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 How to Respond to Enquiries I’m going to show you a method of increasing conversion rates of phone enquiry’s to actual bookings. When a potential client responds by telephone to your advertisement, where possible avoid giving prices, instead say that you should be able to work something out to suit. If they insist on you giving a price then offer them a range, from – to. The key point is that you must try to speak with them face to face. Don't Hard Sell Don’t hard sell, it makes people feel uncomfortable, use what’s called ‘attraction marketing’, help people, and they will trust you and will continue to do business with you. Offer to visit them to show your sample album and discuss their requirements with no obligation. I have found through experience that often the first question someone asks is "How much do you charge..." This is a question that people are conditioned to ask; they use it as an opening question because that is usually the question that starts the buying process. Don't Take on Clients Who Are Shopping on Price Alone It is now up to you to convince them that they should not be buying on price alone, but should be looking for quality photography at good value. If you are convinced that someone is shopping around for the lowest price, regardless of quality, then they are probably the type of client you do not want. I would however advise that you reserve that judgment until after meeting the client. Never take a booking for a wedding without meeting the couple or at the very least the bride to be, face to face. How to Say No Nicely I am going to show you how to avoid weddings, which could lead to bad publicity for you. Avoid Bad Venues What if you are asked to shoot a wedding at an impossibly difficult time and venue? There may be some times and venues that you would rather not accept, for example a shabby registry office to an equally shabby bowling club in mid winter! Nothing is more damaging to future business than an album of inferior prints that are partly the result of a badly located or organized wedding. Yes, you should be able to produce the goods under any circumstances, but why make things difficult for yourself in the first place! There is a simple method of dealing with this type of enquiry without appearing disrespectful to the enquirer. On answering the phone say that you must first of all establish your availability on the requested date. Whilst you are 'leafing through’ your diary, engage the caller in conversation and ask where they are being married and where the reception will be held. If you know that the time and venues are nor conducive to good photography say that you are already booked on that day. The alternative to this approach is to be frank and honest, saying that you would rather not do the job because you consider that the venue is not suitable for good wedding photography. You could, however suggest an alternative venue for the photographs. You must decide for yourself, which you feel most comfortable with. Should I Send a Brochure? People will often ask you to send out a brochure. A brochure does have its' uses, for example if you want to attend a Wedding Fair or exhibition, also to leave with caterers, etc. However you must try to ensure that sending out a brochure in response to a telephone enquiry is the last thing you do! Nothing allows you to sell more effectively than a face-to-face situation. If you must send out a brochure, remember what I have said about first impressions. The exception to this advice is that once you are well established, and have a good word of mouth reputation, then sending a brochure is just fine. Be Positive You may feel that a manual about making money from photography is not the place to talk about being positive. Nothing could be further from the truth. In any business you must have total self-belief, no-where more so than in wedding photography. This will be reflected in the responses you get when you approach prospective customers. Aim to Make Them Feel at Ease Visit the client with the attitude that you will get the commission, do not be negative. When you arrive with your sample album aim to make the couple feel at ease, if you can achieve this you will increase the chances of a booking. I would place this as a priority over impressing them with your photographs, although that is obviously important too! Be Versatile Aim to offer a structured but versatile package that can be tailored to suit each wedding. This approach will make the customer feel that you are offering something special to cater for their individual needs. You should offer packages, which vary from 50 shots to 150 shots, and usually average around 80. From this amount of proofs you will allow the couple to choose between 20 and 30 shots to be enlarged and page mounted in an album of their choice. Some photographers will base their package price on provision of prints alone. You may want to supplement the package with the offer of some digitally enhanced shots. Offer a Complete Package You should offer to provide a complete package, i.e. proofs or previews, album, pages and prints. This advice is supported by the proven importance of projecting a professional image and good first impressions at all times. If for example you provide the opportunity for a couple to buy prints only and they subsequently go and buy the cheapest album available, or worse still leave the prints unmounted, your image will suffer. When people look at these particular prints they will often ask, 'who was your photographer'? The cheap album and badly presented prints will be associated with you! Use your ‘complete package’ approach as a unique selling point. Encourage Questions Ask questions and encourage the couple to ask questions. It is a well-known fact in sales psychology, that when people start to ask questions about the service or product it indicates their interest and their need to be assured and reassured. Go through your sample album and allow the couple time to ask questions. Enquire as to their likes and dislikes, soft focus, formal, informal, etc. If you are to visit the bride’s home before the ceremony, ensure they are aware of what time you will arrive and what time you must leave to be on time at the church. Make Contingency Plans Although it may seem obvious, you should point out that you have no control over the weather and that if it rains, then all shots may have to be taken inside. You should ask the couple to ensure that the wedding car drivers are aware of their wish to be taken to another location. Double-check this on the day with the drivers. Avoid Embarassment Also check with the couple on the availability of close family on the wedding day, there is little more embarrassing than shouting a photo-call for someone who is