If you do these seven things, you’re going to lose your photo and video clients. I guarantee it.
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As photographers, as videographers, we do dumb things. We’re kind of focused on our
craft, our career, ourselves sometimes. These seven things are examples of things we do
on set and with people that a lot of times alienate our clients and make them go somewhere
else. So, seven things that if you do you’re going to lose your clients.
Number one, don’t have any idea what your client wants. Don’t have any idea what they’re
looking for. You know, you’re the photographer, they hired you because of your eye. Your great
portfolio, your style. You’re just gonna give them the image that you want them to
have. That’s like going to a used car salesman that says, “This is the car you’re gonna
have. You’re gonna have this one, whether you like it or not. This is yours give me
your checkbook.”
Sound of Buzzer
The reality is if you’re gonna work with clients you’ve got to understand what they
want. Understand what they feel like they’d ha-- like to have. So people put together
things like a mood board. Or an inspiration board. Uh, it’s a concept from advertising.
Pye over at SLR Lounge uses it with his clients. I’ve used it with advertising clients forever.
You go through and you say here’s certain images that show a certain mood. A certain
look. The client says, “I love those kinds of things. I love that direction. Here’s
images that I’ve shot that show that mood and that direction.” I say, “I really
like these, I’m looking for something like that.” So you put together a collection
of things between the two of you that give you an idea of exactly what your client wants.
Now when you’re shooting you can give them some images that satisfy their need, their
desire, and will make them much happier. They’re much more likely to come back to you.
There’s no reason to worry about your client. How they’re feeling on set or what’s going
on there. Because it’s your shoot. You’re the one who’s in charge. You’re the one
here that’s gonna get the images. This is hard for you. This is a tough day for you.
You need everyone to concentrate on you so you can get great images.
Horror Music
The reality is photographers who work like that, don’t get clients to come back. It’s
the reverse that gets clients to come back. Send a questionnaire out. Ask them, “What
kind of music do you like; what kind of food do you like?” Uh,”What do you see the
day going like?” Uh, “What’s your favorite color?” Now as the photographer you try
to give them back the things that you know they love and they want in that experience.
You make it about their day. You make them feel like this is your experience. Uh, there’s
a million pho-- do you know how m-- how many images are posted to Instagram every day?
There are billions of images posted every day all throughout the world. You’ve got
to set yourself apart by giving them an experience that’s about them and not you. One of the
best ways to keep clients.
When things aren’t going well technically, you’ve got to focus on those, you’ve got
to concentrate on that. You’ve got to to go inside yourself and be able to solve those--
those technical problems. It’s all about getting the image and you’ve gotta just
start think about what you have to do to get that image. And pretty soon the whole day
collapses around you.
Sound of steam train stopping
No. When things aren’t going right you start looking outward. Doesn’t matter if the Titanic’s
going down and the last boat’s left and you and your bride are gonna die on the Titanic,
you’re gonna get the most amazing image they have ever seen with the boat going down
in the background and people freezing in the water. And you just start looking outward
and you start including your bride. You’re telling her how great the images look and
it doesn’t matter if the images look like crap. You’re gonna start telling them, these
look great! I’m looking fabulous! And you keep working on how to solve it until it’s
gonna look better and eventually it gets better. When we start collapsing inside and saying
oh my word this is looking horrible this is gonna be horrible it looks worse and worse
and worse. We start getting more excited and more out there then it gets better and better
and better. So be positive. Make it a positive experience even when things are going wrong.
‘Cause you don’t want your bride or your portrait session to go oh you know what, I’ll
find somebody who can handle the pressure. You always handle the pressure inside and
emote excitement outside.
Number four. Just give them what they want. The images are on the mood board. Just phone
it in. Knock ‘em out. Get done, get home, collect your paycheck. Get out of there.
Flushing toilet
You know photographers who keep clients give them the stuff they want on their mood board;
the stuff they see in their inspiration board. And then they do something th-- that the client
goes, “I would never have thought of that.” That’s how you keep clients. You give ‘em
a foundation of the things that they love and they want. And then you give them stuff
where they go, “Wow, I would never have thought of that." Those are the images they’re
probably gonna put up on their wall and the images that are going to make them remember
the day and you the best.
Number five, there’s no reason to post to Facebook, or Instagram, or show the images.
It’s probably not the best image you’ve ever done anyway. You gotta get home, there’s
other things to do. You know, it’s been a long day, just get out of there. Get home.
Scream
What an opportunity to cement your client as a client. Put the image up on Instagram.
Tag ‘em. Get them sharing it with people so they’re excited about the images they’ve
shot. They’re excited about the day and what happened there. Get it out on Facebook.
Make yourself do that at the end of the day, as hard as it is. So that your client continues
to have the great experience with you, long after you’re done. Get that social media
out there. It becomes a client keeper, a client connector.
There’s no reason to deliver your images until your bride calls you two or three times.
I mean, there’s so much you’ve got going on. And obviously when they call you the first
time you don’t need to respond because you don’t have them ready yet. And so you’re
gonna wait till they call a second or third time. ‘Cause you don’t want to call them
back when you don’t have them ready. ‘Cause you want to have something to be able to give
the bride before you call her back. So just let them keep calling until eventually you
get them ready and then you’ll call them back to say the images have been posted.
Sound of crumpling paper
You know that sounds kind of odd, but I’m shocked at the number of times that photographers
do that. Tell your client I’m going to deliver these images in a week and then deliver them
in three days. You reach back to them. Be the first one to reach back to them. Don’t
let them call you. If they’re having to call you, you’ve already drooped the ball.
You’re already losing your client. You make sure you’re ahead of that game. You deliver
quickly, and make sure they’re happy with their images. Get them into their hands as
fast as possible. It shows a lot of professionalism, and it shows that you care about the shoot
that you did with them. Never make them call you to get their images. Never.
Number seven. So the sale’s done. You’ve got your money. You know, if they want you
again, they’ll call you. They know you did great work. They know you’re amazing. You
don’t have to worry about it.
Sound of gunshot.
That’s absolutely the wrong way to keep a client. When the sale’s done you send
them a thank you. A thank you note, a thank you gift. In advertising I always sent thank
you gifts to my clients when we were done. And I tried to make it something funny that
related to the project we just did. One time I sent a toy bodybuilder in a box of sand
with some really nice sunglasses to a client from Philadelphia who had just shot with me
in February. Loved working with you here in Los Angeles, enjoyed the sun with you, thanks
so much for the shoot. But you do little thank you things after you’re done. You get them
connected to you on Facebook and on -- on Twitter. Anywhere you can, to be able to make
them a friend. And to be able to have an association with them. You send them a thank you after
it’s been a year. It was great shooting with you. Try to connect with them at least
one every three months in some way, to be able to keep that connection alive. It does
not always bear fruit eventually, but will bear fruit eventually. Keep them connected
to you. Keep them thinking about you. When a person needs an image, they always go to
the photographer that they can think of. And you want it to be you.
Clients are very hard to get, so work really hard to keep them. The photographer who can
keep clients is the photographer who is gonna really make money. One and off clients it’s
too hard. ‘Cause you have to keep working to get them every single time. But a return
client is much easier to keep and keep happy then finding a new one.
I love talking about business so we’ve started a business coaching class. On March 3rd we
have a free call-in. Call in, join us. We’re gonna talk about the daily routine for success.
The things you need to do every single day that is going to make your photographic business
very, very successful. Join us on March 3rd. It will change your business.
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