Lessons
Day 1
1Class Introduction
03:45 2The 9 Areas of Mastery
30:28 3Focusing and Applying the 9 Areas of Mastery
43:47 4Meet the Mentors: Lori Patrick
21:32 5Meet the Mentors: Nikki Closser
13:16 6Meet the Mentors: Heike Delmore
17:28 7Meet the Mentors: Joanna Ziemlewski
06:52Meet the Mentors: Emily London Miller
10:26 9Meet the Mentors: Tammy Zurak Allen
09:51 10Meet the Mentors: Bethany Tubman Johs
06:51 11Meet the Mentors: Shauna Lofy
07:21 12Meet the Mentors: Tatiana Lumiere
06:55 13Pricing Evolution
12:49 14Pricing Challenge and Valuing Yourself
41:24 15Pricing Case Study: Nikki Closser
16:35 16You are in Business, Act Like It
37:57 17Taking Ownership
17:37Day 2
18A Thank You For Sue
06:58 19The Reveal Wall
43:36 20Sales and the Reveal Wall
34:44 21Selling Yourself
43:44 22Selling Yourself: Networking
10:54 23Selling Yourself: Referrals
09:49 24Mentor Testimonials
36:59 25Words of Advice from the Mentors on Starting Your Business
12:50 26Sales and Selling Yourself
30:35 27What Products to Sell
13:42 28The Cost of Printing at Home
05:58 29Digital Sales
16:26 30Contracts and Payments
15:33 31Confidence and Ownership
07:48 32Shameless Self Promotion
37:10 33Being a Male Glamour Photographer
04:42 34What's in it For Me?
06:26 35Where do You Start?
18:30Lesson Info
Selling Yourself: Referrals
We're talking about networking referrals, but what about your clients and how, what is, how are you talking with them about? So my biggest, my biggest referral base, or my biggest networking base, is the friends of the people I've already photographed. Now that tells me something. That tells me that the people that have spent time with me loved it so much, they've told all their friends. So what are you saying to your current database to get their friends. Because none of the photographers I have ever spoken to in five years are using their current database. These people have spent money with you. And from that moment on you seem to avoid them like it's some kind of embarrassment. Hika. Now that I'm doing the reveal wall, the client comes in, purchases their images and then I say to them, okay, I'm going to put up, I'm going to give you your digitals, you'll have them by tomorrow but look for a little preview online later today. And by me doing this, like look on my Facebook busi...
ness page for the preview later today they go on, now they like my page, they don't have the digitals themselves so they might tell all their close friends, I had such a great time at Hika's studio but all their friends other friends that they haven't spoken to in however long are now gonna see this on my site. She's gonna come in tag herself and she doesn't have the digitals to put up on her own this one has my logo, it has my website address and so I get all the likes that night from her whole database of friends on Facebook and then she gets all the digitals the next day. So I find that I'm getting a lot of inquiries and bookings that way even though she's not actually telling her friends that. I'm wondering if anyone is struggling with this concept of getting referrals from their existing clients if you're not seeing it anyone? Or is everyone successful in doing this? It only happens, it only happens to me a couple of times and I am guilty of not continuing that relationship with clients I photographed. Especially a woman that I really connected with and she was an evangelist for me and I offered her to come in and get a discount for a family shoot afterwards and I didn't follow up with that. And it's been two years now and I still haven't done it and I keep thinking to myself I missed an opportunity there. (laughs) (laughing) Money shame. Yeah. You had money shame. That woman paid you and you felt shame. Absolutely. You naughty girl. (laughs) I still have a lot to get over. Somebody gave you money for something you made Shauna. They paid you for it, it's priceless to them. And then you never called her back. That is the worst possible one night stand I've ever heard. (laughs) You're all gonna do that if you're not calling people back. What is the shame that you're holding and contacting people that have spent money with you? You have a relationship with this person now. And you felt some form of shame. You must confront that because that woman was telling you she wanted more and you never called back. You know what? Shame on you. Absolutely. I'm gonna add that to when she's got a voice tomorrow. (laughing) I have something to say about my referal set up that I have. Great. So (laughs) when I have the reveal appointment, when I'm ordering their prints I also order a custom voucher with their picture on it and it is a $100 off voucher and I tell them that they can share it with their friends. And each friend that they share it with gets their $ off of their session and the referrer gets a $100 credit towards more prints. And I also have it structured so that my session fee I've talked about that before my top package includes their next session. And it's, that session fee is then not something that they have to pay and they can have another session in a year. And so if they have $100 credit for each person that they're referring and they know they're coming back in less than a year then they're wanting to earn credit towards the next purchase. I love that Emily. Good, that's amazing. I love that. Yeah good job. So Sue has a final question do you feel and who do you want to start with? Everyone, does every- do you feel that the advice you've heard today from all these other mentors and Sue is going to change the way that you sell? Start with