To continue our discussion from last week about how to price your photography, we’re going to be talking about how to show clients the value in what you have to offer (aka how to get them to pay what you charge). If after last week you sat down to figure out what you should be charging, sometimes that final number can be a bit intimidating! I’ll never be able to charge that much! No one will ever pay that price… Clients question what I’m charging now!
Put those thoughts away because we’re going to discuss how to show customers the value in what you do and find customers who are willing to pay what you charge!
First of all, I would recommend watching this quick video about how there are two different types of customers in the market right now: The Neo and The Traditional. Traditional customers are the ones who are going to be most motivated by what something costs (ie the cheapest). They are only going to be looking at the cheapest price. The Neo customer doesn’t care about the cost as long as its a company that aligns with their values and offers a great product and service, they’re willing to spend whatever the price to get it. Ever heard of Lulu Lemon? Why do you think their customers are willing to pay $100+ dollars for a pair of yoga pants when they can go to Target and get them for $20? It’s because they offer a stellar product, great customer service, and their values align with those of their customers.
Not sure what your Value is? Watch the first 6 minutes or so of this inspiring video on The Golden Circle and the reason communicating WHY is so important. On that note, here are a few ways that YOU can find clients willing to pay for your work:
1. First you need to find your ideal client. What do they look like, where do they spend their time, what do they believe in? Be as specific and detailed as possible!
2. Cater your marketing to speak to this type of ideal client. Once you start attracting the clients who connect with you and believe in your value, they’ll be willing to pay what you’re worth.
3. Give amazing customer service to every person you work with. Under promise and over deliver! If you tell a client your normal turn around time is 4 weeks, find a way to turn it around sooner. Surprise them with a little gift in their order. Respond quickly to emails. Doing these little things will get people talking about you to all of their friends!
4. What is it that you LOVE to shoot? Don’t photograph everything and anything that comes along. Instead focus on where you are passionate and find your niche in photography. You know what they say, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”
5. Even if you have to shoot outside of your niche to make money, don’t blog everything you shoot or share it on social media. Only show what you want to shoot.
6. Go through your price list and simplify it down to what you think would be most appealing to your ideal client. Often times when you present a ton of options, people get overwhelmed and won’t buy anything at all.
7. Show the products you want to sell. Talk about them on your blog, facebook, instagram. Why are these important to you? Do you belive every wedding client should have an album? Show them at your meetings, write a special post about why they are important, post images of sample albums or recent client albums you’ve created. This will help show the appeal and boost people’s education on the product (leading to more sales).
8. Make sure the images on your website reflect your best work, the type of work you want to shoot, and clearly communicates your why to potential customers.
9. Create a styled shoot. These aren’t just for wedding photographers. It’s useful for all types of portrait photographers too. By creating a styled shoot, and showing the work from it you will be communicating what type of client you hope to work with. Plus you’ll get to network with some awesome vendors who align with your values and might be able to send referrals of your ideal client your way!
10. YOU need to believe in your value too. Too often we compare ourselves to other photographers in our market and think that if they are charging a certain price, we certainly can’t. If you don’t believe in your value and what you charge, how can you expect a potential customer to?
If you can communicate the greater value of your service and work towards reaching your ideal customer, the words “I can’t afford you” will be heard less and less.
What are some things you’ve done recently to create value in your business? Let us know in the comments below!
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