A huge crowd turned up last week to the first of our two-part webinar series focused on the most critical issue facing professional photographers: how to survive and thrive in today’s demanding market.

But plenty more people missed it and asked us to post a recording online.

So here’s part one: How to sell albums (and why)

Or click here to watch it full screen on our vimeo channel.

Ian (Director and co-founder), Stephen Baugh (Managing Director) and Jo Newman (UK Account Manager) answer some important questions…

What can my competitors teach me? How should I choose my sample albums? How could I double my sales per wedding? How could I offer cheap coverages without selling them? How could my “best” offer be too successful? Are the most successful photographers the best photographers? What do you mean, there are only two ways to compete?

Click here to view the takeaway notes to this webinar.

This week we follow on with part two of the series: How much do you need to charge? Details and registration here.

Cheers, Nigel

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Interesting question from Sergey on my Opportunities post.

What do you do if people want this cool album that they’ve never seen before – but they want to postpone the purchase, maybe until their first anniversary.

Here’s what we think.

As they say, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I’d look for a way to sweeten the deal and get a commitment now.

OK, we hate the D word, but maybe a discount would do the trick. Or arrange monthly payments via credit card, preferably with a deposit to cover your costs. Anyway, try hard for a commitment now, and get the album out there working for you. In twelve months your chances of a sale will be much less.

But here’s our main point. Cherry picking like this is a problem if you sell “a la carte” instead of using packages.

It’s a fair assumption that most people have no idea what professional photographers like you do, and what they do “know” is largely defined by price shoppers, your budget competition and stuff they read on The Knot etc. Packages enable you to show them – wow them – and define what you’d like them to buy, and the price.

They also enable you to be generous if they commit ahead of time to what you want them to buy.

Sergey had another comment. After seeing Queensberry type products many people won’t settle for ordinary. Packages (Good, Better, Best) are a strategy for handling that too.

We have a webinar coming up tomorrow on these very topics. Click here for more details, and to register. See you there?

Cheers
Ian

PS Yes, we know every studio is different, so maybe packages aren’t for you. Worth thinking about though. We also agree packages need to be flexible.

PPS You could also check out our Knowledge Base for more on album-based marketing (you’ll need to log in).

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I’m dropping my prices … people aren’t spending as much … my bookings are down … I need to go to cheaper albums … I’ve started doing shoot-and-burn … I’m worried about my income.

You’ve heard the talk. Are you struggling in the face of competition, recession and demanding clients? Or do you just want to hear someone else’s take on things?

As well as our usual Photojunction webinars, we’re hosting two new ones on the most critical issue facing professional photographers: how to survive and thrive in today’s demanding market.

Webinar 1: How to sell albums (and why)
Thurs 19 August NZT.

What can my competitors teach me? How should I choose my sample albums? How could I double my sales per wedding? How could I offer cheap coverages without selling them? How could my “best” offer be too successful? Are the most successful photographers the best photographers? What do you mean, there are only two ways to compete?

Webinar 2: How much do you need to charge?
Thurs 26 August NZT.

I know how much I want to earn, but how much do I need to charge my clients to make it? How much is enough? What happens if my bookings go down, or I move to cheaper albums … or shoot-and-burn?

Ian has created a spreadsheet to help you answer those questions – and more important, show the impact on your income if you change what you’re doing – or your bookings go up or down. This powerful tool will be available online so you can use it yourself.

Don’t miss out. Book now.

It’s our first time with this content so numbers will be limited. Ian will present, with comment and questions from QBY CEO Stephen Baugh and Jo Newman (UK Account Manager). You’re welcome to submit questions in advance, or ask them during the event. Notes and resources will be available to take away.

Click here for webinar times and to reserve your place.

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Nigel’s post about Chris MacKenzie creating his own luck reminded me the world is full of opportunities. The problem is to recognise them and take action.

I was at a seminar in the States 2-3 years ago, a roomful of high net worth business people plus me.

We got to talking about Queensberry, and wedding albums in general.

Not one of them had ever seen a Queensberry or anything like it.

One guy had recently married at an exclusive Carribean resort … spent a gazillion bucks on the event … and “ticked the box” for a shoot-and-burn DVD from the resort’s tame photographer.

I had to go and get an album from my hotel room to show them what I was talking about. They loved it. A roomful of opportunities for the taking.

Cheers, Ian

PS According to dailyfinance.com, global wealth rose by 11.5% in 2009 and the number of millionaire households (in USD) by 14%. Millionaires are thickest on the ground in Singapore (11.4% of households) and Hong Kong (8.8%), but the USA has the most (4.7m). FYI.
Go get ‘em. But please don’t assume they’ll only spring for shoot ‘n’ Burn

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Meet Chris MacKenzie. He’s new to the industry. He’s working hard to build his business. He’s doing it in the tough UK market. And, he’s just set up a promotion with an exclusive venue in his area. A real ‘corker’ to use his words.

“The first day I was there, I met the Executive Vice President at Pebble Beach Golf Resort. The next day I met a billionaire. On my third visit, I met an Australian couple who’d just returned from a luxury six week tour of Europe. They were so taken by my sample albums that the chap started asking about using Queensberry to display his holiday snaps.”

Now some might say he was just lucky, but three new prospects and a potential album sale from three visits isn’t bad going. And all for a little time spent networking.

Networking isn’t an art. Or should I say, shouldn’t be an art. It’s about being genuine.

Most of us do it every day without even knowing, but being a little more organised certainly does help.

Let’s use Chris as an example…

Big picture, his ultimate goal is to build his business and client list.