Lori. Absolutely. How? Just the last one alone I mean I think referrals are one of the backbones of any business. And you have to give good service, you have to the experience, you have to give a good incentive. You have to call them back, because again they're calling for you and they're complementing you in your service so you gotta do all that so they keep talking for your business evangelist. What have you heard today from each other that's made you gone whoa I can do that? Come on tell me that. And I. Oh. I think it's just both what I've heard is it's both about the not just the how what you're asking is the how specifics but that underlying feeling and the how's. Just anything. Okay Nikki. You had this huge light bulb with the money shame. In December I ordered MOO cards with each individual photo of clients similar to what Emily was saying but just with MOO cards. I was gonna send each client two it had a picture of them on the back, it had a $100 off and then they could give one to a friend. I was gonna do this as like new year new photos it is June ask me if I've sent them out. (laughing) Money shame because I feel guilty that I took $ from them, that I took $1200 what is wrong with, why? So it, yeah. Anyway. So what are you gonna do. So. Based on what you heard? So well one since I haven't done it yet, clearly I don't want to so I'm gonna pay someone to do it for me, but I'm going to do it. And I'm gonna remind myself of what I've given these clients not what I took from them. I'm going to stop focusing on the money shame. Can you remind yourself that you it wasn't what they gave you or what you gave them it was a perfect exchange of energy because that's what business is. I made you beautiful portraits you gave me beautiful money thank you very much we are in alignment. Totally. With each other, yeah. Yep. Anybody else got a good takeaway from today? I got 25 and I've been doing this for a long time. I loved what Nikki said about oh you're not photogenic? That's perfect 'cause it's not your job that's my job to take care of that for you. Whoa, I liked that a lot. (laughing) I will be channeling Tammy when (mumbles) people you'll be in my head, I'll be Tammy.(laughs) (laughing) I have, I have a fire ignited in me because I am can't keep stopping myself I can't keep listening to this stupid voice in my head that says I can't do it because I know I can't, I've done it. I haven't followed through on a lot of it but you guys have and it's given me that that energy to say it's just the next step to in my evolution to take it a little further and once I get through that hurdle I'll conquer the next hurdle. Sales, communication, connection those are my things that I need to work on and you guys helped me with that. We've heard from all of them about reveal and connection and networking in sales but you haven't heard from me yet. But I have taken an army of notes. (laughing) And if I could talk right now boy I'd be talking. I hope I can talk tomorrow that's all I can say. If I can't talk tomorrow I'll talk on Saturday or Sunday or Monday. But I've got a lot to say around this. What I really needed you to hear today was they told you the very truth of where they are in the last two years. And I needed you to hear that truth so that I could teach you even more about it because that is really important. And I can't wait to hear this this is awesome. (laughs) So awesome.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials
Ratings and Reviews
Sandra Sal
How glad I am that I have purchased this course! Sue is just wonderful woman, photographer, business person and life coach. This course is so informative, inspiring, educating and just AMAZING!! Simply a must have! Don't even think "should I get it" just buy it and you will be blown away! I loved every second of it and will keep re watching it many times more! Thank you to Sue, wonderful mentours and Creative Live!!
Laura Captain Photography
As a person that is new to portrait photography and to starting a portrait business, this class has been extremely valuable to me and well worth my time. It is also very helpful to hear from the mentors. I have a lot of respect for Sue, her work and her wisdom. She is genuine, has a passion for her work and has a wealth of information to share. I believe this class will actually allow a person to achieve their goals and build a business. I now feel more knowledgeable and more confident about pursuing a photography business. Thanks so much Sue and thanks to CreativeLive for providing wonderful online education.
Janice S.
i just finished watching this workshop. though i'd seen sue's name on the list of creative live workshops, this is the first one i've done. to me, she is effectively partnering life coaching with photography education. which is awesome. between being an ER nurse for almost 20 years, as well as arriving at my late 40s not unscathed, i can relate to much of what sue has said and would like to think that i'm in a better position to tackle the business of business ownership than i would have been 20 or 30 years ago. the other thing i noticed was hints of rhonda byrne. this may or may not actually be the case, but it seems like it. the power of positive thinking essentially. i loved the whole thing. though i'm not really close to implementing the business practices taught here, i wanted to watch the whole thing before moving on to her glamour photography workshop. i wanted to understand what i would be moving toward as i go through my technical education. i believe i will be adding 28 days to my class list too. thank you sue!