July 23, 2024 • 41 mins
Can you really attract a $3,000 client while living in a small town? You bet, and today on "Tried and True with a Dash of Woo," I'll show you how. I'm Renee Bowen, and I’m here to break down the critical distinctions between securing a $300 client versus a $3,000 one.
Despite economic concerns, people are still splurging on luxury experiences and items. I'll share some eye-opening statistics on spending trends in travel, home improvement, fitness, wellness, and luxury markets to debunk the myth that small-town living limits your ability to attract high-end clients. It's all about positioning and ingenuity!
Photographers, especially those serving the middle-class market, often grapple with attracting high-end clientele. The key lies in elevating your brand—think high-quality branding materials, a professional website, and cohesive marketing efforts that scream value.
Staying current with trends, particularly in senior photography, isn’t just about sharpening your craft; it’s about making your business irresistible. I'll also dive into how organic marketing through client testimonials and social media can do wonders for your visibility and appeal.
Building a successful business goes beyond skills and technical know-how; it's about mindset and community. Confidence is essential when transitioning to boutique pricing strategies and creating meaningful client relationships.
FREE PRICING VIDEO
FREE TARGET CLIENT PDF
BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL WITH RENEE
LEAVE A REVIEW in 5 seconds flat
JOIN the Podcast & Creative Community
LEARN MORE about Renee at
www.reneebowen.com - main site (photography + coaching)
& www.reneebowencoaching.com (coaching + courses)
SOCIALS:
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Join ELEVATE:
https://reneebowen.com/elevate
FREE TRAINING for Photographers
Make sure you TAG me when you post on social and once a month, we choose one person who leaves us a review and we'll send you a FREE audible book of your choice!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo, where
we blend rock-solid tips with alittle bit of magic.
I'm Renee Bowen, your host,life and business coach and
professional photographer atyour service.
We are all about gettingcreative, diving into your
business and playing withmanifestation over here.
So are you ready to getinspired and have some fun?
Let's dive in.
Hey there, welcome back toTried and True with the Dash of
(00:26):
Woo.
I'm your host, renee Bowen, andtoday is going to be a short
and sweet episode.
We are focusing specifically onpricing and selling and we're
not going to go super deep intothis, but really I want to focus
on the difference between a$300 client versus a $3,000
client and why you should beoffering more of an experience
(00:50):
to attract that higher end buyer.
But first I am going to giveyou guys some proof, because
your brains really just wantproof and you're going to
believe whatever you see proofof in your reality.
So if you are constantlysubmerged in lack and all you
are believing and seeing aroundyou is that people don't have
(01:13):
money to spend right now andpeople are pulling back and
businesses are failing and theeconomy is bad and all of those
things, if that's what youbelieve, right?
If that's what you see andthat's what you believe, then
that is what you believe, right?
If that's what you see andthat's what you believe, then
that is what you are going tointernalize and use for proof
that you can't actually attracta higher end buyer.
But I just want to offersomething to the contrary,
(01:35):
because there are still plentyof people spending money right
now.
All you have to do is hop onFacebook for a few minutes and
you will see people flying toother countries to go see Taylor
Swift, which is not cheap, evenif you can get a cheap ticket
for her concert there.
The flights are not cheap.
The hotels are not cheap.
People are still spending moneyon experiences.
People are still spending a lotof money on Stanley cups,
(01:59):
special colors, limited editionsSee what they're doing there,
though that's really like theidea.
The marketing behind it is whatmatters that scarcity.
You can't get it all the time.
Not everybody can have it.
That stuff works and I knowthat it stinks.
I know that that is not what wewant to believe and we
(02:23):
definitely don't want to be likea part of something you know
slimy and salesy, but at the endof the day, that's why people
are able to sell things likethat you know, 60, $80 water
bottles because they've createdthat sense of urgency and
scarcity in the market and it ispositioning.
(02:46):
It's positioning the offer, soyou can find proof of people
spending money everywhere.
I pulled some recent statisticsoff the internet, so let's talk
about a few of those.
45% of Americans plan to take atrip that requires a flight or
a hotel this summer, spending anaverage of $3,500 to $3,600 per
person, totaling over $424billion on airfare and hotel
(03:10):
stays.
People are spending money ontheir home improvement.
That's seen an 18% increase inbudgets compared to 2023.
As far as fitness and wellness,I mean, I feel like that area
is always doing well becausepeople are always trying to
better themselves, but spendingon fitness and wellness products
, including gym memberships andhome fitness equipment, has
(03:32):
increased by 6% to 13% acrossvarious income groups.
There's a noted increase inspending on luxury items, with
the luxury automobile marketexperiencing strong demand,
particularly among higher incomegroups.
87% of consumers plan tocelebrate the 4th of July in
2024, spending on average $90 aperson on food and items for the
(03:55):
holiday.
There's a demand for the latesttech gadgets, with significant
spending on new smartphones,smart home devices and gaming
consoles, and 84% of peoplesurveyed by American Express in
July plan to spend more or thesame amount of money on travel
in 2024 compared to last year,indicating a continued
(04:17):
investment on experiences andself-care.
70% of US travelers plan totake road trips, investing in
camping equipment and otheroutdoor gear, and spending on
premium subscription services,including streaming platforms
and meal kits, continues to grow, reflecting a trend towards
convenience and personalizedexperiences.
So, just like you can findproof that people are not
(04:39):
spending money, you can findproof that people are spending
money.
And I know what you're going tosay, renee.
I live in a really small town.
I don't live in a big city.
Nobody here is doing stuff likethat, or it's just very few
people are doing things likethat, and to that I say I get it
.
I mean, I grew up in a verysmall town myself.
The town that I was born andraised in and lived in until I
(05:00):
was in college has one trafficlight, so I understand that
mentality and it was in theSouth.
And again, your region is goingto matter, right.
But I could also argue that youcould either just accept that
and keep yourself small, or youcould choose to figure out a way
(05:21):
to reach a higher end buyer,even if that means one to
several other towns away.
There are many photographersthat I know of, whether they're
in my coaching or not, who havepeople flying to them from all
over the country because theyhave stood out in their market,
they have stood out online andthey do a really good job in
(05:44):
their positioning.
So I'm not going to let you offthe hook with that excuse.
You can accept it as an excuse.
That's okay.
I'm not judging you for iteither.
Like, if that's really whereyou're at, I get it.
