The Sales Process
Lesson 67 from: How to Start a Photography BusinessPye Jirsa
The Sales Process
Lesson 67 from: How to Start a Photography BusinessPye Jirsa
Lesson Info
67. The Sales Process
Summary (Generated from Transcript)
In this lesson, the instructor discusses the sales process in starting a photography business and shares personal experiences of selling meat from the back of a truck to illustrate the importance of understanding the customer's needs and presenting the solution effectively. The sales process is outlined as: identifying the customer's problem and need, developing a value proposition, presenting how the solution fits, closing by making the ask, and following up. The instructor emphasizes the importance of building rapport and trust with the customer, as well as the need for effective communication and follow-up in the sales process.
Q&A:
What are the steps in the sales process discussed in the lesson?
The steps in the sales process are: identifying the customer's problem and need, developing a value proposition, presenting how the solution fits, closing by making the ask, and following up.
What is the importance of building rapport and trust in sales?
Building rapport and trust with the customer is important to establish a positive relationship and create a foundation of trust, which can increase the chances of making a successful sale.
What personal experience does the instructor share to illustrate the sales process?
The instructor shares the experience of selling meat from the back of a truck and highlights the importance of effectively presenting the value and benefits of the product, as well as the need for effective communication and understanding the customer's needs.
What is the added step in the sales process mentioned by the instructor?
The added step in the sales process mentioned by the instructor is follow-up, which is emphasized as a necessary piece to maintain communication with the customer and ensure customer satisfaction.
How does the instructor suggest reframing the sales meeting based on the discussed sales process?
By understanding the sales process and following the steps outlined, the instructor suggests that the sales meeting can be approached differently, with a focus on understanding the customer's needs, presenting a value proposition, and effectively closing the sale.
Lessons
Class Introduction
13:12 2Common Myths & Unknown Truths
11:42 3The Road Ahead
13:03 4Find Your Passion
06:06 5The Lin & Jirsa Journey
13:54 6Part-time, Full-time, Employed, Partners?
03:51 7Stop Wasting Time & Money
06:07 8Your 12 Week Roadmap
04:33Great Plans Still Fail
06:01 10Strategy Vs. Planning
04:16 11Mind Mapping
07:25 12Select a Focus
14:16 13Competitor Research
09:34 14S.W.O.T. Analysis
13:54 15Strategy & Long Term Goals
03:50 16Values, Vision & Mission
27:49 17Effectively Managing Your Time
15:05 18Artistic Development
07:30 19Create Your Plan
13:12 20What's Your Product
10:51 21Luxury vs Consumer Products & Experiences
11:44 22Quick Break for Econ 101
16:31 23Your Target Market & Brand Message
21:25 24What's in a Name
09:20 25Your Client 'Why'
05:43 26Crafting the Why Experience
24:17 27Document the Client Experience
08:29 28Business Administration Basics
27:03 29Book Keeping Management
06:51 30Create the Logo & Branding
07:04 31Portfolio Design
15:11 32Design Your Services & Packages
18:51 33Pricing Fears & Myths
08:46 34Three Pricing Methods
25:39 35Package Pricing Psychology & Design
06:15 36Psychology of Numbers
07:29 37Pricing Q&A
23:51 38Grass Roots Marketing
09:36 39The Empty Party
07:03 40Friends & Family Test Shoots
16:28 41Join Groups
04:32 42Second Shooting Etiquette
07:44 43The Listing & Classified Hustle
14:10 44Make Instagram Simple
13:55 45Your Automated Pinterest Plan
08:01 46Facebook Because You Must
07:37 47Giveaway & Styled Shoots
12:17 48Content Marketing & SEO
08:12 49The Monster: SEO
07:26 50Selecting Your Keywords
05:45 51Testing Your Keywords
07:53 52Grouping Main & Niche Goals
12:39 53Your Content Road Map
11:47 54Content Marketing Q&A
10:45 55Inspiration to Keep Working
07:45 56How to Craft Your Content
15:03 57Internal Linking Basics
05:30 58Back Link Building Basics
04:55 59Link Value Factos
14:38 60Measuring Link Value
04:24 61Link Building Strategy & Plan
06:10 62Link Building Plan: Vendors & Guest Writing
06:45 63Link Building Plan: Features, Directories, Comments
03:11 64Link Building: Shortcuts & One Simple Tool
14:44 65What is Sales? Show Me!