He’s identified who he wants on that client list, figured out where they hang out, and gone and hung out there too. Simple.

Not some awe-inspiring marketing strategy, just a thoughtful approach to networking.

Networking is one of your most powerful marketing tools, especially in a largely relationship-driven industry like this.

You don’t have to wait for people to walk through your door, or for your phone to ring. Put yourself about a little, get out there and start building relationships… You’ll be investing in the long term health of your business. Promise.

Was Chris lucky? Yeah, maybe. But I think he’s creating his own luck.

Cheers, Nigel

PS Check out Chris’s blog and you might see a pattern forming.

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Darlene Hildebrandt was running a very successful Edmonton (Canada) studio with her first husband when we first met in 2000.

She’d come from nowhere to become one of our best clients in spectacular fashion – spectacular because it happened so quickly!

Often we find new clients “convert” their business to Queensberry quite slowly. In many cases they have contracts with their customers to deliver a Brand X album, and feel obligated to do so.

But having made the emotional commitment to move on, Darlene wasn’t prepared to be that passive.

Every single one of her upcoming wedding clients upgraded to Queensberry and paid more money for it.

In this brief interview Darlene explains HOW and WHY she did it, and how you can too.

Darlene eventually became a Queensberry representative, and continued to be so for almost a decade. That has given her enormous experience of the challenges faced by studios, and makes this interview even more worth the listen.

Click here to listen to our interview with Darlene.

Cheers, Nigel.

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Kathryn tweeted Ian about his blog post on selling to men, saying her studio actually did better with guys than girls. He asked her if she’d mind sharing with us – Nigel

Just like Johannes, I read Ian’s comments the other day about selling to men with great interest, because of late, we’ve noticed a real trend in our business: Grooms seem to like us more than brides do!

While that’s actually mildly alarming in one way (we don’t want brides NOT to like us!), it’s also a good thing. It means we don’t need to worry about the grooms seeming bored, terrified, or otherwise un-engaged with us and what we do.

We now frequently find that a couple is meeting with us because when the groom looked at photographers, he liked us.

When we stopped to think about the comments the guys had made to us, we realised there were a couple of key items that stood out…

1. Our web presence. Our wedding website is a ‘blogsite’ – in other words, our blog IS our site and portfolio.

There are pros and cons of approaching it this way, and we know that, but we’ve found that the chronological approach (and the bite-sized nature) of a blog is a great way to present our work to guys.

They can visit our site, and rather than look at something complicated or fancy, they can simply see pictures, and read stories.

As much or as little as they like, but even from reading one post on the front page, they’re confronted with not only a glimpse at what our work looks like, but an idea of who we are, who our clients are, and what the shooting experience is like. I think the idea of ‘getting straight to the action’ kind of appeals to guys.

2. The Checklist Effect. One thing I’m sure everyone in the wedding industry has realised is that brides these days are switched on, well-informed and armed to the hilt with ideas, questions and preconceptions.

That’s a good thing – it means that your clients know what they want, and gives you a better idea of whether you’re the right person to give that to them. However, one thing I find unfortunate about it is that I meet a lot of brides for whom this means that the only thing they DON’T focus on is the images themselves (well, at least not until later when they see them!), because they can get caught up in a whirlwind of prices, packages, and details.

I like to call this The Checklist Effect – that poor bride has read 10 lists in magazines telling her all the boxes her photographer needs to check to make sure her day is perfect. And she wants a perfect day – fair enough too!

We’ve found that because men are (sometimes) perhaps a little more, uh, unencumbered with such details, they’re able to simply say: “I like that picture”.  Similarly, when looking at your albums, men typically will have less to go on. They haven’t read about the options, they probably haven’t seen that many other albums, and they’re not necessarily bringing many expectations.

When you hand them a Queensberry album, they just say: “Wow. That’s cool.” That’s a good place to start from in gaining new clients or selling your products to men.

So, I guess our approach to selling to men is pretty simple. We’re up front, simple, straight to the facts, and we let our work, and the albums, stand on their own.

Sound good, guys?

Kathryn – Kathryn Wilson Photography, NZ

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Yesterday, I had one of the cheesiest sales line I’ve heard in quite a while tried on me…

“Nigel, how will you feel tomorrow if you don’t buy it now.”

I didn’t buy and I feel OK.

But I did buy wedding photography recently. I’m not sure which one of Johannes’ categories I fit best, you’ll have to ask him.

And Ian – who says that, as a man, I’m not interested in the detailed (girlie) stuff? I was. Maybe that makes me a ‘Control Freak’?

Here’s my take on selling to a man… (including a metro-sexual one).

1) Don’t try any cheesy sales lines on me… I’ll think you’re a douche. Have a conversation with me and don’t touch me too much (push, prod or force me into anything). Be a normal person and I’ll probably come to the decision you want on my own.

2) For the past 12 months I’ve been planning this wedding, and I’m a little over it. Connect with me on a different level. Please. It’s not hard to figure out what I’m interested in and have a conversation with me about that.

3) Ian said we have egos. So true. I want to feel an important part of the photos and album too. I might not even know I want to be, until I’m asked. So ask.

4) Don’t trivialize or brush off the cost of this thing.

5) Ask me what I like or love, don’t tell me.

All that stuff helps when it comes to the sale time, but here’s the kicker I reckon… (for me anyway):

6) Make me feel like you care about my bride as much as I do. Make her the most important thing in the world, make her laugh, make her cry (the good kind), make her trust you… And I’ll buy anything from you.

Cheers, Nigel

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