We were so excited when Skip Cohen asked Sarah to fill in for Vicki Taufer at his Summer School for Photographers. We trekked to the desert otherwise known as Las Vegas and joined an ubercool line up of some of the best photographers like Kevin Kubota, Tony Corbell, Scott Bourne, Jasmine Star, Kay Eskridge, Dane Sanders, Yervant, and more. And even better, we got to squeeze in some time to hang out with our friends from WHCC, Mike, Michele and Chris.
For all of you who have a photography business, here’s a taste of what you missed:
1) Simplify your products – you only have one hour to sell to your clients before fatigue sets in and they get overwhelmed. Don’t confuse them and take them out of your emotional state. Make it easy for them to choose what they would like. Sarah challenged everyone to get their entire price menu on a 5 x 5 press-printed card.
2) Create interesting products – don’t sell what everyone else does. Find someting interesting to offer your clients, even if you don’t sell many of them. It’s a way to distinguish yourself from other photographers. In Sarah’s studio, one of those products we use is a particular fun, whimsical, painted frame. While many of our clients can’t afford the additional investment, this particular product distinguishes us by having a different product mix than anyone else in our market.
3) Develop a killer experience for your clients – if you want to charge more for your artwork, you must, must, must give them an experience no one else does. It will get your clients talking to their friends and generate more referral business for you.
To learn more from Sarah Petty each and every month, check out Cafe Joy for monthly inspiration, ideas and templates to take your small business to the next level.