Lessons

Lesson Info

1:30 pm - The Sales Process

All right we're going to jump in to the idea of what is involved with the process of selling let's again I like the idea of making this course about how are sales generally and how are they specific to us because we do need some of the general understanding of sales to be able to do it better especially we don't have a sales training but more importantly and more specifically how does it play to us and what we're doing so the nine steps that a generic cycle are basically this prospect gladden generate leads qualify the lead make sure it's a lead that will actually move into a sale prep for the pitch prepared to make your big presentation to see if you can get this business overcome objections somebody has a problem how do I have a solution for them closed the sale follow through with giving the delivery of the product of the service that was purchased and then generate additional leads get back into prospecting preferably with the person that you've closed to sail with does that make s...

ense that's pretty straightforward any surprises there we get it right we all have seen madman we know any show about selling any time any advertising movie that have you ever noticed that having times and duties that the exciting job is in the advertising room all right so let's talk about the night that steps yeah I'm helping you promote your future courses the nine steps of the photography cycle which I think are a lot cooler and easier hence the dog here is stressed out this doug's laid back you get it right ok so number one of course is what we call marketing we don't call it prospecting and in fact this is a very interesting point if you look at portrait sales or how we do sales our efforts around marketing are very passive we don't really actively go after generating leads do we do we do cold calling to be go door to door and say I want to photograph you want together if you want but are you we don't do that we have a very passive effort and we call it marketing which is just simply how do I best telling people about me so that if they are looking for someone like me they know that I am an option that is that is the first step of what we do which is marketing and we could do a whole course in how to turn that into lead generation but that is not the course we're taking today number two is in cream management so somebody calls in and says, hey, I saw your promo part and you look kind of cool and I was thinking would be a great idea to get photographs of me this is our first contact with the client and how do we handle it next is qualify the lead this is for us hopefully we're all doing this hopefully none of us are getting into position where at the end of the day or the end of this cycle, we're sitting across my client who says, wait a minute, these costs how much I say, hopefully we're not, and yet I know that many of you have had that experience at the end of the whole thing you already put in all that effort, and some people are getting their prices for the first time and they're shocked about it. This is where you qualify the lead and make sure that you're the right person that they should be working with and they're the right person that you should be working with next is the booking, the actual booking of the session or the wedding. This is typically after funds are secured, whether it's a retainer for a wedding or a session see that goes down. I'm a big, big believer that all sessions should have a session fee that's collect up front before the actual date of the shoot. We'll talk about that a little bit more later. Next is the actual photography, so in our cycle the photography doesn't even start until the sixth out of nine points that's pretty interesting when you really break that down now what I love about this is between the photography and the presentation we that's where the active active partnership is really kicked in, right? If you're working for an ad agency and you're preparing the presentation that you're going to pitch, you're doing that on your own, behind the scenes and the first time the client sees it is when you pitch it to them in a meeting correct for us, our pitch is being prepared in partnership with our client that is so awesome. Do you see what a huge difference that is from traditional sales again, this goes back to the fact that we have this. I thought in our head that sales is this, and we don't want to be this and look up clearly were not this, we're not behind the scenes coming up with a big pitch that we're going to throw on the client when it's all said and done, and they have no idea if they're going to like it or not. We've actually done a lot of this together, so instead of it being such a cold lead where I was, I managed to secure meeting, but you know, I don't know it's going to go, and I hope they like it, we have instead, ah, hot lead, and we should take a hot lead celebration break, everybody jump up and dance. No kidding that looked like just terror her second god she's not going to make me do that no, I'm not, but I would like this to sink in a little deeper this is the understanding that all of this effort has been a team effort this is not us the client what are they going to think? I don't want them to take the thing I'm taking from them I feel weird asking for anything I feel guilty for this effort they're in this as much as you're in it you're at the presentation this is something that you're doing together and actually bringing this up saying something along those lines in the presentation can be very compelling this is what we did together can you see yourself saying it exactly that way? Way so this is a huge awesome difference because often what representing not only they bought into but most of what we photograph when it comes to people is them either them alone or them with people they love and most people if they're being photographed with something they love