After Wedding Photo Sales questions. Need to re-think our sales-presentation.

[t_c16]

HI everyone.

 

I have a quick questions regarding wedding photo sales presentation. We normally schedule a photo viewing with

the couple, show them a pre made DVD photo slideshow with music (with highlights of the wedding images). Then we

give them the DVD with the images.

 

All our wedding packages include the DVD already so there is no need to buy the DVD. Any other sales strategy to

upsell other items such as albums, gallery wraps etc?

 

DO you create pre-sales packages for them to buy - like a suggestion of what else you can buy and create an

exclusive pricing for it?

 

Do you also show them all the wedding photos at the sitting? We usually have more than 900 images & it seems too

time consuming to go over each and every photo so we just tell them to view it at home & let us know which photos

they want.

ANy suggestions or anyone else care to share their post wedding sales workflow? Thanks!

[john at storybook pages]

There's a lot of profit in albums. Why not show them samples...suggest 3 styles: a matted album, a flush mount with stiff, lay flat pages, and a slim coffee tabel book.

 

People buy what they see.

[William Michael]

IMO you are at a selling disadvantage timing any major ``up-selling`` (like albums for example) at a viewing meeting.

The albums, and the like, should already be sold.

 

I think you need to understand what up selling actually is and how it works, and, more importantly how it is timed:

you might ``up-sell`` more images to those albums at a viewing meeting, for example.

 

 

 

***

 

I do not think it is about us sharing our post Wedding Workflow: I think it is about you deciding upon your sales

strategy, and I think beginning at the beginning, rather than thinking about ``adding on`` to what you have, the latter

is an inefficient approach, IMO.

 

***

 

900 images is far too many for a client to view, one at a time, in one viewing session which is slanted towards up-

selling: doing so will nearly always reduce the potential overall $ sale.

 

WW

[t_c16]

OK- thanks! Will take the advice given & try to re-think our sales strategy. MOst of our packages have the album already included. I like the idea of showing 3 different styles. Right now, I only have 2 styles available.

[steve_c.5]

TC, my structure is a little different that some here. My clients own their hi-res images on disc, as well as a color proof book of all images, etc. I also offer framed canvas wall artworks, coffee table albums, parents books, print packages, etc. But since I also have full-time employment, and am pretty busy post-producing weddings as it is, I'm not ardently chasing clients for every little print order and up-sell I can make. I have time to handle those up-sells in some cases, but I don't pursue every dollar possible. I simply don't have time.

 

However, one thing I do observe is that many clients these days are on budgets, and may not want to "eat the elephant" all at once. By making albums and artworks separate from the main package, you give them the option of spreading out the costs over time. I have clients who come back to me 6 months or a year later and want me to design an album for them. And because there are SO many options in the world of album design (manufacturers, album size, cover style, quantity of pages, etc.) I always make albums a separate expense. Again, my approach is different.

[William Michael]

I think that businesses should be tailored to suit individual goals: and because of that it is important to be constantly

reviewing what those goals are and deciding if they are the correct goals for one`s purpose and time, and refining the

goals to suit: this pertains to the review of your sales strategy, IMO.

 

I am sure Steve C will allow me to use He and I as examples to illustrate:

 

As one example, I wrote: ``900 images is far too many for a client to view, one at a time, in one viewing session

which is slanted towards up-selling: doing so will nearly always reduce the potential overall $ sale.``

 

But, on the above premise I would NOT argue with Steve C if he put 900 images in his colour proof book . . . I was

simply stating that 900 is too many to have to show IF the object (AGENDA) of the showing is an ``up-selling``

meeting.

 

Steve C, for example, might not even employ an after wedding meeting with the main agenda as selling . . . I do not

know. Further, I might (or might not) argue 900 images in a proof book are too many also, but any opinion I have on

that issue will have separate reasons for it.

 

I think it is very important to know exactly what business one is in: and to tailor the business to suit your goals and

your time (i.e. the time you at in your life): those are two very large aspects to base your sales strategy upon.

