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Why In-Person Sales Make the Money

Purpose is incredibly important that pee that we're going to talk a lot about, especially on the last day about what your purpose is, and I highly recommend that you guys try to dig deep in this and get involved, especially those of you on the internet, for watching this at home. I want you to dig deep and get involved because this is the time for you to do that, especially if you reserve the three days to do it. And next week the clients are going to start coming, and you're going to forget about it try to get engaged with this because it really will help you. So those peace, what are they? Pre consulates products, pricing, projection, policies, purpose? We're gonna talk about all of those in the next three days, and by the end of those three days, I want you people have a plan to implement each one of these in your studio and have purpose, or at least on your way to defining your purpose. Just get your thinking about it. Okay, then, once you're through this course, you'll be able to ...

implement all these things in your studio and you will have a step by step bye step by step system for taking your client from there to here with them, leaving happy, enthralled with you. Proposing to you they want to marry you and they want to refer you and they want to shout it to the world ok that's what's important it's not about a hard sell it's simply about helping your client and guiding them through the choices that there are that there are two display their images ok clients don't know what clients no do you think they know what they know about photography? So your camera exactly what else? What they know about products they don't know anything, do they? No digital files eight by tens five by sevens the occasion eleven by fourteen right that's about all they know so that's what they feel confident so you gotta talk about you've got to help them be confident something else something better something bigger, more beautiful that really commemorates for me though time in their life so a pre consultation is going to be one of your most important thing's it plants the seed of the sale in the client's head julia woods who's a wonderful photographer taught me that plant the seed and what she said to me just stuck in my head so deeply so I'm going to use her analogy a little bit throughout this entire process of planting the seed, watering it, letting it grow okay, so for preparation prepare as much as you possibly can for your client to be ready in the sales room because you must prep them ah, good consultation in effect will get them thinking of the possibilities okay, so if you do a good pre consultation bring them in get them to know you it starts that relationship it's kind of like the wink wink across the bar yeah you're cute I like you okay, look, smile dance with me you know, that's the pre consultation and they start to get enthralled with who you are and what you do and they start to visualize the possibilities of what could be done with their images especially if they know they're going to god if they know what they're going to some beautiful images of their lives they're gonna want to do something special with um okay. So wedding photographers in particular baby photographers even seniors this is a momentous time it's time sensitive events that are happening which you as a photographer can use to your advantage. Tom rouse is in illinois and he is one of my mentors. I absolutely adore this man on dh credit a lot of my fine artwork to his tutelage and he said photographers have visual literacy they see it we like to see things our eyes are our most powerful since for lack of a better word okay, right I mean that's why you became a thought photographer you could see it even if you're not trained people always die all your images or so just naturally good you just get it right it's kind of inexplicable things to seeing what's really there are seeing something in a different way products we're going to talk about products and defining what that should be and how it should suit your brand and this is a confusing topic was a lot of people don't know the difference in marketing and branding we're going to talk about the difference okay it's very important to define your brand is who you are is a business not how you communicate who you are but who you are is a business ok, so we're gonna help to find that and then come up with product lines that suit that you don't wanna carry everything including the kitchen sink in your studio a lot of doctors do that they just oh there goes his trade shows fbi and peep a imaging I gotta have that it's new and fresh all it's exciting but they don't bother to look at the quality they don't bother to look at the cost they don't bother you analysed and see how it's going to go in with their current product mix well my client even buy it acrylic and metal prince I never sell not only do I not offer it but people just have no interest with babies and my organic textural style our goods in the soup my work at all so I don't carry it okay, so we're gonna talk about what you should carry and how to determine whether or not that product will be profitable in your studio okay and then you know we all know the old adage show what you want to sell how many of us have heard that oh yeah hands everywhere even the cruise raising their hands it's just you have to have samples you have to provide a visual reference remember? You see it your client is not