Simply Color Webinar

I. IntroductionA. own Emily Potts PhotographyB. in business for 10 years total, 6 in current marketC. specialize in newborns, families & seniorsD. highest-end studio in market area

II. From the beginning - Generating LeadsA. ways to generate leads1. partnering with local businesses (ex: boutiques, doctors, salons)2. holding events (Girls' Night Out, Paws for a Cause) B. when lead contacts you, take action right away1. answer phone quicky & with a smile2. reply to voicemails and e-mails asap3. Simply Studio notifications definitely help with that

III. Getting to Know ClientsA. Questionnaire serves two purposes1. want to learn a lot about them for marketing/gifting purposes2. want to work with them to make sure we are planning to decorate in their home with portrait art

B. Use different questionnaires for different session typesC. With system, send it off first and give them time to answer it. Go over their answers with them in the consultation.

IV. Creating a ContactA. Make sure gather as much information as possible 1. address2. two (or more) phone numbers3. e-mail address4. special datesB. This information is good for getting ahold of them when needed and for marketing to the clientC. Create custom fields (ex: children's birthdays)

V. ContractsA. Good for making sure everyone is on the same page with things like copyrights, retainer fees, liability, guarantees, and model releasesB. Very important to have a lawyer review your contract to make sure it holds up in your market area and that all of your bases are coveredC. In my studio, contract must be signed and deposit paid before the appointment ever goes on the calendar.

VI. Selling & InvoicingA. Create your clients' orders . . . don't just take the order! Come up with a plan of what you want to sell to them in order to reach the sales average you want. B. Offer the option to make payments in order to have a higher sale. Paying it out over time relieves some of the stress of placing a large order. (Think of QVC - it is so successful because three payments of $33 sounds a lot more maneagable than $99!) C. Simply Studio allows you to send an invoice to a client and they can make payments at any time very convenientlyD. You also have the option of adding a "buy it now" add-on product. You can either offer a discount, or like in my studio, offer a bonus product when the client adds that product to their invoice.

VII. Online Sales & ProofingA. I don't sell online because I really believe in selling in person. Online sales are great, however, for boosting your average with add-on sales. A grandmother in another part of the country can easily tack another $100 or $200 (or more!) to the initial sale with an online gallery and shopping cart. 1. Keep gallery online for a short time2. Use pricing to guide buyer behavior (ex: if want to sell packages, make a la carte products more expensive without package and much less expensive when bundled with a package)

VIII. After the sale, keep a relationship going with that clientA. It is much harder and much more expensive to attract a new client than to keep a previous oneB. Keep in touch1. with birthday/anniversary/other cardsa. can set up reminders in the system to do that every yearb. will keep client coming back to you and will generate referrals2. e-mail marketinga. include some studio newsb. also include non-photography related information for your clients (great cookie recipe, for example) c. e-mail marketing built into system

IX. WorkflowA. must keep experience consistent for clients - if you went to a restaurant one time and received a wonderful greeting and delicious rolls when you sat down, and the next time you were barely acknowledged and didn't receive rolls, your opinion of the restaurant would change . . . not in a good way! B. put together different workflows for different session typesC. in system, can assign workflows to clients that will then show up in task list on dashboard to keep you focused

X. Can contact me throughA. Moms With Cameras - a blog & shop dedicated to supporting and educating the mother who is a professional photographer and is serious about her business :: www.moms-with-cameras.com | facebook.com/momswithcameras | @momswithcameras on twitterB. Emily Potts Photography - my studio in OK :: www.emilypotts.com | facebook.com/emilypottsphotography | @emilypottsphoto on twitter