But I really really hope thatyou can dig a little bit deeper
and realize that at the end ofthe day, nobody's coming to save
you, that at the end of the day, nobody's coming to save you,
(06:08):
but you can save yourself, andthere's a lot to say for the
ingenuity of someone who doesn'thave a choice right.
I always talk about this as faras like, one of the reasons why
I think my business has takenoff and done well is because I
didn't really have a choice.
Taken off and done well isbecause I didn't really have a
choice.
Like I went into this like thisit's either this or I have to
go get a really crappy job thatI'm not going to love.
(06:31):
So I'm going to make this work.
I didn't have, you know, myhusband's income to really stand
on and I still don't.
So, especially now post-strike,like the entertainment industry
has completely tanked, liketanked.
It's even worse than it waslast year, if you can even
believe it.
So it is still up to me.
(06:52):
And when you kind of don't havea choice and it is just kind of
coming down to your creativityand how much you can think
outside the box and how bad youwant it and how obsessed you are
with it, then you tend to beable to pull some things out of
thin air that you probablycouldn't otherwise.
So that's the mindset piece ofit.
(07:13):
You absolutely can do it.
I don't care where you're from.
I know lots and lots ofphotographers and small business
owners in very small towns whoare still thriving.
If you choose to close yourdoors, if you choose to lower
your prices, that is a choice.
I get it.
But I don't want you to feellike you have no choice, because
I really do believe that you do.
(07:36):
The other thing is that when youare marketing to a higher end
buyer, you don't have to shootas many sessions.
If you're a photographer, forexample, you are making more per
client, so you're not out therekilling yourself every day for
$200, $300 and not really seeinganything in return for that.
(07:56):
I think that we can all agreeand hopefully even you guys, if
you're a newer photographerlistening to this I think we can
all agree that it is notsustainable to run a business on
two $300 sessions because,simply because of the overhead
that you have I don't care ifyou don't have a studio or a lot
of you know hard costs likethat.
(08:17):
You have gear and to be good atwhat you do, you kind of do
need to have good gear and youhave to have backups of your
gear.
You can't just show up to ashoot with one camera because
there will come a day when thatcamera does not work, that it
fails on you or you know justtwo memory cards or just one
(08:38):
speed light, whatever it is.
You have to have backups ofyour gear.
It's not even just like one setof expensive gear that we have
to have.
We have to have a backup.
So it's not even just like oneset of expensive gear that we
have to have.
We have to have a backup.
So it's not sustainable to runyour business with very you know
low prices, like two $300 allin giving everybody the digitals
.
It's not really a way to runyour business.
(08:59):
Now, if you do just want tosell digitals and no products
and keeping your costs down thatway, I understand and there's a
way to do that profitably aswell.
But you need to position thosedigitals as high end, ok.
You can still make good moneywhen you do it the right way.
(09:20):
I'm not a proponent of thatnecessarily because I do think
that portrait photographersshould be selling product,
because I'm a big believer thatof that.
Necessarily because I do thinkthat portrait photographers
should be selling productbecause I'm a big believer that
our images should be in printand I have educated my clients
to believe that as well.
That's the thing is that youare going to attract what you
believe.
Okay.
So if you believe that peopleonly want digitals and they only
(09:43):
want to spend $200 for them,then that's what you're going to
continue to attract.
Period, that's just the way itis.
So you do have to shift yourbelief so that you can start
attracting a different buyer.
And if you don't have proof foryourself, yet, or in your market
yet, use my proof or someoneelse's proof so that it gives
(10:05):
you a jumping off point, Becausethat's kind of the way the
universe works, right?
That's that abundance mindset.
I'm kind of always talkingabout that when I see someone,
let's say, who is on a fabulousvacation or who's doing really
well in their business andtalking about, I guess, how much
money they're making, right,and I know that they're
(10:25):
vacationing and they're able tobuy a new house, whatever, like
any of those things.
If I see that online, I'm notgoing to go to.
Oh well, that must be nice,right.
The first thought that I havebecause I've trained my brain to
do this is to go oh, if she can, I can.
Right, that's awesome, good forher, right, I'm happy for that
person.
(10:46):
There's no jealousy, because allof that is that lack mentality,
right.
If you're looking at what otherpeople have and you're like,
yeah, well, you can have thatbecause you have this, that or
the other, or because you'rethis person, or because that's
all coming from your ownlimitations, you're using your
past relationship with money tocolor the future and predict the
(11:07):
future, and so it is a shift.
You have to train your brain tothink the way that you want it
to think.
So I've done that for a longtime.
So if by some chance, I hadthat thought of a tinge of
jealousy, then that would be atelltale sign for me that I need
to double back down on mymindset and get right in the
(11:30):
head, because something hasslipped in and it is causing me
to slip into lack and that's notwhere I want to be and I don't
want to attract that.
I don't want to live that, Idon't want to be that and I
don't want to attract that in mylife, because I only want to
work with people who love what Ido.
I want to work with people whovalue photography as an
(11:53):
experience, as art, and thatthey see it as an investment and
they appreciate it the way Iappreciate it.
So you do get what you giveenergetically right, and that's
part of this whole process.
If you want to start attractinga higher end buyer, you have to
start believing that you canhave that too, and this is where
(12:17):
a lot of people get tripped up.
So we're not going to get intoall the specifics of how to
rewire that.
I do have other shows thatspeak to this, how to rewire
that.
I do have other shows thatspeak to this and I am working
on a program that I think isgoing to be really awesome for
dealing with that and forshifting that.
But what I want to give youtoday are some actual strategic
(12:39):
tips that you can hopefullystart to implement in your
business, as well as aperspective shift so that you
can start to believe in what ispossible for you.
So let's just talk reallyquickly, before I get into that,
about what I mean by a higherend buyer, right?
So yes, I have had some clientsinvest upwards of seven, eight,
(13:03):
$10,000 in their portraitexperience with me, but most of
the people who invest at likethe three to $4,000 level are
just regular, what you wouldcall middle-class to upper
middle-class families.
They are not super wealthy,they just value the experience
and I've positioned theexperience and the products in a
(13:26):
way that makes it easy for themto be on board and to want to
be a part of it.
So your pricing and the waythat you offer it and the
psychology behind it reallymatters.
So I just wanted to make sureyou got that.
I'm not talking about the uberwealthy people yeah, there are a
lot of really uber wealthypeople in the world and that's
(13:46):
great if you can attract some ofthose people as your clients.
But most of us are not going tohave that experience.
It's not going to be like thatis our entire clientele, right.
