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Wedding Sales Part 1

But, it's, good to see this formula one more time. Okay, so is the starting price direct competition in your region? Okay, this is the goal again. Let's call a loss leader. This has gotta happy prophet. This is thrilled. You're thrilled to have sold our fallen in this region of sea. They're good better, best, but this is big time, ecstatic profit. And this is my goal. And I set the rules for if to get two of those in here, I just want to those just to and for me that became fifteen thousand dollars. If I just get to in a year, I'm just so thrilled. And then, oh, my gosh, I started an experiential style and I started doing things that required larger books and kind of market myself. You saw my promo video on destination weddings and wow, people would be creator budgets. People call me from from, uh, you know, they're having weddings in hawaii or having weddings in miami or in other places in the world, you know, in california, uh, east coast weddings. Wow. These people have. A different...

level of wealth that I just don't understand and they're paying me fifteen thousand dollars for my one, and they're signing up because this, by the way, is a destination wedding it cost that much we kind of required to be that way because for us, tio tio, take three days, four days out of our studio, we say we need you, teo kind of country we do custom proposal in the d level, and they also people asked another, asking, what do you charge them for the travels, etcetera? They must pay for three days of our time unless they'd like us to shoot beyond that. We'd love for them to pay for four, five days or time we'll shoot everything complimentary that's because because part of the negotiating process okay, and for those of you who have fixed pricing, you need to have at least for destination wedding ah, the premium of thirty percent to be able to afford to be out here studio, but remember, you should probably charge more, but remember, you should always set the goal of making that wedding the portfolio that attracts the next opportunity. So, hey, look, I'm going to show a beautiful hawaii wedding now, let's make it a portfolio I'm in except thirty percent more for I'm gone for three, four days I will accept a little bit of lost time in my studio in orderto use that art that I'll produce from that wedding to promote mohr of the same it's the inertia thing it is the inertia thing it's really, really fun okay, when can I raise my pricing incrementally as your top wedding weekends book up so annually ten percent on product only don't raise your price on your tears just your product within your tears okay? You'll have an opportunity you'll know when to raise your your product your entire tier system goes up ten percent after you book I'm going to say three wows even two is ok then you could go up ten percent that's how you know now there will be a lot of people like with our chat room person earlier that are just going to get people people pushing overpriced be able to say no be able to say no so you could find people that value so no, you're pricing structure and this is going to be a funny moment right now then throw it away I need you to consider the custom proposal process okay, I know this is just such a powerful tool it's been working for us for years now and we just absolutely love it, so if you have a price shooting bottom line is the client is picking the package based on price right we don't want them to use the tier system I'll take tear number two you want to muddy it all up now these just basically just were work around we're gonna work with you because we want to shoot your wedding after you meet with him you're able to say oh my gosh I loved meeting you I totally drive with you I do anything to photograph you wouldn't let me give you additional time is my gift to you experience a wedding and let me throw on a couple additional spreads beyond that just all put a customer postal let me know how you feel about it and then we'll tweak it so they come back and that's a little bit out of our range what they oriented to your time in their size of your art so my graph e studio double page spreads cost me less than twelve dollars per spread yet I sell them for two hundred and fifty dollars okay the young book even last price oh my goodness it's so affordable okay constantly think about the margins in that the margins are unbelievers like I don't know what what is that two thousand percent that's where your future is that's where your retirement is that is where you're building a team portion of your business comes from all from this art okay custom proposals will give you that control so let's show you one this is um september six, two thousand fourteen I know it's real small um it's a destination wedding so for us it had to start at d the wow package, but we came in at a custom proposal program available for fifteen thousand five hundred deposit to confirm date six thousand dollars, which was reading that out loud just in case looks online can't read it sure wedding celebration of ex complete wedding celebration coverage includes two professional guitar first jim gardner and first assistant thirty double page spreads custom designed wedding art book designed by jim garner proof book with over a thousand images a swell as a dvd of raw color corrected images plus web hosting complete collection of wedding images for family and friends notices it's thirty spreads and we say a thousand images gosh, we give him fifteen hundred two thousand no problem it all fits in a proof book that I've been showing a little bit that is one of the best sales tools ever, so the custom proposal programs available fifteen five deposit we need six thousand so it's down below here in addition, the client responsible for round trip airfare from cia and three nights at the intercontinental hotel for the photographer an assistant a local boston guitar for me being listed if so one room would be required if so one room okay complementary service for x we're going to throw in two eight eight eight by twelve inch parent art books identical copies of the main art book that's what? We threw it after negotiation and optional covers