Skip to main content

Why Use Sales Room Software

Lesson 19 from: Pricing and Sales for Photographers

Julia Kelleher

Why Use Sales Room Software

Lesson 19 from: Pricing and Sales for Photographers

Julia Kelleher

buy this class

$00

$00
Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2200+ more >

Lesson Info

19. Why Use Sales Room Software

Lesson Info

Why Use Sales Room Software

The step by step system in the sales room now we're going to talk about taking a microcosm of the sales process and giving it a step by step nature okay, the projection appointment broken down by the time we get to the projection appointment the client should have a really good idea of what they're coming in for. Okay? I give my clients and my activity already gave it to them today we give it a little bit late but I think they'll be reviewing it. I give them my ordering appointment preparation guide and it's a little. I should let you guys earlier today it's a little pamphlet that has a bunch of information and in about the most popular products we carry a little bit about abbreviated information about our pricing. It talks a lot about how you want to visualize these images five, ten years from now and that is another confirmation to the client to start thinking about what they want to do with their images or to continue thinking about I should say and in the projection appointment tha...

t emotion is key this is the soft sell let the emotion to the work so here's how I do it this is how it's broken down and the's steps can kind of be rearranged a little bit depending on how the sale session goes but for the most part these steps are typically done throughout the entire sales process the first thing I do without a doubt no questions this is solid never going to change we show the slide show this is where the emotion is tight this is where it really things then we discuss and reaffirm predetermined goals so the minute we said look at the slide show we say ok we talked about doing this for your wall let's go in to start designing that okay, sometimes I will pre design a wall siri's for a client and show that to them not always but sometimes if I know a client wants like say for example ah wall portrait above their sofa I would predispose ein the sofa room that wall with one large image there was my favorite from the session the one on the money shot what's the money shop the family shot thank you and so I will show that family shot nice and big over the sofa. But then what I do is I created three siri's one with daddy holding the baby and one with mommy holding the baby with the family image in between just to create more emotion and then I would create a third design which would have five images in it one three and five I know they're not gonna buy the one with five if they do, I squeal when they leave when they walk out the door okay they usually always by the one in the middle the one with three because they know how it is they love all the images. I mean, really how many of you have had a client? It doesn't happen very often not like your images doesn't happen. I've had it happen to me twice I can count on you you remember when you remember it very well um happens to all of us. I think maybe it just happens to me. Well, that's terrible. I've been trouble if that's the game no gyms that have him good anyway. Okay, so it does happen occasionally, but most the time that the parents are crying, they love the images they're just so happy but about what? That's usually the case they want it all right. So by putting up different designs that have different numbers of images in them that allows all of a sudden the freedom for the client teo show three images instead of one on tell the story a bit more with what their session is about feeling emotion. We sort images at this point. If I am going to show pre design products I do it before I start sorting images in saying yes or no to things why do I do that? A couple reasons, what do you think I do? Yeah, what else think about my goals looking images out, it might be harder to one that's exactly it, and it applies to both albums and too well portrait when they sort the images, I want them to sort with the final product in mind. They will sort differently with the wall siri's or album of mind. Then they will just sorting the images for which ones are good and which ones aren't is that clear resonate? So if I tell you, I want you to sort you know, we've looked at this wall, siri's and you know, we're planning for this art piece in your home. Now we're gonna go ahead and pick your favorites, but I wanted to pick your favorites with the idea of them going on your wall in this configuration, you know, sort. With that in mind, they sort entirely differently, then they would have I sorted the images first and then show them the products also think about this if I pre design a product and they say no to that image that I've pre designed with, so I want to show them those pre design products first with images that I love, then they'll know that those are artists favorite and those are the good images they want, but no pile, they won't do it, you see them saying so then at that point, we start re discussing pricing in collections. This is when we start making some decisions. This is usually the strategic point when I walk out of the room, usually not always, and I don't always work out of the room. Who knows what will happen today? Um, if we do need to quote, walk out of the room, if I walk out of the room and all you guys were here that's gonna be really awkward for them, so what I was going to do is have them they hate you guys need a minute to talk this over and decide why don't you just step out where