If that's you, more power toyou.
But most of us that's not goingto be the case.
For most of us it's familieswho are middle class, but they
are making this an importantinvestment for them and their
(14:09):
family because they value it andit's not like they're just
waking up one day going you knowwhat.
I really think I'll just drop$6,000 on portraits this week.
That's not the thought thatthey're having.
They are attracted to your work.
They're attracted to theexperience.
They want their child or theirhigh school senior if you're a
(14:29):
senior photographer, for exampleto be a part of what you have
going on.
They want to be a part of it.
So there does need to be sortof that element of exclusivity
or scarcity so that it's notjust everyone can have it
necessarily right, there arelimited times, limited sessions,
(14:50):
limited number of sessions youcan offer and that all comes
into play with the marketing ofall of this.
But in general, to attractanyone who is, you know, a
higher end buyer, people who aremore into the experience and
who value the experience.
There are some things that youcan do so that it makes it
(15:14):
easier to attract those people.
I believe that you really doneed to have all of your
materials in place right, highquality branding materials.
Your website is a really bigpiece of this.
If you are out there chargingtwo $3,000, $4,000, and your
(15:35):
website looks like youbootstrapped it and it's
disjointed and it just doesn'tflow, you can tell that's a big
piece of it.
Your website really does needto back that up.
All of your materials need toback that up.
Everything that you put out onsocial media.
It doesn't mean that it has tobe beautifully curated and
(15:57):
everything has to be a Canvatemplate, no, but you do need to
kind of stand in what youbelieve it is right the
professionalism of it, and themore put together and the more
cohesive your branding is, thebetter and the more it's going
to exude that luxury andprofessionalism.
(16:18):
So if you haven't done that ina while, you probably should do
an audit of your branding, ofyour website, of the materials
that you're using to market,whether it's in person or online
so that you can make sure theyare up to par with what you are
wanting to build.
And if you're just starting out,this is a piece of it you can
(16:39):
do right now.
Yes, you do need to be good atwhat you do.
I'm not going to gloss overthat.
I think a lot of educators justsort of gloss over and say you
know, anyone can make $10,000 asession, and I am.
I don't believe that.
I'm just going to tell youright now yeah, I can believe
that.
I believe that you can doanything you want to do, a
hundred percent.
I believe in you.
(17:00):
But as a photographer, I really,really think that you have to
be good at what you do, andthere is a lot of work out there
that isn't quite at that level,and that's okay.
That's the whole point ofcontinuing this process.
(17:21):
I don't think that any of usare ever finished right Like.
I think we can get comfortableand we can get to a point where
we're like, oh my gosh, I couldtotally do this in my sleep and
that's fantastic.
It means you put your 10,000hours in.
But at the end of the day, weall have room for improvement
and our seniors if you're asenior photographer.
Their interests and taste andtrends are going to shift and
(17:42):
change, and so for us inparticular and probably wedding
photographers too but for us inparticular, we really do need to
be paying attention to howwe're pivoting and how we're
able to, you know, stay up todate with these trends like
blurry photos and film lookingimages that a lot of you guys
get very worked up about inFacebook groups while also
(18:06):
maintaining your own style andyour own stamp.
So it's not about changingeverything that you do, but I
believe that if we're notpivoting, it's a death sentence
for what we do as seniorphotographers, because those
teenage clients are not going towant to work with you and
they're not going to post theimages, and so you're not going
to get any of that free, organicmarketing.
(18:26):
I want my clients to post theirimages.
I want my clients to talk aboutme.
So how am I arming them?
What am I arming them with?
What am I giving them thatthey're excited about?
And if they come to me andthey're like I love that blurry
look or I love that motion blur,or whatever, they show me
images as inspiration, I'm goingto get some of those for them.
(18:47):
First of all, I've been doingthat for years.
I've been doing that, I think,well before 2014, 15, because
I've always liked the film.
Look.
I mean, I was shooting filmback in the day and so even my
digital edits have a film.
Look to them.
So it's not hard for me to dothat because I like it.
It doesn't mean the wholesession is going to be like that
(19:09):
.
It doesn't mean the wholesession is going to be like out
of focus.
There's a middle ground.
So, anyway, I don't want tosegue off into that topic.
I just kind of wanted to mentionit for a second, because part
of this is that you do need tohave high-end work.
So to attract a higher-endbuyer, your work needs to be
good.
You need to be good.
(19:29):
So if you are just starting out, just keep going.
You can raise your pricing asyou go along.
You don't need to wait a year.
You don't need to do it inthese large spans of time
increments.
You can do it as you go along.
Have something on your site andon your materials that just
(19:51):
says pricing subject to changeat any time.
You are allowed to change yourpricing anytime you want, and
you should be doing that asyou're growing your business
because, yeah, you're going tostart out doing it for a lower
price, most likely until you getgood at what you're doing, and
start out doing it for a lowerprice, most likely until you get
good at what you're doing andyou feel more confident in what
you're selling and then youunderstand what those numbers
(20:14):
look like.
I have a whole pricing class.
It's free that you guys cancheck out.
I will link it below in theshow notes.
If you want to know the fourmain tips that I suggest you pay
attention to when you are likecreating your pricing and
revising your pricing and thepsychological aspects of it.
Definitely go watch that,because there's a lot inside of
(20:36):
that little free training.
It's like a 30-minute video, soyou can just kind of watch it
pretty quickly.
So another thing that you cando to attract a higher-end in
addition to understanding themand having your materials
reflect professionalism and haveyour images look amazing, you
can also offer exclusivepackages and experiences that
(20:59):
they can't get anywhere else,right?
So when I'm working with aclient and I know that they're
coming in at like a $3,000,$4,000 level, I'm spending time
with them.
I'm having a lot of touchpoints with them along the way.
It doesn't mean I have tophysically hold their hand.
(21:19):
Now, a lot of photographers dolike to have pre-consultations,
like in person.
They have a lot of touch pointswhere they are showing up
physically with their clients.
I don't really do that per sebecause my clients are really
busy and I'm really busy, but itis always open to them as an
option, right.
Whether it's like sending themmaterials, sending them, you
(21:40):
know, beautifully designed PDFsthat walk them through the
process.
I want my clients to feel likethey're taken care of every step
of the way and like I am therefor them every step of the way
because they are paying for that.
That's part of the experience Ioffer pro hair and makeup.
I have since day one, even whenmy work was new and I wasn't
(22:02):
great at it yet.
