How to make more money

<p>This post is mostly directed towards experienced wedding photographers but having said that good ideas (and bad ones) and come from anywhere. After we have shot a wedding we all have images which should amount to more money. I am talking about 'add-on' sales. For instance, some photographers will offer a credit towards an album, or photo enlargements, or an online gallery to offer more to the couple and give the photographers an opportunity to add to the sales.</p>

<p>I think many of use would be interested in knowing what sort of 'options' or 'add-ons' to boost sales work well. Any ideas? I would be particularly interested, although not limited to, some new digital ideas, for instance those digital picture frames, or photo montages that can be sent to smart phones... etc. </p>

<p>You might consider rethinking your pricing structure to ensure more money as add-ons are always at the mercy of the buyer. Personally I charge for time and delivery of a CD/DVD, perhaps with a few prints included. Other photographers charge by the package. In this way you aren't reliant upon image sales for income.<br>

Here's an example set of scenarios to highlight what I mean:</p>

<p>Photographer A: Charges $1000 USD + $50/image, hopes someone orders 20 images so they end up with $2000 USD.</p>

<p>Photographer B: Charges $2000 USD for archival DVD + 'free' prints thrown in.</p>

<p >Whatever the add-ons be, for those add-ons to make repetitively successful sales, I think there are two key elements of the base business one must consider:</p>

<p > </p>

<p >1. Quick turn-a-around time of the Wedding images</p>

<p >2. Samples of the add-ons.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I think both are essential, but I think (1) is critical. I doubt there is much room to sell add-ons if the “post production” of the main product takes four weeks, for example. I take this example because on previous threads "4 weeks" (anecdotally) seems about the time taken by many respondents when asked "how long". </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I mention (2) because on many threads (dealing with Albums) there seems to be an ignorance that the Client <strong><em>holding</em></strong> a selection of three to five albums is a great selling tool. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I make no assumptions in regards to your business, Art.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >WW</p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

 

<p>I believe digital/internet has changed add-on income. Try to get your money up front and consider any add-ons as plus business.</p>

The best way to get more sales is don't give your client CD's of the wedding. Why would someone want to reorder when they have all of the files?

<p>Let's not get off the track here... what about real ideas for extra sales???</p>

<p>yeah well . . . <br /><br />you shoot the wedding on Saturday Night . . . <br /><br />when they come in <strong><em>on the following Tuesday evenin</em></strong>g for the Slide Show presentation on the wide screen to view ONLY the finished Product of 120 images from which they will choose their MAIN Wedding Album . . . you also have the 150 OTHER images ready to show them on the whirly gig photo frame which rolls over . . . and you have the 24 x 30 Canvas of the best Wedding Portrait of the lot . . . and a sample of “Thank You Cards” made up with another Portrait of the B&G on the velvet paper . . . and you sit them down with Champagne and the music . . . you might like to invite Mum and Dad too because there is the other 24 x 20 Canvas you had made of the Bride at Home and the smaller album with a sample you had made with about 20 Prints in it, just for Mum - it has the Cake that Aunt Mary made (Aunt Mary is the Mum’s Sister) it’s a great picture that one with the Cake, Aunt Mary, the Bride and Mum – in fact you have that done to a 11 x 14 and FRAMED just in case they want to buy it to say a special "thank you" to Aunt Mary.<br /><br />Yeah Yeah I now a lot of effort and time and money and speculation . . . buying Champagne ! ! ! <br /><br />And what if they <strong><em>don’t buy </em></strong>all that stuff you got printed ? ? ? <br /><br />And we can never get the Photofinishing done by Tuesday because we are artists and that takes four weeks and the B&G will just have to wait . . . ? ? ? <br /><br />So none of those ideas will work anyway . . .<br /><br />It is just that fruit-loop sounding off again . . . with some crazy ideas . . . the same guy who rambles on about always meeting with the Bride and Groom . . . creating Rapport . . . knowing the names of all the key people at the Wedding and using those funny business cards and always carrying a pen . . .<br>

Na . . . it will never work<br /><br />WW <br /><br /></p>

<p>Agreeing with Bill Clark here - I think the "package" deals with add-ons are a doomed business model. There are plenty of wedding photographers out there willing to shoot and upload and/or give photos via CD that can then be uploaded by the client and shared at will with friends and family and from there ... who knows where the images might go on the net. Who has the time to monitor and chase down all their images?<br>

That plus it's not just Uncle Bob anymore. There are cell phone cameras (everybody has one), web cam, you tube, etc. that have created a new image conciousness that doesn't necessarily value professional photography to the same extent as in the past. The "amatuer" look and feel <em>is</em> valued by younger clients and couples are gathering images from friends and family as well as the paid photographer - even providing disposable cameras at weddings for the guests to take shots.<br>

My advice - price your job accordingly and don't count on add-ons.</p>

<p>First, identify your demographic.<br>

Does the $2K bride really want extras? Does the quality of the extras, that they can hold in hand create a feeling of excitement, of "I have to have it!"<br>

If not, it's an extra cost, not an incentive at a price point.</p>

<p>I have said this before in regards to your client base, know what they want.<br>

In my area, the 2-3K bride want all the images, and an album, prints not so much as 4x6's aren't really useful in the time of the internet, 8x10's are easy to find frames for, but so small, they don't really make a dent in the wall's appearance.<br>

I'm not sure where you are showing your work, but if it's in a controlled environment, your home/office. You can show really big work 30x40, 24x32 canvas wraps, etc.<br>