you have some privacy and so on? So we'll get you a drink? You guys can talk about it for a minute while we hash out stuff in class if they really need to think about it, okay? So that's, we're going to think just a little bit differently than I would normally do, but at this point where we just were re discussing poor discussing pricing and collections and I'm sitting here talking about what their options are, and I said that they're hemming and hawing like, oh, I don't really know what to dio they need to have a little family discussion. I walk out of the room politely and say, hey, you know, I'm expecting email that's really important to come through and I also kind of sense that you guys needed a moment to chat is it ok if I walk out for a second and go check on that while you guys discuss it very honest they using oh yes please thank you, especially when it's a large sum of money and they're trying to decide efficient up their budget they need to chat okay, so that's sometimes the most strategic thing that you can do to really help your sail is walk out of the room or shut up that's everything just be quiet be comfortable silence it's okay start to feel uncomfortable doesn't it? People want to fill that silence don't they want to fill it? They're like wait a minute was audio no, he didn't live audio julia just shut up, okay? But be comfortable with that and know that sometimes when you're quiet it will make your client talk. They will want to fill the silence and when we talk about difficult personalities tomorrow and how to deal with them silence is one of your best weapon sometimes. Okay at this point we make decisions, you control the appointment if you take it through this step by step process very simple steps and they can change in order a little bit you know it'll help you create a system. The slideshow of course is the most important section of it. Okay this is where the emotion happens when you show a client a slide show with images that have emotion in it they are going to just be drawn and immediately to the power of the images because they saw you shoot them so they have a little bit of an idea however they don't fully know and when they see the images all of a sudden that really drives the point home and this is where the emotions like wow that's my baby okay, so just enjoy the images a time this time you know you should choose royalty free music for this kind of thing mom may cry tissues are a must don't watch your client as they watched the slide show zoe come here sit on the couch have a seat if I start playing the slide show I'm gonna make sure I have the right music on here hang on one second I don't play music I'm not supposed to play uh let's see here okay, so if I play this slide show for you this is your kid uncomfortable, isn't it? Yeah, she can't focus on the images not all okay, so my point is thankyou good test subjects I appreciate it she cannot possibly focus on the images when she's feeling deep emotion if you're watching her you'd be so self conscious, so instead of watching your client watched the slide show with them, you will hear the reaction trust me and you can kind of sneak a peek over once in a while. Mom usually is very self conscious about crying it's the biggest compliment a mother can ever give me when she cries at the viewing appointment, it makes everything worth it even if she doesn't buy much to me that's like I touched you, my god given gifts have gone to a purpose thank you, you know it's just an awesome feeling, so let them get drawn in don't watch them shot up don't talk, let them enjoy it revisit when you discussed in the pre console ask what their hopes are how they want to see these image five, ten, twenty years from now when your baby has grown when your senior is now having children of their own, how do you want to see these images? You want to see it on a wall that you walk by every day? Or do you want an album or a book that you can sit with your child and leave through it? Or a wedding album that over the years on your fiftieth anniversary, you khun some through and take joy and how young and youthful in in love you were are so revisit the concept of the art product showing those pre design products lets you provide that artistic input and I don't always do it when I know that a client is really going to do something for the wall that I will definitely design something okay so like I said showing that grouping of one three and five is really strategic and valuable and nine times out of ten they buy the one in the middle okay so don't make the one in the middle so beyond what you know maybe their budget that it's ridiculous and like out of control like I know my budget finding my client comes in with like a twelve hundred dollar budget and they want a wall siri's I'm gonna make sure I designed something in the middle that's maybe fifteen hundred push the budget just a little bit don't over there I'm not going to design something that's two thousand dollars put the one single one at twelve hundred and then the whopper five thousand that's ridiculous the client will never afford that they'll never go beyond that so you want to make it approachable okay power of actual size being able to show this in a design software is so ridiculous it's unbelievable okay I'm going to show you this improv select right now this is jim this is where you're going tohave you oh thank you for the tape measure just magically appeared that is awesome. Okay, first of all let me calibrate the system for you so let's see what we've got eighteen inches I'm gonna type in eighteen inches here save and were calibrated okay so now what I can do is taken image up and put it in actual size on the screen