I wanted to always offer thatfor a few reasons, but mainly as
this added touch point, as partof an experience.
I offer custom designed albumsthat's the biggest seller for me
as a senior photographer anddifferent things like wall art,
all of those things.
So offering these things doeslend to more of a high end
(22:26):
experience and speaks to ahigher end buyer the other thing
, too, that you want to bethinking of as far as, like,
attracting a more higher endbuyer is where are you marketing
to them, right?
So you do have to know who thatbuyer is.
I talk a lot about your targetclient.
I have a free PDF for that too.
That helps you kind of like, atleast get started on that.
So I'll link that for you guysbelow in the show notes too.
(22:47):
But you need to know who you'respeaking to.
You are going to market to thisbuyer that we've been talking
about a lot different thansomebody who's looking for a
photographer for a couplehundred bucks to show up at a
park and hand over a flash driveof images.
Those are two different peoplemost of the time.
Okay, so you need to bespeaking to that target client
(23:10):
in your marketing in a veryspecific way.
You'll need to be speaking tothe experience that you offer,
using social proof, liketestimonials and the words of
past clients, to attract more ofthose higher end buyers.
You're going to want to offersomething, like I said before,
that not everybody can have.
(23:30):
There's definitely a piece ofthis that resonates with that
specific buyer.
Again, this will probablydiffer from region to region,
but especially like in the South.
I see this a lot with mycoaching students who are
photographers.
In the South there isdefinitely a lot of keeping up
(23:50):
with the Joneses and well, Iwant what that person has sort
of mentality.
I don't see that as much whereI am on the West Coast.
I see pockets of it like smalllittle micro environments of it,
like in the suburbs and incertain suburbs of Southern
California, but as a whole likein LA, not necessarily as much
(24:15):
right.
But you guys who live in theSouth or even maybe in the
Midwest, there definitely mightbe some of that happening in
your area and your market andyour clients, and so it really
is a great thing for you to payattention to because you can
leverage that in your marketing.
You want to be displaying yourtestimonials, you want to be
standing in that confidence.
That's the most important thingthat I want you to kind of walk
(24:38):
away from.
This episode hearing is thathigh-end buyers can sense
uncertainty and nobody wants tofeel uncertain.
So if you are not confident inwhat you're doing and what
you're offering, they're goingto be able to smell that a mile
away.
You want to be able to fake ita little bit until you make it
Honestly.
(24:58):
That is a mindset shift, right,that's up to you to work on.
That's why I'm a big fan ofhypnosis and meditation and
being in the energy of who youwant to be, really immersing
yourself in that version of you,that confident version of you.
So, if you haven't done thatyet, outline what that version
(25:20):
of yourself looks like, whatthat version feels like, what
that version does on the daily.
Write it down and make amanifesto about this version of
yourself.
Who is commanding this price?
Get very specific, get really,really specific and then sit
with it in meditation.
(25:41):
Allow yourself to becomeobsessed with it and to daydream
about all the differentbeautiful things that that
version of yourself experiencesdaily, how she feels, how she
moves through the day, thethings that she does, and do it
(26:01):
every day.
Spend 10 to 15 minutes everysingle day, day.
Spend 10 to 15 minutes everysingle day feeling that in your
body, and if you do thatreligiously for two to four
weeks, your outside world isgoing to shift dramatically, I
promise you.
It is something that which a lotof you guys don't believe.
(26:23):
Right, I get it, but it'sbecause you haven't done it, and
if you have done it, youhaven't done it long enough.
That's really what it comesdown to.
You know you can't just do thisfor like a week and be like, oh
, that didn't work, okay, sureit didn't work.
How deep is your belief?
How strong is it and howunwavering are you in getting
(26:47):
this thing that you want?
How bad do you want it?
Do you want it more thananything else in your life?
You definitely are going to getthe results that you want,
depending on how obsessed youare with it and your state
really matters.
So if you're approaching all ofthis with like a oh, I really
(27:09):
want this, but I know it's notpossible for people like me, or
I'm just not good at this, orwhatever, that is not a strong,
certain belief that you'rehaving and holding and feeling,
and so you're not going to beable to like energetically match
that version of yourself thatyou are conjuring up.
You've got to get to that placeand this comes with time, just
(27:31):
like anything else.
Just like how you get betterover time as a photographer or
as an artist and your skillswill develop and your editing
gets better.
This is the same thing.
Your mindset gets better overtime.
The stronger you get with it,the more disciplined you are
with this, the stronger it gets,and the more you do this and
(27:52):
the more you sit with this, youroutside world will shift.
You will start to see proof ofit showing up in your life.
Because you're doing the workinside, they match.
So, in general, you have to stoptalking to higher end buyers
the way that you would speak topeople on a budget.
That's really what it comesdown to.
(28:13):
And all of the copy that youuse on your website, all of the
captions on your social media,all of the things that you say
to people in person matter, andso if you got to fake it a
little bit until you make it,that's what you need to do,
because, guess what?
Your unconscious mind does notknow that you're faking it.
(28:33):
Your unconscious mind does notknow that you don't actually
have $10,000 in your bankaccount right now.
Your unconscious mind doesn'tknow unless you tell it out
right now.
Your unconscious mind doesn'tknow unless you tell it.
So you get to decide whatreality you want your
unconscious mind to believe,because whatever your
unconscious mind believes iswhat you are going to put forth
(28:56):
out as far as energy and whatyou're going to attract right
back to you.
So why not make it believe thatyou consistently and
effortlessly attract clients whowould love to spend $3,000 to
$4,000 with you per session orwhatever that is?
Insert?
Whatever your dream is there.
(29:18):
Why not have your unconsciousmind believe that, instead of
what you have been telling it orwhat the people in your direct
circle around you physicallyhave been saying to you, that's
the other thing.
If you've got people in yourworld who are consistently
(29:38):
knocking you back down, who aretelling you that's not possible
for you, who are telling youthat you know people around here
, just don't spend that kind ofmoney.
You have to break free of theirlimiting beliefs as well.
Okay, and you can, and it maytake you physically removing
yourself from that environment alittle bit, but when you get
(30:00):
stronger in this mindset workand stronger in your of making
sure that you are doing it andyou're really good at talking to
your unconscious mind andimplanting the kind of life you
want and beliefs and feelingsthat you want, you will start to
see other people show up inyour life who will support that
(30:22):
more as well.
So whatever is showing up inyour life right now is a
reflection of how you're feeling.