 

Also, I think that it is always difficult make totally objective market appraisals (and decisions) from a subjective

standpoint: when viewing issues from our own perspective we will always have bias and when making decisions

these biases should be factored out (as best we can).

 

As examples of what I mean by that is: It is likely that Steve C sees a distorted view of the client ``being on budgets

these days``, and ``not wanting to eat the whole elephant``, BECAUSE he has a sales structure reflective of the fact

he has another income stream and is time poor, in relation to his Photography Business . . . because he is (actively)

not ardently chasing clients for every little print order and up-sell, he ``see`` how that ``fits`` with the client, more

often than not.

 

I, on the other hand, also might have made a distorted conclusion regarding clients ``being on budgets`` when I

analysed the larger prints resales: I have written on this forum that there has been a decline in the total larger prints

of all sizes sold, but the greatest decline (% to number of weddings contracted) has been with the 11 x 14 and 10 x

8 size prints.

 

[ http://www.photo.net/wedding-photography-forum/00QBva ]

 

Now I could have concluded that this was the client being on a tighter budget related issue, but on deeper analysis

(and looking without any bias (as well as I could) I actually think it is due to sociological trend, and absolutely

nothing to do with budget (also mentioned in that post).

 

Also, if you read that link above, you will note that the studio I now work for would not be typical, either, so,

(obviously) a prospective client who initially walks into that studio (even if they are tyre kicking) has made a

conscious choice so to do and I (or the studio owner) should understand that using only our goldfish bowl as a

sample group will have bias, even when it includes the results of unconverted walk in prospects.

 

Now these points are not glossing over the facts that there is a global tightening of money and some household

budgets are skint . . . I am merely stating that when look at these matters from our own business, our business is a

factor of the equation, and that makes the opinion biased, and to note that bias when making decisions is a good

idea, IMO.

 

WW

[think27]

Same as Steve C. except I'm too busy to chase clients not because I have another job but because I'm too busy fulfilling orders ;-)

 

I do show them all the proofs - in 2-3 proof albums at the meeting. I schedule an hour with them to do so. I do tell them they will see new images each time they flip through and our objective is to quickly flip through and I will make comments about why I think this group shot will work better as an 8x10 reprint than that one... Or I may say - these three will make a great series in a frame and point to an example on my wall. I will explain cropping for enlargements etc.. I get great pleasure in the joy of the couple as they browse through the 800+ images. During the session there is laughter, tears, hugs and stories. This meeting is where I make sure they understand there is no time limit for ordering. I use it to show them how to place the orders with the order pages between each set of three photos. I show them 3 sample wedding album styles and they always have a preference. They have a 'favorites' album which is very inexpensive which includes 40 or so 4x6 (free doubles) in story form. When they open it (after the proofs) they are always laughing about how I picked their favorites (which I know from watching reactions when looking at proofs).

 

A side benefit of the meeting is that over the years I really understand which photos are the ones that evoke the most emotion from 'my' clients. The types that are attracted to my work. It is a very valuable tool and worth the time. No couple has ever complained about the amount of time they take looking - In fact most of the time I have to speed them up ;-)

 

The proofs with order pages and the favorites album are my single tool for "up selling". That and a $100 credit towards future order of album and or reprints.

[steve_c.5]

William, you're always free to use me as an example of what to do or what NOT to do; your judgement is always welcome! I can only say my way is the way for ME, and others can learn by my example or by my mistakes. Of course, I always strive for the former, rather than the latter...

 

And my experience in the post-wedding meeting is much the same as Mary's. As my couples go through their proof book and ooh and aah over the shots, I jokingly mention that their praise and responses are part of my "payment".

 

I too learn much from these sessions. Most importantly, that my guesses about what photos they'd like the most and least are usually completely wrong, and people constantly throw me a curve on this. In many cases, the photographer's aesthetic simply doesn't match the client's. I guess one man's tea is another man's tap water.

[William Michael]

For clarity: A proof or preview album, is not the initial medium used to display my finished work to the Wedding Client, at our viewing meeting.

 

WW