the screen's too big for too small for it okay that's a forty by sixty so if I go down to a thirty by forty now that's a thirty by forty on the screen now I'm in mirrored mode meaning you guys can see everything when I do this with a client I'm an unmarried mode so they just see the image they don't see all the other images on the side of the tool bars or anything like that okay so that's a thirty by forty yeah very quickly the kind goes out for the wall very quickly same thing with room view I can go into working with rooms pull up a wal k let's to make sure I have a decent image that'll show it thirty my forty first let's do the black and white so there is a forty by sixty beautiful let's frame it e a lot of frames I'm here for to give me where am I going here let's too that pretty okay black and white forty by sixty here is a thirty by forty tell me when it's too small twenty four thirty six twenty five twenty four sixteen twenty love my fourteen is that clear is there's what this being able to do this alone we'll ridiculously ridiculously increase your wall portrait cells if someone took this away from me I would come wielding a knife I would be very upset seriously this is so important to me I cannot live without it. Someone once asked me if you were on a deserted island would you pick photo shop or a pro select? And I said pro select hands down why granted there's no one on desert island to sell too but still if they're wass it's it's all philosophical right? Seriously, I can do good images out of camera and show those right away I don't care but I can't sell without a tool and a tool that shoves it in your faces this is what it looks like this is your home your while your kid your image your size ma'am, I just took over your senses and I didn't have to do a thing I like to do is show you something. Okay that power, that real estate analogy remember we talked about buying a house when you go how many of you have been on a house on you guys have been on a house hunt. You know what it's like you go through house after house after house especially you girls out there who'd gone house hunting guys are usually pretty more relaxed about what they pick women are like it's gotta be right then what happens? You find the perfect house it's the open floor plan the hardwood floors they're hand scraped theirs molding everywhere granite countertops it's all open and beautiful like a cape cod cedar shake siding house that you've always dreamed up oh, what do you do? And you had you move in exactly the furniture goes here the bed goes here the tv goes there the dining room table fit so perfectly we have around one it'll go in that alcove I mean you really start putting your stuff in the home ruv you or anything like it does the exact same thing when I take my client's wall with my client's images put them in the right size in their space it looks beautiful the images matched the scene I have basically taken over their visual senses and they can't imagine anything else they start moving in before they have handed me their credit card okay this is the soft sell approach I can't force somebody to buy it a size by saying you should buy the size it'll look great they don't take my word for it they need to see it okay so what you want to sell my mantra doing alright? Can I read something from online? Oh yes please so breakfast burrito family in the chat room says as a first time client of julia's baby and family package it works exclamation point. No, my client, giulio julia handed me a box of tissues as she lowered the lights. The shock music began to play and the slide show was showcasing my family and brand new baby. This was the magical moment I knew that our budget had gone out. Wait, no mystery family. You know, I kind of worried about that, that my clients would be watching this, but at the same time, you know, my my why is still very riel. I remember that feeling of one day I'm not a parent and the next day I am and it was just life changing and that that's the goal of my images I want them to being that family's possession so that they know why it's so amazing to be a parent. So that first moment when they became a parent, that was the day that the rest of their life changed. They have a new reason for living, and I just want to capture that feeling an image. Yes, I have to make a living off of it. Of course, it's kind of cute when your client who put on the spot, you know, but I really want to make happy clients and happy people, and that is my goal, and I won't bust that budget unless I know that they're okay with it and I would give options that say okay well if this is your budget then let's work within that budget so you don't ever want to be pushy but there's nothing that you have taught that you couldn't possibly offend any of your clients know even when you say this is how much I paid for something in this how much I charge you to go into explaining why by charlie has that value that's yeah that's the way all products are sold in the world today I think ultimately your clients do you understand that you're trying to make a living and when they see that I really don't make more than thirty, forty thousand dollars a year for doing what I d'oh you know what? That's not a huge salary when I was in tv I was making a lot more than that but I wasn't happy, you know? And so now it's like you have a job that fulfils you and I think once they realize that you really do care it's not such a big deal anymore and that they respect that so and it's true your clients to respect you for what you do they really too especially if they're good honest people with a lot of integrity and they'll want to pay you what you're worth okay, so this is