photographer tips and tricks

Discussing Online Proofing Galleries for Photographers

October 29, 2015 1 Comment

When it comes to designing an album for your clients, one of the best ways to put it together is by giving your clients some power to decide which proofs they want. Online Proofing Galleries are great tools you can use for this task, because you and your clients can easily work together without even needing to be in the same room. We caught up with blogger, photographer, educator, and speaker Scott Wyden Kivowitz to get his take on using online proofing systems. Scott is also the “Community and Blog Wrangler” for Imagely, which creates WordPress products such the NextGEN Gallery plugin and the Photocrati Theme.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “Online Proofing Gallery for Photographers”?

The first thing that comes to mind is a simple way for photographers to gather “picks” from their clients. Simple is the most important word in that statement, because there are many proofing solutions, but not all are easy or pretty for the photographer or the client.

Do you feel that online proofing is now standard and expected for photographers to offer?

I’m still an advocate for online galleries to be used in conjunction with in-person sales methodologies whenever possible. For example, wedding photographers can easily offer both in-person and online proofing options. However, with commercial and landscape photography, in-person sales sessions are far less common. No matter the genre of photography, clients expect something online. So I guess you can say it’s a standard.

What options are available?

There are two platforms that pop into my head right away. The first is for WordPress users and it’s the NextGEN Pro plugin which is made by the company I work for: Imagely. With it, photographers can offer password protected (or not) proofing galleries for clients to pick from. The photographer then receives a very easy list of the images to be found in their photo catalog software, like Lightroom.

For photographers not using WordPress, I recommend checking out ShootProof. It also offers an easy solution for proofing galleries. ShootProof is among the most popular non-WordPress solutions for proofing, and it’s easy to see why.

How are clients best served by photographers using these programs?

The best part of proofing solutions for clients is that they can do it on their own time, from the comfort of their couch or bed. They don’t have to rush into a meeting somewhere, or drive far away.They can choose what they want the photographer to do and potentially send any custom requests or notes. That’s an amazing thing.

How does having online proofing help design better albums? (Assuming you think it does!:))

Many photographers will go ahead and create an album proof for clients before the client even looks at the photographs. That’s a great tactic to sell more albums. When adding a gallery for clients to pick from, the photographer then has an opportunity to improve the album proof that was created, because the client might prefer a different photo over what was already chosen for them.

Where do you think the future of proofing for photographers is headed?

I see the proofing process getting easier and easier. I also see many photographers leaving third-party services in favor of self-hosted solutions. That’s for multiple reasons like full ownership and branding and less associated fees for the photography business to pay for.

If you want to learn more about Scott, check him out on his website at https://scottwyden.com. For more info about Imagely go to www.imagely.com.

Want more information about Lush, and how we can help you create beautiful portrait albums for your clients? Visit us on our website here!

The Art of the In-Person Sale for Photographers

October 8, 2015 1 Comment

Artist. Creative professional. Visual designer. Business owner. These are probably the first terms that come to mind when someone asks you for your job description as a photographer. I’m guessing, however, that salesperson might not be at the top of the list, even though it is a big part of what you do every time you meet face-to-face with a new client.

This week, we sat down with Steve Saporito to discuss how photographers can hone their sales acumen and steer clients into buying albums for their images. Steve runs Intuition to Succeed, an online mentoring program that focuses on developing in-person sales skills for photographers.

What do you do?

My focus is to empower wedding and portrait photographers to move past the blocks they have about their businesses with clear, actionable systems that have been tried, proven, and replicated in any location. The focus is to build value in the photographic experience for the client and to create desire for our products and services.

How do you define in-person sales?

Fundamentally, an in-person sale [design consultation] is about discovering who the client really is and what they want. From there, it is up us to help our clients design the perfect artwork for them. It is not about what we want; it is about finding the perfect solution for them, and [that] needs to be the most exciting part of their photographic experience. Remember that a client has made themselves vulnerable to us and will be nervous about seeing themselves for the first time [in photos], so it is important to have someone who can coach them on all the things they need to focus on and consider so that they are better educated on how to buy photography.

