In Person Sales / Viewing

[MOREGONE]

I can’t really claim to be a salesman and know I need to start doing in person sales to take my business and revenue to the next level.


I do not have a studio but do have a nice home with a defined office that is right off the main entry. Would it be unappealing to be inviting clients to my home and workspace for in-person sales?


Does anyone have any tutorials or videos they can refer me to that may help me get the ball rolling and provide some basic do’s and don’ts?

 

[Big Mike]

I know several photographers who use their home as an office as well as client meeting place.

Usually, one of the benefits of in-person sales, is that you can display the photos very large. This technique used to be called 'projection' because most people would use a projector. These days, it may be easier/better to use a large screen TV.

I've read a few things and even taken a few seminars that talked about this. I don't recall any specific books or videos, but I remember that there is/was a forum specifically for professional photographers (maybe wpja.com) that had a mega-thread about 'projecting' and the various techniques that people used.

You had to pay a membership fee to see most of the forum, so I never saw the whole thing.

 

[tirediron]

I always like to do my proofing in the clients home, that way I can show them what things will look like. A number of times I've had clients ask me for 8x10 "enlargements" and I ask them to show me where they want to display the image. I can then take an 8x10 out of my sample case, and blue-tac it to the wall (or wherever) and suggest that it really isn't quite as large as they thought. I also have Preveal on my iPad; this allows me to take a picture of the wall and then superimpose on it, various combinations and sizes of images to give a very accurate rendering of the final product. It's a little pricey, but it pays for itself. My first use turned a ~$200 proeuct order into a $700+ order.

I also tend to find that clients are more comfortable in their own home, and less likely to feel that you are trying to upsell when you suggest a larger size or more expensive option because you show them what it will look like.

 

[waday]

I always like to do my proofing in the clients home, that way I can show them what things will look like. A number of times I've had clients ask me for 8x10 "enlargements" and I ask them to show me where they want to display the image. I can then take an 8x10 out of my sample case, and blue-tac it to the wall (or wherever) and suggest that it really isn't quite as large as they thought. I also have Preveal on my iPad; this allows me to take a picture of the wall and then superimpose on it, various combinations and sizes of images to give a very accurate rendering of the final product. It's a little pricey, but it pays for itself. My first use turned a ~$200 proeuct order into a $700+ order.

I also tend to find that clients are more comfortable in their own home, and less likely to feel that you are trying to upsell when you suggest a larger size or more expensive option because you show them what it will look like.

I hadn't heard of that app, but wow! That is powerful stuff!

 

[MOREGONE]

I always like to do my proofing in the clients home, that way I can show them what things will look like. A number of times I've had clients ask me for 8x10 "enlargements" and I ask them to show me where they want to display the image. I can then take an 8x10 out of my sample case, and blue-tac it to the wall (or wherever) and suggest that it really isn't quite as large as they thought. I also have Preveal on my iPad; this allows me to take a picture of the wall and then superimpose on it, various combinations and sizes of images to give a very accurate rendering of the final product. It's a little pricey, but it pays for itself. My first use turned a ~$200 proeuct order into a $700+ order.

I also tend to find that clients are more comfortable in their own home, and less likely to feel that you are trying to upsell when you suggest a larger size or more expensive option because you show them what it will look like.

Thanks for the replies.

So you bring your laptop with the finished product and display the images, have samples and go through the sales process with them?

Thanks for the insight!

 

[tirediron]

I always like to do my proofing in the clients home, that way I can show them what things will look like. A number of times I've had clients ask me for 8x10 "enlargements" and I ask them to show me where they want to display the image. I can then take an 8x10 out of my sample case, and blue-tac it to the wall (or wherever) and suggest that it really isn't quite as large as they thought. I also have Preveal on my iPad; this allows me to take a picture of the wall and then superimpose on it, various combinations and sizes of images to give a very accurate rendering of the final product. It's a little pricey, but it pays for itself. My first use turned a ~$200 proeuct order into a $700+ order.

I also tend to find that clients are more comfortable in their own home, and less likely to feel that you are trying to upsell when you suggest a larger size or more expensive option because you show them what it will look like.

Thanks for the replies.

So you bring your laptop with the finished product and display the images, have samples and go through the sales process with them?