that's where they're hiring you for pete's sake they don't know how to see this stuff so you have to show it to them you have to shove it in their face and go this is what it looks like I mean, literally it's almost second grade you know how much we assume that our clients know stuff that they don't we have to make it very obvious they cannot visualize and you can pricing mean everybody just looked at pricing and goes home no, please I will always love you no, please you know I'm not going to get into heavily in the cost of goods and all this stuff no, I'm going to talk more about the art of pricing. Pricing is an art and a science right? The science part is making sure you meet your cross of goods profitability a little okay, we're gonna touch on that really touch on is the art event how do I finesse my client into purchasing what I want them to purchase? How do I create this dance in my pricing so that when they look at it go oh, we could get so much more if we just spent this, you know, I'm saying it's, the classic scenario where you go to a business and they kind of say, well, you know, you could buy this package, but if you upgrade to this, you get all this it's the value meal mcdonald's, you know, if you get the value meal, you get the french fry than the big drink freely, all you need is a burger do you know I'm saying it's that enticement if the art of sale of the art of pricing so we'll talk about that, okay? We're also going to get into, um, how to predict your income using pricing, okay? So once you can get to your average sale, we're going to talk about howto find what that average sales should be, and then I have what you need to do to be able to predict your income with that average sale. And of course, what this is going to do for you is give you confidence in your business it's gonna make you feel like you're running a real business, a powerful one that has credibility to it your clients will respect you say well yeah of course I'm gonna pay that okay nice production I'm kind of the post like junkie most of you who know me know that I I teach for time exposure their software one of the few approve instructors in the u s to teach to teach time exposures post like presentations offer and so I'm biased celibate there's lots of different methods of doing in person sales I just want you to do it don't have to you don't have to get software that's gonna just monumentally changed things for not only your profits your averages but also your confidence it's scary well it's scary especially that first sales appointment let me tell you we were shaky shaky but I'm gonna help you get through those those nerves when you can show actual size you know was it stephanie were you talking about wanting to sell larger portrait when it comes to size shoving it in their face and going this is what it looks like that's what it looks like in their home we'll make a world of difference wouldn't get you thinking about why that is in the next three days okay so when you do show an actual size in their home in particular on their wall that's significance is so emotional to the client we think about it your kid your home your wall looks fantastic you can't see it I can't see the this's beautiful I mean your clients can't see it so when you take over their sense of vision with something that's beautiful now they really can't see anything else okay, so it has tremendous power, tremendous emotional impact it's mental persuasion in a stop subtle soft way no no hard selling okay? And you don't have to fell it the images and they're home and actual size will do it for you okay? Policies oh policies problem with policies is that they're usually instead after a very hard learned lesson and I've been through this enough to have many lessons in those clients where you're just like okay, I need a new policy for this you're laughing at me because you know what I mean you know all about client where everything went wrong and you're like if I had just had a policy see this is what happened and so a new policy gets instated and your policies get rewritten available okay good communicated policies will avoid issues before they happen and that's a good thing so um and they make for happy clients too because, you know, I always call policies the prenuptial agreement you know, one of our camera guys just lifted his eyebrow like what prenuptial he's not married no you like you've married a pre nuptial agreement okay when they sign that they know what to expect, you know what to expect obviously you want them to marry you and stay married teo but policies will keep those rules in place. It draws your line in the sand your client's respect the line especially if you're strong about your policies in a kind way and always with a smile but when you draw your line in the sand and say this is how we run our business if you want to be in the box you can come play come play in the sandbox but you know, if you want to marry me you gotta sign this agreement first because I'm not gonna give you all my money suppose that okay you know, I like to come up these silly analogy, but it does it doesn't work and when you give your client that box to play in all of a sudden they start having fun as long as I know what the rules are then they want to refer you because they respect you as a business well, she knows what she's doing she'll provide you what you know she says she's going to provide and it's all very laid out and there's no surprises that's the key if you negatively surprise your client that's what