# How to blow away a client...



## MLeeK (Nov 2, 2012)

It's simple really. Under-promise, over deliver. 

I went to a seminar by Jim Garner at WPPI  a few years ago and he kept repeating this phrase: "Give it away. It will come back to you. Tenfold."

I live and do business by that philosophy every day. It is amazingly true... BUT... there is more to it that giving everything away-obviously. Otherwise I wouldn't be in business. You can't get paid by giving it away and giving it away doesn't pay the bills. 

Here's how it works:
1. Don't show your best, most amazing, blow you away work. WHAT??? You're kidding me, right? No. I am not. I didn't say show them your out takes and chimp shots. I said don't show them your once in a lifetime shots or your shots that are absolute perfectness. Show only your average stuff. The stuff that is an average expectation. Show what the average shots in your delivery will look like. If they expect those are your top end shots, you are bound to impress them when they get your WOW shots from their wedding or portrait session. 
We make the mistake of showing only the WOW shots and most of the session isn't made up of the WOW shot. That's usually a few shots out of maybe 30. 
2. Whatever package is only list a portion of it as the deal. For example, we'll say your wedding package includes:
8-10 hours with one shooter
2 hours of a second shooter-the immediate before, during and after the ceremony when things are hectic.
10x10 Finao Album, 36 sides
2-8x8 copies as parents albums
Custom bag for the 10x10 album
20x24 framed canvas 
DVD of the slideshow and high res images
Write your package to say:
8 hours
10x10 album with 24 sides
DVD of hi-res images
20x24 framed canvas
Then give it away. When I show up at the final meeting before the wedding I offer them the second shooter and extra hour if they will do me a favor. The favor is to see each other before the wedding. I give them the hour or two to get together with their bridal party-the most important friends in their lives-and enjoy that time together. A few bottles of champagne are a minimal cost to me. BUT! The deal for that time is that it is NOT for posed portraits or anything with pressure. It is JUST to be together and celebrate privately. Then I sit back and snap. At the end of that time the second shooter will come in and shoot the immediate moments before the wedding, during the wedding and the chaos after. 
When I deliver the proofing of the album I make about 48 sides. Their wedding was just so amazing that I couldn't stop myself! I GIVE them 12 extra sides. I also still leave a LOT of possible upsell on the table with the 12 more slides on the table. 
When I deliver the final products they are then also gifted the bag, and the 2 extra albums. I just happened to buy a deal from the lab for the 2 albums and they are such an amazing client that I wanted to give them as a gift. 
On top of that their images also include my WOW images-better than what they saw when they contracted me. 
In short: they got more, FEE!!! They got better images than they contracted for and they are the. most. special. client. I have ever had. 
I have already priced the package as if those free things were written in there. They're paid for. But the client doesn't realize this.
The same idea applies to a portrait session. Promise less, give more. More product, more time and more attention. Set the standards low. Then deliver your standard. 

3. Retail Pricing, discount pricing and "friends and family" pricing. I mentioned in a post earlier that my FULL retail price for an 8x10 is $40. My ACTUAL price is $30 if ordered within 14 days of proofing. If a client is spending a TON of money I also have my secret friends and family discount. I can give that discount out whenever I want. It's my business! As long as I am making my minimum and getting paid what I want to be paid for a session I can just "looove" a client and because they're the most amazing client EVER I'll give them my friends and family price which is whatever I want it to be, but usually 50% off retail on prints. Canvases and artworks are priced a bit differently, so they're not a % off, but they are a significant discount. 

Summary: Set their expectations at an acceptable standard. Then deliver YOUR standard. You aren't doing MORE or costing more than you would normally do, you are CONTROLLING EXPECTATIONS and then exceeding them.


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## pixmedic (Nov 2, 2012)

THIS is why we LOVE MLeek!


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## sactown024 (Nov 2, 2012)

Great read up!

This is off subject but a buddy of mine had his wedding shot and the photographer gave him all the digitals and he said they print them from snappish.com all the time and they never ask for a print release, in a previous post you said most companies will always ask, which is weird cause snapfish is a big company.

Also another off topic - when you give you client say 10 digs, do you still editi the other 100 for online proofing or do you just put those up online "as shot" with no editing?


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## sactown024 (Nov 2, 2012)

on topic - does the champagne/second shooter thing ever work? Most brides are pretty firm on the "not seeing the groom before the ceremony" thing.