The important distinction here is to determine what the client places value on as opposed to what we value. These values may be very different in many cases, and [this] is usually the reason why clients do not buy, even though we believe that we have given them an incredible shoot.

What is your #1 piece of advice for in-person sales for photographers?

Never focus on the money. Focus on adding as much value to the client’s experience as you possibly can. The money is a result of the value that you have given to your client. When you focus on understanding what the client values and then ensure that you are giving it to them, the money will come.

Any other tips you’d like to share?

In the client’s mind, the in-person sale is the most important part of their photographic experience. It’s our job to use our professional experience to pull it all together to exceed expectations. They borrow confidence from us that they are making the right decisions, and they feed off of our energy and attitude toward the sale. Some assistance and honest encouragement makes a huge difference to a client’s confidence and ability to make decisions about their artwork that they will be proud to display in their home and the perception of the value of the service that they have received.

Also, projection sales software is pivotal, like Fundy’s Gallery Designer software. Many I have trained have tried various sales software, but switching to a system that allows you to project to true to size is monumental. The combination of using a projector and the software that can show a client their wall art at-scale is imperative. That alone has been a fundamental game changer to higher average sales, no matter what the country or economic situation.

Do you have advice specifically for introverts or ”non-salesy-types?”

The setup and planning of your design consolation space is important. Having the set up right so that it subliminally sells for you adds to the client’s experience and makes it easy for clients to want what you have to offer.

Thank you, Steve, for this incredibly valuable information! We know that every photographer can benefit from all the tips you have shared with us.

Interested in learning more about Steve Saporito and his techniques to increase your selling skills? You can find him on his site at intuitiontosucceed.academy/us/.

If you’re interested in learning more about all the ways Lush and Fundy can help you put beautiful albums in your clients’ hands, you can visit us here: www.lushalbums.com/how-to-get-started/

Building a Referral Network – an interview with Becker

September 24, 2015 1 Comment

It doesn’t matter how talented a photographer you are if you don’t have the clients to grow and sustain a business. Meeting other photographers in the field who can refer you to new clients is a great way to cultivate your business (and can become friends to talk to who understand!) But, we know that networking can be intimidating if you’re more comfortable behind the camera instead of at the forefront of a self-marketing campaign.

Because creating a referral network is so essential to having a healthy photography business, we turned to wedding photographer extraordinaire Chris Becker or “Becker” who has assembled his own vast network over the years and is always ready to provide great advice to others in the field.

How have you built your brand around referral-building?

“I have been committed to helping other photographers for my entire career. When I started my business way back in the 90s the local photographers were super mean to me. I made a promise that if I ever made anything of myself, I would be the kind of guy to help people up instead of trying to hold them down.”

What does building a referral network mean to you?

“Building a solid network is all about finding win-win solutions. And I hate to use win-win, because it’s such a cliche, but it’s true. All parties involved need to benefit from the relationship or it just won’t last. I’ve always been an advocate of networking with my so-called competition. I also made sure to try to help out the other wedding vendors with image files or links to their websites before I ask for anything in return.”

What are the top tips that you have to help photographers build a network?

“Be bold and put yourself out there. Wallflowers have a hard time getting noticed and making connections. Also, come at it from the angle that you want to help others before you ask for their help.”

Any other thoughts on building vs. nurturing relationships?

“It doesn’t happen overnight. Relationships (of all types) take time and effort. And you can’t win them all. Some relationships aren’t fruitful, and that’s OK; you really can’t win ‘em all. Focus your energy on the good ones and ignore the rest.”

Besides being an immensely talented photographer, Becker also moonlights as a business coach and fitness instructor. Although, if you asked him now, he’s most proud of recently becoming a dad. If you’d like more information on Becker, you can find him on his blog, his coaching site or his fitness site.

Follow him on Instagram @thebecker.

Thank you, Becker, and congrats on the new addition!