Sunday, October 7, 2012

Photography Marketing & Selling Secret #34: Three Easy, Proven, Photography Sales Tips That Work

Is it possible, just POSSIBLE, that you aren't as good at being persuasive on the phone & in emails as you should be, so you can get good prospects to hire you as their photographer?

Think about this. No matter how good your photography is, it will NOT sell itself!

To be successful in photography today, you must be as good at helping people make the decision to hire you NOW, as you are at creating beautiful photography!

Most photographers mess this up so badly that they never achieve the level of success they deserve and dream about - even though their photography is quite good.

One of the big truths of life is that successful photographers copy what works - they do NOT "re-invent the wheel" - they simply use (with permission) what has already been proven to work to help people decide to hire them. So I'm giving you permission to USE what I'm revealing to you today. It's very powerful.

PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT going to be talking about pressure or trickery, I'm talking about honest, proven sales abilities that you can LEARN, which will dramatically increase your profits & cash flow with your photography, and have your clients loving you, and telling all their friends about how great you are.

Here are 3 little known keys to being more persuasive with your prospects without using trickery or sales pressure of ANY kind:

1. Always ask the "Magic Question."

Selling is finding out what people want, and helping them to get it. So if you want to find out what a prospect wants, what should you do? That's right! Ask her!

I call this the "Magic Question" because that's exactly what it is. It's THE most powerful question you can ever ask a prospect. And the answer to this question helps you discover exactly what it is that she is looking for.

Here's the "Magic Question:" "If you don't mind me asking, what's most important to you about ___________?" (Where you fill in whatever type of photography they are talking about in the blank.)

For example, let's say someone contacts you asking about how much you charge for family photography. The "Magic Question" is "If you don't mind me asking, what's most important to you about this family portrait?"

After you ask this Magic Question, shut up, and let her think and answer. Don't just go on talking if she doesn't answer you immediately. It may take her some time to think it through and come up with the correct answer to that question.

2. Care enough about your prospect to not simply quit at the first stall, or the first "no."

People don't like making decisions. What if they make the wrong one? So they tend to give you "stalls" that allow them to put off the decision. Sometimes they'll give you an objection or even a "no" just so they can get away without making the decision to work with you now.

Well, if you just accept it when she says something like, "I need to think about this, I'll call you back…" then you have "taken the first 'no' and have given up way too quickly & easily.

Here's what I mean by this: If you take the first "no" you say clearly to your prospect that you don't really believe in your product & service. Why? Because if you really believed in what you do, there's just NO WAY you would let her give you some lame excuse or stall, and walk away! Not a chance!

Now, I'm NOT talking about using PRESSURE here - I'm talking about believing in what you can do for her, to such a level, that your passion & enthusiasm just can't let you say something like "Okay, no problem, if there's anything else I can do for you, just let me know. I'll be here when you need me."

If you really BELIEVE in what you do, and in how you are perfect for what she's looking for - then you're going to keep asking her questions, and keep the conversation going between the two of you! Right?! Of course!

So the next time a prospect or client says something like, "I need to think about this, and I'll call you back,." simply ask her this question: "I totally understand how you feel. Let me ask you this. How important are these photographs to you?"

Then SHUT UP and listen to her answer.

What you are doing is helping her discover in her own mind, what it is she's actually looking for, and just how important the photographs are to her. And when you do that, it's highly probable that she will end up hiring you, instead of another photographer down the street.

3. People buy from people they like & trust.

There are so many choices today for photography, that if a prospect doesn't like and trust you, she won't work with you. Period.

At this point, she doesn't care about your skills. She doesn't care about your prices. She doesn't even care that you have won awards for your photography.

If she doesn't like/trust you, you're history in today's marketplace.

So how do you "get a person to like you?" We'll go into more detail about this in an upcoming article, but for today, the best way to get a person to like/trust you is to show her how enthusiastic & exited you are about what you can do for her.

Now, I'm NOT talking about screaming & yelling & cheering. No, I'm talking about she can FEEL how enthused & passionate you are by the tone of your voice & the words that you use, but at the same time, you still have sincerity..

I learned from the great Zig Ziglar many years ago that the last 4 characters of the word "enthusiasm" are IASM - which stand for "I am sold myself!" If you're not showing your passion for what you do, then people will automatically assume you aren't really sold on it yourself, and they'll keep looking for a photographer, instead of hiring you.

So there you have them, three extremely powerful, little-known secrets that will dramatically increase your persuasion, sales, and cash flow & profits! Use them, starting today!


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