Let’s make a list of some’a the things you can now do online:
- Order pizza
- Grocery shopping
- Buy a car
- Shop for a spouse
- Become a celebrity
- Take a pregnancy test {what on earth?!}
With the entire world going online, it really did make sense for photographers to do the same. Afterall, getting our clients in the first place often takes place online. But I think that selling online is bogus for a business that’s meant to be so deep and personal. I mean, you’re capturing people’s memories, moments and everlasting souls through your camera. And then to just present them in such an impersonal way? I just think it’s a bit…well…bogus!
So here’s my top 5 list of reasons you should sell in person:
- The photography market is saturated. And many photographers don’t have the confidence, know-how or guts to sell in person. So adding this to your business model gives you a gargantuous leg-up on the competition.
- In-person ordering is a premium service that will add luxury to your brand. Which means you can charge more for your products {assuming you’re actually a good photographer}
- I have a secret. I would do this job for free. The feeling I get when I see the tears flow at viewing sessions makes what I do the best thing EVER. And if I didn’t have to -like- feed my kids, I would do it purely to see that reaction over and over again. Doing in-person viewing and ordering will make you the most confident photographer who ever walked the face of the earth because you will see their first reactions and it’s always a priceless moment to behold. A sidenote, though: if you post even one sneaky peek before the viewing session, you will eliminate the opportunity to see their very first reaction. Resist the urge! I’ve had many’a client tell me they cried when they saw their first image, but I was’t there to partake in the joy.
- When clients have such huge emotional reactions to your work, they can’t pretend they didn’t like them and then not buy them. They know that you know that they were the best things they’ve ever seen. So naturally, the sales will follow.
- On that note, it’s proven that sales are double when done in person.
- Number 6. Yes, I can count, thankyouverymuch! However, a couple days after first writing this post, I realized that I missed one other very important reason: Quality control. As a photographer, you’ll understand that when you edit your images, they might not print to look exactly like you plan them to and they won’t match what you see on your screen. This is why you calibrate your monitor. So you have control with the printing, but what about how your clients view their images on ordering? Unless they’re also using a superfly computer like you might be, they’re not likely seeing the sharpness, clarity or vibrancy you edited the images to have. This is one of the top reasons why it’s so important to control the quality of your work as much as you possibly can until money has changed hands. After that, you can’t control exactly what their friends see when they view their photos on Facebook, but you can control the images through the ordering and printing process if you do in-person viewing and ordering.
Check back tomorrow because I’m going to tell you the top 3 excuses I hear for why my readers say they don’t do in person sales. And then I’ll tell you why they’re bogus excuses and how you can make in person sales work for you.
{Further Reading}
RIP • Death of the Sneak Peek pt1
RIP • Death of the Sneak Peek pt2
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