I know a lot of you guys don'tlove that, but it really is true
, right?
So I really believe that.
I really believe that how wefeel matters so much.
(30:43):
And no, we're not going to bein great moods all the time,
trust me.
I have had my fair share ofreally shitty stressful weeks
the last year and a half.
A lot.
I've had to get really, reallystrategic and strict with myself
about this.
Because I have this anxietybrain.
(31:06):
It's really easy for me tocatch all of these little
stressful anxiety thoughts,especially about money,
especially when I'm the onemainly supporting us, right,
because then it's like up to you, like as the breadwinner.
That's a really tough thing asespecially, I think, as women,
like we love it.
But it also kind of goesagainst our sort of like
(31:26):
feminine receiving energysometimes, and so we can get
stuck in the masculine, which isnot super fun, just going to be
honest with you.
So I have to be really consciousabout that and I have to be
very aware of how I am showingup energetically, just in my
personal life, in business,whatever.
(31:47):
Am I leading with my masculinetoo much?
Am I leading with my feminineas well?
How am I receiving?
How am I just showing up to bein the energy that I want to be
in and not trying to force andcreate and make right.
So there's a lot that I couldsay about that, but, at the end
of the day, really, what Iwant's a lot that I could say
(32:07):
about that, but at the end ofthe day, really, what I want you
to hear is that how you feelreally, really matters.
So if you are trying to attracta higher end buyer and you feel
really stressed about it andyou feel really intimidated, not
confident, like it's not foryou, that's a telltale sign that
you have a lot more mindsetwork to do before you can
(32:28):
actually probably implement thestrategy.
Yes, you can do it at the sametime.
I have coaching students who dothat often.
But again, they're working witha coach.
They're working with somebodyweekly who is showing up Well,
not even just weekly.
They have me on Voxer, so I'mshowing up on their Voxer thread
helping them stay in thismindset.
(32:53):
It's a lot harder to do it onyour own.
It just really is.
It's why I always love having acoach myself and why I like to
surround myself with like-mindedpeople.
Right, my friends may not be myclose circle of friends may not
be business owners per se, butthey're all super positive and
all the people that I dosurround myself with as far as
(33:16):
business owners are of thatmindset as well.
We are all very supportive ofeach other and we can all give
each other a nice swift kick inthe pants if we need to.
So that is a very importantpiece of it and why I created
Elevate because I wanted tocreate a group where people
could just go in there for 49bucks a month and get coaching
and also get support from otherpeople, other photographers, who
(33:39):
are dealing with the same stuffthat they're dealing with.
So doing it by yourself, it's alot harder.
Get yourself a community of anykind, whether it's one of mine
or not.
Get yourself a community that'sgoing to help you stay on track
.
Because if you want to attracta higher end buyer, if you want
to make more money in yourbusiness and you know that what
you're doing is not sustainableat $200, $300, $400 a pop,
(34:02):
giving all the digitals away,that is only going to last so
long and if you are unsatisfiedwith that result, then you have
to double down on your mindsetto make sure that your body is
also on board with that, becauseyou can think it all day long.
You can overthink it all daylong.
(34:24):
Unless you really believe it inyour body, it's not going to
show up for you.
So that's why I say you have tosit with it daily and feel it.
You have to feel what it wouldfeel like to be this version of
you.
You have to really embody thisversion of you and, yeah, it's
going to feel super weird,especially if you've got people
in your immediate vicinity whodon't reflect that back to you.
(34:46):
Be stronger than that.
Right, I'm here to tell youthat it can happen.
I see it all the time.
I've lived it myself.
But you will.
Those things in your life willstart to fall away when you step
more into this energetic spacethat you desire to be in.
So you do have to be okay withthat part of it.
(35:06):
What's meant for you willalways be for you, period.
So trust.
Trust that you are on the rightpath.
If you're listening to thisepisode, chances are you're of
this mindset.
Anyway, you are already primedfor it and this was just a
little reminder.
Again, we didn't get so superdeep into this episode about all
(35:30):
the nuts and bolts of how toraise your prices, because I
don't know where a lot of youguys are.
Honestly, there are people wholisten to this podcast who
aren't photographers.
A lot of you guys are, and evenwithin that subset, some of you
are brand new.
Some of you are completelyprofessional and been at this a
long time.
But even those of us who'vebeen at this a long time fall
(35:52):
prey to that.
What if?
Right?
We always go to this worst casescenario Well, what if I don't
book any more clients next month?
What if I can't book any moreclients?
That kind of stuff.
Your mindset is the mostimportant and how you feel is
the most important thing thatyou can be working on right now,
and then, yes, creating astrategy of what that looks like
(36:15):
for you.
So again, look in the shownotes.
There's this little freepricing video that's going to
walk you through those fourthings that I really feel like
you need to kind of have inplace when you're creating, like
, more boutique, higher endpricing.
So if you are looking to dothat, that's a really good
resource for you.
The target client resource willbe down there too.
I might put a couple of otherthings down there if it comes to
(36:38):
my mind when I'm putting thistogether later, but also if you
feel like any of these thingstrigger you into like, oh my
gosh, I do have some more workto do.
There's Elevate.
You can always show up inElevate.
It's not hard for you to jointhat.
It's very accessible and youget a lot of this and more.
(36:59):
Inside of that, you can alsopurchase my pricing class, which
walks you through how I love toteach boutique pricing.
It's very simple, it's easy.
I do not overcomplicate it withlike multiple collections and
like different levels, and ifyour clients are confused, their
brains are going to shut downand they're not going to want to
buy anything.
So you don't want to create asystem that is confusing for
(37:20):
your clients.
You want to make it reallysimple and you want to make it
work for you.
Ultimately, where do you wantthem to be?
How much do you want and needto make and then expand out from
there.
So attracting this higher endbuyer really and truly means
above anything else, above eventhe strategy part, means you are
(37:40):
feeling confident that you canattract this higher end buyer.
You are feeling that you'reembodying that in everything
that you do, everything that yousay, everything that you
believe, and it is going to feelforeign for you at first, but
over time, it gets easier, Ipromise you.
(38:01):
I promise you it gets easier.
You do have to commit to it,though, so I really hope that
you do.
I hope that you.
I promise you it gets easier.
You do have to commit to it,though, so I really hope that
you do.
I hope that you you see thevalue in this.
