see and he sells me. She doesn't have a clue about photography. My wife thirty years my wife, she doesn't know what I do he doesn't know how to hold a tablet pain she doesn't know for social she's learning a little bit but it's not her interest on it can sell anything you give her but he loves my product if she loved my product it's so easy to sell so the girls where we get off so they need you know we get interviews and oh, I'm interested in the job you've advertised okay, you know anything about here run no, no, but I'll check the internet tomorrow see what it is all of us sorry you're not you can't come you know you need to have an interest in the in the business first so you can sell it he being a car salesman to sell my pictures it's not goingto work you know, so you need to find the right person and I think female is better for selling wedding pictures in the mail because mia is a male much as you're gonna wear on what friend is it? I don't have a clue you know what? What flowers is it condom it because when a bright comes to your studio this is honest thinking when the bride walks in your studio he is going to look for herself she thinks about her she doesn't give a shit about us people people say sorry, huh? If she if she comes to you suit studio she doesn't care about your pictures off another bright she doesn't care about anything she's there to imagine her wedding she's thinking is this crown going to suit me? Is this trace concert b is this album going to suit me and my kind of she opens the page and says, oh, am I going to fit in that pager page there so she needs to imagine herself in there so the sales person should not sell the album. The sales person should talk about her make this princess happier what dress you're going to wear, which it you're going to go, which which reception you're going to have a talk about her being trusted me as a man? I cannot question, but I have no interest in the subject, but get a girl to talk about this she's going to be so much interested in the subject so much excitement in the subject so it's going toe create a lot more don't talk about your books, talk about her her her day, talk about her date. The guy is going to be dead bored give him a playstation on the side s so so we prefer mothers and daughters to come to our studio because mother and daughter did. They are on the same wavelength, so mother and daughter are our best customers, husband and have toward that football game. Come on, darling, can we go? Don't bring the men and bring the gunning being her mothering so you can sell it it's very important. When you go to a bar, a beautiful restaurant, try to get her by herself or with the mother, don't ask him to come. He will come after to pay the deposit is going to prove it. No problem he's going to sell, darling, I like it a book it and that's it. But first consultation always tried to have the girl by herself. If he's interested off course being benjamin, but let's not push him to come in, because if he's pushed to come to see you it's going to be hard, another think many years ago. So I found out that if I used I used to go to their houses there property, I found out that it was very zito book in their house. If you do good presentation, if you don't have a location or something offered them, we can come to us. I don't know how safe you feel about it have someone with you outside because you don't know who you're facing. When you go to someone's house, especially if your lady make sure that you have someone in the car waiting for your call with someone inside, but it's a good way once you're in their territory. It's, it's, it's easier to book because you're you you know where they are, what they are environment is you can directly talk about their their their living so it's a good way off cooking waiting's and when you go to them they might be busy and or this girl came to us so it's late because she was quite pleasant we like her, they have to like also your personality, so when you have a sales person they shouldn't be pushy salesperson they should be like I say talking about you let's talk about you oh you're going to be such a beautiful bright it's not me selling here the book is the best in not the top off the cells and not a pushy salesman a pleasant person consultant type over person excellent one more quick question and I don't know if he'll be getting into pricing no, no, I'm trying to avoid the pricing or date on his business not into the oh okay, well, maybe you can answer this general on general one if not that's fine summer asked many people recommend having a starting price on your web site? Do you think that that is a good idea? Don't advertise price on your website you become a database don't advertise show off your pictures, show off your images tell them that I can be anywhere you want, I can drive all the otherside oftown tell them that I am available I'm a I am pleasant sell your personality don't sell your price don't please don't pace yourself on price if you base itself on prices, you're not going to go anywhere because you're a database because there'll be two thousand people like you raised on price and then they're going to decide all he's got a beautiful web site, I'm going to book him, but that web site is filled by someone else. You can spend a lot of money, create beautiful webs even I've had few people using my pictures copy off my website, changed their name and call it this is so and so photography in union say, in canada and australia, many places and people ring means they have been given permission to discuss you know, what are you trying to do? You using my picture and sell yourself? Do you think it's gonna wash in is the highest form of flattery? It is, I really don't care. I don't sue people about these things. I really don't care. All you're doing is lying to customers that you know you can if you should like me, then you push it. I saw your pictures, you know don't tell my pictures if you don't have a port for your higher, more doesn't create a portfolio, but be proud of what you do, even even if it's the worst type of photography, be proud of what you are you sell yourself yes, darling, what is the process? Look like when you bring them in studio when the first interested in booking with you at the walk around and look at the albums first and send them down talk or what? What does that process look like? The process looks like they come to the studio, the studio is allowed a beautiful set up there working we will greet them and said please come and sit down the first thing we asked them is is this is the question you want to know? The first thing we ask them something to drink we have beautiful coffee, we have champagne, we have these would you like? Yeah, we'll get a coffee and whatever there sit down and ourselves process it's next to them is really close to them in or around the table and talk to each other, but the day what they're planning don't show any albums what they're planning, what what style they're looking for get a bit of ideas about them, talk about them, talk about what she wants, talk about her dream and then also okay, great, let me start with this album. I think this's a suitable one for you, for you have a look and look, this is what we've done explains start extreme is this the type of shoes you were looking? Is this the type of is this the church you're looking give them interests that you are interested, you trying to match them, be a consultant instead ofthe sales person and at the same time you're showing your pictures, he's, indirectly seeing the picture and she's hiring you first because off your service, because she's starting to connect with you and the pictures are there toe to sell by itself. If I was going to sell my work, if I was going to sell my work just paste based on pictures, it wouldn't have happened or it could have happened. They come in and pay, but you need to someone to guide them today you know, they they love your picture that's why they're in the studio now, do they love me? Are they going to like my studio? Are their personality con image that's where the south's person needs to move them today so the personalities off the salespeople because who work and everything is similar? We're on the same wavelength we hire people did feels touch like us, you know, it's in a in the same way, so they're the suitable person. I wil I want higher person who has a tattoo is nothing wrong with those things, but it's, not our personality if I'm going to do the harley davidson stuff photography, I'm not going to hire on office with lady toe to sell your debt, I will hire a bike it to sell you the product, you know? So we will hire suitable people that matches the studio, matches the environment. It's very important.