rehearsal dinner for seventeen, one hundred fifty dollars will do that too no problem going to be there will probably end up giving it away okay? Because we want to make a bigger book for them and that's what we're here for this is what I love of course I want to give that time away I want to make a beautiful book I love it. Let me show you one more custom proposal this is st regis hotel kawai hawaii october first, two thousand eleven okay, complete wedding celebration coverage include two professional photographers jim garner, first assistant thirty double page spreads a lot of the same custom program available for twelve thousand five hundred for this particular wedding deposit to confirm date was five thousand edition client responds with a round trip airfare from seattle three nights at that hotel so I want you to notice at the bottom here there are subtractions okay, rehearse until the coverage twelve hundred dollar value complimentary it's kind of parentheses around it, which means we're subtracting from the total photo session before or after wedding day multiple locations. Fifteen hundred dollars okay two eight by twelve parent out books eighteen hundred dollars value subtracted from the total psychology behind that's really big do you guys remember what that wedding may have turned into? I don't know I don't talk about that that was upwards of the the goal that I said in the last thing that I said within three to five years I want weddings at this level you don't do it just by raising your prices guys you can't raise your price into any with competition this fears you service your client into that place providing better services and taking care of them and you'll be rewarded tenfold rule that we talked about earlier now you didn't mention briefly that this was after negotiation with them so was this something where you you sat down you talk to each other and said this is my bass is my starting what do you really want out of the way you talk about your wedding? Yeah and this wasn't a personal conversation they they're from out of town chicago and we had this conversation back and forth tell me about your day tell me what you're doing okay and let me put together a custom proposal for you and this is the result so real simple but these guys ended up getting full size parent albums remember what that cost each twenty five hundred per book but it was ended up to be a double volume book with all the additional time we gave complimentary so into being five thousand for each parent on top of this proposal so forgive me for talking money I'm certainly not trying to be boastful at all in fact I'm embarrassed about talking about price but I really wanted to see how it's done and make this something that works for you in your region using the formula have laid out okay it's gonna be different no matter where you're from but also this is the way you do it it's not your photograph people outside your region so outside of where you're from as well, you can capture that upside potential whereas before I was doing what I was capping my earning potential, those wealthy clients were where, you know, upscale clients were hiring us and I was shooting like crazy putting in a box and say, hey, let us know if you want us to create an album for you after the fact they could just created themselves did you also notice that in that proposal it's it includes a cd of images out of camera raw images right out of camera for archival use another question about that from sarah robbie in india is there a separate checklist for other services is then there another more elaborate template for that that's a fantastic question yes other services that we provide we make it very clear but we make it very simple, very simple and let me take you there so this is what we send or receive on top is your customer poser is a business card here's a mini book from gravity studio and there's now minion books two can't wait to show you tomorrow the's are a similar story will always by the many books from aa the wedding's that we do so that we can send that in the proposal program here okay a similar way so they could look at it as ha look at this single story it's totally orient in their minds to the story totally like his little puta book. I love this I want one too. Oh, can I get these when they call us? We say let me ask you throw those and of course we'll do that for you how many would you like throw it in? Okay, so okay and then this is our marketing book that you saw the guzman's marketing but it was not awesome. We'll show you ours the one we were using back when I shot this picture uh now um here's our cover noticed motion and movement story shooting this called motion posing by the way we're going to go over these techniques tomorrow can't wait to share with you how easy it is to shoot story um jay garner wants to tell your story it's an old one but a goodie oldie but a goodie booked a lot of weddings with this uh it says kind of the the fluffy stuff top ten wedding for tigers in the world which by the way, could not possibly be true I'm humbled by that, but that was an article in american photo magazine but hey, throw it up one of mary claire is picks for top five in the world we got that, too for mary claire, china bowl places were voted best in seattle about seattle bride that year andi this is about what we do like here we are jim katarina garner start photographing in nineteen ninety nine in your love for wedding photography and blob of all um jim jim gardner's photography for times artistic approach fuses editorial, fashion sense with taste for distinctive colors and textures, relax, soothing approach and a strong passion for capturing real life moments. The garden believes yeah, we don't have to go through all of this, but it's got some awards at the bottom etcetera, but the point is it looks like an album I really like. How the guzman's uh promo book is one wedding and that's how I'd probably do it now I do one wedding so this page is titled about storytelling photography were really shifting their minds from individual inner images into the storytelling philosophy so waiting for harvey does it doesn't have to be endless series of lineups and poses would it be wonderful to