These big items can capture the attention and imagination of your market. My market does not go for the standard bridal portrait on the wall. Rangefinder magazine did an article a couple years ago about how brides really want their portraits to have much more flair than holding flowers at belly button, squaring the shoulders and smiling..not saying you do this, I'm just saying.</p>

<p>But the photographer who shows portraits of clients that are different and original (over used word, but easy to see when it really is) will start to get them excited about <em>their </em>wall portrait (s)and you can't get them excited about their possible wall portrait while showing a 4x6-11x14. You just can't.</p>

<p>You show the work and you tell them the story of that picture, of the clients in it, how they met, how the session went, you bring them into the art piece, and you include that term into your lexicon. Your work is not meant to be seen on the refrigiderator (sp?) held up by Papa johns magnets, your work is meant to be their own personal art work.</p>

<p>So to your original question, what idea? Salesman-ship<br>

One other thing I've been rolling around<br>

They get all their images in hand (USB flash drive) only AFTER an album is approved and ordered.<br>

They can see all their images online, but delivery of those images must wait until the album is done and ordered. Unless they don't get an album, in which case you charge for the DVD/flash drive.<br>

The client who won't order an album, usually won't order prints, so any effort to get them past the churn and burn model might result in a lot fewer clients. I don't really think they are holding out on their ability to pay, they are just over extended. So I would say not to rush them, just hold the images until an album is ordered.<br>

Good luck</p>

 

<p>Off Topic, sorry Art, but I had to comment: (Commenting on the Business Model)<br /><br />If you decide price your product and position your business to <em>directly compete</em> with this <strong><em>“new image consciousness”</em></strong> that “<strong><em>doesn't necessarily value professional photography to the same extent as in the past”</em></strong>, then it is logical that you will be driving you prices downward rather than upward – but your overheads and cost of living will be rising.<br /><br />So how do you argue that you get the best price at the outset, if you are competing directly to the customers contained within that marketplace . . . and why would you choose to compete <strong><em>by the rules</em></strong> of the marketplace you describe?<br /><br />The logical conclusion of that business model is to be the seller of disposable cameras for the Guests. . .???<br /><br />WW</p>

Sometimes I'll take a photo and enlarge it to an 11X14 mounted. When the couple comes to pick up their proofs or CD's most of the time the couples want that enlargement. If they don't want it we simply use it as a display.

 

Remind the couple not to forget to give the parents a parent album or an enlargement of the whole family.

 

Knowing the budget of the couples can surely help you get more sales.

<p><em><strong>"Knowing the budget of the couples can surely help you get more sales."</strong></em><br>

I agree.<br>

I also add: <strong>Assuming I knew</strong> the budget of a customer missed me very large sales - also I cite <em>"Pretty Woman"</em>.</p>

<p>"You work on commission here don't you . . . Mistake, Big mistake - Huge" (quote from memory only)<br>

WW</p>

<p>As a busy wedding photographer I prefer to offer a package where the couple receive all images on DVD's at full resolution and email size, a wedding album of my pick off the best 200 shots. They also get these 200 images loaded on to my web site where their guests can down load the images if that's what the couple want. (Most are happy for the images to be on the web site but don't want them to be able to be downloaded). I find this works best as I quite often have another wedding the following weekend and the one after that and maybe even one through the week. I therefore find turning the images around within the week I can move on to the next wedding and give it my full attention. <br>

Add-on’s are a bonus but can take a lot of time and running about and you have to ask yourself if it is worth it. That's not to say that I don't do add-on's if asked. <br>

Cheers<br>

John</p>

<p>From a retired wedding photographer,, me that is:<br>

Stay on top of the game, poses, trends, ordering, website, album options, etc. I always made good off re-orders. But I noticed that the current trend is not so much enlargements & nice Art leather albums etc. Back in the 90's & early 2000's we were always getting 16x20's printed. But in the past 5 years, no where as many. Parents liked their own album, brides on the "upper" side of town would get the nice albums. But the normal side of town really do not want to spend a lot of extra $$.<br>

Try this:<br>

1. Pre-sale everything. Magazine or collage albums, parent's albums, enlargements, frames, extra cd's. <br>

2. Sell the cheap-cheesey stuff, coffee cups with images, mouse pads, calendars. Another idea is thank you cards with a image, Christmas cards, hey don't laugh or dog me,, I see them in offices all the time.<br>

Sadly, there are plenty of young decent photographers that will shoot a wedding for $200.00 & hand bride the CD. I saw one's work that is as good as some of the images I see on here, she charges $125.00. Sure her posing & lighting is not polished, but it is $125.00 Can you compete with that ?? They have taken photoshop classes in school since they were 12. Photos will match ones they see in books or other websites. <br>

Wedding photographers are falling into 2 classes. Low price & expensive. We middle priced guys are the ones not surviving. Espically if you are old school.</p>

 

<p>An easy way to make more money is to remove anything tiny from your packages. Things like 8x10s. A bride doesn't need 3 8x10's in her package if she's spending the money. The bride should be getting an album because it's the best way to take care of her photos. Engagement sessions help you to get comfy with them. Sell what's good for them, not good for you and you'll make more money. Remove anything tiny and if the bride really wants it she'll buy it a la carte, and you won't waste your money giving away something the bride didn't want in the first place.<br>

Again. Think about what the bride wants, not what you want to sell.</p>