How to Maximize a Sale: Part. 1
Planting Seeds
By Cathy Benton, Cr., FP, AFP, SP
Do you want to maximize your photo sales? One of the most effective ways is to start planting psychological seeds early in the process.
The sales process doesn’t start during an ordering appointment or when you post your images online. The sale begins the moment you first meet or speak to a potential client--wherever and whenever that may be. Photographers encounter potential clients all the time, often where you least expect to find them.
To maximize any sale, you need to plant seeds along the way to guide your client toward the goal of fulfilling their needs. That goal may be to sell large wall prints, books, albums, digital files, or even to hit a specific dollar amount. Navigate your client toward considering your range of products and services.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Often the first opportunity to begin this process is when you meet someone for the first time and they ask, “what do you do?”
How do you answer? If you were a shoe salesperson, would the prospect be compelled to buy from you if you just said, “I sell shoes”?
Would that do it? Really? What if your response was “I sell the most comfortable, beautifully handcrafted shoes in the world”? The description implies:
- You sell shoes that are comfortable (who doesn’t want to wear comfortable shoes?)
- You sell shoes that are beautiful (not frumpy or boring).
- You sell quality shoes made of leather (who doesn’t want quality in exchange for their hard-earned money?)
- You sell shoes that are high quality compared to other shoes in the whole world!
Through the power of suggestion, we hope the customer’s internal response might be: “I think I’ll buy my shoes from you. Well, at least I’ll come to you and see what you can do for me.”
With a better understanding of how you answer the question “What do you do?” you can plant numerous seeds for a larger, better sale. You’ve already set expectations that will help drive potential clients where you need them to go.
Be sure you can back up those expectations. Be prepared to reach more qualified clients because your introduction lets them know you are who they need.
In Part 2 of this series, I’ll talk about “Targeting the Right Client” for what you sell. Targeting is instrumental in maximizing a sale.
Now start perfecting your answer to “What Do You Do?”