“Yes, a new inquiry came in!”
I always get excited when someone likes my work enough to reach out, don’t you? I truly care about each of my clients even when they are at the inquiry stage. The opportunity of capturing their beginning forever is an honor I never take lightly! But as I read further into this particular email, my stomach starts to knot. “I am shopping around for a newborn photographer and came across your website. What are your prices? I am on a tight budget and only interested in digital file.” My excitement instantly turns into disappointment.
How often does this happen to you? Pretty often I’m sure, as there are deal seekers everywhere. I know you may be feeling like you could really use the money, but if you continually say “yes” to deal seekers, all you will attract are deal seekers. Don’t cater to the penny pinchers! They are not your ideal clients – they don’t value photography. It’s impossible to have a sustainable, profitable photography business if all you’re doing is shooting their session and handing over all the digitals. Not only are you doing yourself a disservice, but you are doing the client a disservice, too. You and I both know those digital files will sit on a USB drive or cloud, never to be printed or seen again!
Here are 3 tips to attracting your ideal clients…
1.Niche down to a specific kind of photography.
You have to set yourself up as an expert in your area. If you show anything and everything you capture on your website, it shows potential clients that you’re simply ok at everything. Specializing in a specific type of photography, like newborn photography, will show that you are the go-to photographer who knows all things baby.
2.Build your know, like, and trust factor.
Studies have shown that potential clients are more likely to hire someone they know, like, and trust over the average Joe. This is especially true in newborn photography. You are being hired to capture someone’s beginning – it’s a moment they can’t get back! They are trusting you with their brand new baby; this is very nerve wracking for new parents! You need to give them a reason to hire you. You need to build a relationship with them before you have the opportunity to connect with them.
3.Change your mindset.
I’m sure you hear this phrase often but it’s the most important of all. You have to value what your gift of photography truly does for the families you work with. It gives them a moment in their life forever. Let me tell you a quick story to put this into perspective: When I was 21, I lost my father to cancer. It rocked my world. As the years went by, the pictures I have of him and the moments in our life we captured, allowed me to carry on his legacy. My husband and children, who never had the opportunity to meet my father, feel as if they knew him all along. Without those pictures, he would just be a figment of their imaginations. You see, the photography you provide your clients is priceless. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
I know it’s hard to say no, especially when you are just starting a photography business and need money. The word “no” is something you need to get used to saying as a business owner in order to move the needle forward and reach your big goals. Saying no will also help you avoid the burnout stage. If you’re catering to deal seekers, you will have to be photographing all the time to make ends meet and you will burnout in no time!