Hey All,

What piece of advice could you recommend from Charles Lewis? What can you share with us that will make us better photographers?

Thanks

M.J.

I'm not a big Charles Lewis Fan - my style is much more trendy and easy going and very low pressure sales. I choose NOT to do a consultantion for a portrait, but the one advice that I always remember is ANSWER THE PHONE! Don't let the answering machine get it, wait a day, etc. Let them get a real human being & give them the answers they want right away!

Hey there Kay! Yep, I agree. I find that low-pressure is something me and my clients both feel good about.

Nice. Thanks.

M.J.

Charles just has a system in place that works. He does not try to sell you his style. As a photographer who experienced struggle him self, he has developed a system that turned his studio around over the course of 30 yrs. There are many well known photographers that use or have used charles as a mentor and/or his system.
I think that one mistake that he mentions is that we all make the mistake of thinking that our clients are different than the other photographers.

Mildred,

Please elaborate.

M.J.

OK, I will try. We often think that our market is a certain way and that is why we can't make $$$$.
Our clients won't consider wall portraits
No one is our area will pay $$$$ for wedding photography

These and many other scenerios we use as excuses as reasons why we can not do instead of educating our clients. Therefore, we won't try to put systems in place or hold our ground when we are challenged. We forget that everyone complains about prices. We failed to remember that we don't always buy what we can afford or need. But, we will always buy what we want. We all have hot buttons,emotions, and when they are pushed we buy. So, in probably too many words, at the end of the day we need to remember that we are first a business and all buyers have the same agenda.

I hope it made some sense, I know in my mid it did but, you asked me to put it on type

There's a HUGE difference in using proven professional sales techniques and high pressure.
Some people sale like a fifth grader in saying something to the effect of, "You don't want to buy a box of donuts, do you?" Professional sales techniques would say, "We're selling donuts to raise money for.... Would you like two boxes or one?
There's no pressure in that statement, but many more boxes of donuts will be sold by the second. The prospect can still say no if they wish.

Our average engagement wall portrait is above a 16x20. We use professional sales techniques to get this kind of average, but there is no pressure exerted on the client. They leave happy. In fact, they then come back, and with the same professional techniques we sell bridal portraits averaging over 20x24. If we use the same techniques some photographers view as low pressure, ("Here's your proofs. You can order any size you want. Have a great day".) we would see sales in the average of 5x7s, 8x10s, and the occassional 11x14 (if we're lucky).

People will rarely buy something they do not want to own. The problem comes in that they do not know what they want, or what they can have. Professional sales people show them and educate them in the process.

We have too long viewed ourselves as 'photographers,' when we are in fact business people first (at least if we want to make a living doing this) and professional marketers and sellers of photographic products and services.

Just my opinion after 24 years in this business.

Mark

The one piece of advise I would give is to learn professional marketing and sales techniques. We sell ALL the time. We sell the bride on calling us in the first place, then sell her on using us, then sell her a package, then sell her reprints.......
Nothing happens until the phone rings.
No one eats unless someone sells something.

BTW, it's not just Chuck Lewis. He learned all this stuff other places, and you can too. He just made a very good application of the techniques to the photography industry.
You can find the techniques in a lot of places. In fact, you (we) should be reading books and listening to tapes from others regardless. Some of the greats are Zig Ziglar, Norman Vincent Peal, Napolean Hill, and Joe Girrard. There are many others.

Mark

Mildred,

Got it. Thanks.

M.J.