OBJECTION #1

This is probably the most popular objection for those of us professionals

who understand our cost of goods sold and know where we have to set

our prices to be profitable. I’ve also found that if you haven’t spent time

developing a strong brand, you’ll hear this objection more often as you are

attracting those price sensitive buyers.

When I hear this objection, there are several strategies I can use to

overcome it. You don’t have to use all of these examples in each situation.

Find the one that feels right for you and works best with your clients.

OBJECTION #1:

Your prices are too expensive.

© Joy of Marketing | www.joyofmarketing.com 2


Strategy #1: Feel, felt, found.

When you use this strategy you are showing empathy and giving an example of how other

clients who felt the same way they do were able to justify the investment. Here is an example

of how the conversation could occur.

Prospective client: “Your prices

are too expensive!”

You: “I understand how you feel.

Others have felt the exact same

way, but let me tell you, they

decided to make the investment

and here’s why. What they found

was that among all of the furniture

they have purchased over the years

that wears out – not to mention

the many other home décor pieces they purchased for their home, when they look back

the thing that meant the most to them was the custom photographic artwork they

invested in of their family.”

Brainstorm real-life situations where your clients came in feeling one way and ended up

finding something different:

OBJECTION #1 | YOUR PRICES ARE TOO EXPENSIVE.


Strategy #2: Tell a story.

When you use this strategy you are using a vivid anecdote to overcome their concern. Here is

an example of another way I overcome this objection.

Prospective client: “Your prices are too expensive!”

Example: “Here’s the thing. I didn’t exist as a child. While I had the best parents in the

world, photography was not a priority. So literally any photos I have of my childhood

are photos that my friend’s parents took and gave to me as an adult or those awful,

awkward school photos. Of course these photos are yellowed and damaged at this point. It’s

really sad that I can’t look back and show my own three kids what I looked like at their

age. Because of this, I decided that I would archivally frame every piece of art I create

for my clients. I want your kids to exist! I want your children to have these images for

a lifetime to pass down to their children and their grandchildren for generations.”

Brainstorm all client stories that reinforce your prices and overcome this objection:



Strategy #3: Ask a question.

When you use this strategy, you are redirecting the conversation to provide a rational

justification for the investment. Here’s an example of how I have overcome this objection.

Prospective client: “Your prices are too expensive!”

You: “Let me ask you this. How do you decorate your home? ...You could go to the art

fair and spend $5,000 on a huge oil painting of a fruit bowl that would decorate one

wall, or you could spend that amount and have artistic portraits of your most prized

possessions, your kids, in every room of your house.”

Typically, when I ask this question it will uncover that most people are thinking of photography

in a very different way than what you want them to. They are thinking of photography as the

photos they get developed at Walgreens for $12.00. When you reframe their thinking into

the form of a question, it can often get them to see that the photography you are creating

for them can be a home decorating investment.

Often, too, they realize that they aren’t very

good at home decorating so by investing in

photography they are not only creating a family

heirloom, they are also eliminating the need to

make home decorating decisions.


OBJECTION #2:

But I want digital files.

As competition increases in the photography industry, this objection

becomes more frequent.







clients who felt the same way they do were able to justify the investment. Here is an example

of how the conversation could occur.

Prospective Client: “But I want digital files.”

You: “I understand how you feel and others have felt the same way when they first

called me, but what our clients have found is that they come to us for images of their

children because we are the experts in this. If we were to give our clients these files,

they aren’t experts in color correction or manipulating exposure for the output device.

There is a lot that actually goes into making the image you see projected on the wall

during our viewing appointment look the same way when it’s printed. Most people

don’t have access to a high quality, professional grade lab so they have an inexperienced

image processor like Sam’s Club or Walgreens processing these images. They are

often disappointed when the images come back from places like these and images

don’t look the same as they did when they saw them at my studio. They are often

discolored. When you let me handle the printing of all of your images, we guarantee

that everything that leaves our studio is perfect.”