I'm gonna have issues in the cells room so nine times out of ten and this has happened so many times I came account a sale will go wrong in the sales room if I turn around and backtrack my steps I can usually pinpoint exactly where I went wrong where I screwed up I didn't say something I didn't do something I didn't clarify something I didn't prepare the client for the sale session okay I didn't prepare it them you see we're going to talk about these kind of client thie kinds of clients that you really don't want to work with again because they were so problematic okay client objections I don't have wall space won't die knowing that I have wall space that won't fit in my house you know those kinds of egypt of my husband's not here I can't buy right now because my husband's not here have you guys had that I had that one a lot new policy okay so we'll talk about those difficult personalities in the client objections that come around the negotiator the indecisive the silent type a control freak that know it all you know that know it all guy who comes in your sales room why did you why did you put us off to the side shouldn't we be in the middle you know that guy okay who describes your art says he could do a better uncle bob at the wedding who thinks he can you know help laughing you know what I mean you you have to put up with him and smiled yeah evolve you're great you know what you're talking about? You so much that was such good advice quit struggling so what is your average sale if you want to share you like cherry you don't have to if you don't want to I know this is some sensitive subject what you're ever sell felisha like three, fifty four fifty five fifty four fifty what about you? Six ninety nine and eleven cents good girl you know your numbers don't you proud ofyou what's yours two, fifty, three hundred fifty, three hundred where do you want it to be? Five or six hundred thirty one, one hundred when you want to be nine to twelve make you really happy when we were going to talk and when we get to pricing, we're going to talk about, um what? You you want an average to be in a specific place or about what you really need to cover your expenses, okay? And to cover your salary and support your family were gonna talk about and sometimes what you think you need is way different than what you actually need higher or lower. Okay, so if your average is kind of in the numbers we're talking about, how would you like it to be in these kinds of numbers? It would be fun, wouldn't it? You'd walk out the door and client spend, I think almost ten thousand dollars once with me with two sessions and she walked outside the second session I would like screaming in my studio you know, everybody's done it, you get that good sale and you're just squealing hoping they don't hear you as you shut the door you know, awesome feeling it doesn't happen every day that's what you squeal you know, but those clients and there's going to be the ones who were on the other end of the curve the ones who come in and just spend three or four hundred dollars but michael with you guys on the internet and here so you can walk away with a bell curve that's nice and wide and almost all your clients spend right in this range I know that if my clients walk out the door spending a thousand dollars I'm good I'm happy great if every single one did that that's all I need occasionally get your five or six hundred clients occasionally get your ten thousand dollar clients but that's a few and far between ok, as long as they all stay writing here and I'm gonna train you to do that okay, I'm gonna train you so that when you a client walks to your door and they do hire you an actual book the session, you know that by the time they get best sales appointment, they're gonna spend a thousand dollars or more nice to be nice doesn't always happen there are outliers so people mourn with that but you want that averages to be in your happy place your little giddy place a system of sales makes that income predictable you can forecast your growth plan for the future nice of always having to worry about the money coming in and credit yes you do worry about the money but it's more about worrying that you have clients are we having enough shoots this this month not each shoot going to produce the money I need that makes sense. Okay, one of the important things to remember is that we don't sell emotion I mean we don't sell pieces of paper we sell emotion okay? We sell an experience to our clients. Yes, they love the images but really what do those images do your clients think of all the snapshots that you've taken when you're a kid or the little pictures you have of yourself and of susan's in her mind right there she's thinking what what what do they mean to you what do you feel when you look at those images feel something right? Something is there you feel a lot lot of nostalgia, a lot of love maybe even some trauma you know? So we sell when we professionally photographed some we sell the emotion and we sell the experience so if you put that online you're giving it away right because the minute they see the image you've given them the emotion thing about that's pretty if you think about it that way all of a sudden if you think of your product as emotion it's going to change the way you think about selling okay, so why do in person sales well number one the money really first of all that profit? Well, no it's not quite all profit but it's about it's keeping your clients happy but it's also just keeping things