12:58 66Your First Massive Failure
05:17 67The Sales Process
07:31 68Your Second Massive Failure
05:23 69Understand Buyer Psychology
10:00 70Step 0: Building Rapport & Trust
15:14 71Step 1: Identify Need or Want
15:39 72Cognitive Dissonance
12:01 73Steps 2 & 3: Value Proposition & The Solution
14:21 74Step 4 : Close, Make the Ask
04:32 75Step 5: Follow Up & Resolve Concerns
06:13 76Family Photography Hot Seat
12:06 77Business Example Hot Seat
15:52 78Boudoir Photography Hot Seat
16:09 79The Best Sales Person
07:45 80Your Mindset, Vibrations & Frequency
06:56 81Always Positive, Always Affirming
11:55 82The Second Money & Dual Process
07:39 83Chumming the Price Waters
03:57 84Creating Want or Scarcity
09:54 85Timeless Advice on Being Likable
11:53 86Selling Over The Phone
10:59 87Forbidden Words in Sales
11:40Lesson Info
The Sales Process
Let's talk about the sales process. This is where I want you guys to mentally take yourselves, okay? The sales process is one, identify the customer's problem and need. Two, develop a value proposition. Three, present how the solution fits. Four, close by making the ask, and, Haldis, bless your heart, but where did we hit any of these? (audience laughing) It's, don't feel bad, like, this is literally every single one of us. You were just bold enough and brave enough to stand up here, which means that you're gonna be the first person that takes all this to heart so, kudos. The sales process, this is 100 years unchanged. This goes back to John Henry Patterson. He's considered the pioneer, the father of sales. I have a story to tell you guys. So, this is back in the 1890s when this sales training that he developed came out. That's what this is from. And all of us learn sales incorrectly. Like this has been out forever, yet all of us don't understand it. That's funny. "Don't sell the steak...
. Sell the sizzle." Elmer Wheeler, love you. I'm gonna tell you about actually selling the steak. 'Cause I did it when I was 22 years old. I drove a truck with a refrigerator in the back around rural areas of Utah. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Isn't Utah all?" Yeah, all of Utah is pretty rural compared to Seattle, Los Angeles, whatever. But Salt Lake is a decently sized city. Now, I would drive around the outskirts of Salt Lake with my refrigerator, take it to places like Tooele, and Farmington. And I would take my truck, and I would go and sell meat. I kid you not, I did this for almost a year in college. Now, you're laughing. I would go up, and I would knock on a door to people who had no clue who I was. I would go and knock on a door, "Hey, hi." I didn't use my southern accent then. I just, normal, normal Utah accent. We do have accents. "Hey, my name is Pye. "I got some meat." (audience laughing) That's my favorite line, "I got meat." You can't say that without a southern accent. "I got some meat." You have to put a southern accent on that. I don't know why. My southern friends, I love you all. My mom's from Oklahoma. I love you, and that's where I get my accent from. So, I would introduce myself, and I'd say, "Look, I'm just driving by. "I know this is kind of odd, but I have "some really great meat in the back of my truck. "I'd love to come and show you. "Let me go grab it." And I'd just go start walking back to the truck (laughing). Now, you guys are laughing right now. I get it, it's funny. It's funny up until I tell you that I put myself and my family through college with no debt because I made $1200 a day selling meat from the back of a truck. This is not revenue. This is how much I took home. Meat from the back of a truck. And now all of you are like, "Hmm, okay." (audience laughing) Where's that meat truck? (audience laughing) Where's that meat truck? Haldis wants to sell some meat. Who else wants to sell some meat? (audience laughing) So, that's the thing about it is, like, this is the beauty of sales. It can really be anything. Now, I'll tell you this, it's depressing selling meat out of the back of a truck. There's no joy in that. There's no nothing. There's simply a paycheck at the end of the day. And I would work, I worked one day a week, making 50, $60,000 a year. And that's how I went through college without any debt. So, it worked for me, it was fine. But I learned a whole heck of a lot doing that. And this line was like the meat seller's motto. (audience chuckling) "You don't sell the steak, you sell the sizzle." And I mean literally, do you know how many times I would grab a steak out and be like, "Hey, you got a grill? "Let's fire this up." I would actually take the steak out and grill it for them. I literally