OBJECTION #2 | BUT I WANT DIGITAL FILES.





You: “Early in my career, I emailed a

really good client an image because

she had requested it. A few months

later, I happened to be at her office and

there, hanging on the wall, was a ter-

rible print out from a laser printer of

the image I had created of her precious

2 year old. The image looked like it

had been put through the dishwasher.

I wanted to throw up. She was so

proud of the image and telling people

that I took it! I was horrified and decided I would never give out or sell digital files.

That is just not what we do.”

Brainstorm all client stories that overcome this objection:




When you use this strategy you are redirecting the conversation to provide a rational justification

for the photography investment. Here’s an example of how I have overcome this objection.


You: “Why do you want the digital files?”

You (alternate response): “How many digital images do you have on your computer at

home that you have never printed? When you make an investment in photography, you

should want to display it proudly in your home or at your office, not have the digital

images tucked away in a file folder on your computer never to see the light of day. I will

make sure that we get the images you want printed beautifully so that you can display

them and enjoy them.”

We assume clients want to get big prints made with these digital images. Often, you will

discover that they just want the digital files to email to friends and family, post on facebook or

share on other social media sites. That generates referrals and can help your business. They

usually aren’t planning to print the images or order their own canvasses. When this is the case,

we can totally accommodate them so there is no need to say no, we don’t do that. What we

do instead is give them a Facebook size image of everything they purchase. Something to

know - whether you do that or not, those images will show up on Facebook so you may as

well make sure they get a good representation of your image rather than having them scan a

gift print and post it.

© Joy of Marketing | www.joyofmarketing.com


9

Strategy #4: Create a product or service.


You: “We actually have a way for you to get a digital version of all the images.”

Option 1 - You could create a digital movie to sell to your clients. Go check out

animoto.com for a super easy way to create a dynamic movie for your clients. They can’t print

the images but they can show the movie to their friends and familiy.

Option 2 - Give the movie to your clients as a value-added incentive. In other words, “when

you invest $1,000, you get a custom movie of all of your images for free.”

Option 3 - Create a mobile phone or tablet app to sell or use as a value-added incentive for

each of your clients at stickyalbums.com.

Create a list of all the products or services you could create or provide for your clients in

order to overcome this objection:



OBJECTION #3:

I don’t want a shrine to my kids.

When I explain that we focus on creating large wall art for your home, I come

across this objection.






When you use this strategy you are showing empathy and giving a vivid example to your

clients. You’re letting them know they aren’t alone in how they feel and opening their minds to

look at photography differently. Here is an example of how the conversation could occur.

Prospective Client: “I don’t want a shrine to my kids.”

You: “I understand how you feel and others have felt the same way when they first called

me, but what our clients have found is there are so many options available to decorate

subtly with portraits of their children. For one, you don’t have to hang everything all on

the same wall or even in one room. Once you think about all the spaces in your home that

you could hang photography, you will see how in the grand scheme of things it will be very

spread out and won’t feel shrine like. You could do a small snuggly relationship series in

a bathroom, a family portrait in the dining room, a custom art book for your living room

table, and fun contemporary canvasses in your basement rec room. People will love to see

the presence of your family spread throughout the home in unexpected places.”




OBJECTION #3 | I DON’T WANT A SHRINE TO MY KIDS




Prospective Client: “I don’t want a

shrine to my kids.”

You: “I have some pretty cool clients.

Some of them travel the world and

collect original artwork. I have had

more than one very wealthy client

tell me that the thing that gets more

attention in their home than their fine

art or expensive furnishings, is the

custom photographic artwork of their

kids. Their guests literally gush over

the large images of their kids.”





When you use this strategy you are redirecting the conversation to open their mind to another

way of looking at photography. Here’s an example of how I have overcome this objection.


You: “What do you hang in your home?”

