How To Get JR Class Officers To Be Senior Reps

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Adrian Michigan Senior Portraits

Senior Portraits, Adrian Michigan

Your goal is to get them to come to your studio for mini sample sessions and get their opinion on senior pictures and current senior styles and fashions. Get these images and their comments on the class officers FB and Twitter. Post the same information to your studio blog. Do some video snippets of these sessions and interviews and yes, put them on FB and your blog. Tweet the links.

How to get started. You are going to send them a letter addressed to Junior Class President, ABC High School. Your letter should present the idea that as a class officer their opinion and thoughts are important. This letter must be flattering to them but also sincere. You would like to show them how much fun pictures can be and how much their loved ones will appreciate having a professional photo prints. You get to show their family, them and their friends how much fun and how important senior pictures are in their lives. During the session and pose viewing you want to get their opinions of senior pictures. Take some video featuring their comments and experience. After they get a few prints and present these to their families get some more reactions from them and their parents and friends. All of this can be edited tastefully and placed on your blog, Facebook and Twitter. Later these officers might be able to create a small mailing list of their friends for you, you just need to ask. You should now have samples of the next senior class online to show and stir up a little action. You will also have testimonials explaining the value and importance of senior pictures on your blog and social media pages.

End of Year Seniors

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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

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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.

Profitable Family Portrait Photography Today and Beyond

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Portrait Photographers Rochester Michigan

Portrait Photographers Rochester Michigan

Learn how to convert every phone inquiry for a family portrait into an appointment. What if as a bonus you got the customer involved for two more appointments at the same time? (Note: This program will also get Mom’s talking on Facebook about the good deal they received from your studio. This will then generate additional phone calls to your studio.)

How to begin – Print up a little certificate booklet containing 3 certificates each offering an 8×10 portrait (or some basic one pose package) and basic sitting. Price this booklet so that you get the regular price for the first session and 8×10 and then add in your production costs (shipping, prints etc) for the other two sessions. Round this total of the three sessions to anything that you find you have success with ($49, $69, $89). Realize that people first calling and asking prices are usually shocked by $100+ quotes for one picture. Everyone will be telling them numbers like this. You will be different because you have not only taken care of this picture opportunity but their next two needs during the next year or two. This is a big savings in the customers mind. Now when someone calls shopping for a deal, have you got it!  Explain you have a special 3 sitting package that can be used by their family during the next 1-2 years. This could be of the kids, the entire family, mom & dad, grandma & grandpa, the puppy, their senior or a wedding portrait etc. The neat part is that by making the advance purchase they get a super deal. They get three for less than the cost of two. You should also have special additional print prices that go along with this plan.

Of course you need to talk about more than price. Remember this, People buy on emotions, so you still have to get them involved thinking of all the wonderful memories this portrait will preserve for them and excited about you doing the picture. Logic (a sale, good value, service etc.) though keeps this sold and them happy.

Part of your price presentation should be to mention the total regular price of all three sessions and prints. Example: This is a $350 value normally priced at $249 and with the Family Plan today all three sessions and three prints are only $89.  If you have never watched TV infomercials, spend some time there. Follow their methods of presenting their products and prices. You might even have a ‘but there’s more’ offer to add to your family plan for those who take the offer right now with out ‘thinking it over’ or calling back.  You might include a fourth session for only the shipping and handling. Any kind of small bonus will work.

Phone Sales Suggestions – The Studio Phone rings.

Customer – I’m calling about a family picture, how much are your 8×10’s?

Studio – It’s great you called today!  (This gets the customers attention and helps diffuse the need to start talking about money right away.) We’re right in the middle of; just starting; in the final two weeks of; our annual super something special.  Could I ask how you heard of our studio?  When was the last time you had your family picture made?  When do you suppose you will be having the next picture made? I see that this is something pretty special to you since it is something you don’t have done just everyday and I’m sure you’ll want everything done just right, won’t you? Ask questions about the number of people in their family, who normally gets copies of the photograph and when they were planning on presenting the photographs. These questions will help qualify this customer, IE do you want to offer them a Family Plan. If they only have one 8×10 from a sitting you don’t want them for a customer. On the other hand if they have lots of relatives and friends who always get a picture they would be great prospects for a family plan. The additional photo print sale is what makes this profitable for the portrait studio. The customer gets the additional sittings and special duplicate print prices as their reward for being a loyal repeat customer. Everyone wins.

Refunds – If someone moves and asks for a refund of the unused coupons they get the costs that the remaining coupons are worth. Spell this out in writing on the coupon certificate you provide.

