How to Make Clients Happier and Increase Your Bottom Line

Guest Post by Ann Bennett

There are probably as many ways to package wedding photography as there are wedding photographers. I’m not here to tell you that the way you do it is right or wrong. If it’s working for you and you’re happy and successful – then it’s probably right for you! I’m not an expert on wedding photography, but I do know my way around in-person sales, and what I’m here to tell you is that you can add value and make more profit by offering in-person sales sessions after the wedding.

Your clients will value having a professional to guide them through the image selection process, which makes them happier and more satisfied with their overall wedding photography experience.

No one intends to leave their wedding pictures in a digital format sitting in a drawer. People want to display them; they just don’t know where to begin. They need a professional to make suggestions because they’re overwhelmed. Even if your package(s) include prints, products or albums, your clients are going to dread going through all of the photos by themselves and having to make the decisions alone.

Consider the Following Scenarios:

SCENARIO 1:

Say you have a client who purchased a wedding package that included an album. You give them an online gallery and tell them to mark X# of their favorites for the album. How long does it take them to get their favorites marked? On average, a month or longer but for some clients even a year or more. Sound familiar?

RESULT:

This makes for a frustrated photographer and a stressed-out client.

SCENARIO 2:

Now imagine that same scenario but this time you tell your client that you’d like to meet with them at a convenient time to go through the images together and make album and product selections. Now, in about 2 hours or less, you have their album selections and most likely additional product purchases, too.

RESULT:

You save the client from stressing about it for month(s), you give them their album in a timely manner, they order additional framed prints or canvases of their favorite images and you can complete their order and not have to worry about bugging them.

Make More Profit

Financially speaking, you may be thinking, “why would I waste time doing in-person sales sessions when I already make $XXXX with my wedding packages,” and the answer is because you could make “$XXXX” more.

A wedding is an event that happens once in a lifetime (ideally), so most people are willing to invest quite a bit in the experience. You may be surprised what even the most seemingly budget-conscious bride will purchase when presented products at an in-person ordering appointment. I talked to a photographer recently who sold $2,100 in products at her ordering appointment in addition to the wedding collection, which was already paid for.

Which brings up another great point about in-person sales sessions – money spent is money forgotten. For example, the $XXXX spent on the package has already been paid and isn’t looming over them; therefore, they are more willing to invest in albums and wall art, preserving their favorite wedding images.  In addition, often times a parent will have paid for the wedding photography and the client may purchase additional products out of their own pocket.

But I Don’t Have a Studio

Now maybe you’re buying into what I have to say but you’re thinking, “How can I do an in-person ordering appointment without a studio?” Easy peasy. You can meet your client at a local coffee shop or even at their own home. Thanks to technology, you can use a tool like the iPad and apps like YouProof, Preveal, and Square Register to bring the in-person ordering appointment to your client.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that in-person sales will impact your bottom line. But even more importantly, it will leave your clients more satisfied with their overall experience, it will leave them with more prints and products displayed around their home for friends and family to see (“that’s a gorgeous image, who was your photographer?!”), and it will leave them buzzing about their experience with you. And in this industry, word of mouth is your best friend.

What do you think about offering an in-person sales session after the wedding?

About the Author

Ann Bennett is a portrait photographer serving northeast Oklahoma and the founder of the YouProof app for in-person proofing. Ann married her high school sweetheart just out of college and they live on a farm with their son, two dogs and two horses. She’s passionate about her faith, her family, photography, and helping photographers profit.