not present! You should also know who is with who, for example the Mother and Father of the Bride or Groom may be separated and arrive at the wedding with other partners. The Bride's House on the Day Try to avoid visiting the Brides house on the wedding day. Unless the Bride insists, I would advise you not to visit her house on the wedding morning, there will be enough chaos without additional contribution. This is however often an expected part of the service, especially in America and Canada. Never Shoot a Wedding on an Informal Basis You will occasionally be requested to shoot a wedding on a totally informal basis, i.e. record only what happens without posing shots. Always refuse this request. Explain that if this is all they want then they are wasting money hiring you, and would be better off asking a friend to take snapshots. I have seen the results from weddings photographed in this way and, no matter how much effort has been applied; the final prints do look like snapshots. I have found in all cases that after having explained this to potential clients they will accept my reasons for doing so, and when they see the completed album they are extremely grateful that I did not agree to shoot on an informal basis. There is a subtle difference in shooting informal shots and reportage style coverage, do not confuse the two. How Much Time Will it Take? Never settle for less time than you know the job deserves. You will be pressured in many cases to do the job in less time than you initially quoted. You are providing a professional service; it takes time to do it properly. You wouldn’t expect the drivers to save time by speeding, or the baker to save time on cooking the cake, so why should you be expected to be any different! I always advise couples to allow a minimum of 1 hour between the end of the service and the start of the reception for a local wedding. You can explain that it could be done quicker but it is the one and only chance in a lifetime to capture this event on film and as such should be done in a relaxed but efficient way. Move Location I always advise the couple that it is most efficient for the Bridal party to move to another location (away from the guests) after you have taken some friends and family group shots at the church. You will often have objections raised to this suggestion. However after over 20 years of experience and having tried many procedures, I have always returned to this one. It enables you to work more efficiently; you do not have to contend with dozens, sometimes hundreds of guests all trying to congratulate or photograph the Bride and Groom. Photograph the Guests Here is a simple strategy that will boost your business, both in the short and long term. Increase your sales and market to potential future customers by photographing the guests as they arrive at the church. I normally offer to photograph every guest as they arrive at the church. This has at least four advantages: 1. The couples have a record of everyone who attended their wedding. This is a good selling point; use it to your advantage. 2. You will get reprint orders from the guests; it may not be often that they are so smartly turned out! 3. You will turn guests into future customers. 4. There will be less likelihood of you being asked to photograph a large group of everyone who attended, this shot can waste valuable time. Always Provide Reassurance of Backup This is one of the keys to providing ‘peace of mind’ for the couple, it is the nearest you will get to guaranteeing that they will have a photographer. Give the couple the reassurance that if for any reason you were unable to manage on the day (for example due to illness) another photographer would do the job. You should have a standing arrangement with other photographers, which ensures that you can confidently offer this service. You will find that other photographers will be more than happy to share this type of arrangement as a mutual insurance against their own potential failure to provide coverage on the day. Show Them What you Want When posing some shots it is sometimes easier to show the couple exactly how you want them to appear, ask them to relax from the pose, then ask them to return to the former position. Another tip is to ask the Bride to close her eyes just before the shot is taken, when you are ready to take it ask her to open her eyes and take the shot immediately. This will result in a more spontaneous and relaxed shot. Always tell the couple that it is important that they feel comfortable, if they do not feel comfortable it will show. When arranging the pose, it can be helpful if you are allowed to physically position the subjects. It is, however important that you ask before you attempt this, as there are a number of people who will not feel comfortable with this approach. Bride and Bridesmaids Next, you should take the Bride with her Bridesmaids; take at least two or three shots varying the pose each time. Get them in close to each other; show their affection for each other. This is a good time to shoot the garter shot, try to make it humorous, use some imagination. Some shots of the Bride and Groom with their Bridesmaids and Best Man should now be taken. You could also take the Bridesmaids alone. Remember they could be your future customers, treat them well! Any other permutations of requested or planned shots should now be taken. The Bride and Groom Aim to shoot the Bride and Groom on their own, away from any distraction. When you have satisfied the Bridal party and yourself that every permutation required has been taken, take the Bride and Groom aside for some shots alone and allow the rest of the Bridal party to leave and go to the reception. This will allow you to work with the Bride and Groom alone, an important opportunity, it will help them unwind away from the pressure of onlookers and will achieve more natural and relaxed expressions. Cutting the Cake After any remaining groups have been taken you should now set up the cake cutting shot. Keep the Bride to the forefront of this shot; this will display her dress to full effect. Ask the groom to hold the knife and to place the Brides hand over his; now take one full length and one three-quarter length. If you ask the bride to use the hand nearest the camera to place on the knife then you should ask her to place the other hand on the small of her husbands back. A variation would be to ask her to use the hand furthest from the camera and to hold her bouquet in the hand nearest the camera, this can be an attractive shot.   Above is a small extract taken from the Wedding Photography Section of The 98 Page guide: - There are literally hundreds of tips just like this thoughout the guide, in fact just about everythng I know that has made me successful!
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