relax simply love I simply have a good time and know they're great images will follow automatically do was I saying this earlier? It really does with jim garner storyteller approach to photography the focuses on overall experience rather traditional product poses well the traditional process of picture tiki he encourages the bride and groom to have an amazing time and family friends okay, you get the idea, but then we talk about the books that we provide we talk about an engagement session that by the way we always give away now we always give that away it's an opportunity really get to know our clients and set him up for potentially most often they do choose to have ah signature signing book, which is another album sale as another album to the process so destination weddings this is right we got hey, the kids are getting old enough let's maybe do a few destination wedding oh my gosh, we're totally doing it because you set the goal we're totally shoot shooting destination what is that it's fun we'd be, by the way, we bring our kids with us now and we make a vacation out of it it's pretty wonderful and it's such a gift to be able to tohave your career could shape the lives of your little people going to know I want to talk to you about the sort of question during break about family and in this photography business I think we really need to touch on that used to give emotion dvd but look this is our different different programs at the time that it would not be in it in that form here's our like opera carte menu canvas custom prints we create these but there's no price is next to it I don't want people in there left brain when they look at this I want him in the right brand in their emotional side of right here's a team at the time and uh some, um testimonials people who worked with us so this is fun I'm going to dive into sales now are you ready? That was setting it up now already talk about sales okay, this is geeky stuff. This is what I learned when I was a sales person. There's a seven step process okay prospect approach interview proposal demonstrates is the next one proposal negotiate and support prospect approach interview demonstrate proposal negotiate support houses work with our industry it's a really interesting stuff. I thought about this after I remembered that seventy seven steps and I realized oh my gosh it is everything prospect from storytelling website referrals, other vendors etcetera referrals stuff I got, um approach the call the meeting service pitch that's what the last section was about the last section was really, um approach portion of it was having afford to your system. Okay, which leads to a personal interaction and that's the also the part of the approach that the meeting, this the pitch of what you d'oh right by getting emotional. Okay interview that's the communication back and forth that's the creating trust processes getting in their inner circle. And that happens from the first meeting blue to the wedding day. There's a lot of opportunities for adding that creating that trust, demonstrating visually show an example of our there are showing other people's art to them. You're demonstrating what service you're providing and what you'll be. Proposal the initial service and adams custom proposal. I talked about negotiating portion. You know, it's gotta have that flexibility. You got to be able to be flexible. Not so rigid with your pricing. Okay, so loud for flexibility time, size of art support support happens for years to come. Okay, communication general, fall up future contact. Customer service is everything with this style. It is everything making a call just because you need you want to say, hey, I saw the following thing at the last wedding. I was out. You just want to share it with you, cash, nothing to photography. There's nothing to do it's about being their friend their inner circle you know remember back when I was doing sixty some weddings a year man I walked and in which who is the bride when you enter the room of the bride is getting ready horrible now you better believe I know exactly everything I possibly can about that bride and she knows me I've talked to her we followed up our team has said what can we do for you outside of foot harvey how could we better make your wedding day special I should learn this from your bond oh my gosh you're vaughn and his lovely amazing wife anne they get into the planning of their weddings that hire them your aunt annie orchestrate kind of the whole time frame with with their bridal party and I saw that I went you know we could do that too we could really help people make their wedding to even more special and that was part of the experiential style that started if you do that you better believe when you walk in that room there like jim how are you oh my gosh I can't wait for this day and I'm like a bride power you hugs hugs hugs if you're there trust me do you have done your job right remember that if if they cry you've done your job okay that's a form of that if they're emotionally loved it they love you and you love them you can't go wrong with the sales process with art sales you can't okay for our delivery studios and this is why I brought the seven seals of the entire process is a sales process there's not one moment in the relationship that on dh and you gotta approach it not as a sales person though you don't think about the tire process being self that's not your motivation your motivation is to take care of them but it happens to be the sales portion okay, you don't have to be a salesperson you just need to take care of them and know the structure of this things for the first moment they hear your name you orient their minds right now I say that's that's gonna be the phrase of the day or yet their minds to art on the phone yes you are the initial meeting proposal period that back and forth that's timeto really get them charged about your services engagement shoot I love this opportunity and again that chute is complimentary the book and they could just have those images. But if I'd done my job properly they want that signing book and I think I don't know we charge for right now but it used to be seven hundred and fifty dollars for that book so is a nice bonus thing uh