End of Year Seniors

Senior-Jump

Phone calls to your studio — be prepared to respond with a special sale offer. Every phone contact you receive is valuable. You can not afford to let a potential customer hang up without making an appointment.

To get some ideas to help writing up your phone presentation, watch late night TV infomercials. Learn the techniques of presenting the products features by explaining the benefit of each feature. Have a total value price that is on special and even discounted a little more for those who act now. And oh yeah, almost forgot, “But Wait There’s More”, have an extra special bonus for them if they book right now and give you a credit card. You could even offer a two for one special, just like late night. They bring a student friend and both get a session.

Your offer needs to be tested and tuned until you find one that is irresistible. Try to make a package that does not exist with other photographers. This eliminates direct comparisons if they are shopping. Be able to explain the compelling benefit of each feature. Use emotions, get the caller involved with the fun, excitement and memories possible with quality portrait photography. This is a once in a lifetime event being preserved. Why would they trust this to just anyone getting started or learning on their time and dime?

Print package special would likely include a session, mention it has been very popular and is the one they have seen most of their friends have. Talk about the different poses and outfits and locations. Let them know how each will make them look great, handsome, beautiful, intelligent, what ever the mood or feeling of the shot. Oh yeah, almost forgot, part of the super spiffy special this session includes some extra shots, poses or outfit changes that are great to include a friend if you like. Next talk about some of the photo prints in the package. Explain how much each family member and friend will appreciate every print they receive. Different sizes and poses for different people. There could be a bonus here as well, an extra pose and print in the super spiffy special not in regular packages. People want lots of poses so a brag proof book would be a good thing to include. Explain they likely will want some poses for their Facebook on a disk. This and/or the brag proof book could be the “but wait there’s more” closing offer. After you go through the package in detail and before mentioning the price run through the package again quickly outlining all the products and services and then mention the low special price. Pause a bit and then ask how this sounds to them. Way to high, About right, Can’t believe I get so much… then wait for response. Have some answers prepared and some extra things you can add at special prices.

One of the best opening lines ever for incoming phone calls to your studio just after the customer identifies themselves and states the reason for their call you reply…  it’s great you called today.  Pause a bit, they will be surprised to hear this. Then continue with, We are right in the middle off, or Just getting started with, or In the final few weeks off, our super spiffy special.  Replace of course super spiffy with the Name of your special.

To help make your phone ring a little more–

Use your studio Facebook page to post some pics and mention your end of season sale.

Ask your friends and previous customers to post something similar.

Tweet about the special and all the fun kids are having with the sessions. Describe how glad they are that they decided to have senior pictures taken professionally at a real studio.

The word is… It’s not to late to get in on all the fun and excitement of senior pictures.

There’s still time to get in on creating a lifetime memory and they are the only one who can do it.

Senior portraits costs less than you think.

Coming up, a tip on how to get class officers to brag about your studio and a blog post detailing The Top 5 All Time Senior Picture Marketing Steps.

As always your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Photo Collage – A Symphony

Michael's Photography Photo Collage

There is a story about a man who was visiting a museum showing works by the renowned portrait artist Yousuf Karsh. The man was admiring the portrait of famous cellist Pablo Casals. The curator of the museum noticed this man studying the image for an extended time and for some reason thought he should stop and start a conversation. The man viewing the portrait asked the curator to please be quiet since he was trying to ‘hear the music’. The image by Karsh was so compelling the museum visitor felt he could indeed hear Casals playing.

The first photo collage I saw several years ago featuring 9 images of little baby feet, fingers, eyes and wrinkles inspired me to make the comparison that if the Casals portrait of one cellist was music, surely this collage was the entire symphony. The photographer who created this composite used skilled lighting and composition to present each little feature as a living object with shape and feeling. Each image was it’s own tiny little voice speaking to you. If I a non related viewer felt these emotions can you just image how this child’s parents valued this portrait.

A photo collage with this kind of power will be a real money maker for a professional portrait photographer.  Photographers should strive to make their work the very best ensuring each image they create expresses the persons spirit.

Some might say the photo collage is an old idea. As a photographer you may have stopped offering this type of product. That is a mistake. For the mother with a brand new baby this a new idea. Many photo poses from a few years ago will look brand new to today’s parents. The child on a white tricycle on a white background with a few colored helium balloons floating above them was a wild shot 30 years ago and can be popular again. There are many other standards from 10, 20 or 30 years ago that can be resurrected to build portrait studio excitement and the need for a real studio camera room.

Collages are a great way to showcase special life moments, like a baby’s first year (or month!). Wedding photos and high school seniors are also very good subjects for a photo collage. With a photo collage you can assemble all of your customers favorite poses to create a one-of-a-kind keepsake. The Photo Collage is a Unique Photo Gift and The Perfect Memory Keepsake.

Build studio profits everyday with quality professional photo printing from Pechman Imaging.

The hardest part of making a photo collage or growing your business is just getting started. To make this a little simpler Pechman Lab has several styles of photo collage templates you can drag and drop your images to instantly create your own symphony.

Please leave your comments and suggestions to make this article and marketing idea better. Or let us know of topics you would like discussed in future posts.