Thanks for the insight!

Yes; I have samples of canvas, metal and various sizes of prints. All the images for the proofing session are loaded onto both my laptop & iPad. I also carry a couple cables with me, so that if they have a nice, large tv I can show the images on it.

 

[Big Mike]

Great point John.

Holding the sales meeting in the client's home offers the opportunity to ask them about wall space and where they plan to display the photo. And this can make for a very easy up-sale.

And while going to their home does give them a sense of ease, it also puts them in control. Much of the advice that I've heard, is about how you use your own location to establish control of the situation. Different strokes for different folks.

But the point about wall space and size is still a very good one. One tip I've heard was that you should always bring a tape measure, or better yet, have a stock of tape measures that are branded with your name & info etc.

Ask the clients to measure the wall where they want to hang the photo(s). As per John's example, people tend to think of 8x10 an an 'enlargement'...but really, 8x10 is not big enough for wall display. Your clients will quickly realize this when they actually measure the wall. (and even better if you can show them what their wall could look like with a large photo).

 

[MOREGONE]

I am going to first try and implement this with portrait sessions. My pricing right now is for full res digitals so selling a large print for a hefty profit will be hard when they can just do it themselves. I am going to have to change my pricing to make this work. But that is needed anyhow and I've known it was coming.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[tirediron]

I am going to first try and implement this with portrait sessions. My pricing right now is for full res digitals so selling a large print for a hefty profit will be hard when they can just do it themselves. I am going to have to change my pricing to make this work. But that is needed anyhow and I've known it was coming.

Thanks for the replies.

Take digital files OFF OF YOUR PRICING RIGHT NOW!

The only time I offer digital files is with my top two wedding packages (and since I don't normally shoot weddings...). If clients ask, I will sell digital files, at $65 each. NO discounts. When they ask why, I explain that I want them to have the best quality product - I use a professional lab and that's all they do, print photos for professional photographers. They don't make photo copies, they don't have one-hour service, and they don't hire part time, after-school help. If someone insists, then, after that, I will sell them digital files once they've read and signed a print release which specifies exactly what they can and can't do. Admittedly, I'm in the fortunate position of having a mostly older clientele who really aren't all that interested in digital files, but try and get your clients out of that mindset. It's less money for you and generally a lower quality product for them.

 

[ronlane]

I am going to first try and implement this with portrait sessions. My pricing right now is for full res digitals so selling a large print for a hefty profit will be hard when they can just do it themselves. I am going to have to change my pricing to make this work. But that is needed anyhow and I've known it was coming.

Thanks for the replies.

Take digital files OFF OF YOUR PRICING RIGHT NOW!

The only time I offer digital files is with my top two wedding packages (and since I don't normally shoot weddings...). If clients ask, I will sell digital files, at $65 each. NO discounts. When they ask why, I explain that I want them to have the best quality product - I use a professional lab and that's all they do, print photos for professional photographers. They don't make photo copies, they don't have one-hour service, and they don't hire part time, after-school help. If someone insists, then, after that, I will sell them digital files once they've read and signed a print release which specifies exactly what they can and can't do. Admittedly, I'm in the fortunate position of having a mostly older clientele who really aren't all that interested in digital files, but try and get your clients out of that mindset. It's less money for you and generally a lower quality product for them.

John, I just want to let you know that I am stealing this paragraph from you. If we happen to ever meet face to face, I will compensate you by buying you a beverage (or two).

 

[tirediron]

Steal away!

 

[Derrel]

Here's what I know, from experience, about in-person sales and some of the conepts underlying this specific sales model. I used to shoot for a busy high-volume family portrait studio in a small-sized west coast city in the early 1990's. On average, our two sales reps sold between $17,500 and $24,500 per week in prints from the stuff I shot..back when a two-bedroom house in town rented for $500 here...and ALL sales were done by projection, with a trained sales rep, in a room with on-the-wall collections of canvas prints, as well as a full set of canvas prints from smallest to largest, which were available for the clients to pick up, heft, examine, and admire. When selling "wall collections", you need to have SHOT the session so as to make a number of possible harmonious, cohesive collections, with logical, time-tested and proven combinations, and the right eye-direction/posing/background coordination to make up a group that looks well balanced as a collection.

