First, let me suggest that you do not put your email address on your site. Instead, make your contact form the only means to contact you, other than mailing address and phone number. This will ensure that you can ask the questions that you need to ask in order to present your prospect with the package that best suits their needs.

Asking your prospect where they are going on their honeymoon might be a good way to get an indication as to what package should be presented.

If they answer that they have no idea where they are going on their honeymoon, then perhaps it is to early for them to start thinking about honeymoon plans as they may not know how much they will be spending on the wedding. Perhaps with this potential client you would offer a package that was middle of the road.

However, if they know exactly where they are going on their honeymoon and they are very excited about the trip, then this could mean they have a large budget for their wedding. With this client you might want to think about offering a larger package. You might want to even offer traveling with them on their honeymoon.

Some additional good questions to ask…

“How many people will be attending your reception?”
“Where will your reception be held?”

If your prospect answers that there will be 350 people in attendance, and the reception will be held at the finest wedding reception facility in your area, you definitely want to offer one your finest products.

Consider adding these questions to your contact form, that way, when you reply to your potential client you can offer a package that meets their individual needs, and you are less likely to scare then off by offering something outside of their budget.

Happy Shooting.

Politely Assessing Your Prospect’s Budget is a post from: The Pro Photo Business Forum

If you’re just starting out, then I would suggest that you role play first with someone. Practice how you will greet your callers.

First, make a list of every question you can think of that will be asked of you. Make sure you can answer each of these questions without hesitation. If you hesitate in your answers, you may come across as a novice.

Keep in mind that each time you answer the phone you might be seconds away from making the biggest sale you have ever made. Smile before you pick up the phone. Have a pen and paper at the ready. Write down the caller’s name and use the name throughout the conversation.

Make a phone script and constantly change it to perfect your phone skills. Keep track of how many calls you convert into consultations. Only change one thing in your phone script at a time so you can better identify if the changes you have made are working for you.

Let’s go over some questions that might be asked of you and some suggested responses. When someone calls, for the most part, they will always ask one of the following questions:

• Do you have my date available?
• How much are your packages?

It is important to understand why these two questions are asked more than any other question. The people who call and inquire about your wedding photography services have more than likely never shopped for a wedding photographer before now. This means these are really the only two questions they can think of to ask. While you need to give the person calling you the answers to their questions, keep in mind if you answer with a direct response the conversation will be over.

When someone asks if you have their date available, inform the caller that you are looking up their date. While you are looking up their date, tell them you would love to know how they heard about you. Always ask how the caller heard about you and keep records of this information. This will help you to calculate cost per lead.

If the caller asks about their date first, their second question will be about price. It is important to understand that the caller really does want more information than just your price. They want to be educated as to what they can expect. They want to know all the questions they should ask in order to protect themselves and hire the best photographer they can within their budget.

Divert the conversation slightly. Ask a few questions yourself. Can I get your name? How did you hear about us? Can I tell you a bit about our products and services? Have you thought about what you would like as a final product? These are all great intros into a long passionate conversation.

Your goal, however, is to have a face-to-face conversation. Tell them that they really need to come in and see some of your award winning albums in person in order to get a real understanding of what you are all about.

Ask the caller where their wedding and reception are taking place. Have you photographed at either or both of the facilities? If so, tell a story about the last time you photographed at the facility in question. Inform the Bride-To-Be if she and her fiancé would like to come into your studio to further discuss their needs, you will have a slide show presentation ready of the last wedding you photographed at the facility in question.

Give them two or three times that you are available to meet. If you only offer one time, they will either say yes or no.

Answering Your Phone and Email is a post from: The Pro Photo Business Forum

Since we know that couples book their facilities before they book their photographer, make sure to take very flattering images of every reception facility where you find yourself. Make prints of these images, making sure to tastefully include your company name and contact information on the image itself, and then send the images to the facility free of charge. Include an invoice with the images. Show the value of the images on the invoice, and then show a 100% discount. List the reason for the discount as “professional courtesy”.

If the images are of good enough quality, it is possible the facility manager will use your images as a sales tool to reserve couples for their facility. In essence, the facility manager becomes your agent. When you have made your vendor images, be sure to deliver them in person. Use the opportunity to build a professional relationship and contact. Let them meet you face to face. Let them experience your passion and professionalism.

Now that you have this general idea of vendor prints, put it to good use. Send images to the florist. Who made the cake? Who made the dress? Who sold the wedding bands? Send them all images they can advertise with. I’ll bet they would love to show your images.

Vendor Referrals is a post from: The Pro Photo Business Forum