Setting Client Expectations & Making Photography Sales (without selling)
Topic: Sales
Time Investment: 8 minutes
Suggested Product: Final Sale Contract
In order to accurately set client expectations that result in sales, we need to set THE BIG PICTURE.
Is that a client, or an unsuspecting victim?
Want to know the number one most likely reason your clients aren’t buying wall art? I’d be willing to bet that it’s because they have no idea you sell it.
“But I have it on my price list!”
Having wall art on your price list is completely different than selling wall art. Your clients need to know you do more than just offer it, you actually put it in people’s homes.
Your clients need to know, up-front, that people come to you for wall art, not for files to upload to Facebook.
If you want to sell any significant amount of wall art, you’ll need to start planting the seed for that sale before they ever step foot in front of a camera and, in fact, before they ever even contact you.
Thankfully, it’s easier than you might think.
TAKE ACTION
SwiftGalleries *coming soon yay!*
No time to watch? You’re missing out but here are some great, actionable steps you can take:
Plant the Seed on Social Media
Jump into a template right now and design a wall gallery for the last 3 sessions you photographed. Share them to your business Facebook and Twitter pages using the built-in Facebook and Twitter sharing features and talk about how you’re now offering wall art galleries.
Every time you create a gallery, share it to your social media accounts. You could even post a couple of different options from each session and ask your followers to help you decide which one is best. This is a great way to show off that you’re offering wall art, while also getting your followers involved and interacting with your brand across social media channels.
[Tweet “Show potential clients that you believe in your products and they’ll believe it, too.”]
Plant the Seed on Your Blog
Done with that? Great job! Now email those galleries you designed to yourself (using the built-in sharing feature) and include them in blog posts about those three galleries. Talk about why you believe those galleries are the best representation of that session and why you believe those galleries are perfect for those images. Be genuine. Talk about why you love the images and why they look so great as wall art.
Talk about how much those homes will be brightened by having your images on their walls. It doesn’t matter if you use a stock room photo, just talk about the photos and the layout and why they’re perfect. Every session you photograph should have a wall gallery design to show off on your blog, whether you sell one or not.
[Tweet “This is less about what you’ve sold and more about what you believe about your images as wall art.”]
“I loved this collection of images for The Scott’s session because it captures the love mom and dad have for their baby as well as for each other. Classic black frames and white mats compliment the intimate feeling of the black and white prints.”
Plant the Seed on Your Website
Now take those same three galleries and create a new portfolio gallery on your website and call it “Wall Art” (well, you can call it whatever you want, really). Upload those three galleries. Now upload every gallery you design for the next sessions you photograph.
Plant the Seed in Your Communications
You can plant the seed for wall art sales in how you talk to your clients about their sessions, as well.
Here are just a few ideas:
Don’t just ask “what do you want to do with your photos?” Instead, ask “where in your home would you like to display your photos?” This lets your client know that people come to you for wall art and you just assume they’re doing the same.
If you use Preveal, or something like it, ask up-front for a photo of your clients’ walls to use for their mockups. Again, this shows that you’re assuming they’ll do what everyone else does – order wall art.
Even while photographing your clients’ sessions, you can be planting the seeds for a wall art sale, just in how you talk to your clients. As you’re shooting, mention the products they’ve shown interest in – “Oh, this shot is going to be perfect for that piece we talked about for over your couch!”
The point here is for your clients and potential clients to see wall art wherever they see your work. It will quickly teach them that your studio is the studio to go to for wall art and you’ll be surprised how quickly people will start to seek you out for it.
Note: You can sub out wall-art for albums, prints, heck even key chains!