Selling "images" and selling prints, and canvas prints, are two different things. The old adage is, "If you want to sell big, you must SHOW big." Meaning, you need to show clients what a big print actually "is"...what it feels like...how substantial it actually is...it is an heirloom item....it is a canvas painting...use the word painting accidentally a time or two.

There's this hugely erroneous idea that people will just pick and choose what they want to by from a price list, and that a portrait artist can make money by selling that way. That is not the way selling works best. People need to be sold, objections need to be overcome, the concept of investment and heirloom object, and the idea of a wall "collection", the idea of at least one high-profit canvas per set, etc..all this stuff is best done in person.

The last thing is this two-parter: 1)when clients come to your place of business to review the proofs, it has to be the FIRST time they have seen the images, when excitement is highest. Now, during the session, the photographer must do what is called building excitement/building enthusiasm. You simply can NOT afford to let people SEE the whole session on their own, and then expect to sell them much...that kills the enthusiasm. 2) Make darned sure that the person with authority to buy is present! I would encourage you to always, always try to get his mother, or her mother (Mother. My Mom.My Husband's Mother. >AKA> grandma! grammy! grams! gam-gam! Nana!) to come to ALL family portrait sales and review sessions, if at all possible. Grandmothers often have fat checking account balances and/or $40K limit Visa cards, and are typically the absolute best purchasers with authority,and desire, to buy,buy,buy. For a number of reasons which you can probably imagine. The mother lode is a family session done of a married woman with two, or three kids, hubby, and her MIL or her mom, coming in to view the prints without either husband. Those can turn into reach-for-the-printing-calculator type sales numbers. You cannot allow the set to be self-previewed in advance of the sales/viewing session. And you ARE set up for instant debit/credit card purchasing on the spot, right?

It might seem crass, but when I called the day before, to confirm the viewing and sales session for the following day or evening, I always liked to say, "Make sure to bring your checkbook or credit card--we have some awesome photos to show you! You're going to love them! Oh, and if you have any other family members who'd like to be in on the viewing, they're welcome to come too! Our viewing rooms comfortably seat four adults, plus your sales person." Bottom line is, grandparents/parents of adults end up footing at least half the bill on big family orders, maybe half of the time. I think in many cases, the grandmothers are the instigators of the entire paid portrait business. There's nothing like the thrill of seeing a well-dressed matronly woman walk in with fancy clothes, too much jewelry, tanned, and with her daughter or daughter-in-law. Grammy is there for pictures often for her own home, maybe even for a second home!, and to bankroll. You want to sell to the person who can afford to buy photographs, and preferably larger ones, or at least groups. You DID shoot mom with the kids, dad with the kids, the kids, dad alone, mom alone, mom and dad, and also the entire family, right? If you shot the session correctly, you have a number of "wall collection" possibilities. For example an MW+2 session...Man and Woman + 2 kids...Large canvas of the MW+2 plus two smaller satellite canvases, one of each kid. Or even just a two-canvas pairing. Family group facing RIGHT....individuals facing LEFT.

 

[MOREGONE]

Take digital files OFF OF YOUR PRICING RIGHT NOW!

Oh trust me, I get it. I am just following the natural order of operations.
You can't learn about printing until you have something the print. I have been gaining experience with shooting and now that I am gaining confidence in those skills I will start learning more about prints and pricing.

I do not have a large client base and acknowledge I need to get a different demographic who does appreciate prints and not just files to share on social media or prints from the local drug store.

I've been pacing myself so to say, but sadly I have hardly seen any images I have shot printed. Even for myself :/

 

[tirediron]

...I do not have a large client base and acknowledge I need to get a different demographic who does appreciate prints and not just files to share on social media or prints from the local drug store.

Actually, it's surprising, but I've found it isn't so much that people don't appreciate them, but that they don't think of them. We're so used to having a million images on our 'phone, facebook, etc, that the whole concept of printing is almost forgotten by John & Jane Q. Cellphonesnapper. Once they see a high quality print, very often you see the lights go on and you can almost see them thinking 'Wow'! As Derrel said above, talking to the right person is critical! If Grandmother is there, then 99.9% of the time, she's it, but don't be shy about talking to the teenage daughters either, since they often have a sort of 'remote control' of the purse strings!