Typically when I ask this question it will uncover that people don’t give a lot of thought to

their home décor. So when you ask them, you are encouraging them to pause and think

about photography as home décor and not just an image or two for dad’s desk and the

grandparents. Not to mention, they may start to question the last time they decorated their

home and justify to themselves increasing their budget for photography as it becomes décor

for their home and not just small images of their family.




When I first started my photography business over 10 years ago, I was hearing this objection

a lot. I would talk to my clients about large wall portraits and was finding a lot of resistance. In my

Midwestern city, people were conservative and didn’t want large images of their kids on the wall.

So I created a charitable event home tour at my own house to show people how to use large

wall portraits and have it not look like a shrine to their kids. Not only did we raise $2,500 for

the local hospital’s NICU where my twins had been born, but it gave me an opportunity to

spend 2 hours educating and selling clients on wall portraits.



Strategy #5: Homework.


You: “How about I come to your house to take photos of your walls so that I can help

you identify places for your artwork? That way we can go over what sizes would look

best on what walls so that it doesn’t seem like a shrine.”



OBJECTION #4:

I don’t hang photos in my home

For those of you who live in metropolitan areas where there just isn’t much

wall space, this can be a very real objection that you need to overcome.

This is an objection that I don’t hear much, but when I do, I use many of the

same justifications that I use for other objections we’ve already covered.





Strategy #1: Feel. Felt. Found.




Prospective Client: “I don’t hang photos in

my home.”

You: “I understand how you feel and I have

many clients who used to feel the same way,

but what they found was that when they put

small images in their house, it looked like

clutter. BUT, when they made the investment

in one super large wall portrait that had

impact when people walked in the room,

it got so much attention that it became the

coolest piece of art you have ever seen.”




OBJECTION #4 | I DON’T HANG PHOTOS IN MY HOME.




Prospective Client: “I don’t hang photos in my home.”

You: “I have some pretty cool clients. Some of them travel the world and collect original

artwork. I have had more than one very wealthy client tell me the thing that gets more

attention in their home than their fine art or expensive furnishings, is the custom

photographic artwork of their kids.”





When you use this strategy you are redirecting the conversation to open their mind to another

way of looking at photography. Here’s an example of how I have overcome this objection.


You: “What do you hang in your home?”

I have had people look at me and say, “Oh my gosh. I have some ugly mirrors that I hate.”

The answer to this question can uncover that people haven’t really given a lot of thought

to their home décor. So when you ask them, you are encouraging them to pause and think

about how they decorate their home

and to consider including photography

as part of that. I’ve found they just need

their minds opened to the possibility

sometimes and once you do that by

asking this question and patiently

waiting for their answer, you help

them come to the conclusion that

maybe they would like an image or

two for their walls.




If you get this objection early in the process and they legitimately do not have wall space to

hang your art, you can use this response.

Note, you need to get this objection out early in the process so that you can shoot for album

or book creation (aka multiple backdrops, outfits, etc).


You: “That’s right. You live on the lake in the gorgeous home with glass windows so

don’t have wall space. I had forgotten. No problem at all. I have some really incred-

ible new products you have to see. Not only do I have custom books, but I also have

custom designed albums that you can have on your coffee table to flip through, display

on your mantle over your fireplace. They don’t take up much space but are so cool!”

We also have some really cool metal tiles with images printed on them that come with

their own stand. Also, an interior decorator I know has the coolest resource for easels

to display larger portraits, I’ll pull some that I think would look great with the style of

your home.”






When you use this strategy you need to either have the consultation in their home (if you don’t

have a studio, this is best anyway) or have them take photos of open walls in their home

before you conduct the session. This way you know what their home looks like if you should

shoot more vertically or horizontally.

When you have images of their home, you can use the room feature in ProSelect to show

them the appropriate sizes to scale in their rooms during the sales presentation, showing them

that there is a beautiful way to hang portraits in their home that reflects their style.



OBJECTION #5:

We want to get the same thing for this child that we got for our older child.

I hear this objection a lot from parents of high school seniors who went to

another photographer and even with families who have had their children

many years apart or have recently moved to my city.