sold the sizzle. And they would taste it, and they'd be like, "Yeah, that's really good steak." You're damn right it is, Julie. You can get a box for just $300. The boxes were large and expensive, and we would move a lot of them at a time. And there was money in it. Now, here's the thing. Any of you, who talked the most up here in our little quick role play? You did, we do, right? We, the sales people, talk the most. So, my question is, "How do you hear the sizzle "of the steak when you keep talking over it?" Okay, we're gonna go back to the sales process. I'm gonna add two simple points. We're gonna put two minor tweaks into this. Step zero, because this shouldn't have to be said, so it's step zero. It's to build a rapport to create trust. Now, I have done the door-to-door sales thing two times in my life for a total of almost four years. One time it was selling religion. I was a missionary for two years. One time it was selling steaks. One time, knives. I've sold a lot of things door-to-door. And step zero is always number one. By the way, you know what the toughest sale of anything is? Religion, that is by far harder to sell than anything else in this entire world. But, man, I learned a lot about people and relationships and understanding and love. And no matter what happened, no matter what is said on the other side of that table or on the other side of that door, you show love. That's the only proper response to any result. Whether it's a client saying, "no," whether it's a door shut in your face, whether it's someone asking if they can get a better deal, the proper response is love. Number one, build that rapport, build trust. So, that's zero. Number one is then identify what the hell it is you're selling. Like, what is their need, and what do I want? And that's where I want Erin, you, to ask, "Tell me something about yourself. "Or tell me something about what you're looking for." Figure out, like, pull them out of that. You are there to serve them. And guess what? They're meeting with you because you have a service that they freakin' want. It's not about you. At that point, we're gonna develop a value proposition. We're gonna present the solution. Then, we're gonna close by making the ask. And this is the other one I'm gonna add in there, which is follow up because so often that's forgotten. And follow up is a necessary piece. Already, can you think of how you might do that meeting differently right now? Yeah. Yeah, we haven't even learned the psychology of anything. We haven't learned anything else. We just simply learned a process, and now we can go, "Okay, I can "already reframe that to go very differently."
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Armstrong Su
This class and materials are to the point and eye-opening on the business side of photography. Pye Jirsa is an amazing and fun teacher as well! Most photographers need more business classes offered to bring us who love to create art back to reality for a more successful business that makes a living on it's own. This course will definately get you started in the right direction and so cheap too! Great investment! armstrong outdoor tv case outdoortvcase Pye Jirsa is one of the best instructors that I have the pleasure to learn from. He and his team have given me so much more than they'll ever realize. Knowledge, wisdom, training, friendship, mentoring, inspiration, joy... I cannot thank Pye enough for changing my life for the better. I owe them more than they'll ever realize. Thank you, Pye Jirsa!!!
Angela Sanchez
This class has been an eye opener for me; a point of change in my vision as photographer. Pye is and AMAZING, INSPIRING, GENEROUS instructor, with an, authentic desire to help people and to share with them the best of his knowledge. I will not have enough words to say thanks to Pye Jirsa, as a teacher and as a human being, and thanks to Creative Live who allows us to benefit from the experience of such a knowledgeable, educated, well-versed photographer and instructor. 1000% recommended!
Yenith LianTy
Been following this guy forever. Pye Jirsa may be well known in the wedding & portrait photography world and if there is something that this guy knows it is how to create a business, a sustainable one. The workbook he provided is comprehensive, and I honestly wish I had this when I first started out as a photographer! I love that he talks about his failures, keeping it real and honest for anyone starting out. He is definitely one of the best instructors around, super humble, down to earth and with a sense of humor to boot. The course is worth it! THE WORKBOOK is AMAZING! SUPER DETAILED!