I hope that you see the valuein shifting from a very
unsustainable business model toone that can bring you not just
you know great financialoutcomes, but also a lot more
(38:24):
meaning, because when you havethis sort of business model
especially as a photographer,this boutique model where you
are charging more for a higherend experience, you're working
with fewer clients and you'recreating deeper relationships
with them.
And then you have theopportunity to give back to your
favorite nonprofits, becauseyou don't have to worry about
(38:45):
well, I wonder if I'm going toget paid for this.
You can just give stuff away.
You can donate your time toyour favorite nonprofits.
You can give away a couple ofsessions a year to families who
truly are in need and wouldgreatly appreciate what you do.
You don't have to worry aboutcharging people because you are
(39:05):
priced appropriately and youknow your numbers and you feel
confident in what you candeliver.
So that's that goal right.
And if you have any problemswith that, if you have any
trouble with that, if you arelooking for help with that,
whether it's like I want to be abetter photographer, I need to
get better consistency in mywork.
(39:26):
I need to be a better editor.
I need a better workflow.
I need to not spend eight hoursediting a session.
I need to get better at selling, just in general.
I need to just get better atsales, my sales language.
I need to understand thepsychology of pricing.
If any of those things arethings you need to work on, you
need to get inside of coachingwith me, because that's what we
(39:48):
do one-on-one and it is tailoredto you.
That's the beauty of it.
You're not worried about like.
My groups are great, don't getme wrong, but one-on-one
coaching is like the super fasttrack, so I do have a couple of
spots open for that.
I am gonna be pulling back alittle bit as I go into fall,
though, because I do get busy.
So if you are looking forsomeone to work with you, hold
(40:09):
your hand throughout thisprocess and help you create a
system that actually makes sensefor you, your market, where you
live and your mindset and howyou integrate things, then you
need to hit me up, schedule acall.
That's below as well in theshow notes, and I hope you guys
have an amazing rest of yourweek.
I know we are living throughmultiple unprecedented times
(40:32):
right now, but again, it is upto us to control our actions and
our reactions because,ultimately, that's the only
thing that we have control over.
Okay, your response is yourresponsibility.
Just remember that goingforward.
So I love you guys and I hopeyou have a phenomenal week, and
please hit me up on social ifyou have any questions, and I'll
(40:52):
talk to you guys soon.
Welcome to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo, where
we blend rock-solid tips with alittle bit of magic.
I'm Renee Bowen, your host,life and business coach and
professional photographer atyour service.
We are all about gettingcreative, diving into your
business and playing withmanifestation over here.
So are you ready to getinspired and have some fun?
Let's dive in.
Hey there, welcome back toTried and True with the Dash of
(00:26):
Woo.
I'm your host, renee Bowen, andtoday is going to be a short
and sweet episode.
We are focusing specifically onpricing and selling and we're
not going to go super deep intothis, but really I want to focus
on the difference between a$300 client versus a $3,000
client and why you should beoffering more of an experience
(00:50):
to attract that higher end buyer.
But first I am going to giveyou guys some proof, because
your brains really just wantproof and you're going to
believe whatever you see proofof in your reality.
So if you are constantlysubmerged in lack and all you
are believing and seeing aroundyou is that people don't have
(01:13):
money to spend right now andpeople are pulling back and
businesses are failing and theeconomy is bad and all of those
things, if that's what youbelieve, right?
If that's what you see andthat's what you believe, then
that is what you believe, right?
If that's what you see andthat's what you believe, then
that is what you are going tointernalize and use for proof
that you can't actually attracta higher end buyer.
But I just want to offersomething to the contrary,
(01:35):
because there are still plentyof people spending money right
now.
All you have to do is hop onFacebook for a few minutes and
you will see people flying toother countries to go see Taylor
Swift, which is not cheap, evenif you can get a cheap ticket
for her concert there.
The flights are not cheap.
The hotels are not cheap.
People are still spending moneyon experiences.
People are still spending a lotof money on Stanley cups,
(01:59):
special colors, limited editionsSee what they're doing there,
though that's really like theidea.
The marketing behind it is whatmatters that scarcity.
You can't get it all the time.
Not everybody can have it.
That stuff works and I knowthat it stinks.
I know that that is not what wewant to believe and we
(02:23):
definitely don't want to be likea part of something you know
slimy and salesy, but at the endof the day, that's why people
are able to sell things likethat you know, 60, $80 water
bottles because they've createdthat sense of urgency and
scarcity in the market and it ispositioning.
(02:46):
It's positioning the offer, soyou can find proof of people
spending money everywhere.
I pulled some recent statisticsoff the internet, so let's talk
about a few of those.
45% of Americans plan to take atrip that requires a flight or
a hotel this summer, spending anaverage of $3,500 to $3,600 per
person, totaling over $424billion on airfare and hotel
(03:10):
stays.
People are spending money ontheir home improvement.
That's seen an 18% increase inbudgets compared to 2023.
As far as fitness and wellness,I mean, I feel like that area
is always doing well becausepeople are always trying to
better themselves, but spendingon fitness and wellness products
, including gym memberships andhome fitness equipment, has
(03:32):
increased by 6% to 13% acrossvarious income groups.
There's a noted increase inspending on luxury items, with
the luxury automobile marketexperiencing strong demand,
particularly among higher incomegroups.
87% of consumers plan tocelebrate the 4th of July in
2024, spending on average $90 aperson on food and items for the
(03:55):
holiday.
There's a demand for the latesttech gadgets, with significant
spending on new smartphones,smart home devices and gaming
consoles, and 84% of peoplesurveyed by American Express in
July plan to spend more or thesame amount of money on travel
in 2024 compared to last year,indicating a continued
(04:17):
investment on experiences andself-care.
70% of US travelers plan totake road trips, investing in
camping equipment and otheroutdoor gear, and spending on
premium subscription services,including streaming platforms
and meal kits, continues to grow, reflecting a trend towards
convenience and personalizedexperiences.
So, just like you can findproof that people are not
(04:39):
spending money, you can findproof that people are spending
money.
And I know what you're going tosay, renee.
I live in a really small town.
I don't live in a big city.
Nobody here is doing stuff likethat, or it's just very few
people are doing things likethat, and to that I say I get it
.
I mean, I grew up in a verysmall town myself.
The town that I was born andraised in and lived in until I
(05:00):
was in college has one trafficlight, so I understand that
mentality and it was in theSouth.
And again, your region is goingto matter, right.
But I could also argue that youcould either just accept that
and keep yourself small, or youcould choose to figure out a way
(05:21):
to reach a higher end buyer,even if that means one to
several other towns away.