Extra Hints – During the first sitting/sales cycle find out who and when they would like the other pictures made. You could go through your card file and remind these people of their need for a sitting, helping you to fill in slow times. Offer your family portrait plan to a current customer you want to give something extra. Sell the plan to current customers to be used by them as a photo gift to one of their friends or relatives. Donate a few plans to charity auctions.

The goal of your Family Portrait Plan is two fold. One – get today’s sitting by being different and offering the great value and service of a Family Plan. Secondly – you want future sessions committed to your photography studio and the Family Plan accomplishes this goal.

Today’s successful portrait studio photographers combine their photo and business skills with quality professional photo printing from their professional photo lab.

Please add your comments and suggestions for this article and others you might like to see in the future.

 

Boost Portrait Studio Sales With A Portrait Fundraiser

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Need to boost your portrait studio sales this year? Looking for a way to help your church or civic group raise some extra money?

Church groups, sports leagues and school bands all need more money.

This is the perfect time for a professional portrait fundraiser. There’s very little cost to start one. Community groups will make attractive profits with your professional photography fundraiser. The program and certificates are easy to sell.

Consider that Family Portraits are Earth Friendly and they are Made in the USA. Your portrait fundraiser program can offer a selection of sizes and styles that are competitively priced and attractively packaged.

Getting a group of people to work for your studio to get portrait appointments is a way of multiplying your sales efforts. You make a couple of calls to get a group (5-50) of people to go out and talk about your studio. If each person made 2 calls each, you have just gotten a lot of publicity from your only two calls.

In addition the group will make all the money they need for their program and those getting portraits will have a wonderful memory and a great savings. Everyone wins big time.

Your plan is as follows. Print a certificate that is redeemable for a portrait session and print (probably an 8×10 or it could be a small multi print package from one pose). This can sell for $9.95, 14.95, 19.95, 24.95 or 29.95, anything that you feel will be acceptable. Give the band group $5, $10, $25 or what ever it takes and you agree to for selling the coupon. You get the balance (keep enough to cover your basic costs). Explain to the group that they collect their fee when they sell and deliver the coupon. The coupons are printed stating that the balance (use actual amount) is payable to the studio at the time of the session. Be sure to also print the group name and all your contact info on the certificate. Emphasize to the group that they have no upfront investment, no bookkeeping, no responsibility to keep your money, only a sure fire way to make money for their group.  Organizations like the idea that they have no investment and even if a coupon is lost or stolen they are not responsible to you for any money. If a stolen coupon comes into your studio the customer still has to pay you your money so you are always covered and need never have to go back to collect anything from the selling group.

You can put a fairly short time limit on the coupon that would get sittings into your studio sooner. A longer time limit, say 1 year, would let the group sell more coupons. People could see using these for seniors or Christmas portraits. You could offer an ‘Early Bird’ bonus for those who choose to use the certificate earlier in the year. This gets some action early in the program and gives you the benefit of both long and short expirations.

Your Portrait Photography Fundraiser offers the following benefits: NO money upfront – you provide all the sales materials the group needs to hold their portrait fundraiser. No selling required. Many people within their group will have a family event during the year that would be perfect to commemorate with a professional portrait. The fundraiser merely allows them to obtain this portrait at a discount and contribute to their groups program at the same time. Everybody wins. Purchasers can call the studio at their convenience for an appointment.

People know and trust your portrait studio because you deliver quality professional photo prints at a great price. This program offers your customers spectacular value and is extremely easy to sell.

Today’s successful portrait studio photographers combine their photo and business skills with quality professional photo printing from a professional photo lab.

Pet Portraits – Professional Photography Studio Promotion

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Pet portraits are a great professional photography studio promotion. The most effective way to promote and photograph this pet portraits is to work with a local pet grooming salon. They have the base of customers you are trying to meet. Why run ads when you can make a few sales calls to meet salon owners and present your idea?

The promotion is explained that the pet salon has provided the portrait session as a thank you to their loyal customers. Prints and photo products are available for purchase at special prices the salon has negotiated with the professional photographer.

The photographer will donate to the salon the session and possibly a commission on sales. This is negotiated with the salon owner.

After the salon staff spends the day grooming the pets you will photograph each of the pets before pickup by the pet owner. Many groomers will assist in the photography by directing the pet. Remember, the pet knows the groomer and will respond well to their instructions. From experience these portraits are easier, faster and better without the pet owner being in the salon or involved in the portrait session.

Try to get a close up face, medium and full body shots. Your zoom lens helps a lot with this step. Have enough light to shoot at f8 to f16. You want the pet to be sharp and clear. Some tests will be of help here.

Set up a second visit to show the pet owner the photo proofs or a package of professional photo prints. You could show the images on a computer screen but it is too easy to leave on screen images behind. Prints lying on the table that look like they are heading toward the trash are purchased. Price the proof prints at a higher price for one proof or a discount price if all prints are purchased.

