Selling
Selling is an art which takes many different guises. Master it, complimented by your fantastic photography, and you will be on to a winner. There’s no point in being a great photographer if you aren’t selling anything. You’ll soon have to look elsewhere to pay the bills. You need to be great at both; snapping and selling.
When you first get going as a business and that first sale of a product or service is made, do you remember the feeling? Can you also remember the lengths you went to in achieving that sale and how you made the customer feel because it was your first? Hopefully, the response is something like, AMAZING!
In an ideal world, every sale is treated with this reaction and follow-through. But that is unlikely. However, what is important is that each one should have something of the essence of that first one. Even if it is a relatively meaningless tiny impact on your overall business. The fundamentals of great service should be carried through when selling. Because each one reflects your business and how you conduct yourself.
…try and improve every sale, even the seemingly insignificant ones. There is no knowing where the small ones will lead.
How can you achieve this essence without losing out in terms of resource or efficiency?
- Find a signature flourish. There should be something about the after -sale or product delivery that clearly marks it as yours. Whether that is something as simple as a personalised note or something greater like a free print. Or even a creative something that is you, and only you. That becomes your calling card.
- Go big on small jobs. This is obvious but also easy to get out of hand with in terms of doing too much. Again, this must be something straightforward to achieve whilst clearly being yours. Maybe this is an offer of discounted future products and services or a loyalty initiative aimed at involving their friends and family. Standardise this offering and it won’t take too much extra effort but could offer long-term benefits.
- Efficiency and quality of big jobs. Clearly, the big jobs are important. The wider hope is that they come back to you for more and provide great case studies for new clients. The key is to deliver great quality in the most efficient way. Big jobs will be a big drain on your resources as in most cases you are a one-man band, and this has a domino effect on the rest of the business. Weighing up the impact on revenue and time is a must, and prioritising certain aspects over others whilst retaining the best quality is the challenge.
- Creativity is special. When you are in the throes of delivery jobs, the hardest thing to convey is the passion you have for creativity. Getting it just how you want it under pressure of time is not always conducive to happy delivery because you are happy to see the back of it. And you always think you can do better. Customers do not have that same experience and only, mostly, enjoy the result. So, try to enjoy that with them and share in the passion.
The overriding message here is to try and improve every sale, even the seemingly insignificant ones. There is no knowing where the small ones will lead. Just like random conversations. There is every chance their path leads to more and greater business. The effort you put in may just go a long way and establishes good habits within your business.