There are many photographersthat I know of, whether they're
in my coaching or not, who havepeople flying to them from all
over the country because theyhave stood out in their market,
they have stood out online andthey do a really good job in
(05:44):
their positioning.
So I'm not going to let you offthe hook with that excuse.
You can accept it as an excuse.
That's okay.
I'm not judging you for iteither.
Like, if that's really whereyou're at, I get it.
But I really really hope thatyou can dig a little bit deeper
and realize that at the end ofthe day, nobody's coming to save
you, that at the end of the day, nobody's coming to save you,
(06:08):
but you can save yourself, andthere's a lot to say for the
ingenuity of someone who doesn'thave a choice right.
I always talk about this as faras like, one of the reasons why
I think my business has takenoff and done well is because I
didn't really have a choice.
Taken off and done well isbecause I didn't really have a
choice.
Like I went into this like thisit's either this or I have to
go get a really crappy job thatI'm not going to love.
(06:31):
So I'm going to make this work.
I didn't have, you know, myhusband's income to really stand
on and I still don't.
So, especially now post-strike,like the entertainment industry
has completely tanked, liketanked.
It's even worse than it waslast year, if you can even
believe it.
So it is still up to me.
(06:52):
And when you kind of don't havea choice and it is just kind of
coming down to your creativityand how much you can think
outside the box and how bad youwant it and how obsessed you are
with it, then you tend to beable to pull some things out of
thin air that you probablycouldn't otherwise.
So that's the mindset piece ofit.
(07:13):
You absolutely can do it.
I don't care where you're from.
I know lots and lots ofphotographers and small business
owners in very small towns whoare still thriving.
If you choose to close yourdoors, if you choose to lower
your prices, that is a choice.
I get it.
But I don't want you to feellike you have no choice, because
I really do believe that you do.
(07:36):
The other thing is that when youare marketing to a higher end
buyer, you don't have to shootas many sessions.
If you're a photographer, forexample, you are making more per
client, so you're not out therekilling yourself every day for
$200, $300 and not really seeinganything in return for that.
(07:56):
I think that we can all agreeand hopefully even you guys, if
you're a newer photographerlistening to this I think we can
all agree that it is notsustainable to run a business on
two $300 sessions because,simply because of the overhead
that you have I don't care ifyou don't have a studio or a lot
of you know hard costs likethat.
(08:17):
You have gear and to be good atwhat you do, you kind of do
need to have good gear and youhave to have backups of your
gear.
You can't just show up to ashoot with one camera because
there will come a day when thatcamera does not work, that it
fails on you or you know justtwo memory cards or just one
(08:38):
speed light, whatever it is.
You have to have backups ofyour gear.
It's not even just like one setof expensive gear that we have
to have.
We have to have a backup.
So it's not even just like oneset of expensive gear that we
have to have.
We have to have a backup.
So it's not sustainable to runyour business with very you know
low prices, like two $300 allin giving everybody the digitals
.
It's not really a way to runyour business.
(08:59):
Now, if you do just want tosell digitals and no products
and keeping your costs down thatway, I understand and there's a
way to do that profitably aswell.
But you need to position thosedigitals as high end, ok.
You can still make good moneywhen you do it the right way.
(09:20):
I'm not a proponent of thatnecessarily because I do think
that portrait photographersshould be selling product,
because I'm a big believer thatof that.
Necessarily because I do thinkthat portrait photographers
should be selling productbecause I'm a big believer that
our images should be in printand I have educated my clients
to believe that as well.
That's the thing is that youare going to attract what you
believe.
Okay.
So if you believe that peopleonly want digitals and they only
(09:43):
want to spend $200 for them,then that's what you're going to
continue to attract.
Period, that's just the way itis.
So you do have to shift yourbelief so that you can start
attracting a different buyer.
And if you don't have proof foryourself, yet, or in your market
yet, use my proof or someoneelse's proof so that it gives
(10:05):
you a jumping off point, Becausethat's kind of the way the
universe works, right?
That's that abundance mindset.
I'm kind of always talkingabout that when I see someone,
let's say, who is on a fabulousvacation or who's doing really
well in their business andtalking about, I guess, how much
money they're making, right,and I know that they're
(10:25):
vacationing and they're able tobuy a new house, whatever, like
any of those things.
If I see that online, I'm notgoing to go to.
Oh well, that must be nice,right.
The first thought that I havebecause I've trained my brain to
do this is to go oh, if she can, I can.
Right, that's awesome, good forher, right, I'm happy for that
person.
(10:46):
There's no jealousy, because allof that is that lack mentality,
right.
If you're looking at what otherpeople have and you're like,
yeah, well, you can have thatbecause you have this, that or
the other, or because you'rethis person, or because that's
all coming from your ownlimitations, you're using your
past relationship with money tocolor the future and predict the
(11:07):
future, and so it is a shift.
You have to train your brain tothink the way that you want it
to think.
So I've done that for a longtime.
So if by some chance, I hadthat thought of a tinge of
jealousy, then that would be atelltale sign for me that I need
to double back down on mymindset and get right in the
(11:30):
head, because something hasslipped in and it is causing me
to slip into lack and that's notwhere I want to be and I don't
want to attract that.
I don't want to live that, Idon't want to be that and I
don't want to attract that in mylife, because I only want to
work with people who love what Ido.
I want to work with people whovalue photography as an
(11:53):
experience, as art, and thatthey see it as an investment and
they appreciate it the way Iappreciate it.
So you do get what you giveenergetically right, and that's
part of this whole process.
If you want to start attractinga higher end buyer, you have to
start believing that you canhave that too, and this is where
(12:17):
a lot of people get tripped up.
So we're not going to get intoall the specifics of how to
rewire that.
I do have other shows thatspeak to this, how to rewire
that.
I do have other shows thatspeak to this and I am working
on a program that I think isgoing to be really awesome for
dealing with that and forshifting that.
But what I want to give youtoday are some actual strategic
(12:39):
tips that you can hopefullystart to implement in your
business, as well as aperspective shift so that you
can start to believe in what ispossible for you.
So let's just talk reallyquickly, before I get into that,
about what I mean by a higherend buyer, right?
So yes, I have had some clientsinvest upwards of seven, eight,
(13:03):
$10,000 in their portraitexperience with me, but most of
the people who invest at likethe three to $4,000 level are
just regular, what you wouldcall middle-class to upper
middle-class families.