predictable it's not about how much money you can get, just keeping it predictable okay control of the sale, helping your clients visualize what they can do so that they're not at home online going oh, well you don't know what to do we'll just get an eight by ten of this that's what they do it's all their doing because they just get overwhelmed I don't know what to do if you're not there to help them they just do what they know okay also when you do in person sales you can show what you want to sell and they this creative live has made this set so beautiful and when we do our lifestyle session they're going to pull out the sofa and make everything all pretty and kind of like my home away from home and that's so impactful to the clients when they come in and they can see what's really happening with their images my I sold online first when I started out in two thousand six, my sale was single three fifty average or so I went teo the trade shows and conventions and things and um pro select was there of course and all the big rock star photographers were using it to get this stuff where you know, everybody's using it must be the thing so I went down and I looked at it and I went okay it's expensive I'm not sure I can afford that right now so I went home and I started looking at my numbers in my classes so I down one of the trial version of the software which is you get a thirty day trial and so I said screw it, I'll just do it I'm one of those people who is a risk picker my sister's way we're talking about the today I'll just jump off the cliff know that there's water down there others watered down there I know what I could swim she's like I'm gonna look first make sure there's water and she means to analyze that the trajectory the cliff is there anybody down there to help her should she needed? You know she's like total analytical and we both have really successful businesses but we just approach things differently so I launched off the clip there'll be water, I know it ok? My first sale I think was get these numbers right fifteen, eighteen hundred my second was fifteen hundred my third with twenty, two hundred after an average of three fifty holy cannoli means always like a wise guy albright over their holy cannoli you know wow, I bought the software on having using ever since you know, I am an advocate for it so I will admit that I that I buy it that I am biased I don't get paid by the company but I am biased. Um so you know, a little cappy out there? Why did those client spend so much money? Emotion? They saw the images for the first time in that sales room, so the emotion took hold and I gave them that emotion the sales room and I say to them you can't live with this emotion unless you pay me pretty much I mean that's kind of harsh way of putting it but you know, that's what in person sales is because I'm selling emotion right? And when you touch people's emotion, you touch their soul you touch that part of the brain that's deep inside that controls emotion and controls decision making, okay he's called the limbic brain if I'm not correct, somebody correct me if I'm wrong um so when you do that all of a sudden that gut feeling when you get that gut feeling to do something that feels good that's that inner party or brain that's so in control making decisions and the emotional part of your brain that's making that decision, and then your outer brain like tries to analyze it, and the logical side tries to put the facts together to support with that integration is saying, okay, and sometimes, you know, you make a decision you're like, oh, this just feels right, right? You need me. This is like a hot guy got does it feels right, okay, that's that intersect in your part of your brain and that's the brain that were touching when we sell images to clients. Okay, clients see the product, they don't have to imagine what it looks like, especially when you start showing things on their walls. They don't have to visualize anymore. They don't have to imagine that a portrait my bit, the portrait will look good, you show it to him right there, okay? That's, powerful stuff, personal assistance when you're there as the artist and they're sitting there and you're giving them feedback on what you love, they trust us would hire you for pete's sake. I mean, really you're the artist, they would love your opinion and somebody starts, I can't I can't get my opinion, I'm not worth it. They don't want my opinion bull yes they do of course they want your opinion that's why they hired you and it's so important to recognize your worth and I hope in these next three days I can help each and every one of you to find that okay and give that personal assistance that is so valued by your client and that gives them the courage to spend more with you on a deluxe product because they know the artist helped them online sales I know you're out there where you are on the internet summer you're out there and you sell online because you think it's easier and you think it takes less time I'm gonna prove you wrong okay traditional online galleries dampen the sale you've seen the emotion you've seen the images the emotions been given away for free okay client is left on their own just poor customer service in my opinion when you can be there for your client that's really gonna help okay it's really going to give them that they're being serviced throughout this entire process the client oh my goodness overwhelmed how many images were showing this portrait session not a wedding portrait section twenty