Lesson from today

marikris

Don't bring up road blocks in client meetings. It wasn't specifically a meeting about weddings, but the lesson is universal all the same. I took a Saundra Hadley sales workshop and it was one of the things she kept reiterating: Don't sabotage yourself by putting up roadblocks in the midst of trying to get the sale.

What about you guys? Do you mentally tell yourself this too? Selling myself is not something I'm good at, so I have to repeat "lessons" in my head.

marikris

Also, I had too much coffee, so my words were slurring together. Never again lol.

divamum

Do you mean pointing out flaws or problems rather than only focusing on the good things to get the sale? Just curious... as a singer self-marketing is part of the job and, frankly, I'm not one of life's great schmoozers! I've improved a bit over the years, but it's still something I find difficult to do, so I'll be reading this with interest to apply to that area of my life as much as the photographic stuff!! To which end... :lurk

marikris

divamum wrote: »

Do you mean pointing out flaws or problems rather than only focusing on the good things to get the sale?

Yes, exactly

Qarik

I think the best thing you can do is make sure your portfolio is an honest assessment of your skill level and let the images speak for themselves. Then be friendly and courteous during the consultation. Don't play your self down or up artistically.

mpriest13

richy wrote: »

I try be honest and frank about things. I probably lose sales because of it but thats balanced against saying yes to everything and it falling apart later and hurting your image.

This is an interesting topic because I think it is all about selling yourself short vs managing expectations. That can be a blurred line. I think managing expectations is one of the most important things a photog must do while at the same time not pointing out flaws etc....Of course the better and more confidence the photog happens to be the easier this becomes.

Matthew Saville

As much as I like to disclose all facts, I wish I had a little more "gift of gab" in me, that smooth-talk salesmanship that gets eskimos to buy ice...

;-)

=Matt=

chrisjohnson

marikris wrote: »

Don't bring up road blocks in client meetings. It wasn't specifically a meeting about weddings, but the lesson is universal all the same. I took a Saundra Hadley sales workshop and it was one of the things she kept reiterating: Don't sabotage yourself by putting up roadblocks in the midst of trying to get the sale.

What about you guys? Do you mentally tell yourself this too? Selling myself is not something I'm good at, so I have to repeat "lessons" in my head.

There are three things I trained myself to have running around my head when trying to get an assignment:
1) do more listening than talking. You need to understand what the client actually wants.
2) don't forget to ask for the order
3) stop when you have the order. Closing means closing.

This is my main weakness - I love the sound of my own voice, too much. It is a good idea to have a couple of your lessons repeating in your head and "roadblocks" may well be one of them.

mmmatt

Just like meeting an attractive person of the opposite sex... sales is mostly about confidence. If you are nervous people will see that and it can be a deal killer. Accentuate the positives. Be honest and answer all the questions but paint things in the best light. Don't be tempted to lie because you may get outed and loose more than the lie could ever gain.

People like themselves so it isn't wrong to assimilate yourself to them. if somebody is a person who is very time oriented for instance they don't want the fluff they want the facts, so you give the the facts and close the deal. if someone is needy and the "hold my hand" type, then you reenforce dependability and personal service and hold their hand till they sign. If they are someone who is more technical and the how too type then talk about your gear and your workflow. If they are someone who likes to chitchat about unrelated tangents then chitchat with them! Those are your 4 main types of people: Achiever, Comfort Seeker, Annalist, and Socializer. Most people are not strict down the middle but are usually more one type than anything else.

25 years of sales and that is the most important thing I ever learned. Think about it when talking to friends and families and then decide what type they are. Give them information in the format they ask for it and talk to them at a pace and style that they use to talk to you. Simple! Think of the super busy high stress lawyer type... he is an achiever. Does he want to talk about the feelings you had when you took the picture of the bridesmaid? Nope, he wants to see the work quickly, find out the details of your contract, and get back to make either his next appointment or his after work cocktail. He will literally talk to you fast without a lot of fluff so you need to talk back to him the same way. The person who needs to feel a bond with you, the comfort seeker, will be offended if you rush them through your work without telling them the romantic thoughts that inspired your trigger finger and the many people who you have made happy. Socializer wants you to be their buddy (and waste your time, ha!) and the Annalist is looking at all the details of your contract and may be very critical of your work relating to the color tones or amount of noise or distracting background items... Assimilate yourself to your clients behavior and you don't have to do much else other than give them the information and confidence in you in a format they can understand.

You can do the same with body language... if someone is kicked back in their chair and relaxed you do the same. Sitting up and perky you do the same, arms crossed and guarded do the same but open up and unguarded yourself with them in hopes that they follow your lead...

Matt

Foques

thank you for creating this topic.
Same as divamum, I am very curious to read.

divamum

Matt, that is an absolutely fantastic post (even if your mistyping of "analyst" made me laugh out loud - I think your version is absolutely hilarious and more borrow it on purpose next time somebody is being annoying!!!! )

Continuing to :lurk. Great stuff.