like actual clients home this is my clients well she sent me a picture of her nursery ok if you design a piece for it on their own wall that provides tremendous power to them to actually see it at this point we start sorting the images sort them with the final goal in mind keep the images in the yes pile and move them to the no piles have a spell move mom move have mom moved them to the nopal cacti have mom moved them to know pile this sister t jik mom has a hard time saying no to her baby so I want her to have a little bit of uh oh this is hard I wanted to really think about it okay so when she has to say no to an image I want her to really say no to it for a reason okay? Compare only three two four two time any more than that you'll overwhelm when comparing show images that are similar to one another. So when I'm showing images of mom for example I'll just show four images that are very similar so she can kind of decide which one she enjoys the most from that set that are all similar does that make sense so tell each client when they're sorting that this is a first pass mom and dad can override each other mom likes that dad doesn't we keep it? If they both don't like it it's up then we'll go back and really refined that process revisit pricing this will occur often honest. You discuss product and sort images trip over myself here. So, you know, as you start discussing the pricing and how it works, they'll want to know, okay, what's this product because it cost there'll be some back and forth discussion and some give and take. Okay, I go over create our own collection with them is clearly as many times as needed, and sometimes that the law sometimes it's once they get it, if they've read it on their homework, usually they get it right away. Then start asking your client how they would like to invest. You gotta ask for it. I know it's hard, but you do have to ask for it. I usually say there's two ways to purchase tv I'll say purchases there are two ways to invest in images you can either I do actually say purchase purchase ala carte or increase your own collection. Most of our clients go with create our own collection and for this reason and you'll hear me saying, okay, I've said this thing so many times it start to be a broken record, but that's, what I want you to do so you have a system and you know, every time single time that's gonna be the same thing. Okay. With a well done free consultation this will just be a simply a matter of taking in order. The client has a good idea what they want and what their budget is before they come in. Like she just said, the budget sometimes goes out the window and that's a beautiful thing. Okay, that's okay, especially if they give permission for that to happen. And almost clients do recognize the value of how important these images were are and people do not buy what you what you do, they buy what you believe and if they believe what you believe in, what you do is simply proof of what you believe and that's proof to them too. And they value that so they'll spend money on it. Okay, so we make decisions. Client will begin selecting items for create a collection. I rarely have anybody by allah cart note their desires on their invoice. Okay, so things that maybe never touching little test stuff like that show the final invoice so I will come out of mirroring mode or un mirrored mode and then show them the invoice so I will come out here. I don't think I have anything in this invoice right now on I will show the actual invoice with their product in it, okay, there's actually invoice so in this woman did credit collection and she did a thirty by forty gallery up campus, it says, mounted their butt in my notes, it says gallery wrapped, and then she went for her digital files large for a total of sixteen hundred dollar sale, two products, digital files on a thirty by forty cameras okay, it's, the pricing system that we develop it's so lovely because then that day they walk out with our digital files, we process them that's why I proof everything beforehand because I know they're going to walk out with all their files so they walk out, we give him the discuss they go, we upload to then folio where people can print, we know they're going to get professional level print, we educate them drastically on why they should print there, okay? And then when they walk out, they get to have a digital files, which they love, and that solidifies the sale for me and they can't return those suckers no way and I make them sign for it. So right then and there I have solidified my sale knowing that they're not going to go back on it. I ordered that thirty by forty that night it's in in a few days and bam the products delivered in less than a week, yeah, yes, I don't like to, but I will do a fifty percent at the sales appointment than fifty percent on pickup for very, very good clients, I will take a credit card payments over over several months, but only for clients who are really, really, really, really good. Okay, so once you shine that show their final invoice like this, I'll say, okay, we're goingto go with the gallery campus, the digital files, large. Does everything look okay here for you guys? Yeah, I wanted to say what the price is. They see it, okay, how would you like to take care of that? You're gonna do this on a credit card today, you know, and they call it the card. That's it. You've gotta have the confidence to say that, yeah, I mean, it's, you got to ask for the money. It's, your business is your profitability. Remember, protect the money, protect your business, protect your livelihood.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Complete Vendor Marketing Bundle
Julia's Studio Resource List