Have various products available in addition to print packages. Photo buttons, picture magnets, calendars, blankets, tote bags any thing you can think of that the customer will want to have their pet portrait displayed.

The keys to the success of this promotion and the benefits to each party are as follows: The salon is able to provide a valuable professional pet portrait to their clients creating good will and lasting loyal customers. The pet owner has a convenient one-stop way to get quality pet portraits at a discount as compared to making a personal studio visit.

You might start your search for pet grooming salons by listing the names of salon locations and owners you might use. Ask you customers the names of grooming salons they utilize for their pet grooming. Ask any friends, neighbors or family members the same question. Take this list and start your visits.

Todays successful portrait studio photographers combines their photo and business skills along with quality professional photo printing from their professional photo lab.

Adobe Lightroom 4 beta Reviews and News

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Adobe Lightroom 4 beta is now available for download and evaluation from the Adobe website. This is a full featured piece of software you can use for free until March 31, 2012. At that time you may choose to upgrade or stop using the software. For the professional photographers who want a fast high quality tool to process their raw camera files this upgrade has some excellent improvements. Some of the process module adjustment sliders have been rearranged and renamed to make their use more intuitive. A much requested soft proofing option is now available.

Some great online resources with some up to date information on the new features in Lightroom 4 are:

Michael Reichmann at www.Luminous-Landscape.com  is offering a free 22 minute streaming video showing the primary new features in Lightroom 4. While you are at The Luminous Landscape you should check out their highly recommended photography training videos.

Ian Lyons on his website www.computer-darkroom.com has in addition to his great photography posted a very informative article describing the new features available in Lightroom 4. Read his article:  Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 – Public Beta Preview

Andrew Rodney aka the Digital Dog has posted a video on his website www.digitaldog.net showing the use of the soft proof feature that has been added to Lightroom 4.

If you have never been to any of these sights, be warned, these three photographers have so much amazing information and knowledge available that you will be spending a lot of time on their websites.

Great files deserve quality professional photo printing and some of the very best professional photo prints are available at Pechman Imaging.

How to Increase Professional Portrait Photography Sales Today

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To Increase Professional Portrait Photography Sales today you might consider adding event photography to your photo studio services.

To begin make a list of anyone you know who has children in a sport program, dance school or day care school. Contact them and ask for names of anyone they might know who would be in charge of the group. If they do not know the leader ask if they might know of another member who might know. If you do not know of people directly involved with any of these groups you would then just ask everyone you know if they might put you in touch with one of their friends who might belong to such a group. You will be surprised how few people you actually have to ask before you begin compiling a nice list of potential customers

During your conversations with friends who have children in these programs you want to learn as much as possible about their likes and dislikes of their current photography program. Are there services or products they wished they had available? Retake days or how many retakes were needed for their last photo day. How long did photo day take? Was photo day smooth or hectic? How long did it take to get picture packages and were they accurately completed?

Armed with this market research make a list of your business strengths. Focus on describing these features as a benefit to the customer. Be aware that the real customer you must impress is the group leader. Explain your services as benefits to not only the members but also how you always focus your efforts to make the leaders job ‘hassle free’ and smooth.

Now you should be ready to make your appointments. You may need to call a couple of times to get a meeting. Be friendly but persistent and offer helpful ideas during each call. Make them an offer they can’t refuse.  You might partially describe an important service or product that is so interesting or intriguing that they have to see it in person at a meeting.

Remember that you likely will not get meetings with every contact but by making enough calls you will get appointments and book some jobs. Since each job has many customers you win even without booking every jobs. Missed jobs this year will be your leads for next season. Keep lists of contact names, dates of calls and a brief summary of your conversations listing the key details unique to their group you discovered. Since you are in this for the long haul you just need to remain patient and persistent.

Your unique photography and impeccable service combined with professional photo printing is your winning combination.

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.

Proof Books Make Profit Create Happy Customers

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Proof Book

Bound Proof Books Make Profit and Create Happy Customers

How do professional portrait photographers make profit and at the same time create happy portrait photography customers? One idea is to always suggest a proof book or two as add on gifts. These are great for Grandmas and Moms. They fit nicely in a purse and are the perfect brag book to show off their children. Pechman professional photo lab has several size proof books available. Two very popular sizes are the 2×3 and 5×5 books. With ten photos included these books make a great gift. Priced from $10.25 assembled in a gift box ready to deliver these proof books make great Holiday Gifts.

Remember, if you do not ask your customer for the sale, you very likely will never get the order. Show the books, suggest the books, describe how much other customers have thanked you for selling them these books, all methods to increase sales and make profit.