So many photographers cringe or shy away from selling because they often don’t want to come off as being too salesy or pushy. Realistically though, if you truly BELIEVE in what you are offering your clients, it shouldn’t ever feel sticky or car salesman-y because you are offering a product that you truly want your clients to have.

I urge you not to just try to convince yourself that you like something just so you can make an extra buck. It’s not worth it to sell cheesy or cringe-worthy quality products just to make more income because those products ultimately will reflect on you and your business. Instead, find products that you really believe in and that YOU would genuinely buy for YOURSELF. Taking this step will ensure that you feel confident in offering these products to your client!

Here’s the Key

Make sure you are OFFERING the product to your client, not forcing it into a package, not insisting or bombarding, but just offering a selection in order to give your clients that boutique experience.

At the same time, you’ve worked so hard and long with your clients to create this incredible experience and beautiful images that will last a lifetime! Leaving the experience off with a simple, “Here’s your gallery, enjoy!” feels like there’s no true closure.

If you don’t give your couple any options for what they can actually DO with their images, they may be left feeling overwhelmed, lost, or simply stuck. This is why a lot of people never get around to printing their images and sometimes they don’t even get around to downloading the full gallery. Make this process SIMPLE for them by providing a few easy-to-purchase items that can help them incorporate their gorgeous memories into their home!

What you offer should be easy to understand, easy to purchase, high-quality, and valuable!

 

Easy to Understand

Simplicity is always key. Have you ever walked into an aisle at the grocery store and just been blown away by the INSANE amount of options? Like who would’ve thought there were so many types of pasta or ketchup?! Having too many options makes you question, second-guess, search around, make rash decisions, or sometimes just not even buy at all because you’re so overwhelmed. Keep it simple for your clients by offering 1-3 product options that don’t require a million other decisions to be made in the process. If you offer clients 25 different products that each come in multiple sizes, colors, etc., they’re going to get stuck in option paralysis and likely not purchase anything at all.

Easy to Purchase

If you can keep the payment process easy, that helps a ton! My online gallery offers prints within the gallery, so my clients can simply click what they want and order directly through the gallery. There are no additional websites, no invoices through me, no extra steps. Just a few clicks and they’ll have prints delivered to their home in just a few days! As for my albums, I do have to send an invoice through Honeybook, but they have the choice to set it to auto-pay, so they don’t even have to think twice about it! Try not to make them jump through hoops to get what they want.

High-Quality and Value

There are SO many product options; albums, prints, canvases, metal canvases, wooden boxes, calendars, wooden cubes with pictures on them, blankets, cards, mugs, phone cases, etc., and some of the options available range from weird to just “Why?”

To avoid that feeling of, “omg did they really choose THAT with MY photos?!” feeling, I strongly encourage you to choose 1-3 high-quality and timeless products from trusted companies. It’s easy to want to sell the trendiest new idea, but offering an option that will actually be something your client will display in their home for years and years to come is going to be much more valuable than a trendy item that will go out of style in a year. Offering a narrow selection of high-quality and valuable heirloom products will elevate your business and brand, too!

Now that you have the products you believe in, selling them should come easily! Here’s how I offer them:

1. Mention the Products at Client Meetings

I love to mention and share the products I offer during my initial client meetings so that my couples are introduced to the idea of albums from the start. I always bring a sample album for them to look through and feel, which they LOVE because it helps them validate the quality of it, too.

I always mention how easy it is to hop into their gallery and order prints both for themselves and for family and friends. You want to make it known that they have options as soon as they get their photos and that they will be guided through that process once we’re at that point.

2. Send a Follow-Up Email

I send a follow-up email reminding my clients what I offer and how to order them both after their engagement session and after their wedding day. The email is super simple:

Hi Anna & John!

I hope you two are loving your wedding photos and enjoying reliving all the memories of your day! I just wanted to reach out quickly to share some more info on wedding albums in case that’s something you’re interested in!

For more info, you can check out this link to learn all about albums: *link to an online website with all of my album information*

Don’t forget, there’s a shop within your gallery where you can easily click and purchase beautiful prints and canvases that will get sent directly to you! Amazing quality and quick shipping! 🙂 Here is a quick tutorial on how to order in case you need some help: *link to screen recording of how to order prints*

If there are any questions I can answer for you, or if you’d like to get started with the album design process, please let me know! 🙂 I’d love to get an album in your home as soon as possible to share with friends and family!

Talk soon xx

Tori

 

3. Share the Products on Your Instagram Stories

I love sharing every time I get an album in, so people can see the design, the cover colors, the sizes and just how great the quality is! I almost always get questions or interest in placing an order once I post a new album on my Instagram Story! I also always re-share when one of my client’s posts pictures of their albums or prints on their walls, too! I love sharing REAL examples from my couples as it plays the role of a testimonial for my products!

4. Offer Product Specials or Discounts Occasionally

I offer occasional product specials! For example, I’ll offer a discount code for a select amount of time after the wedding, holiday discounts to the shop, or even album sales to celebrate my birthday!

I try to offer specials sparingly though, so when they do come around, my clients get excited and hop on the offers! This is also a great way to pop back into previous clients’ inboxes to see how they’re doing and see if they want to order anything even if it’s a year later! Life gets busy, and sometimes it takes a little while to get around to it!

5. Don’t Be Afraid to Recommend Products Other Than Your Own

If my clients aren’t interested in what I offer, whether due to budget, interest in a different style, etc., I ALWAYS recommend other places they can search. Although I won’t be making the sale, I am NOT going to leave my couple with the task of doing all the searching themselves. I recommend high-quality, DIY, affordable options for them to look at, so they still appreciate me being a guide for them in the process. Again, it’s not always about making money, it’s about making your clients HAPPY and giving them the best possible experience!

I’ve actually had people purchase through a company of their choice, and then repurchase through me since they weren’t happy with the quality. So, you never know – it may lead to another unexpected sale!

Using these tactics and approaches have helped me sell products and prints to my clients without ever having to sit down and SELL to them in a way that feels super pushy or salesy. I keep it simple over email or at my initial meeting and I leave the option up to them. My main thought process is that I am already charging what I need to charge in order to make a living, so I’m never upset if I don’t sell anything additional! Print and product sales are awesome when they come in, but I am not RELYING on them to make my living. It’s just an awesome bonus for both my client and myself when they do!

At the end of the day, I am so glad that I get to be an additional resource for my clients by providing QUALITY products that I believe in! I love taking the stress off of my clients’ plates by making it EASY for them. No need for them to check a million sites and sift through all of the options – they know that if they want what I offer, it’s a simple process to get them!

 

The companies that help make my product sales possible:

Align Album Design
My incredible album design company! If you’d like to check them out, visit here
http://alignalbumdesign.com/r/2210
Millers Lab
The efficient and beautiful album company I order from! See all they offer here
https://www.millerslab.com/
PASS Gallery
My client gallery delivery system that offers prints, cards, canvases, and more!
https://www.passgallery.com/
ShowIt
My website hosting service that allows me to create beautiful sales pages for my products!
https://showit.co/