Client: “But we want to get the same thing for this child that we got for our older

child.”

You: “I understand how you feel and others have felt the same way. But what my cli-

ents have found (and I agree) is that they like to treat each child in a unique way. So,

each child receives something special. What makes one child excited is not the same

thing that excites your other children probably. My other clients have found that the

older child didn’t even care that they didn’t have the same experience as it just wasn’t

something that was important to him or her.”




OBJECTION #5 | WE WANT THE SAME THING FOR THIS CHILDAS WE GOT FOR OUR OLDER CHILD.




Client: “But we want to get the same thing for this child that we got for our older child.”

You: “When I go in someone’s house and I see the 8”x10”s all hanging in a row of their

kids, it reminds me of school portraits. And you know, none of mine were EVER good

and I’m sure yours were probably the same way! So, for me as a parent, I prefer to

give each kid something unique. Here’s what I do with my own three kids. My oldest

daughter, who is more outgoing, we have a large canvas hanging in her bedroom of her

jumping on the bed. But her twin, he’s a little more reserved and so for him, we created

a custom photo book of him doing his favorite things, etc. I’ve done the same thing for

many of my clients who have multiple children. Everything we do here is custom and it

celebrates what is unique about each child.”





Ask questions to dig deeper into this objection

to find out if it is a valid concern for them or if it

is just a smoke screen. By asking questions about

each child and learning more about them, you

can cater to the specific needs of the client and

better equip yourself for the session and sales

presentation.

Client: “But we want to get the same thing

for this child that we got for our older

child.”

You: “How many kids do you have?”

“Do you always treat them the same?”

“Tell me more about them.”

Help them come to a realization that they don’t treat their kids the same. Ask questions and

talk to them about the unique differences in each child’ts personality and what makes them

who they are. Then explain how creating custom artwork for each child is more creative if it

doesn’t all completely match and by having different things for each child can highlight their

individuality and give them something that is their own.





You could create a specific product or collection to meet their needs. The sooner you understand

this issue exists, the sooner you can create something new that is profitable and will make

your client happy.

Create a list of all the products or services you could create or provide for your clients

in order to overcome this objection:


OBJECTION #6:

We work all day or we’re too far away and can’t come in for a consultation during work hours.

Not all of your clients will be stay-at-home moms or have a flexible

work schedule, so you will have to get creative in convincing them that

it’s best for them to take the time to come in for an in-person consultation.







clients who have been in a similar situation have come to a solution. Here is an example of

how the conversation could occur.

Client: “We work all day and can’t come for a consultation during working hours.”

You: “I understand how you feel and others have felt the same way but what they

found when we didn’t have a consultation before we did their session was that they

would come into the studio for the session and see something they loved on the walls.

Then they would be so bummed that they were wearing the wrong clothing or we were

at the wrong location because we hadn’t taken the time to sit down and have a quick

conversation about what they really wanted to get from this session.”




OBJECTION #6 | WE WORK ALL DAY AND CAN’T COME INFOR A CONSULTATION DURING WORKING HOURS.


When you use this strategy you are redirecting the conversation to provide a solution for

when they could squeeze in a consultation. Here is one example of how I have been able to

overcome this objection.

Client: “We work all day and can’t come for a consultation during working hours.”

You: “Do you have a lunch hour? Do you ever take off early for a doctor’s appointment

or anything like that? Or maybe your husband takes off early to go to a golf date? It

really doesn’t take long, but it is so important to make sure we create images of your

family that you love.”


OBJECTION #6 | WE WORK ALL DAY AND CAN’T COME INFOR A CONSULTATION DURING WORKING HOURS.

OBJECTION #7:

We live out of town and can’t come in to order in person.

This is an objection that really should be overcome early in the selling

process when you explain how your process works and why.









Client: “We live out of town and can’t come to order in person.”

