photo by LightFieldStudios via iStock
It’s no secret that the photography industry has taken a huge hit during this pandemic, which means that it’s even more important you aren’t letting leads get away from you.
I don’t know about you, but when I first started in photography, it was very difficult for me to learn how to sell.
Unfortunately, I have never had much luck Googling different sales strategies, because people who write about sales strategies on the internet tend to be pretty pushy. That has never been my style.
But, finalizing the sale in photography can be a really easy job if you know some basic photography business tips.
And, most importantly, finalizing the sale in photography doesn’t mean you have to be one of those pushy sales people either.
Explain Everything Thoroughly
photo by FatCamera via iStock
This is probably the only tip on this finalizing the sale article that is a typical sales strategy.
The client is going to feel uneasy about you if you don’t discuss things that they later on read in the contract you send to them. Similarly, they definitely aren’t going to be happy if the contract you send them doesn’t match what you promised.
Explain everything to them upfront before getting into the knitty gritty. Explain what products you are offering them, explain when they can expect those products and finally explain any odd clauses they may not understand once they receive their contract.
photo by Phoenixns via iStock
The most important part of this tip, though, is to make yourself and your product sound amazing. You need to be passionate about your business or this step will be almost impossible.
I mean, think about it. Are you more likely to go to a dog trainer who says she’s more of a cat person, or are you more likely to go to a dog trainer who tells you she volunteers for the Humane Society on the weekends?
photo by sanjeri via iStock
Talk about why you love photography so much. Talk about why you love working with your photography clients so much. And, finally, talk about finalizing the sale.
It also doesn’t hurt to throw in some marketing words while doing so. For instance, using words like “free” or “extra” subconsciously influences your clients into thinking they’re getting a better deal with you than with the other photographer they just interviewed.
Be Truthful About the Experience
photo by Erstudiostok via iStock
You won’t be finalizing the sale with any clients right now if they feel you aren’t being honest about the amount of experience you have, about the amount of clients you currently work with, or about what you can deliver to them.
Being honest about everything will help your client know that they can trust you. What stinks about this tip is that sometimes being completely honest means turning someone down.
photo by Gennaro Leonardi via iStock
For instance, if you really don’t think you have any more time to take on a client for a photoshoot the week they’ve requested you, you have to be upfront about that.
It also means a client may turn you down for not having enough years of experience or for not having the right equipment.
But, missing out on finalizing the sale is a lot better than ending up with an unhappy client who will definitely leave a Yelp review voicing their unhappiness.
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Surprise Them With a Closing Gift
This is one of the best tips I can give to you while you are learning how to seal the deal with your clients.
Anyone who has worked in big sales before, like realtors, understands just how important a closing gift is. Closing gifts ensure that a client knows you were thankful for their business, but they also ensure that the client is especially happy with the quality of your service.
This is why I don’t understand why more photographers don’t use closing gifts.
I’m definitely not suggesting that your closing gift needs to be as large and extravagant as something a realtor may buy for one of their clients, but a small closing gift will go just as far in winning you favor with your clients.
I’ve been using small canvas prints as part of my business model for a really long time. The reason why I use canvas prints as closing gifts is because they are relatively cheap (I can buy a canvas print for as little as $20 through CanvasHQ, which is well under 10% of any sale I’m making), but they are still extremely beautiful and thoughtful.
Plus, you know that your canvas print is going to be hung up in a home somewhere, which means that you will probably get a little bit of free marketing from it whenever friends ask about the photograph.
I use CanvasHQ prints for my closing gifts both because of the price, as I mentioned above, and because they create high-quality prints that I think match the quality of my photography.
For example, all of CanvasHQ’s products are handcrafted and hand stretched. They have multiple checkpoints throughout the process in case there is an error and they keep you informed about where they are the entire time. This ensures that even though it’s a free gift, it looks just as beautiful as the prints I sell to clients.
So, if you really want to seal the deal with your client, think about offering a closing gift. Even a small print can go a long way in convincing your clients that you deserve their repeat business.