potential client meeting on Friday, seeking advice

urbanaries

I am so excited, one of my newborn clients (well, their parents LOL) nominated me as a vendor on Angie's List in our area (a homeowners grapevine service) and I recieved a wedding inquiry from their website yesterday. :barb

She asked if my date was open, said she loved my work (saw my website), and wanted to set up a meeting. Now, lately when I meet with wedding clients (I have four booked for next year so far), it has been a word of mouth referral, and our first meeting is when they're actually signing the contract and putting a deposit down. I have done about 20-25 professional shoots in 2006, but only three weddings ever, two of which were over a year ago.

We're meeting on Friday, and of course I know not to make assumptions and start filling out the contract, I'm sure she's just interviewing several photogs. However, her date is in May 07 and I can sense she's having a tough time finding openings.

Is she expecting to see more of my portfolio at this meeting? (I have only one wedding on my website) I'm nervous how to handle if she asks how many weddings I've done. Granted, my price reflects my inexperience, and while I do feel my first three weddings were successful, they aren't numerous. By the time her date comes I will have 3 more under my belt, fwiw.

I want to have a game plan for the meeting I just am not sure what is expected of me at this point, and I REALLY don't want to blow it.

Thanks for any and all advice.

JimM

Lynne, in my opinion, I'd be honest with her. Express your confidence in your work, but don't lie about how many weddings you've shot.

I am sure you'll do fine.

Good luck!

cdonovan

Don't worry about how many you have done, or how many you have booked

Be confident that she's interested enough in your work to have set up the interview, for any bride to take time out of their schedule to aimlessly interview photographers, it means she's serious.

Experience means less than talent, and confidence in yourself and your work is worth even more. If the price scared her, she wouldn't have gone this far.

Don't doubt yourself...have fun, and remember this is a big day for a couple and everyone along the way should try to make it fun...so enjoy your meeting:D

Let us know how it goes!

urbanaries

cdonovan wrote:

Don't worry about how many you have done, or how many you have booked

Be confident that she's interested enough in your work to have set up the interview, for any bride to take time out of their schedule to aimlessly interview photographers, it means she's serious.

Experience means less than talent, and confidence in yourself and your work is worth even more. If the price scared her, she wouldn't have gone this far.

Don't doubt yourself...have fun, and remember this is a big day for a couple and everyone along the way should try to make it fun...so enjoy your meeting:D

Let us know how it goes!

Thanks for the encouragement, i'm just not great at selling, and I don't want to seem to doubt myself....I know perception is everything. Look forward to reporting back!

urbanaries

JimM wrote:

Lynne, in my opinion, I'd be honest with her. Express your confidence in your work, but don't lie about how many weddings you've shot.

I am sure you'll do fine.

Good luck!

I would never lie, but more knowing ahead of time how I'll respond instead of getting caught off guard.

Do you think she is expecting me to bring a portfolio? Is that what other photogs will be doing...showing more of their work? I brought my laptop and can put together a little slideshow for her to be safe.

Lynne

Sam

I haven't read this, but glancing through it I thought of your post. Hope it helps.

http://polisphotography.com/Documents/Imagesforweb/WEDDING.pdf


Sam

urbanaries

Sam wrote:

I haven't read this, but glancing through it I thought of your post. Hope it helps.

http://polisphotography.com/Documents/Imagesforweb/WEDDING.pdf


Sam

Good link, Sam.

JimM

Not sure if she is expecting a portfolio. I would ask her more about the types of shots she is looking for and less about the shots you have done in the past.

photogmomma

How did it go? (I just saw this post! ) what did she expect? I wouldn't have had a good answer for you, but I hope you brought your laptop - I'm sure that's the right thing to do!

urbanaries

photogmomma wrote:

How did it go? (I just saw this post! ) what did she expect? I wouldn't have had a good answer for you, but I hope you brought your laptop - I'm sure that's the right thing to do!

Well, she didn't have any need to see more of my work, she had one of those knot.com listy things and asked me questions like what equipment did i use etc...and her eyes of course immediately glazed over

Long story short, she had found a very nice, very experienced older lady who had her date open, but she just really didn't like her pictures. She said the minute she saw my site she knew I "got" her vision for her wedding photos.

She apparently didn't care that I had only done 3 weddings (she did ask), because I left with a signed contract and a 50% deposit.

thanks all for the advice!!!! I was invited to assist a very prominent local wedding photog for 3 weddings btw Christmas and New Years so I'm looking forward to learning a LOT to put into action!!! things are just falling into place lately....knock on wood....

Scott_Quier

Well - congrats on the wedding committment. It's really nice when you can walk away with the 50% deposit and the signed contract!

JimM

Congrats! Sounds like things are really falling into place for you!