You: “I understand how you feel and others have felt the same way, but what they found

was that doing the ordering on their own was overwhelming. I know you are incredibly

busy and all you need is one more thing on your to do list, but I promise it will take

less of your time if you come in person than if you try to do it on your own. If we can

find a way to do this either when you are in town for the session or on a returning trip,

I will hold your hand the entire way.”




OBJECTION #7 | WE LIVE OUT OF TOWN AND CAN’T COME IN TO ORDER IN PERSON.


When clients have this objection, it is a great time for you to tell a story to explain how

ordering in-person is really the best way to go. Tell them about a time when you tried to

accommodate a client by taking an order over the phone and how it went wrong.


You: “I like to share the story about how I was shopping at Nordstrom and I needed

help. I am not a good shopper. I am hard to fit and I get discouraged when I try things

on and they don’t look good, so I quit. One particular occasion, I went to the personal

shopper area. The shopper took me by hand, asked me what I needed and brought me

some great outfits that not only fit, but looked awesome on me. She could have said

‘look around at your own pace’ or ‘have you tried searching online for more choices’

but that would NOT have served me well. I needed my hand held. She was serving me

by sharing her expertise and I want to do the same for you.”





When you use this strategy, you are redirecting the conversation to provide a rational

justification for overcoming their objection of coming back for a viewing appointment.

Here’s an example of how I have overcome this objection.

Client: “We live out of town and can’t come to

order in person.”

You (example responses): “Do you frequently come

into town to shop or for your kids activities?”

“Are you coming back anytime soon?”

“When is the next time you will be in town?”

“Could we schedule a consultation for the

next time you are in town?”




Sometimes you can overcome objections by creating a service to help the client.


You: “What about an evening presentation?”

“What is the window you are in town for during the session?” (For example, if they are

in town Monday - Wednesday, I would suggest that we do the session on Monday and

the ordering appointment before they leave town on Wednesday).

I try to make it clear on the first phone call that this is my process. For me, I don’t want to

have a client who can’t come in-person for the ordering appointment, so I need to cover this

up front.





OBJECTION #8:

I need to go home and measure.

When you hear this objection it is often a smoke screen. You haven’t sold

them and they just want to go home without placing an order. However, if

you ask more questions in the consultation, or even have the consultation

in their home, this shouldn’t come up. If it does, here are a few examples

of how you can overcome this objection.






Client: “I need to go home and measure.”

You: “I understand how you feel and others have felt the same way but what has

helped others is to go ahead

and pencil in an estimated order.

Once we’ve got your order

down, you can go home and

measure to confirm the sizes

will be perfect. Then, if you

have changes, call me before

the end of the day tomorrow.

Otherwise you don’t have to

come in again or worry about a

thing. We’ll get your order ready

to send to the lab and you’ll

have it back in 3 to 4 weeks.”




OBJECTION #8 | I NEED TO GO HOME AND MEASURE.





You: “You know what I find as a better strategy? Sometimes it’s best to choose the size

for the image that will be appropriate for it to look its best, and then to get it home and

find the best wall for it. It might be some place great that your weren’t expecting! I had

a client once who had planned out exactly where she wanted her family portrait to go.

She wanted a 24x30 vertical image. What happened was the family portrait she loved

was a panoramic of all of them leaping into the lake! It was a very long size that she

wasn’t expecting and it didn’t fit perfectly above her fireplace like she had hoped. Instead,

she found it looked unbelievable stretching down this one long wall in her dining room.

It spanned the entire wall and it knocked peoples socks off when they saw it! She had

to do some rearranging but she still tells me she is so happy she didn’t put it over her fire-

place. So, I usually recommend we choose the size and dimensions that will best suit the

image’s impact and then finding a great unexpected place for it in your home is easy.”





You can try to ask more questions to dig deeper into this objection to find out if it is a valid

concern or a smoke screen.


You: “Can you tell me where you’re envisioning this portrait in your home? Because

there are certain sizes that are appropriate for hanging over a sofa or mantle, so I can

most likely help you determine the size you need based off of that. Maybe we can

brainstorm open spaces...”


