This is probably the Million Dollar question. The truth is that there are many ways to do this, but sometimes it takes trying and testing new methods until you find one that works for you.

That’s why I’m so excited to share a recording from a phone call I recently did with one of our NPB students. His name is Gregg Workman and he’s done some testing in this department and agreed to share one of his techniques with me and everyone else in our little NPB community.

This is why it’s so important to surround yourself with like minded people that have the same goals. You can speed up the process by learning from other peoples mistakes and success.

Press the play button to start the recording and Enjoy! As always…leave me a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

Make sure to take notes and do what Gregg did…Take Action!

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Topic: Printing labs & what to tell the customer…

Every once in a while someone asks me where I print my portraits. What should I tell them? I go to a local printing lab that a lot of professionals and amateurs use in Louisville. But I don’t want the customers thinking they’d just rather get a cd and take it to walmart and print it themself, especially since I’m not offering cd’s. Plus they can also see the price list for prints and although I don’t charge much yet, I still feel funny about that. But I also don’t want to sound like I’m trying to hide anything. So what’s the best answer?

Nikkia

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Nikkia – I get that same question once in a while too. I tell them I have them printed at a professional lab out of state (which I do). I use Black River Imaging most of the time, although I have used H&H too. If I’m in a real hurry I will use a lab here in town, but I never tell them where. They don’t need to know pricing.

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Nikkia, same here. Even when I used to local lab I didn’t tell them where I did it. They are aware there will be a mark-up but if they think I’m paying $2.00 for a 8×10 why is my mark-up $20.00?
I do explain to them there are local labs but mine are done out of town because I get a better product for them and I can actually show them the difference between local and H&H, which is who I use.

Carol

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Thanks girls! I actually thought as I was typing that question, gosh these people are gonna think I’m nuts! But you made me feel not at all nuts~  Glad I asked!

Nikkia

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I always think it is nice to get different opinions and hope one will work.

My son is a locksmith and will open a car door in 2 seconds and charge $25.00-50.00 and the owner will comment on the price versus the time it took and he says he will gladly relock it if they wish, they tell him no. Usually because they have called around and all the $20.00 places won’t show or that is only their day rate so they know there isn’t anyone available. Yes, my son used tools he bought (there are about 15 kinds of “slim jims” one doesn’t fit all models but he also goes to continuing ed classes and has to pay for his vehicle, gas, ins, etc.

Now we all have expenses, equipment to maintain, possible classes and other overhead and that has to be figured in with our prices. I remember one time when I was selling Tupperware a lady wouldn’t buy from me because S&H was $3.50 and we were no longer delivering to customers (now she would have been happy for me to deliver for free to her but it would have cost me gas, time and wear and tear on my car) and then she went to the next booth and bought a toy and did not hesitate to pay $8.50 for S&H because that was the way that company always had that policy.

Carol

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Wow my son is a Locksmith too- charges $65 and when not paid he has re-locked the car.

Does anyone question a doctors charge for looking at the x-rays that cost 50c No he charges for the 12 years plus of med school.

joe

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I tell people who ask me that i send them off to a lab in ______ depending what lab im useing ( i use 3 diff labs depending on what i am doing sports, portraits, etc…)

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I heard a story of a factory that had a million dollar machine that wouldn’t work properly. They had all the engineers and top dogs looking at it and no one knew what the problem was. Eventually they were told by someone that they should call this older gentleman that retired a few years back. So, they did. He came out there, looked at the machine, and put an “x” on a piece inside on one of the circuit boards with a black magic marker. He told them to replace that part he marked with a new one, and it would work just fine. So they did, and it worked perfectly. Saving the company millions in having to purchase new equipment, downtime, etc… When they received his bill, it was for $10,000. The top dogs were livid and asked him to send them an itemized bill. So he did, and here is what it said:

$1.00 – Black sharpie marker to put “x” on part
$9,999.00 – knowing where to put the “x”

If photography was easy, they wouldn’t be coming to you.

J
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I’m just starting portraits, but my sister is in the same mindset. she wants be to take photos of her step-daughters baby, wants them edited into Scott’s scale bg & the moon bg. But she doesn’t want to order through me, she wants to bring a CD for me to put them all on when I am done with the edits & she’ll print them on her “Good” Kodak printer. that way she’ll owe me nothing!