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## MLeeK (Nov 2, 2012)

sactown024 said:


> Great read up!
> 
> This is off subject but a buddy of mine had his wedding shot and the photographer gave him all the digitals and he said they print them from snappish.com all the time and they never ask for a print release, in a previous post you said most companies will always ask, which is weird cause snapfish is a big company.
> 
> Also another off topic - when you give you client say 10 digs, do you still editi the other 100 for online proofing or do you just put those up online "as shot" with no editing?


I do not do on-line proofing. I final touch a few images for proofing a session, not everything. For a wedding I do basic touch to all of the images delivered.


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## MLeeK (Nov 2, 2012)

sactown024 said:


> on topic - does the champagne/second shooter thing ever work? Most brides are pretty firm on the "not seeing the groom before the ceremony" thing.


OH, you'd be surprised! And that time when I am not supposed to be shooting and pressuring them? Those are the most amazing images from the whole candid day.


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## JackandSally (Nov 2, 2012)

This is some awesome advice!  Maybe one day if I can actually cross that threshold from hobbyist to professional, I can use this!


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## sactown024 (Nov 2, 2012)

MLeeK said:


> sactown024 said:
> 
> 
> > Great read up!
> ...



I thought you once said that you give the client a disc with all the images on it but they are low res and for online sharing only.


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## MLeeK (Nov 2, 2012)

sactown024 said:


> MLeeK said:
> 
> 
> > sactown024 said:
> ...


That has nothing to do with proofing. That's a courtesy thing that they get FREEBIE with their delivered portrait session.


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## sactown024 (Nov 2, 2012)

right - so with all those images that you give them for online sharing, do you edit everyone or only the "10" that is included with the sitting fee?


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## MLeeK (Nov 2, 2012)

sactown024 said:


> right - so with all those images that you give them for online sharing, do you edit everyone or only the "10" that is included with the sitting fee?


No, they are not fully retouched. There's no need. You guys see my images here un-touched all of the time. What are you talking about 10 included with the sitting fee? There is no number of images I give them with my sitting fee. I proof on average 30.
After they portrait client has met the minimum purchase of product they can purchase the digi's and those ones they purchase are fully retouched. The web images of those are fully retouched. The web images of the others are just polished without removing blemishes, skin smoothing, etc.

You are getting into questions that have to do with MY pricing and products and really aren't what this is about. What I sell and price has no real meaning to you or anyone else because the way I do things will be different than the way you do things as well as totally different from the way another photographer does things.

This isn't about the specifics of what you choose to put in your packages, it's about how to set yourself up for success. Promise less, give more.


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## sactown024 (Nov 2, 2012)

MLeeK said:


> sactown024 said:
> 
> 
> > right - so with all those images that you give them for online sharing, do you edit everyone or only the "10" that is included with the sitting fee?
> ...



Yeah I understand, I am just getting as many ideas as possible for pricing since there are endless options.


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## MLeeK (Nov 2, 2012)

When you are asking about ALL of the images being retouched think about that session we were talking about on  your facebook. Is every image in there fully retouched? Was it needed?


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## sactown024 (Nov 2, 2012)

Nope, everyone was 'HELPED" only a few completely re-touched as far as skin softening and spot removal... good point


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## tirediron (Nov 2, 2012)

Two pounds of C4 will do the job.  Oh, sorry, you were speaking metaphorically...


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## cannpope (Nov 15, 2012)

It takes a good photographer as well as a good businesswoman/man to run a successful business and MLeek...you're both!   Great read


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## imagemaker46 (Nov 15, 2012)

I've always tried to give my clients more than they are expecting, many of them don't even realize what small things I've done to make the shoot and images better.  I've always been one to show my best, the competition out there at the high end is all about the best. Showing someone you've never worked with average can go one of two ways, if they were expecting better, you don't get the job, if they are happy with what they see then you do.  Showing average is a risk.  On the other side, many photographers can come up with 10-15 great portfolio images but can't deliver that quality consistantly, which is where they end up disappointing the client.  In this case, showing the level of average quality protects the photographer, in the event that things don't turn out well.  

I thought what was posted was well done though, there are definately ideas in there that can be used.


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## HughGuessWho (Nov 15, 2012)

Very informative and insightful post. Thank you for sharing.


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## runnah (Nov 15, 2012)

It's easier to slow down a fast racing driver than speed up a slow one.


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## GerryDavid (Nov 16, 2012)

Great post!  reminds me of scotty for star trek.  I forget what he is called exactly, a boy wonder or something, but he tells the captain it will take x long to do something and then does it in 1/3 the time and everyone is very happy!  Promise less and give more!

A fast turn around is also something that can blow a customer away and something that I am working on.  Right now I take to long and need to work on this.  Ive heard that the referrals greatly increase from a fast turn around, which I want to test.


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