Free Downloads

6Ps of Selling - Get Started Kit

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

This was the first class I have ever purchased from CreativeLive in the 6 months I've had it and watched as I could. With a toddler and six yr old on top of a hubby serving overseas I was attempting to watch ten minutes of this when my toddler just wasn't allowing me to watch haha. After just a few minutes I had already told myself if that had happened it would be okay because I was won over already. I knew I not only needed to buy this because there was no other way I could watch it, but it was something I knew would be the BEST investment EVER! Pricing & Sales has been something even my amazing photography group has kept somewhat hush hush and I was dreading the $150-200 for a course in person not knowing if it'd have everything I needed and let's face it, I do this part-time and my husband is military so we didn't have much to throw in the way of me learning more since I'm obviously already upside down with my 'business' haha. This has been so incredibly worth it and if there were ever a course I would buy and recommend to anyone ever again it would be this one. You are so amazingly smart and talented Julia and if CreativeLive had not done this webinar I would have never learned about you this way and learned such valuable information that I cannot wait to implement in my business. Also for any moms wondering, it's worth the cost not just to pause and continue with munchkins throughout the day but it is the best thing you can buy that has so many different tips and ideas to help save your business from becoming a hobby again which mine was about to haha. Thank you so much again for this!!!

a Creativelive Student
 

Okay, I've finally watched this course all the way through and can review it. I wasn't able to watch the live broadcast but the topic was one that I really wanted to learn more about so I decided to purchase it without watching. I will be watching it again as there are great nuggets of information. Julia presents some wonderful insights about the art and psychology of pricing, how to deal with difficult clients and even a bit of in person sales. I liked Julia's take on how she packages her products so that she can reach and beat her sales goal. Those were all great tips! For the most part I liked this course but I wish a few things had been done differently. Because I am not a newborn photographer, and this wasn't a newborn class, it wasn't useful to me to see a newborn shoot - even though I know the point of that was to show how Julia plants the seed of the sale. But I feel that time could have been better spent demonstrating a pre-session consultation and what to discuss with clients, how to overcome objections, etc. The pre-session consultation is a big part of the pricing and sales process but I felt like it was glossed over. Julia talked a bit about how she has clients fill out a form on her website after the consultation to reinforce what she's explained to them. These are all things I would have liked more in-depth information on because they are crucial to the sales process. The in person sales session also went pretty fast - the couple was super quiet so I guess that made things much easier. The materials that came with the course have a lot more to do with marketing your studio through displays and gift certificates. They are beautiful templates - but again, I purchased this class to learn sales and pricing and would have really hoped to see materials related to the sales or pricing process - her client questionnaire, responses to common objections, her list of studio policies as it relates to sales, usage of images, etc. Also, one of the items in the bundle requires signing up for her email list. I don't mind - I just don't expect to do that if I bought a course that should have those materials included. That's my take on the good an the bad - just my opinion.

Jennifer Koskinen
 

Seriously? Where to start! I stumbled upon this, my first CreativeLIVE course, and ended up purchasing it I loved it so much and know it will provide not only great tips as I restructure some of my own business, but also endless inspiration for taking things to the next level. Gratitude ABOUNDS for Julia's candor, adorable personality, humility and willingness to share the "tough" lessons, as well as her unbridled passion and respect for the business of photography... On a more personal note, she introduced me to the concept of separating our inner critic from ourselves and calling him "George." Pure brilliance. Hands down THE best life skills tool I've ever heard in a photography workshop!! THANK YOU, Julia and CreativeLive!!

Student Work

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED ARTICLES