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| Black River Landing
We encourage everyone to come join the fun at the Landing. This is our forum and hangout for several thousand of our professional clients. | |
We appreciate the opportunity to inform you of our ongoing launch of new products and services. Please take a moment to look below at what is new this week at Black River Imaging.
Feel free to visit our website for more information about these and other products. If you are new to Black River Imaging, don't forget to create a login to get started.
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We just added five new shapes to our new line of Specialty Shaped Cards. Each shape will be sure to set you apart from the
crowd. They can be used at tags, business cards, or anything else you can dream up!
Business cards are
the most important element of your visual identity.They can be the first thing
people see when they meet you. It can be the only thing they take away from that
initial meeting so you want to make sure you leave an
impact. Each card is available with printing on both sides and four unique paper types.
You can order
Specialty Shaped Business Cards in the Black River Imaging Software inside the
Press Products Catalog. For more information please visit our website.
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Gallery Wrap and Split Image Wrap Sale Only 4 Weeks Left!!!
You'll
find Gallery Wraps in the 'Fine Art Products' catalog. Please visit
our website for details and pricing.
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The BRIdge Contest is a weekly chance to win
Black River Imaging products.
This week - Enter for a chance to win:
Custom Magnets
Custom Magnets have a variety of uses. They make great 'Save the Date' magnets for engagement notices, birth announcement or any other occasion. Seniors will love showing off photos in their lockers. There's really no limit to what you can include on these custom magnets.
Magnets come in three sizes: 2x7, 2x3.5 (business card) and 4.25x5.5 and are sold in sets. All magnets are gloss coated for durability.
This week's offer includes: - 3 Sets of Custom Magnets
- $39.00 Value
- 3 Sizes to Choose From
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We Congratulate Our Previous Winner:
Previous winner: Photo Box was won by Lou Liebau of Scratch and Sniff Photography in Newport Beach, California. www.scratchandsniffphoto.com
Click the website link above if you'd like to send Lou a notice of congratulations!
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De-mystifying the Sales Process
Over the years I have heard so many photographers say things like:
I love photographing so much that I just want to give it away.
I am so bad at sales.
I hate selling to people.
I feel like I am taking advantage of people
I'm not good at selling, therefore I am just going to burn a disc, put the images online so my client can order at their own leisure.
And on and on and on.
The reality here is the photographer is uncomfortable with the sales process and unsure of themself. While the sales process is nothing to be scared of it does require research, patience, practice, and persistence. Anyone and I mean anyone can become a successful sales person selling their own images.
Being successful in any area requires research. In every new endeavor we generally research what it is we want to accomplish. The same holds true with sales. It is a fact that some people are just naturally good sales people. Most of us are not. For those of you that are not naturally good at sales or are not confident in your abilities, you need to learn about sales. Go to your local book store. Look through the business section. There are HUNDREDS of books on sales and how to be an effective sales person. Buy one. Read it. Study it. Practice it. Then put it to use.
Sales is nothing more than building a relationship with your customers so you can help them fulfill a need. Building a relationship with your customer begins the moment they call, email you or meet you out at dinner. The first time you come into contact with your customer is the moment the sales process and relationship building begins. This is so important to remember. If you have not done an outstanding job of 'pre-selling' your client from the moment you meet them, then your customer will not trust you and your sales numbers will reflect that mistrust.
The sales process continues through consultations, the session, and then to the actual sales presentation. During the consultation, it is up to you to provide your client with as much information as necessary for them to make an informed decision that you are the photographer they want to use to fulfill their need. This is a fine line. Give the customer too much information and they will feel overwhelmed. Too little information and they will feel discouraged, uneasy, unsure that the decision to have you fulfill their need is the correct decision. Either way, you have lost out on an opportunity.
Now you are asking, what is the answer? In my studio, I keep the consultation to about 30 minutes. I get the customer talking about themselves, what their needs are, what they are looking for, their family, what they like to do for fun. I look for a common connection with them. If you can find that common connection with your customer, you will book the session everytime! People like doing business with people like themselves and that they like. So listen to your customer. Let them talk about themselves. They will feel good about themselves, good about you, the products you offer, the cost, and the experience.
The sales process continues during the session! During a session, I am constantly looking at the back of the camera and saying things that positively reinforce the customer's decision to have me fulfill their need. For example, 'Oh my goodness! This is so beautiful! This image is perfect for wallets! ' or 'WOW! This will make a fantastic wall portrait!' or 'Your eyes are so big and beautiful in this image! Perfect for your Grad Announcements!' I always show them the image I am talking about. This reaffirms what you are saying. And it makes your subject feel good and they become more involved in the session. Incorporating these types of positive statements during the session, actually programs your client to start thinking about what products they are going to purchase.
After the session is over, I talk with the customer about what's going to happen during the sales presentation. I give them homework. The customer's homework is to go home, think about what products they need for themselves, where in their home they are going to hang their wall portrait and who they are purchasing for in their extended family. I tell them to make a list of these things and to bring that with them to their sales presentation. Again, getting the customer thinking about purchasing before the sales presentation.
In my studio, the sales presentations are projected. We use Pro Select as our projection software. There is other software out there. The information below is not specific to Pro Select. The minute the customer walks in the door, I start talking to them about how excited I am for them to see their beautiful images. By doing this I am building excitement for them. If you are excited about your customer's images, they will be excited.
Next, I play slideshow of their images to them. After the slideshow, we go through the images one by one and pick out the customers favorites. I have found my customers are hesitant to discard images. After researching this, I found that our customers are afraid they are going to hurt my feelings by discarding images. To help ease my customers fear, I tell them after the slideshow, that they are not going to hurt my feelings by discarding the images that are not their favorites. I can literally see my customers relax.
Once the favorites have been picked, we start the selection process. This is the time you need to really listen to your customer and guide them through the buying process. It is your job to present the options to your client. This is the place that most photographers lose during the sales process. Once you have presented your clients with the options, you need to stop talking.
That's right! I said stop talking. Don't say another word. Let the customer talk first. If you talk after presenting the options or a solution, you will lose. This happens because we are unsure of our sales abilities and therefore we talk and talk and talk and end up giving our products away. By not talking, you are telling your customer, 'Hey. I'm confident in my photographic ability and in my sales ability. I trust that you will make the best decision for you!'
There are times during the sales presentation when customers need a little more hand holding. It is your job to walk your customer through this jungle, present ideas and help them make their buying decision. Every customer wants to feel good about their purchases. They want validation and to know that it is ok that they are going to spend this obscene amount of money with you. You can make this happen by starting off on the right foot with your customers the very first time they come in contact with you! So go, right now and start your research on this unique animal called Sales!
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What's Going On at the Landing Forum?
Here are some HOT THREADS going on at our professional photographers forum. Come join the FUN!!!
Wedding Photography
5/22/10: Molly & Nathan
High School Senior Photography
2010 Senior Pricing
You'll need to be logged in to view these threads. Black River Landing requires a user name that is separate from your BRI account. Click here to register for the Landing.
Black River Landing is open to all professional photographers so encourage any of your fellow photography friends to join in and learn and/or contribute to making us all better at our craft.
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