WANT TO GROW YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS IN 2024!?
And wanna do it really fast? Welllllll…
The number 1 question I ALWAYS get in mentorships is “How did you grow your business so fast and find clients you LOVE?”
Good freaking question. And I have an answer that requires your 100% effort. And that is…
Love your clients. Serve them. Make your experience so amazing that your clients can’t help but rave about you to all their friends and family.
Thought this would be all about growing followers and getting inquiries?
Not exactly. See, the approach I took to grow my own business was a little different. While, yes, you can have marketing strategies, business goals, and digital tools that can help you grow, there is SO much more to it than the numbers. To me, client experience matters more than anything.
But what does that mean?
It means that you have to put your clients first. It means you have to swallow your pride, let go of the desire to “make extra money,” and adopt the mission to solve your clients problems in a way that blows them away. You have to truly get to know the people you invite into your business. Learn about who they are, what they love, and how you can SERVE them.
You are literally going to hear me repeat the word SERVE a million times, because that is truly what this is all about. Your business is not about you. It is about the people who walk into your life with the desire for what you offer, and your ability to serve them wholeheartedly with love and humility.
I know that you probably want to start, or have already started your business with the intention of making money. Maybe you even want it to quickly be your full time job. That’s amazing, and I am really proud of you! BUT when you stop focusing on how much money you want to make, how many followers you want to have, how many people like and comment on your posts, or getting the “big name” clients, that’s when you’ll succeed.
So how do you serve your clients well?
I am going to give you some tangible ways to serve through your client experience that will ultimately help your business to GROW ::
• Get to know them. Ask questions. Be genuinely interested in their story, who they are, why they need your business. Make friendship a priority and create relationships.
• Send them a gift when they book! Show your appreciation for them with a gift that will show them how much you care for them.
• Write handwritten notes and check in on them often and just ask how they are doing. This could be mailed to them, or you could even send a voice message over instagram or text. People love personable people. When you take the time to check in, write a note of gratitude, or offer your help with whatever they are walking through, clients feel cared for. And they will TELL other people about the experience with you.
• Create guides to tangibly guide them in their season of life with you. Whatever industry you are in, it is likely that you are only solving one of there problems. For example, if they are a bride, hiring you as a photographer for their wedding was just one TINY step in planning their entire wedding. Help them navigate through the whole process with your expertise.
• Respond to emails graciously when they aren’t happy with a product or service. I know it is hard to deal with difficult clients sometimes. But the BEST thing you can do is to treat people better than how they treat you. Take their criticism into consideration, and always respond graciously regardless of whether or not it may have been true. This shows your integrity and heart which matters in owning a business.
• If you are a christian, pray for them. Let them know that you pray for them up front. Ask HOW you can pray for them. Make it a part of your wedding day prep routine. Pray over inquiries as they come in. Pray that you would serve them well. One of the biggest reasons that I believe I grew so quickly, is that I let Jesus be at the forefront of my business. In my opinion, this is an absolute must if you are a believer.
• Ask for a reviews on how you served well and what you can do better. Don’t be afraid of a little constructive criticism. Sometimes it’s helpful, sometimes it isn’t, and sometimes people will tell you that their experience was amazing and they wouldn’t change anything. But always ask for feedback so that you can continuously tweak your experience to make it better.
That’s it?
Yes, friend. At least, that is it for being an incredible human and artist in your industry. Something I have learned over years of serving people is that they love connection. They want to be connected to you; with connection, trust is built. And quite literally the best thing you can give your clients is the ability to trust you. That’s what success in service looks like.
Success is not one big goal or number that you hit one day and say, “I made it.” That’ll just leave you with a full bank account and a not so full heart. Success is using your drive to love people so hard that they can’t help but run to you because there is something DIFFERENT about you that no one else can give them. Which, in return, fills your own cup and gives you a sense of joy because you didn’t just make money, but you served people and made a difference while doing it.
It’s not about what clients can give you, it’s about giving your clients an experience that they truly couldn’t live without.
You’ve got this, my friend. Spend time loving people and I can guarantee that clients will run to tell their friends that that NEED what you offer, just because you care. It works, I promise!
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