“I didn’t get my pictures back for months!” “She took forever!” “I was hoping there would be more photos.” Sadly, I hear these comments from people about their photographers all the time! They say bad publicity is better than no publicity, but when it comes to photography, that is never true! Sometimes we overthink how to please our clients, but really, they are just like all of us! They really just want their expectations to be met, or better yet, exceeded! The trick to wow clients every time is not rocket science!
When you go out to eat, you really don’t expect much, do you? You want good food, good service, and good value. Have you ever ordered something that sounded really yummy for $15, gotten the plate, and thought, “that’s it?” You know what I’m talking about. Maybe the portion was smaller than you thought was appropriate. Maybe it was something you could easily make at home. Or, have you ever experienced slow service? It’s agonizing, isn’t it?! Worst of all, maybe your food came back raw! All we want is what we paid for, and raw food isn’t it! You want a great dining experience, and that’s not too much to ask.
There’s one simple secret that most good business use in keeping their customers happy…
Under Promise, Over Deliver
It’s that simple! You’re wowed at a restaurant when you get back a bigger portion than you thought, or the food is absolutely delicious, or the service is extra fast. Keeping restaurant patrons happy is not unlike keeping your photography clients happy!
The reason I have happy clients is because I took this mantra to heart from the very beginning of my business!
How do you achieve this for yourself? Here are a few ways:
Deliver your images earlier than expected
Include a few extra images in their gallery
Offer a free print as a gift
Add a few extra minutes to your photo sessions
The way to wow clients really comes down to exceeding their expectations. But in order to do that, they have to know what to expect in the first place! Be sure you have a contract in place that tells them how long they can expect to have to wait before their images are finished, how many images they will receive, what add-ons come with their package, etc. That way, they know what to expect and will be happy if you do just that, but you can wow clients by going above and beyond!
You could tell your clients, “I’ll have your images back in 6 weeks” and then give them back in 6 weeks. That’s all fine and dandy. You’ll get paid, you’ll meet their expectations, and you’ll have a clean conscience. BUT. How much better it would be if you said you would deliver them in 6 weeks but you delivered them in 2 weeks, that way you have EXCEEDED their expectations! Instead of saying, “Our photographer was good. We got what we paid for.” They’ll say, “Our photographer was amazing!!! She was so fast!!”
Just a little food for thought!
Happy Shooting!
– Christi