You can overcome this objection before you even shoot a single image in the session or enter

the sales presentation. Offer to visit the client’s home prior to the session to help them find

unique locations for hanging portraits, help them measure to find out what size of portraits

would fit where, and create a plan for shooting images that your clients envision in their home.

Then, during the sales presentation, since you have already gone over sizes and the types of

images your clients are looking for, you’ve already conquered this objection.






When you use this strategy, you need to either have the consultation in their home (if you don’t

have a studio, this is best anyway) or have them take photos of open walls in their home as

homework before you conduct the session. This way you know what their home looks like and

it provides insight. Then, during the session you know whether you should shoot more

vertically or horizontally, etc.

When you have images of your client’s

home, you can use the room feature

in ProSelect (my preferred sales software -

try it at proselect.com/joy). This feature

allows you to show them what sizes

will look best, to scale, in their home

during the sales presentation. You

can get them excited about how their

images will actually look in their home

and eliminate the need for them to go

home and measure without placing an

order.



OBJECTION #9:

I need to talk to my spouse before I place my order.

I heard this objection more often when I was first getting started in my

photography business. Typically it was a smoke screen because I didn’t

convince this person of the value and I didn’t ask the right questions early

in the selling process. Now, during the consultation I make sure to ask the

client if all of the decision makers are scheduled and available to come

for the ordering appointment. That is their chance to say “oh, I would

never order without my husband/wife.” If that is the case, I make sure to

schedule the ordering appointment when both the husband and wife can

be present.

This should reduce the likely hood that this objection will come up during the

sales presentation. If it does, there are several strategies I use to overcome

it. You don’t have to use all of these examples in each situation. Find the

one that feels right for you and works best with your clients.



If not in the consultation, then definitely in the session, you need to identify if the husband

(or anyone else) must be involved in the decision-making for the purchase to occur. If you

wait until this comes up during the sales presentation / viewing appointment it is often too

late to overcome.

Client: “I need to talk to my husband/

wife.”

You: “I understand how you feel,

others have felt the same way. What

they have found is that typically their

husband agrees. Let’s pencil in the

order the way YOU like it. I just need a

deposit. Then, you can take the thumb-

nails home to him to see if he has any

changes to the order. Just call my by

the end of day tomorrow to make the

changes.”




OBJECTION #9 | I NEED TO TALK TO MY SPOUSE BEFORE I ORDER.




Client: “I need to talk to my husband/wife.”

You: “I hear what you are saying. I had a client come in a few months ago who took

home all of the images to show her husband and have him help decide what to get. She

ended up overwhelmed because he liked everything and that made her decision more

difficult. What if we pencil in your order then if you want to show your husband the

images and allow him to make changes you can.”





You can try to ask more questions to dig deeper into this objection to find out if it is a valid

concern or a smoke screen.


You: “What will your husband think?” or “Does your husband help with the home

decorating decisions?”

If they are saying “yes”, that their husband does help, you need to get him there ASAP.

You: “Would you like to call him and see if he could drop by now or a bit later today?

Note to self, next time do not schedule the viewing appointment without the husband or

other important decision maker present.




You could offer to go to the clients home after hours to ensure that both decision makers are

present. You could even bring a sitter to play with the kids. If you want, offer them a glass of

wine so they can enjoy the experience.





You: “Walk around with your spouse and take photos of blank walls in your home with

a yardstick. Email me those photos, along with the questionaire (if you want).”

This is the opportunity to ask: “Will your spouse be a part of this decision making process?”

If so, DO NOT have an ordering appointment without him. If not, you shouldn’t hear this objection.

Note to self, next time do not schedule the viewing appointment without the husband or other

important decision maker present.



OBJECTION #10:

I just can’t decide.

Often, by the time you get this objection, you are sunk because the client

has hit overwhelm and there is nothing you can do or say to bring them

back to a fresh mindset.

