Sell proofless - increase your sales

[aimee_pieters]

<p>There are many ways to sell your work. Here's my method; does anyone have a method that works well for them?<br>

Since 1995, I've been selling with NO paper proofs and nothing leaves my studio or gets posted online until the order is placed. While the sales appointment for a wedding seems to take an average of 2 to 2-1/2 hours, I almost always will double my initial booking and sometimes much more. In other words, I make much more per hour selling than I do shooting. For me, it's about the total sales, NOT the number of weddings.<br>

I've used a number of different software programs along the way. EPIX (Album Arranger) from 1995-1999 was the first using a 32" TV screen for presentation. Next came ProShots from 1999 - 2003 and now LabPrints. The 2 latter were/are lab integrated. That means that once I design an album, I can upload directly to the lab without any file conversions, etc.<br>

Here are the key points:<br>

The appointment to view, design the album and order should be made as soon as the B&G return from their honeymoon. Excitement about the wedding is at its height and the credit card bills haven't arrived yet. I have had much better success when it's just the bride and groom at this session. Too many opinions will cause confusion and increase doubt.<br>

If the couple is not comfortable making a final decision at that appointment (less than 10% of the time), I schedule another appointment a few days later, but I NEVER give them anything to take home or post anything online. That's my leverage for getting them to finalize the order.<br>

It's extremely important that they are paid in full BEFORE their wedding. It's much easier to sell them a larger album when they don't owe you any money. Rembember "money spent is money forgotten".<br>

I also get payment IN FULL at this appointment when they finalize their album. If that becomes a deal breaker, I take at least half and let them know that the other half is due in 2-3 weeks BEFORE we send their photos to the binder to have the album made.<br>

Most couples will scale back your initial design somewhat, so I design BIG. I charge by the image, NOT by the page. This way there's no savings to them to shrink the number of pages and it saves me re-design time. That's just more work for less money.<br>

It's been working for me since 1995. I had a few instances when I first started this where it didn't work. Each time it's because I broke my own policy. It was my own fault and I learned quickly.<br>

What works for all of you?...-Aimee</p>

 

[mark_davidson]

<p>Hi Aimee,</p>

<p>I appreciate your contribution to professional selling techniques.<br>

I have been proofless now for a year and it has made a real difference.<br>

The biggest challenge I have is out of town visitors wanting to book me for a family portrait. They almost always want an online gallery and "will call me later " with their order. In fairness it works only fair. Some can get their act together and place a good order, others take forever and some frankly ( I think) order the smallest possible print and scan them and email them to the group.</p>

<p>Minimum orders don't work.</p>

<p>What would you suggest to get them to book and then follow through with a timely order.</p>

 

[cathy_and_david_bock]

<p>While I appreciate your contribution I completely disagree with idea of selling per image. I would suggest instead to do as we do and have a maximum number of images per page. This way you don't have to worry about them trying to jam 12 images onto one page and having it turn into a proofbook. Printers don't charge per image, they charge per page (and if they do charge per image you should find a different printer), and designing an album shouldn't take longer than an hour anyways (else it should be outsourced to save both you and your clients time). Just our two cents, but I think people who charge per image in their album are shooting themselves in the foot.</p>

<p>We also work on a semi-proofless system. We use online proofing if a client wishes to purchase high quality prints from us as we give them high-res dvds with every single package. We're not in the business of selling prints, and if a client sees the value in the quality of prints they get from us, more power to them. I suggest instead of charging X and then expecting to make Y in print sales to do as we do and charge X+Y in the first place, and anything after the fact will be a nice bonus. It's worked well for us and we're not stressed to force our clients to order prints from us when I'd rather they be adding pages to their albums to be able to better tell the story of their day in a way that can be preserved much longer. Just our opinion but to each their own. :)</p>

[aimee_pieters]

<p>Mark,<br>

I don't charge a session fee and I don't have any packages for portraits, so I have a minimum order. The client has to be obligated for something and it's easier for me to book sessions this way and I have a guaranteed order based on what type of session they're booking. I also have a "non-prime-time" discount for sessions Monday-Thursday from 9-3. All in all, it works. Also, when I have this out-of-town situation, I only post online for 2 weeks. I will delay posting if it's more convenient to wait a week or 2, but there has to be come kind of deadline. No systems are perfect, but this has been working for me for years.<br>

Cathy & David,<br>

The only system that works is the one that you're comfortable with. If you believe in it, then you can sell it. They'll all work if you structure them properly. I initially sold by the page, but even with limits, there was re-design time. When I initially started selling without paper proofs, I was using matted albums and I have carried this system over to digital albums. Yes, my lab charges by the full print and not by the image. So I get 4 times the price for a page with 4 images that costs me the same. For me it's a great profit center. It also make my sales appointments move quicker as final selections aren't based on price as all images are the same price. If I get the occasional client who orders all full-page images, it costs me a little more, but I more than make it up on the cluster pages.<br>

Again, I never have a negative opinion about a system that works for someone else. Keep doing what you're doing if you're comfortable with it....-Aimee</p>