five very good what about you? Thirty thirty thirty to forty excellent some photographers out there are showing seventy eighty, ninety hundred images or more no and they're doing online all ouch you're poor client is going online and I don't like again I mean literally that's why you put these online dollars on for seven days in the still of seven days they haven't ordered I mean firstly it's true and then looking for seven more days seven more days I'll pay the fifty bucks that doesn't matter seven more days hundred bucks okay, again, I just don't know I mean, seriously that's why they're doing that you're showing too many images you're leaving them to their own devices it's too emotional and they can't deal. You need to help them. Okay? Of course. Because we're selling motion each time they see the images, the emotion, faith because that works. You should the session, they kind of, you know, maybe you chip a little bit pretty and kind of tease a little bit, then they kind of sailed appointment and they know the images are going. This emotion is going up up, up, up, up, up, up it still stationary. Oh, tears are for it and you know they're so happy. Then they see the images over and over and over and over and over and over and over again and the ocean starts a faith, a faith, a it takes years for that emotion to climb back up again and eventually it will climb higher than it was over here in a different, more deep resonating way you know eventually ten years down the road this family right here shelley is going to just a door but it'll be your favorite image she's ever had in her entire life. Okay, you have a deep sense of love for her family and that emotion that things become priceless, right? But at the time of the sale you have to hit when that emotion is at its peak if you let them see things over and over and over again they're just rolling down this home gan steam is they go and eventually the emotions going fall flat you'll have nothing for sale okay? And of course you know when that emotion does fade like I said here, so does that money coming in so if and images posted online without being paid for you're giving away your product simple is that yeah, I have questions, questions, questions so how I find that I totally agree with what you're saying that my clients looking my photography ten years from now and they're like that's my favorite photograph hideaway bring that to the table with them when their time in the sales session how do y get them? How do we get them there? Great question and we don't have a lot about this it's a great question what I say to my family's I say, how do you want to see these five, ten, fifteen years from now do you want to walk by them in your home every day do you want an album or a book that your child can spend time with you browsing you khun give to him when he's forty years old how do you want to see the when your kid's smart mouth and you had twelve you know what do you want to remember about this beginning in your life and weddings this is fantastic coming hello weddings are another moment in your life when life changes right and I always tell newborn for tarver's I think you know how much do people spend on weddings holy can noli I got married for like were a lot of weight to expect because when I went to mexico I got married twenty two people there were you know save some money it's expensive to get married so think about how much money they spend on weddings the birth of your child I'm sorry is way more important than your wedding people divorce all the time I'm such a cynic is not terrible oh somebody shut up anyway so the birth of your child should be on par with that in my opinion and that's another reason that digs deep into my y okay people don't buy what you sell that by why you do it and what you do just proves what you believe so if people like you believe like you do they're going to come here every ideal client right, they will be your ideal client. That's. Why I'm so gung ho about this whole concept of purpose. And I talk a lot about that, especially the last day we're gonna analyze business is that speak from their purpose and businesses that don't. And why the ones who speak from purpose are more successful. I mean, think about apple computers and everybody knows apple so and find infinite used to say that to analogy of apples. So great because they speak from there. Why? Okay, so time the sale drops as time passes and people see the images. Clients only know what they buy that's. Why online sales don't work. They buy what safe they cannot see any kind of artistic vision or see how images will look in a more riskier product. According to them a large wall portrait, a big album, whatever. And the client is so emotionally involved that they get overwhelmed just too easily. And you have to help them. The benefits of in person. The choices are not so overwhelming. And you guys are doing great by only showing between twenty and forty images. That's. Fantastic. Actually doing better than me. Sometimes I feel a little it offers display ideas from the artist, okay? You can help pair images together that will look beautiful I mean I shoot my sessions with the concept of oh the worship the family images on white so I should probably shoot the baby on white too so they can go together okay so I think about that when I'm in the session and your client would match something that's like hot pink and blue with white with dark brown I mean they wouldn't do always laughing because you've been there done that