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Sounds like one heck of a good deal !!! NOT…
Have you take the portraits, have you edit them how she wants,
and then just give them to her on a CD so she can print all that she wants on her little home printer… and you get the big fat nothing for your effort and time…
I want one of those deals please

I presume you have enough sense to not go any where near it, at least under the terms you sister has for you.

Nolan

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Heavens NO! she may not talk to me, but I’m not doing all the work and giving her everything for nothing. Besides I don’t want one of my first sessions printed with a home printer.

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yeah it is amazing how people want something for nothing!!

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J, that was a great story you typed. I literally laughed at the itemized bill he sent the company. LOL I totally agree with the bill he sent!

I tell my clients the same – that I get all my prints through a professional lab out of state. We have pro labs here in Houston as well, but I don’t tell them who I go to. They don’t need to know all that. LOL

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OK…so the bottom line is people will be bold and ask some really BOLD questions. You as a business owner need to make sure you have your answers available on the spot. We’ve been asked this many times and always said a private lab. You shouldn’t have to answer personal business questions like were you get your taxes done and things like that…but you will.

Click Here To Re-Tweet This Post

There was a question that came in from Colleen about setting up her Fundraiser table at an event she’s hosting. She wanted to know if I had any tips or suggestions on her table display.

Of course I did and I wanted to share these with all of our subscribers. I know most people just don’t think about the small things, but these can make a HUGE difference.

Take some notes and use these when setting up your next Fundraiser.

Enjoy!

Press the play button to start the recording.

After you get done listening…leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

Scott

It’s under 10 minutes long and it will give you some ideas on how to step outside your comfort zone and start getting some new clients in your photography business.

As always…leave your comments below and let me know your thoughts.

Enjoy!

Press the play button to start the recording.

Watch the short video below to see how you can follow this simple technique.

As usual…post a comment and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Another common problem new photographers have…is creating their (IM) Aka: Interest Magnet. This is a portrait to create desire for their services. Check out some of our IM’s  that we’ve created and now offer to our NPB club members.

Click Here To Check Out Our NPB Digital Creations Club

Gregg, who’s one of our NPB Students, had a promotion for his Photography Business and was wondering why he didn’t receive the best results. After listening to the offer and email he was using…I had a few ideas as to why it didn’t WORK!

Watch the video below as I go through Gregg’s entire promotion and give my advice on how to fix it

I wanted to say thanks again to Gregg, for allowing me to share this with our subscribers.

Talk to ya later!

Scott

There’s certain elements that I cover in this video that can help you maximize both your profits and your client base. You can always modify and tweak these guidelines, but it’s a good starting point.

Enjoy!

Scott

Most successful photographers have started their own businesses with very little experience and learned almost everything through trial and error. All you need is a little bit of talent, a desire to learn some of the technical stuff and a huge amount of passion and enthusiasm.

Tip #1 Start By Building A Portfolio

Take photos of animals every chance you get. If you don’t have your own pet models, then ask someone you know if you can photograph their pet. Tell them you are building your portfolio and that you will give them the photos in exchange for showing their pet in your portfolio. Most likely they will be flattered and you will be one step closer to getting paid clients.

Tip #2 Getting The Shot

Some of the best photographs of animals are the ones that are natural and spontaneous. The more time you spend practicing with animals, you will start developing a connection that will show in your photographs. Animals know if a person is genuine and they will become more at ease and trusting if they know they are liked.

Tip #3 You Don’t Need A Studio

Now, you may be wondering if you need a photography studio or if you can be an on-location photographer. Many pet photographers do not have a portrait studio and still get great results. If you want a studio, a small set up area in your home is all you would need. Animals are usually most comfortable in their own surroundings, therefore producing the most natural photographs. So, be prepared to do some traveling.

Tip #4 Get The Word Out

Remember to find a wide variety of animals to photograph. Start showing your portfolio around town, leave business cards at pet groomers, veterinarians, and other pet related businesses. As your business develops, your name will travel quickly by word of mouth.

Final Thoughts:

Starting  A Pet Photography Business can be a profitable, enjoyable and exciting career. As a pet photographer, you can choose your own work hours and clients and enjoy the freedoms that come from owning your own business. Pursue your passion, get started on your pet photography business and enjoy the rewards of being your own boss!