that something they care very, very deeply about and as c s lewis said it a man with an obsession is a man who has very little sales resistance you were not only partnered with them, you are selling to them the most beautiful parts of themselves, the most beautiful aspects of the relationships they have you are in such a better position than the average sales person do not get mired up in the fact that you think you're a salesperson you're in a much more invisible position as someone who's selling photography so after the presentation that you were doing together where you're walking to the images you're discussing the experience obviously it may come in zero shock that I am a huge advocate for meeting in person to do that sale and why how much red tape you cut through and how many missed opportunities that you don't have to worry about anymore I'm a big believer in that and we'll talk through that um you're gonna have the presentation and then you're going to create the order you came up with an order of what they're going to purchase and you're putting that all together that's similar to the generic company following through are actually providing the service or product sold and then lastly we follow through that means we're actually going to everything after the fact and we're not just going to say thanks to money cia but now we have to do the rest of it so best way to own the sale is to find the balance between eliminating expectations I would love you guys to eliminate all the expectations you have in your head about how this is supposed to go or how you think this goes or what you're worried about getting tripped up on because that's just eating precious mind space that need to be using towards making these sales happen and assuming the sale that is like age old right assume the sale assumed the clothes I don't say assume the clothes but I think assume that there you have a lot of good reason to assume that they came to you for really good a reason I want to tell you a story about a photographer that I worked with who not only did she not assume the sale as she found some success and sales she moved farther and farther away from being able to do so and I think this is really important because it speaks to how significant what we did all morning is the idea of getting your mind set in the right place to be able to do this so just a photographer who had really good work but was basically selling everything on dvd and when I say that I mean everything the session and the whole nine yards and then she'd give the dvd for two hundred fifty dollars so that was what she was doing she was very, very busy again her work was really good just just don't live her works very good, but she got herself in the position that all she was doing was just moving from thing to think she couldn't do anything but get the dvd out said to get the next sale because she next shoot because she had so many shoots lined up, however, she was barely breaking even financially the whole time and what was happening with she was racing through everything she had to do it every single time that ninety percent of the work we do every issue we d'oh and she was constantly leaving that last ten percent of work where we make ninety percent of our profit she's leaving that off the table and she was just waiting for the order to come in one way or the other, so we sat down, we talked for everything I explained to the sales process I said just try the in person sale, try it this way do me a favor and just hold your breath when it comes to like I don't believe in this I don't think it's going to work and just do it even if you don't believe it, it just walked through the steps at least if you can do it she did, and that first sale keep in mind she has two hundred dollars at first sale was twenty one fifty two thousand one hundred fifty dollars and she was over the moon brill disbelieving and then immediately terrified that it was a one off and there's no way it could happen again and when I say immediately I mean, as she was telling me she went from she just got so up here about how of course that wasn't really of course that couldn't happen again that happens to other people that's like some fallacy that you hear out there but the big name photographers can do that but I can't the second sale she had where she did everything again very similar cameramen exact number remember that first one very similar number she went out of that feeling even worse does that make any sense to you guys? Can you understand why why do you think you're not I'm gonna put you on the spot. Why do you think why does that make sense? Why can you understand a little bit why she might have felt even worse about the second good sale because it's setting yeah setting these expectations for yourself where now now I have to keep doing this and I am freaking know how I did it but it's all about those expectations yeah, it became extremely nerve racking and everything became very she became extremely self conscious about everything that third sale she did complete crash it was a complete confirmation to her that of course that wasn't gonna last of course it was just beginner's luck and and the conversation we had she was like back in the space uncomfortable with I mean it was I'm looking at her like do you see this? Do you see this? She was so down the first two times well, she started out high crash within the first one, so down the second one third, one, it was like, I'm back where I'm comfortable, and then she said, you know what? I really like the way I used to do it, it just feels better to me. I said, okay, and that is how she is doing it now, what do you think of that? Russia? Were you interested the mike? What? I mean, what do you think about that? Because you know what? That sounds kind of at the outset, you hear that story really gets crazy, but it's not unusual, tricia, and then I'd love to give me my well, I was wondering if