FROM PHOTOGRAPHER TOMMY PETERSON
Photographer Tommy Peterson
One of the areas of business that photographers often have less experienced in is ‘Sales’. In the beginning most photographers feel that their photography will sell itself. I have come to understand that this is certainly not true! To be in business for yourself you must learn to be a good sales person as well. Your photography will only get you so far. Good sales techniques will carry you so much farther than the photography will. The following are my tips for a Salesperson.
Selling their work online gallery vs in person: I know a lot of photographers, even excellent and well-seasoned photographers, are really afraid to be a Salesperson. The reasons may include the fear of rejection, not wanting to be pushy or appearing pushy, not wanting to do the extra work, etc. But the reality is when you put your images online in a gallery for proofing and purchasing, you are missing a large part of what is intended to be done in-person and that is the personal interaction with your client. Do not leave your sales to a computer screen. It’s just not good enough.
Have eye contact: If you are like myself, you may find it a challenge to keep eye contact because it makes you uncomfortable but it’s the best way to deal with your clients. It will help build trust.
Show Samples of your work: If your work speaks for itself, then let your customers see it. Most customers will never buy a 20×30 without seeing one in person. But once they see a 20×30 canvas gallery wrap, it is a glorious thing. It really sells itself. If you want to sell large sizes that will make you lots of money, you MUST display them in your sales room. See photo 01 and photo 02.
Know your prices: When you go to a store, you expect to see prices clearly labeled on the merchandise, weather that be a car dealership or your local grocery store. It doesn’t matter. You want to know what everything will cost. When I deal with any business, I like knowing that they are charging me what everyone else is being charged. When someone hesitates or just seems to make a price up, it irritates me. It makes me feel like they are not being honest. Don’t be that guy. See photo 03.
Romancing: Often times we are afraid to tell our clients how beautiful we think their images are because we are shy or because we don’t want to come across that we are being phony or that we are “trying to sell to them”, but we ARE trying to sell to them. A good sales person will be honest about what images they like and say so. See photo 04.
Taking orders vs selling: Most photographers who are successful business owners know the difference between order taking and actually selling their photography. Order takers are great when a client comes in knowing exactly what they want to buy. They’re great at knowing the product line and know why they fit the client’s needs well. But in this line of work, it is better to be a true salesperson. You don’t have to be pushy to be a great salesperson. You just need to know how to sale your product.
Look the part: we are not only selling portraits, we are selling ourselves as well. It is easier for people to trust you if you always look professional.
Selling out of your own pocketbook: Don’t think about what you would or wouldn’t spend. Just offer the client the right package for their needs and let them tell you whether or not they want to spend that kind of money. Again, it comes down to priorities. Some people think that portraits are EXTREMELY important and are willing to pay premium prices to have great portraits of their loved ones. Others think that $10 for any print is too much. If a couple is telling you that they want a 5×7 for every grandchild and they have 30 grandchildren, don’t freak out and sell them a CD so they can do it themselves or don’t drop the price from $30 to $10 each because you are afraid of what they might say. Just quote them $900 for those 5x7s. You might be surprised how many times people will actually pay a lot more than we expect.
Maintain control: It will help to keep the sales session concise and keep them from lasting too long. When I started, I remember taking over four hours just to choose images with the client and they ended up walking out of my home without purchasing a thing. They did order later, a small order barely equaling $200, but that was ridiculous and I should have had a better system to proofing and ordering with my client. I definitely learned from this mistake.
After years of photographing clients, I have learned the hard way that to really survive in this market, I have to be a good sales person. Good photography will get customers to you and good sales make you a living.
Tommy Peterson