Happy Shooting!

How to use the “Limited Offer” in your Photography Business Marketing.

You can be the best photographer in the world, but if your marketing stinks, you’re pretty much out of business. You need to constantly focus on testing and improving your marketing forever.

I want to show you a very effective technique that small businesses don’t often use. This can be done over and over again creating a snowball effect that will continue to grow for years.

Using Limited Sessions Or Limited Time Offers

When using these limits in your photography business, it will create what we call (Scarcity) in the marketing world. This will help get people to Take Action and schedule their appointment or buy those extra prints for more profits.

This has been practiced by every successful business and it works. Why is “Black Friday” the biggest shopping day of the year? Because we’ve been trained through marketing that it’s the biggest shopping day.

Why can a store offer these special prices from 5AM until 10AM? They create the specials and remove them at 10AM. The specials don’t just disappear, they are removed by the company that created them. They make up the rules.

So now you might be asking ” How can you add this to your photography business marketing”?

Here’s one example that will show you the potential.

Offer a special theme day for your studio that you’re only having on a certain weekend. Your studio has 15 limited spots available for this special weekend and once they’re gone…they’re gone.

You should start advertising this at least 30 days before the event, so you can build up the excitement and sell out your 15 spots.

The most effective way to market this strategy is through email marketing. This way you can send out the announcement 30 days before the event. Then you should email again 2 times per week letting everyone know about the event. Most importantly, you want to email them when and if it Sells Out.

This is very important because now you’re training your prospects and customers for the next event. If they waited until the last minute for this event and then were  told it was sold out, they’ll call earlier next time.

You will find that the more events you have like this that sell out, the faster you will book up at the next event. Remember, your training your list just like we’ve been trained about Black Friday.

I want to finish by saying that you always want to be honest and upfront and give a reason why it’s limited. In this case, you can only take 15 appointments in 2 days. They are spaced 1 hour apart for their convenience and because you like to allow plenty of studio time for each client’s sitting.

Be creative and learn to love marketing your photography business and the rewards will be endless.

Happy Shooting!

Tip #1 Go the Extra Mile.

If you find their child or pet is a little difficult to work with, spend more time with them. Show them you care about taking whatever time is needed to get that special shot. Many people get embarrassed if their child or pet is not cooperating. Reassure them, make them comfortable and extend every courtesy in helping them. People love to feel special and important. This one point alone will keep your clients coming back and encourages them to tell others about you and your studio in glowing terms.

Tip #2 Be Prompt in Having Their Proofs Ready.

Other companies may be slower in getting their proofs and prints back to their clients. Be diligent on your follow-ups. Getting the proofs into your client’s their hands quickly can help maintain a high degree of interest and earns you more professional respect.

Tip #3 Traditional Viewing vs. Online Proofing.

This is probably the most important concept you need to learn. The traditional one-on-one viewing of  hard copy prints will do more to build your business than the impersonal presentation of on-line images. First, when they come to your studio, they can see the large prints you have up on the wall so you can show them what their print will look like. Because they can see the difference between smaller prints and larger prints, you will have the opportunity of up-selling to a larger size. When you hand them a 4×6 proof, they take possession of the actual physical copy of their image it becomes more real and personal to them than seeing them on the web.

Tip # 4 Using Customers for Marketing.

Putting your contact information and website on the back of each proof makes a great marketing tool. When they show the proofs to friends and relatives, many of them will take the time to go to your website to see your work. Once you have them there, have a special coupon available for download by simply filling out their contact information and email address. In all likelihood, the more proofs you have in circulation the more business you will see coming your way.

Tip #5 Offering the Extras.

As a general rule, whatever size print you first show people, that will be the size they most likely will buy. Always show them larger sizes. Usually they are so taken by the impact of larger prints that up-selling to a larger size is not a problem. Most people would like to be able to pick up their photograph all ready to hang on the wall. Perhaps adding a framing option would give you the opportunity to create a little more revenue plus provide your customers with a complete “Click and Hang” service.

It can’t be emphasized enough that great customer service is what will bring your clients back to you year after year. Developing that special one-on-one relationship with your clients and prospective clients is vital to establishing a strong foundation for your business. It is a very worthwhile investment of your time and resources.

I hope you enjoyed these tips.

Happy Shooting

Scott