- Reframing Sales: Sales is about communicating value in a way that benefits both the photographer and the client.
- Understanding Client Perspectives: Recognizing that each client has a unique worldview and level of awareness about photography helps tailor conversations effectively.
- The Five Awareness States: Clients can be categorized into five states—from unaware to highly aware—based on their understanding of their needs and your services.
- Customized Communication: By identifying a client’s awareness state, photographers can adjust their messaging to resonate more deeply, increasing the likelihood of booking.
Many photographers are scared of the term “sales”, which is ok – it’s completely understandable! We have been “trained” to think negatively of salespeople. Even saying the word “sales” probably conjures up negative thoughts and experiences that you have had.
I wrote a guest blog post over at the “Evolve Your Wedding Business” blog here. It’s all about”sales” and why it’s something we don’t need to be afraid of.
I talk about re-framing the idea of sales and how a simple mind shift can change the way we look at it. It isn’t something that we need to be afraid of, it’s about our approach.
Tips for selling without pressure
I also discuss five ways that you can “sell” without having to resort to using high-pressure, gimmicks or mind tricks. The first tip on how to sell without needing to sell is to talk in terms of benefits to your client. Speak directly about them, their situation, their wedding and what they’re looking for. I blogged a specific example of this here I discuss the importance of having a variety of wedding albums to show potential couples so that you can show a specific album that is highly relevant to each couple.
You’ll have to head over to Heidi’s blog to read about the other four tips on how to sell, and to read the rest of the article. While you’re there, check out Heidi’s podcast, where she interviews business experts all about the wedding industry. My favourite episodes are:
- Episode #8 where Heidi interviews Val Geisler about productivity and the misuse of the term “busy” in our lives
- Episode #6 where Heidi interviews Brenda Cadman about how to design a website that sells
- Episode #3 where Heidi interviews myself, and we talk all about sales (I may be a bit biased)
Action item:
Check out my guest post over on Heidi’s “Evolve Your Wedding Business” website. That’s it … simple!
Do you have any tips or ways that you approach sales to make it more human and not so pushy? I would love to hear them – maybe I’ll even compile all of the feedback into an article here on Sprouting Photographer in the future. Leave your thoughts in the comments box below, I would appreciate your feedback!
