In order to make it as a photographer, you need to be able to communicate with your clients and sell your work. It doesn’t always matter if you are a great photographer, if you don’t know how to communicate with them. Improving your pitch can for many be the key to success. It’s an small investment, that can give a huge return.

If you find yourself in a situation where you regularly get contacted by prospective clients, how many of them do actually end up on your client list? If you think there is room for improvement in that area, read on.
Many photographers have bad pitches because they ramble on to much about themselves and forget all about the clients needs. By focusing more on your clients needs and less on yourself, you can win more clients.

Here are 10 easy steps on how to improve your pitch.

1. Know the client. How can you make a great pitch if you don’t know the client? Do your research and find out how your services can suite the clients needs. What problems can you help them solve? What are they trying to sell? How do they present themselves to the public? Know these things and giving the perfect pitch will be way easier. Talk to others about the client, read their website, look up the key employees/owners on the web and look up their previous marketing, promotion and advertising material. What can you bring to the table?
2. Know your success stories. It is easier to sell a success story, than a product or service. Have you ever had any previous clients give you a success story that was a result of your photographs? If not, you better go hunting for one. If your photos aren’t adding any value for the client, why would any buy your services?
3. Get to the point. Don’t waste your clients time. Keep your pitch short and highly relevant. A few lines is enough. Make it easy to read, avoid the buzz words and keep it crystal clear. Tell them what you do, how you can move them closer to their goals and why your the right photographer to do it.
4. Photography isn’t the solution, you are. Remember that many of the clients that contact you might be shopping around for other photographers as well. Don’t tell them why hiring a photographer is the solution, tell them why hiring YOU as a photographer is the solution.
5. Don’t waste anyone’s time. Many clients prefer not to schedule meetings and phone calls when hiring a photographer. They don’t want to be sold to. Send them your pitch on email (read number #3 again), keep it short and make it easier for them to reply.
6. Let your website do the talking. You have a website, right? Your website should include your most impressing pictures, information about your services and your contact information. Want to put yourself on step ahead of your competitors websites as well? Add your success stories. People love stories.
7. Be professional and enthusiastic. We all love being casual and laid-back, but it might not always be a good idea when trying to win a new client. You want to be enthusiastic about working for them.
8. Don’t talk price, terms and details first. If you do that, it will get in the way of your message. Sell them your stories first and make them want your services. That makes the perceived value of you much higher and it is easier for you to justify your prices.
9. Don’t brag – you still need clients. Don’t give them the impression that you are so client that it wouldn’t make much of a difference whether they become a client or not. If that is the case, rather send them an email saying your not currently taking in new clients. No need to brag about how great you are, if it’s not highly relevant.
10. Always add an call-to-action. Always give your clients something they can act on. If you meet them in person, give them a business card. If they give you one in return, tell them you will give them a call tomorrow. If you don’t, tell them to get in touch with you. When sending emails, give them something to act on, either it being an URL to your website or a promise that you will call them later.
11. Always show your portfolio. Your potential clients are always going to want to see what   you can do before hiring you. Make an great portfolio online, make it easy to use and have it tell your stories. Add the URL to everything, your business cards, your emails, your clothes, your car, on the building of your studio. Add it everywhere.
12. Always follow-up. If you don’t hear back from them within a few days, send a polite follow-up mail asking if they have had a chance to look at your website. If you still don’t hear back from them within a week or so, you can consider sending another mail, but if they don’t respond fast after the third email they are either not interested in you or it’s not a client you would want to work with anyways (they use weeks to respond – obviously a photographer is not important to them at this stage).

To sum up, know your success stories, know your client and adopt your pitch to solve whatever problem the client has and help them reach their goal.

Emails is a great way to communicate, however there are still a lot of clients who prefer meeting face to face to see what you look like and to hear your voice. You can learn a lot by just looking at how they contact you. If they make the initial contact by sending you an email, it is very likely that email is they preferred method of communication at this stage. If they call you, don’t be afraid to suggest a face to face meeting.

Do you have a good pitch?

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