time was an issue for her in any of that, or was it just that she was fearful that she couldn't do it? She was she was fearful that she couldn't do it, and she felt that even though her client seemed very happy and they got things that she wanted, she was really having a difficult time, mostly balancing the fact that she wouldn't have paid that kind of money, right? Because I can relate to that story until I went and asked my clients the feedback, and they told me how much they appreciated me coming and consulting and lending my expertise so I definitely can relate because that's how I felt yeah but now I have more confidence that that's actually what they want me to do is calm presented to them right wonderful I think it's when you do something new it's uncomfortable yes any time you do something it's uncomfortable for her it was uncomfortable and she was she won't just wanted to go back to what was comfortable for her grant I know that in person sells is uncomfortable for me but I also know I have to fight through it right? Because it's you hear the success stories you know how what did you say it was ten times what she normally makes yes, you know and if she if she then did last shooting she would have the time tio that so yes, I threw up and you know again it may sound a little unusual until you think about other things like you know what I want to get I want to get in a fitness regimen and train from marathon you know this very well just got a strong fitness business to write a training. This is yes, andi what happens is you get all fired up and you have a few successes and you build up some things and then you miss a couple days and then you think who was I kidding anyway? I was never gonna run a marathon all right, so I want to talk a little bit about finding this balance because I think one of the things that was missing from her experience and many of our experiences is the idea of being able to really comfortably assume control. I think control has a bad rap think about it if I say something like well given matter, but she's controlling is that awesome, though she's controlling and what that means, he has a bad rap, but it's a good thing you're the expert here and you are to take charge of this experience. You are to run the sale, he would offer guidance and you're to be the person they can look teo as a consultant as they move through this experience. Control is a great thing if you don't have control or you feel like you're out of control, let's work on getting you back in the driver's seat because this is your work. This is your job. This is your art. Do you want someone the need of your shoulder telling you how to post process something all the time saying that and I actually think it's better like this? I don't care if you like it that way, this so I think I should have it, in fact, that bugs a lot of darfur's. When their client tells them they want to process two different way feel comfortable controlling this weird time not realizing the worth of your work I want to do something because we focus so much all morning on these negative thoughts and these negative feelings and these defeating mindsets just super quickly give me some feelings experiences that you have when you sell something for what it's worth you sold something for what it's worth feels good going you feel successful valued? She said give me the microphone yeah you just that you said feels good feel successful and the last one and valued this is the one that is missing so much all right, go on, just throw them out there things that when you actually sell you work for what it's worth have you done that accomplished accomplished ha ha ha! I think it reinforces the time that you've spent building doing all the things that you've done yes positive reinforcements have room for one more caroline and ryan says rich rich it's so funny caroline was a participant in are taking care of business course and right before we came on here today she twittered me to say that she just got finished coming back in the bank where she cashed a check from a client sale and she's like I have to tell you it feels really good how about this? It feels good I want to get more around here. I want to stop studying everything that's holding us back way got it all out, right let's move more towards this box which with bigger letters muses better bigger is better take everything on that left side and crowded out with more and more that's on the right side because you said it feels awkward and just slightly a whole bunch uncomfortable to be a sales person. So for whatever reason sales feels weird to you, you feel insecure about it a little stressed out I twittered this out not that long ago. If you're never scared or immersed bears or hurt, it means you never take any chances. We know that of course, and sales is a big chance for a lot of us, so most people will go to great lengths to avoid conflict even if the only real possibility of it is in our mind, right? Have you ever been in a conversation where it sound like something was getting negative or you were maybe possibly being rejected? So you completely changed the course of the conversation I have. I think this is a fundamental flaw. We talked about this on wednesday in relationships when it starts going down a path where you feel there might be some sort of rejection in place, you changed the course of the conversation the problem, of course is that the other person doesn't get to say what they wanted to express and sales. This is really, really common. We said it started now with the client. The client might start saying something that they wanted what's difference, or once changed, and you start feeling like it might be a little bit personal, so you change the subject or just kind of race, pastor say, ok, never mind. We don't have to worry about that one let's move on to the next image, never letting them really express what it is they're uncomfortable about.