Tag Archives: Professional Photographers

Professional Photographers New Years Resolutions

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Professional PhotographyThis blog posting isn’t directly about professional photo lab services or new professional photography studio techniques. This posting may though provide you with additional photographic opportunities that you will then be able to use your professional photography skills.

Today’s idea for January is for you to make a list of your top business customers. This could be a hospital, realtor, dance school, nursery school or sports league. Make a second list of the competitors of these people who you would like to gain as new customers in 2012. Next make a short script outlining what you would like to learn from these existing customers and what they have planned for 2012. Try to learn of any changes or new direction in their business.

Thank your customers for their business of course and ask how you did this year. Get a score card assessment from them of your service. Ask if they have any thoughts or suggestions as to new, additional or modified services you should be offering them.You can ask them about specific projects they have coming up that you could be getting ready to work with them on in 2012. If there is a project, determine the best time to follow up and whom should you contact.

You might inquire about your contacts personal goals for 2012 if possible or appropriate. Determine how their goals might impact your relationship.

Combine all the information you have learned from your current customers. You might have learned of some important industry or local trends.  Now looking at your new lead list, design a script outline comparing things you can offer to similar business that you already know the market is moving toward. Remember to explain these ideas as benefits to the business.

For studios who do not work with companies or groups, you might make a list of your top 5 families. Beyond the natural thank you ask about changes taking place in their family during 2012. There might be a new birth, graduation, marriage or job promotion coming up. Determine the best time to follow up with them about this opportunity.

Your big goal in all this is to solidify past customers and gain a few new ones for 2012.

Stop Missing Profits – Improve Your Photo Studio Bottom Line

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Photo Dust JacketsWedding photo albums using custom collage designs are highly profitable. Most brides who only take your image disk statistically will never get professional photo prints or a photo album made. Those professional photographers who perpetuate the disk only business model are doing themselves and their customer a big disservice. Some photographers have had trouble selling albums and prints after the wedding because they have not presented the products correctly and possible they have priced these items to high. The photographer forgot that they had already been paid to shoot the event and deliver corrected files. In this situation, prints and albums would be priced to include only the labor and costs to produce these products, not the labor at the event.

If you are not selling enough books or prints you might try two things. Rethink your presentation of these items. Be sure to present these products showcasing the emotional  appeal and long term family memories value that they provide. Consider different pricing levels. Experiment with both items until you find the sweet spot.
When you show your photo books have 2 or 3 styles  to show and have a couple of options available. This makes your customers decision, “which style and options do they want” vs “do they want a book today or  later”. Photo dust jackets with a leather cover or a full  photo infused leatherette cover are two popular options. Presenting two sizes of books, “The Grande” (24×12) pano book or the “Deluxe” (20×10) book makes a good choice to offer.
Remember to test, experiment, ask questions of your  customers, keep speaking about the memories and emotional value of the products. You will improve your profits while providing your customers with treasured memories.

Increase Family Portrait Sales

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Professional photographers can increase holiday family portrait sales by featuring portrait groupings instead of just a single wall portrait. The grouping ideally will have three individual portrait prints. These can be all one size or one larger and two smaller images. You can also have a large, medium and small group option where the entire grouping scales in size. These choices encourages your customer to begin considering size and display options vs whether to buy or not.

Knowing in advance where your customer is planning to display their family portrait will provide you with the information to make the best suggestions.

Once you have the prints and sizes selected you can naturally move to frame selection. Discounts or packages that include basic frames will encourage sales.

Don’t forget to suggest Holiday Greeting Cards. Pechman has several nice Photo Greeting Cards available this season featuring Kodak Metallic Photo Paper and the New Value Line Press Style Picture Greeting Cards.