 

[MOREGONE]

Here's what I know, from experience, about in-person sales and some of the conepts underlying this specific sales model. I used to shoot for a busy high-volume family portrait studio in a small-sized west coast city in the early 1990's. On average, our two sales reps sold between $17,500 and $24,500 per week in prints from the stuff I shot..back when a two-bedroom house in town rented for $500 here...and ALL sales were done by projection, with a trained sales rep, in a room with on-the-wall collections of canvas prints, as well as a full set of canvas prints from smallest to largest, which were available for the clients to pick up, heft, examine, and admire. When selling "wall collections", you need to have SHOT the session so as to make a number of possible harmonious, cohesive collections, with logical, time-tested and proven combinations, and the right eye-direction/posing/background coordination to make up a group that looks well balanced as a collection.

Selling "images" and selling prints, and canvas prints, are two different things. The old adage is, "If you want to sell big, you must SHOW big." Meaning, you need to show clients what a big print actually "is"...what it feels like...how substantial it actually is...it is an heirloom item....it is a canvas painting...use the word painting accidentally a time or two.

There's this hugely erroneous idea that people will just pick and choose what they want to by from a price list, and that a portrait artist can make money by selling that way. That is not the way selling works best. People need to be sold, objections need to be overcome, the concept of investment and heirloom object, and the idea of a wall "collection", the idea of at least one high-profit canvas per set, etc..all this stuff is best done in person.

The last thing is this two-parter: 1)when clients come to your place of business to review the proofs, it has to be the FIRST time they have seen the images, when excitement is highest. Now, during the session, the photographer must do what is called building excitement/building enthusiasm. You simply can NOT afford to let people SEE the whole session on their own, and then expect to sell them much...that kills the enthusiasm. 2) Make darned sure that the person with authority to buy is present! I would encourage you to always, always try to get his mother, or her mother (Mother. My Mom.My Husband's Mother. >AKA> grandma! grammy! grams! gam-gam! Nana!) to come to ALL family portrait sales and review sessions, if at all possible. Grandmothers often have fat checking account balances and/or $40K limit Visa cards, and are typically the absolute best purchasers with authority,and desire, to buy,buy,buy. For a number of reasons which you can probably imagine. The mother lode is a family session done of a married woman with two, or three kids, hubby, and her MIL or her mom, coming in to view the prints without either husband. Those can turn into reach-for-the-printing-calculator type sales numbers. You cannot allow the set to be self-previewed in advance of the sales/viewing session. And you ARE set up for instant debit/credit card purchasing on the spot, right?

It might seem crass, but when I called the day before, to confirm the viewing and sales session for the following day or evening, I always liked to say, "Make sure to bring your checkbook or credit card--we have some awesome photos to show you! You're going to love them! Oh, and if you have any other family members who'd like to be in on the viewing, they're welcome to come too! Our viewing rooms comfortably seat four adults, plus your sales person." Bottom line is, grandparents/parents of adults end up footing at least half the bill on big family orders, maybe half of the time. I think in many cases, the grandmothers are the instigators of the entire paid portrait business. There's nothing like the thrill of seeing a well-dressed matronly woman walk in with fancy clothes, too much jewelry, tanned, and with her daughter or daughter-in-law. Grammy is there for pictures often for her own home, maybe even for a second home!, and to bankroll. You want to sell to the person who can afford to buy photographs, and preferably larger ones, or at least groups. You DID shoot mom with the kids, dad with the kids, the kids, dad alone, mom alone, mom and dad, and also the entire family, right? If you shot the session correctly, you have a number of "wall collection" possibilities. For example an MW+2 session...Man and Woman + 2 kids...Large canvas of the MW+2 plus two smaller satellite canvases, one of each kid. Or even just a two-canvas pairing. Family group facing RIGHT....individuals facing LEFT.

Are you selling me something right now cause I'll buy it! Haha

But really, you got me pumped up. This is what I need to be doing. Sending my clients the images denies me the excitement of sharing with them but also the potential to really make some income with my shoots.

Definitely bookmarking this thread as there is some awesome stuff. Glad to be a part of this community, sincerely.