Since Spring is in the air, we’re kicking off a series of Best Business Practice posts from the tried-and-true team of ACEs. Get to know them on The Photo Life and learn how their tips and tricks can help streamline your studio!
I’ve tried my hardest to keep a mental to-do list. Laying in bed at night, thinking of all of the things that need to get done and promising myself, “Yes, I will definitely be able to remember this in the morning if I just make the list into a rhyme.” And inevitably, so many of my to-do’s were to-forgotten’s!
Business can be overwhelming, especially when working with numerous clients over the course of the year. You are in charge of keeping track of new leads, wooing potential clients, contacting upcoming clients and remembering to place product orders all at the same time. That’s a daunting to-do list to keep in order, but thanks to ShootQ workflows, everything can be managed and kept in order, with minimal effort.
There are 5 key ways that ShootQ keeps my client to-do list in order, ensuring that I never miss an important client touch point, order or booking!
1. Lead Tracking:
ShootQ gives me the ability to keep track of all incoming leads. These are clients who have yet to sign a contract, and it’s important to reach out to them right away, check in, and woo them into the booking. With the “Lead Tracking” feature, I can tell ShootQ to send important emails, place leads into labeled “buckets” (i.e. Contacted with Price Sheet), and remind me to follow up with a potential client in a set period of time.
2. Product Workflows:
Ever forget whether you really placed that album order, because you had 20 browser windows open at the time and your multi-tasking got the best of you? ShootQ Product Workflows ensure that you’re reminded to design, order and deliver products according to the timeline you set for your studio. Check off the task only when you’re sure it’s complete to keep track of what you’ve really done versus what you kinda-sorta-remember doing…..ish.
3. Scheduled Correspondence:
Want to make sure every wedding client gets a detailed email explaining how you like to plan wedding day portraits? Want to make sure that you thank your clients for having you along on their wedding day? Have a great list of “what to wear” items for your portrait sessions, that would be really helpful to your clients when planning their outfits? All of these emails can be drafted and then scheduled into shoot workflows to be sent automatically. You look like a hero, and your clients are well-informed. Win-win!
4. Due Dates:
Each milestone in your workflows can have a due date attached to it – and all due dates are set by you! Want to make sure you complete each wedding edit within two weeks this year? Give that milestone a due date. Set deadlines for yourself, and provide accountability for your team. By setting realistic and achievable due dates, you’ll ensure that your clients receive their images and materials in a timely fashion and that you’re focusing on what’s important.
5. Task List:
The best part of ShootQ workflows? All of the above items filter into one comprehensive task list. You can log into ShootQ each day, and focus on just the items that are listed for the day. They’re all based on the timelines that you’ve set, so no one wil be forgotten and you’ll have happy clients. Your task-list is your new best friend – welcome home!
About Leeann Marie
Leeann is a Pittsburgh-based wedding, engagement, and boudoir photographer. An avid blogger, she loves connecting with her clients, friends, and other photographers around the world. She holds an engineering background from the University of Pittsburgh, which has led to a love of technology and teaching.
She loves Lady Gaga, champagne, and kettle-cooked chips. She has traveled the world to places such as Russia, South Korea, China, Vietnam, and Panama, and believes in living the life you have dreamed.