If photography is your full-time gig – or for that matter, even if it’s just a part-time gig – then you’re probably interested in finding ways to grow your business and make more money. Even the most successful photographers are looking for ways to increase revenue – and increase profit. That’s the purpose of a business, otherwise it’s just a hobby. At the same time, many photographers are intimidated by the process of “selling” their work. It’s not only scary to ask people for money – it often goes against our passion for creating art. Fortunately, there are some really simple things you can do to help increase your sales starting with your next wedding or portrait session. 1. Shoot with the end in mind.
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Is It Your Policy, or Is It Your Ego?
Is it Your Policy, Or is it Your Ego? If your business is anything like mine, you’ve probably had a few clients that tested your patience – if not your will to live! You know the type, the father of the bride that wants to rewrite your contract, or the bride who asks for a 12 page shot list. Maybe you’ve had a client suggest that they’d like to pay their balance once they’ve received their photos, instead of before the wedding. Every time it happens, I find myself wanting to dig my feet in and stand on “principle.” I find a frustration and indignation inside, that someone would question the way I’ve set up my business, and that they aren’t willing to play by
Finding the Pricing and Packaging Method That is Best For You
Did you know there is a science to creating your pricing? Yep, I’m serious. There are many ways to do it right, and plenty of ways to do it wrong, but most importantly – there is a science to pricing your services. It’s important to understand the different methods that are available to you, so that you don’t miss out on the method that fits your business best. In the photography community, there have historically been three different ways to price yourself. One – the package method. Two – the a la carte method. And three – the upsell method. All three are very effective methods of pricing and packaging, but it is common for photographers to choose ONE way to price their services, and
Sales 101: It’s All About Relationships
Most photographers don’t choose to follow their passion for photography because they enjoy selling “stuff.” Photographers are artists, and generally have an aversion to just about anything related to selling. After all, we’re artists, so it’s our inclination that we create art for the purpose of the creative process. At the same time, if you’re running a business, you have to make money. Many photographers – especially wedding photographers – design their business to make most of their money through their creative fees. This is a perfectly acceptable model, if you truly understand your costs, labor expenses and margins, and it meets your businesses needs. On the other hand, I think that wedding photographers (and portrait photographers for that matter), leave a lot on the
Predict Your Sessions and Sales
Now that you know your gross sales goal by running a break-even analysis, you have to figure out how to actually make that money! If you have not run your break-even analysis but still want to try this out, remember that most photography studios need gross sales of $150,000-250,000 depending on if you have a studio or not. You forecast how to make your gross sales by making educated guesses on your sessions and sales. You break your gross sales down by how many products and services sold at what price. Here is an example: if your goal is $200,000 in gross sales per year, you can photograph 20 weddings at $10,000 each. You know your salary and all expenses are covered at this point
The Ugly Truth: It Takes Money to Make Money
Starting a business is a Catch-22. I’ve touched on the topic before in previous UGLY TRUTH post titled Red is Normal for the First Few Years in Business. Unlike some other photographers who teach it’s okay to take out a $60k loan to spend on advertising and equipment, you’ll find me teaching quite the opposite. SURE you will need to buckle down and spend some money in order to get your business up and running, but how do you do this without going deep into debt!?? Here’s what I would do if I was starting out from scratch opening a photography business: 1. Read Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover from cover to cover, twice. Listen to his show. Become a debt dominatrix like me. Get passionate first and foremost
Top Ten Ways to Increase Boudoir Sales
1. Make it Meaningful Keep in mind that you aren’t just taking pictures — you are creating how your client wants to be remembered… and the more you nail that, the more she’ll love it, the more she’ll value it, and the more she’ll want to pay for it. Customize each shoot so that it is unique and full of personal details and emotional elements that will be meaningful to her. You can start during the first phone call by asking questions like “What do you love about yourself, your body? What do you think is sexy? What are some of your favorite things that make you happy? What does your husband love about you?” etc. and use all of those personal details to create
Sales is NOT a dirty word!
This past weekend my husband and I went shopping for a chandelier for our living room, a belated birthday present for me. Now first let me premise this with the fact I have never been in the market for a chandelier before. We see this as a luxury item (only to be purchased once we completed our emergency fund!) and had a specific budget in mind. We knew we were not happy with the cheap imitation ones sold at Lowes and Home Depot for $100, but we did not want to spend over $500 on an extra- large elaborate one either. After countless internet searches, and trips to locals stores, we finally turned to friends and family for recommendations. On the recommendation of his mother,
Ask & Learn Wednesday with Liana Lehman
Please join us for this week’s Ask and Learn with Liana Lehman, Live on the Forums today, December 10th, 4pm – 6pm Pacific Time. Session Topic: “Money, Lies, and Photography ” Find out what you need to know in order to keep more of your hard-earned cash! Liana will unveil the truth about money and photography and how to make money work for you. Find out how to get to the “Big Equation” that will determine the success or failure of your business financially. Also learn the mechanics and tricks to pricing profitably so that you’re sure to make money off of every transaction. Bio: Liana loves her life and career! She is honored to spend her time shooting destination weddings in the US and
Tip of the Week with Jared Bauman
It’s Monday again, and time for another Pictage Tip of the Week! This feature is where we bring you photograpy, buisness and Pictage tips from some of our top photographers and PUG leaders. Special thanks to Cinematic Studios for the filming and production of these clips. Jared Bauman heads up the awesome team know as Bauman Photographers based in San Diego, CA. In 2007, Bauman Photographers work was featured on the covers of “Ceremony” and “San Diego Bride and Groom” magazine. Perhaps the most important thing to note is Jared’s passion for his craft. He considers his work a joy and an honor. Jared couldn’t have gotten this far without his fantastic referral base. Check it out as he talks about when to cut deals