huh got that t shirt so if you help guide them through those choices you're going to create something beautiful them that's going to look in on their wall that all our friends will come c o who shot that you limit is you've got to go there while I work on referrals okay it also of course when you do all this that provides a much better customer experience for the client and you better understand the client's needs and goals which is really what this is all about help your client get what they want get what they need to commemorate this time in their life whatever that may be seniors weddings whenever on of course it also curves indecisiveness and gives them confidence in that reese risk here product okay how many of you liked antique shop ladies we'll get to the men here in a second. How many ladies like to antique shop susan do you like the antique shop I shall but goodwill constantly but if mostly for close not really anti best deal don't you think he's in quick quality like designer nothing popping tacky digress yes and take shopping I love it okay um you walk in a really beautiful antique store and your heart just kind of takes a leaf in its chest any woman who likes to shop knows this feeling you walking the nordstrom you're like oh you know I need especially if you're in you need retail therapy we're gonna split up with you you're just buy it you look good you know it's that merchandising is so I mean there are degrees for this on how to merchandise your product it is such a hot industry in the retail world did you know that in supermarket shelves companies have to pay higher prices to be at eye level on the shelves or on the end caps like there's competition for a real estate here okay, the better the real estate the more it costs it should be the same way in your space can I'm gonna talk about photographers who don't have a studio here in a second but for those who have space you better fill it and you better merchandise it because when that client comes walking through your door you want them to go oh somebody I I never knew I could do this oh my god that would be so pretty my house you want them to have that feeling of excitement and this is gonna be really fun and oh my gosh, I had no idea I started in my home studio and I was single at the time which you know of course was a benefit but I have clients all over my walls and I can show you pictures of my home here in I think that today or tomorrow anyway you'll see it on dh starting off in your home it's not a problem you just have to designate a space for it and really, you know, devote that as a shrine to your clients we really they need to see it they have to they can't visualize it's just a simple is that how many of you out there? No, you have to put products news to you but having done it yet yeah, so we shake your hand and you guys have I just ordered prints for the wall behind my desk like really, really, really big ones and and they have their they should be there today so I already put the frames up and even the frames look like really exciting to get it done. Teo understood it was just like so rewarding have you done it yet? Yeah, I mean update onto stuff yeah it's some of the higher and stuff up its so important the minute you start having those prada to sell up on the walls, people start seeing the possibilities when they're like. Okay, well, so what if you don't have a studio? Uh, what do you do? People are asking that right now in a chat room. What do you know? I was like hi. Said what? What if I don't have a studio? Okay. I live in a town of eighty eight thousand. People write about three hours outside of portland, oregon. Do you think there's a pottery barn in my town? No. Why do I buy pottery barn products? No pottery barn in your town. Well, they send me that gorgeous, beautiful catalog a recorder, don't they? And I sit there in bed going who will bring e need that. Okay, people who don't have retail studios can do exactly like amazing companies have done all over the world. Ballard designs victoria's secret, pottery barn. All these companies have beautiful catalogues. You don't have to print it. Put it on an ipad. Put it online. Senate as a pdf flip snack dotcoms all kinds of companies out there that will turn a pdf into a magazine style. You could flip it online every fantastic. Put the time and effort into it, and you will reap the results. Okay. If it's beautiful and it's merchandised correctly in the catalogue your client's gonna love it. I love the pottery barn catalog. I get excited when I see it. My mailbox, same with ballard designs. I love to decorate ballard designs is another one of your pretty on. Sometimes things are too expensive and I procrastinate nice, tall and those air just tactics that you're gonna have to fight a little bit being on location photographer it's kind of getting people to commit to the product that that's where the consultation comes in and we'll talk about that. So get them excited too, by tom hodgkinson said this the terrible thing about the internet is that it takes the magic and happy the chaos out of shopping. The internet might give you what you want, but it won't give you what you need. Online shopping, online galleries they give you what you want, but not what you need and when we sell emotion it's about need. Okay, so it's really important that we have that big picture in our heads as we switch from online to in person, in the benefits there. Ok, I love that quote. Terrible makes it takes the magic and happy chaos out of shopping.