for us which is and the best part is during that time, we obviously get to know each other, they get to understand the style we usually start with. Hey let's, meet and on maybe have some coffee or if you'd like to have a glass of champagne, I'd love to join you. We'll talk about your wedding day it's at sunset okay, we watched the sun go down. By the way, we always take the time to have a good weather to do this shoot we watched the sun go down and right as it's about to touch that's when I start shooting and we go out and and hey, lis, do storytelling come on, joey, could his walk and play the techniques that we use? We're going to really go over tomorrow. Most imposing seen senate using groups, energy and two others xilai's ing and event emphasize ation all those techniques tomorrow can't wait to share those all those we use and I say, yeah, yeah, yeah, this is just what we do click click, stick back talk and enjoy thie engagement shoot is selling the day's work and I could say, hey, you know, why don't I give you additional time? We're going do you feel comfortable with with amount time we've given you how about spreads what we what we throw in a couple of hours so we do what we call the experiential style and you could do anything you want but just know it's not about standing a photoshoot it's about making your day a look like a lot of the other cultures out there who have multiple multiple hours into their wedding days um thanks to the east indian culture I love you guys because I get to say hey those wonderful people they do it right they go they go a week sometime month on a wedding day and that convinces him yeah right our wedding's only three hours way need to change that so thegame shoot is a sailing opportunity like you wouldn't believe and if your again if your heart is in it for the right reason and that is to take care of them authentically these type of clients they give it back in ten fold okay so the time leading up to the wedding is so important it's your opportunity teo just add so hey what do you think about the following hey, what do you how you doing with that? Is there anything we could do to help you? Okay after the wedding we could do a photo shoot it's an experiential it's a complimentary for us in this in this style all right, we'll add those images to your album member that album I showed you with two volumes um helicopter that was an after wedding shoot that we give so the first first viewing of the book oh, my goodness, really consider the tactile environment, get them mostly charged have them view it's a beautiful music make sure your story has a house what's required a beginning middle and a crescendo in the middle clean spreads a wow spread every three to five spread obey the rules of design that we're going to talk about on day three head size is the same creative theme with individual images within two credit theme with individual themes within things like this we're gonna talk about if you will get them like freaking out over over the story that you created for them oh incorporate their design into your design surprise him surprise him with their first dance song things like that when they're being read the art when they're viewing the ark for the first time. So first year of marriage how many people do this anniversary card anniversary with one of their beautiful photos inside? How about just a mounted or ah lightly frame image happy anniversary guys, we're thinking about you just a little extra time because you know what that just sold the maternity shoot right there that's sold your future business fairly retail photography it goes it goes through the high school seniors and beyond into the older family it really does and that's what I mean about longevity in this field if you wanna have it you need to be creating art for people in thinking in these terms because you want to be photographing I've been photographing for twenty years and now I'm seeing high school seniors it's just weird but I love it I love it having a connection with these families in fact all of our very dear steers friends majority of them I photograph them we became friends through this process. So how does it relate to the sales process product sales that was before shooting understand the rule number one in sales you gotta show it okay if you want to do it I'm going to emphasize this with ah project I did a few years but actually this is a really fairly old uh, destination wedding almost ten years eight years now so I knew I wanted to really adopt aren't focused philosophy and I also knew the rule if you want to do it, you have to show it and I wanted to say hey it's all about art to my clients and so I built a sculpture album and this is totally like outside the box but this is just a personal project and fun and I I wanted to say hey, you know you could think in different ways about your art too. I mean, this is on ly thing I've done outside of a wonderful graphic studio handcrafted book and and ever since I started doing art every book has been from my dear friends of graphic studio but this is a conceptual thing it's just there for you to see that we really value art and another clients out there would love to have this in their home. So what this is we'll take a look here this is a sculpture album notice it's a column and on it is a plate there's two bolts here that hold the plate up and these plates are stored behind on racks inside the sculpture so this album has to be viewed over thirty days. What you do is each day you want a new store, you pull it out and swap it so after thirty days you get to see the entire story I mean is totally outrageous totally who's gonna buy that but it was exciting to really explore hey, this type of project will help me value we help people see that I am ivan our delivery guy so I want to show you this um the plates are made from metal glass um different forms of metal and glass so let's take a look at this like it's kind of wait wait, wait, wait all right, good, good enough fun. I love that because it's one hundred percent conceptual. I did the whole thing and photoshopped. It was completely made up, and my goal was to just be able to show they were, aren't focused. We do things differently, and we love it.