It will help you greatly if you ensure your sales presentation is filled with

fewer, better images. Also, have a sales plan to help the client cut images

and get to a decision within an hour. I cover this this in detail during lesson

#3 of the Photography Selling System, if you want further help.

However, should you encounter this objection, these strategies can help

focus the decision making process.You don’t have to use all of these ex-

amples in each situation. Find the one that feels right for you and works

best with your clients.




clients who felt the same way were able to get past their indecision. Here is an example of


Client: “I just can’t decide.”

You: “I understand how you feel and others have felt the same way, but what has

helped others is if we go ahead and pencil in an estimated order and then you can

go home and measure to confirm the sizes will be perfect. Then you can talk to your

husband and if you have changes, call me before the end of the day tomorrow.

Otherwise you don’t have to worry about a thing. We’ll get your order ready to send

to the lab and you’ll have it back in X weeks.”

You (alternate response):“I understand how you feel and others have felt the same way, but

what they’ve found is that going with their initial gut instinct is what they end up loving

for years. I remember during the slideshow you absolutely died over image #1, let’s look

at that again and see if you get that same feeling.”




OBJECTION #10 | I JUST CAN’T DECIDE.


When you use this strategy you are using a vivid anecdote to overcome their concern and

help them see that they are not alone here and there is a way to overcome their overwhelm.

Here is an example of another way I overcome this objection.


You: “You know what I like best is when clients invest in fewer, larger images that

are full of impact instead of sending you home with a bunch of smaller ones at the

same budget. Once, I let someone leave overwhelmed and she ended up never

deciding, I felt like I let her down. Let’s see if we can’t narrow down the images and

get some clarity.”

Don’t be afraid to trim down the number of images so that the client isn’t so overwhelmed

with choices. Help narrow their focus on the few images they truly love.





In this case I am looking for anything I can do to save the order that day. So I am trying to help

them overcome the hang up here and get over what is blocking them from making a decision.


You: “What is holding you back? What can I do to help you?”

Remember that your professional opinion as the photographer is HIGHLY regarded in the

eyes of the client. So when they are asking if you have a preference, don’t be wishy-washy,

tell them what you would suggest and why. Maybe it’s the emotion in an image, or the

composition, etc. Saying things

like “I love them all” and “It’s up to

you” doesn’t help your client at all.

Also, your professional opinion can

help to give people “permission”

to like images that maybe they

didn’t think they should or would.

For example, a very straight-laced

doctor came in thinking she wanted

very formal, so we shot that as

well as something wild and fun.

She surprised herself by loving the

wild and fun shots, but she needed the permission to purchase something different from

what she initially requested in the consultation. It may not be what her doctor colleagues or

neighbors have, but I remind her of her gut reaction of loving the fun images, and the feeling

she wants to have when seeing it everyday.




Strategy #4 Create a product or service.

When I photograph a large family and have many combinations of mom and dad with each

child, each child together, etc., sometimes the family can’t decide. When I notice them getting

overwhelmed, I bring up our custom photo books. That way they can focus on getting their

favorite images as custom artwork for their walls, but they have a way to hold onto a variety of

images in a keepsake book.

Brainstorm any product you can create or service you could offer to help your clients

overcome objections:


Sarah Petty began her career in the marketing

department at the world’s largest brand, Coca-Cola

Enterprises, and went on to direct the marketing

campaigns of many small businesses at a top regional

advertising agency.

Growing up in a family of small business owners, she

knew someday she’d own her own business. So after

earning her MBA, she opened her own boutique

photography studio (just 2 weeks before September

11, 2001). Sarah Petty Photography was named one

of the most profitable photography businesses in the

United States just five years after opening her studio

by the Professional Photographers of America.

In addition to running Sarah Petty Photography, Sarah

owns Joy of Marketing where she speaks to photographers

around the globe about branding, marketing, selling

and building a profitable photography business.

About Sarah Petty:

SARAH PETTY | JOY OF MARKETING


OBJECTION #1

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