Sales tactics ! Any suggestions?

[erin_m1]

Hi, I have a question about youth sports and sales tactics. In the

last year I have started taking pics of YOUTH SPORTS (ie. Soccer,

Baseball, Flag Football, etc.) I was wondering if any of you that

also do youth sports can offer me some advice.

Previously what I would do is go a (youth) sporting event and take

pics of all the kids and then hand out business cards with a web

address where the pic would be posted. On top of that I would often

have parents walk up to me and ask if I was a photographer and if I

could take pics of their kids. The parents would often times give me

THEIR e-mail address. At which time I would send them a reminder and

a link to view the pics of their child on a web hosting and printing

site like Printroom. So here is the deal. After I go home and edit,

crop, sharpen, and post the pics on the website I hardly get any

sales. And I know my pics are above average and capture many times

the "peak moment" of action, the question of quality is not a

problem. And I think the prices I am charging are far also, $7 for a

5x7 and $12 for an 8x10, etc. I am using a Canon 1D Mark II, with a

70-200 2.8L IS (basically $6600 worth of gear). So I have all these

parents begging to get my attention, and making sure I take pics of

their kids, they give me their e-mail address, and yet...no sales.

 

I am getting tired of taking pics on SPECULATION (shooting first and

trying to sell later). I would rather have fewer parents that were

guaranteed or committied to buying my pics, then to show up and take

200+ pics willy-nilly and not sell any.

 

Are there any YOUTH SPORTS Photographers out there that can offer any

advice. I was thinking of charging a "shooting fee" of $20. Printroom

has coupons that you can handout (1 time use only) that have a code

in them that the parents use to go online and order prints. So

basically I wanted to charge a shooting fee of $20, and then handout

pre-paid coupons that are (set-up) good for $20 worth of prints. And

if they want to order more than $20, then they can do that online as

well.

 

It has been my experience that 99% of the population gets enjoyment

looking at pictures of themselves or their loved ones. However a

smaller percentage of people are willing to pay for pics of

themselves or their kids playing sports. It appears that if you allow

people to take advantage of your time, they will have you taking pics

of their kids all day long. Yet when it comes to buying prints, maybe

they had no intention to ever buy any from you from the get-go.

 

The other possiblity would be to go to the event, take 200+ pics, and

then return the next day with 200 prints in a binder. I am shooting

digital, so there is no "film" cost to worry about. However it is a

big expense and alot of work to print out 100-200 prints and have

them available the next day in a 3 ring binder. But again, you are

shooting on speculation.

 

Any comments on the best way to find "qualified" buyers and to avoid

shooting on speculation would be appreciated.

 

Thanks E.M.

 

 

Here are a few of my "action" shots.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=1776291

[art_haykin]

Your third from last paragraph says it all. There are always lots of tire kickers and looky-loos who rarely buy. Your shots look fine to me, and your prices seem fair....perhaps it's your personality....I just don't know. Personally, I prefer paid gigs with money up front and a contract. Spec shooting is OK for popparazzi. (Spelling?)

[robertshantz]

<P>Erin,

 

<P>I'm not in the business, but one thing stood out to me. You talked about taking 200 photos and putting them up on a web site. I wonder if part of the problem is that people are unwilling to look through 200 photos to see if there are any of their kid?

 

<P>A year or so ago there was a thread where a kid's sports photographer commented that he had finally settled on just shooting a roll of film for each parent (for $20 I think), giving them the roll and moving on the the next parent. That way he got paid and didn't have the problems of matching kids and parents. Maybe you can find default settings that minimize post processing (except for deleting the really bad ones), and just burn them a CD at the game.

[jim mucklin]

Erin, I shoot film, race cars on Sat. moto-cross on Sundays, I have a different approach than most. If you don't like it you don't buy it this is true for any item service I provide,take my moto-cross, I drive 5o miles setup at 8 sell to the race starts them my wife sells for me to the end of the race which is at least a 10 hour day. In 3 years I have seen the digital printers and the I might be hear next week photo takers come and go. Once they find out it's hard work and they can make more doing a wedding I never see them again.If you provide a good product and the parents see you are commited they will buy. My prices are $3 for my 4x6's up to $50 posters which we have on display. I print everything I shoot and bring them to the events in books where the customers can see the products. I shoot about 400 images on a Sunday and the following week I sell at least 200 and get lots of reorders for posters and 11x14 so to dissagree with the majority, most of my money is in re-order, it may not be with weddings but is it with sports and I feel I have found a niche', they can't got to *al-mart and get a large poster. As far as the tire thumpers, many riders and parents come up to me and thank me for the service because they don't have to go on line, look at terrible pictures, give out there credit card info, order photos and pre-pay only to receive crap in the mail. They come look and buy right on the spot. While we leave every Sunday with a pocket full of money it's the whole day away, the travel, all the other expenses that you don't think about. We never wen't into the black until the second year. Sorry for the rant, but unless you love the shoot/sport don't do it.Set up you business plan, schedule your time/ I hope this helps and feel free to contact me off site.