Family Portrait Wednesday: It's Showtime; New Webinar Update

Good Early Afternoon Everybody,
What a day yesterday turned out to be - you know, one of those days where you feel you are moving through molasses to get anything accomplished. Whew! But today is a brand new day and I'm off to a good running start today.

I'm posting a little later today because of the super late post yesterday. By the way, thanks for all the nice comments on yesterday's Technique Tuesday - I was pleased on how it came together, too.
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It also took much longer than expected to get the my new Webinar up and running. Yep, if you haven't heard, I've got another webinar scheduled for July 22, 2009 at 2:00 - 3:30P.M. EDT (that's 6:00 P.M. GMT.) I'm charging a nominal fee for this one just simply because webinars are not my day job and we still have to pay the expenses. Here is the link again to register.

Pricing Note: I've talked with lots of photogs that my $19.95 is truly a steal of a deal. Case in point, I've conducted webinars for other companies who charge $59 for an hour program. I tried to build good value (90 minutes long instead on an hour) and keep the price super reasonable only $19.95. This is like less than two trips to McDonald's. Yes, and this webinar is safe for any low calorie diet and it's fat free too;~)

Anyway, on with today's post...

Portrait Day Wednesday: It's Showtime
Over the last several weeks I've tried to be as detailed as possible in how we handle family portraits at my studio. Well folks, today it's "showtime." All of us put a lot of our energy and effort into creating a beautiful family portrait for our clients. But, unfortunately making the sale is where many photographers begin to stumble, fumble, and fall before they cross the finish line. It's sad that so many photographers are only order takers instead of order makers.

A New Way To Present Your Images
In today's post I want you consider a brand-new way of presenting your images to your clients. This brand-new way does not include the Internet, proof books, or images on a disc - it's projection! This is the single most powerful way to present your images to your clients when engaged in a personal meeting with them in your studio.

I have been projecting my images for my wedding and portrait clients since 1980. From that point forward, I watched my sales triple over what they had previously been. Why is this? It's because now when the clients see their photography in a slide show with music, they are thrilled with what you've done for them. And that thrill is partially because of the methodology and intimacy of the presentation.

Why It's Important To Your Sales
Years ago I photographed the wedding of a funeral director's daughter. The bride and groom along with parents came over to the studio to see the images. After the presentation the dad made the remark, "Wow, if I did that kind of presentation in my business, they would arrest me!" We all had a good "giggle" with his remarks. But they echo what so many of my clients have said over the years, "What a great way to see our wedding pictures!" Folks, the rest is history - I've been projecting my images with music in a slideshow presentation ever since.

When your clients connect emotionally with what you've done for them, you can always expect the sales to increase. There is nothing wrong with that. We are creating a exciting, wonderful, impacting set of memories for them. Why should these wonderful memories be devoid of any emotional connect? Heck, don't we make buying decisions based on our emotion connect with the product at hand - think new camera, iPhone, etc?

How To Set It Up
So, how do you set your studio up as a projection studio? This is really quite simple. The cost of flat-screen TVs have substantially decreased over the last several years. A quick check at B&H shows most 32 inch LCD sets under $500. [link]

Many of these TVs even include computer inputs which, basically makes him a very large monitor upon which to review the images you create for your clients. This is probably the least expensive way to proceed.

My favorite way to project my images is with the use of a data projector. Check out my earlier post right here where I give you a studio tour. The first projector I purchased in 1999 was $6000! You can now find reasonably priced projectors that will do the job easily for around $600 [link]. As a matter of fact, just yesterday I received an e-mail from Dell promoting their brand-new pocket-size projector for only $332 [link].

Folks, the technology is right there in front of us. It's technology that can excite our clients with what we were excited about capturing for them; technology which can substantially enhance the client's studio experience and our sales.

Folks, the bottom line is this; Too many photographers are in this profession for "beer money" - a few extra bucks made on the side. I think it's time we got serious about what we are all excited about producing. I, like so many other working studios, have to make a house payment, rent payment, car payment, and cover all my other expenses. It's time to get serious about how we sell our photography if we want to be successful in this business.

Are you in this business for fun or for profit? I hope it's both. It is, I hope to still see you reading this blog next year.

-- Food for thought.

Next week I'll walk you through the exact sales process I follow at my studio when presenting my images to my clients.

Hey gang, that's it for me today, we've got lots of exciting stuff cooking around here - I'll keep you posted. Also, can you believe it - we are gearing up for the Fall session of my Digital WakeUp Call tour which kicks off September 8, 2009. Remember, we added Las Vegas and Honolulu to our list of cities. Here is the link for all the info.

So, how about I plan to see everybody tomorrow for another edition of Business Day Thursday - good information planned. Till tomorrow, Adios, -- David