They are not super wealthy,they just value the experience
and I've positioned theexperience and the products in a
(13:26):
way that makes it easy for themto be on board and to want to
be a part of it.
So your pricing and the waythat you offer it and the
psychology behind it reallymatters.
So I just wanted to make sureyou got that.
I'm not talking about the uberwealthy people yeah, there are a
lot of really uber wealthypeople in the world and that's
(13:46):
great if you can attract some ofthose people as your clients.
But most of us are not going tohave that experience.
It's not going to be like thatis our entire clientele, right.
If that's you, more power toyou.
But most of us that's not goingto be the case.
For most of us it's familieswho are middle class, but they
are making this an importantinvestment for them and their
(14:09):
family because they value it andit's not like they're just
waking up one day going you knowwhat.
I really think I'll just drop$6,000 on portraits this week.
That's not the thought thatthey're having.
They are attracted to your work.
They're attracted to theexperience.
They want their child or theirhigh school senior if you're a
(14:29):
senior photographer, for exampleto be a part of what you have
going on.
They want to be a part of it.
So there does need to be sortof that element of exclusivity
or scarcity so that it's notjust everyone can have it
necessarily right, there arelimited times, limited sessions,
(14:50):
limited number of sessions youcan offer and that all comes
into play with the marketing ofall of this.
But in general, to attractanyone who is, you know, a
higher end buyer, people who aremore into the experience and
who value the experience.
There are some things that youcan do so that it makes it
(15:14):
easier to attract those people.
I believe that you really doneed to have all of your
materials in place right, highquality branding materials.
Your website is a really bigpiece of this.
If you are out there chargingtwo $3,000, $4,000, and your
(15:35):
website looks like youbootstrapped it and it's
disjointed and it just doesn'tflow, you can tell that's a big
piece of it.
Your website really does needto back that up.
All of your materials need toback that up.
Everything that you put out onsocial media.
It doesn't mean that it has tobe beautifully curated and
(15:57):
everything has to be a Canvatemplate, no, but you do need to
kind of stand in what youbelieve it is right the
professionalism of it, and themore put together and the more
cohesive your branding is, thebetter and the more it's going
to exude that luxury andprofessionalism.
(16:18):
So if you haven't done that ina while, you probably should do
an audit of your branding, ofyour website, of the materials
that you're using to market,whether it's in person or online
so that you can make sure theyare up to par with what you are
wanting to build.
And if you're just starting out,this is a piece of it you can
(16:39):
do right now.
Yes, you do need to be good atwhat you do.
I'm not going to gloss overthat.
I think a lot of educators justsort of gloss over and say you
know, anyone can make $10,000 asession, and I am.
I don't believe that.
I'm just going to tell youright now yeah, I can believe
that.
I believe that you can doanything you want to do, a
hundred percent.
I believe in you.
(17:00):
But as a photographer, I really,really think that you have to
be good at what you do, andthere is a lot of work out there
that isn't quite at that level,and that's okay.
That's the whole point ofcontinuing this process.
(17:21):
I don't think that any of usare ever finished right Like.
I think we can get comfortableand we can get to a point where
we're like, oh my gosh, I couldtotally do this in my sleep and
that's fantastic.
It means you put your 10,000hours in.
But at the end of the day, weall have room for improvement
and our seniors if you're asenior photographer.
Their interests and taste andtrends are going to shift and
(17:42):
change, and so for us inparticular and probably wedding
photographers too but for us inparticular, we really do need to
be paying attention to howwe're pivoting and how we're
able to, you know, stay up todate with these trends like
blurry photos and film lookingimages that a lot of you guys
get very worked up about inFacebook groups while also
(18:06):
maintaining your own style andyour own stamp.
So it's not about changingeverything that you do, but I
believe that if we're notpivoting, it's a death sentence
for what we do as seniorphotographers, because those
teenage clients are not going towant to work with you and
they're not going to post theimages, and so you're not going
to get any of that free, organicmarketing.
(18:26):
I want my clients to post theirimages.
I want my clients to talk aboutme.
So how am I arming them?
What am I arming them with?
What am I giving them thatthey're excited about?
And if they come to me andthey're like I love that blurry
look or I love that motion blur,or whatever, they show me
images as inspiration, I'm goingto get some of those for them.
(18:47):
First of all, I've been doingthat for years.
I've been doing that, I think,well before 2014, 15, because
I've always liked the film.
Look.
I mean, I was shooting filmback in the day and so even my
digital edits have a film.
Look to them.
So it's not hard for me to dothat because I like it.
It doesn't mean the wholesession is going to be like that
(19:09):
.
It doesn't mean the wholesession is going to be like out
of focus.
There's a middle ground.
So, anyway, I don't want tosegue off into that topic.
I just kind of wanted to mentionit for a second, because part
of this is that you do need tohave high-end work.
So to attract a higher-endbuyer, your work needs to be
good.
You need to be good.
(19:29):
So if you are just starting out, just keep going.
You can raise your pricing asyou go along.
You don't need to wait a year.
You don't need to do it inthese large spans of time
increments.
You can do it as you go along.
Have something on your site andon your materials that just
(19:51):
says pricing subject to changeat any time.
You are allowed to change yourpricing anytime you want, and
you should be doing that asyou're growing your business
because, yeah, you're going tostart out doing it for a lower
price, most likely until you getgood at what you're doing, and
start out doing it for a lowerprice, most likely until you get
good at what you're doing andyou feel more confident in what
you're selling and then youunderstand what those numbers
(20:14):
look like.
I have a whole pricing class.
It's free that you guys cancheck out.
I will link it below in theshow notes.
If you want to know the fourmain tips that I suggest you pay
attention to when you are likecreating your pricing and
revising your pricing and thepsychological aspects of it.
Definitely go watch that,because there's a lot inside of
(20:36):
that little free training.
It's like a 30-minute video, soyou can just kind of watch it
pretty quickly.
So another thing that you cando to attract a higher-end in
addition to understanding themand having your materials
reflect professionalism and haveyour images look amazing, you
can also offer exclusivepackages and experiences that
(20:59):
they can't get anywhere else,right?
So when I'm working with aclient and I know that they're
coming in at like a $3,000,$4,000 level, I'm spending time
with them.
I'm having a lot of touchpoints with them along the way.
It doesn't mean I have tophysically hold their hand.
(21:19):
Now, a lot of photographers dolike to have pre-consultations,
like in person.
They have a lot of touch pointswhere they are showing up
physically with their clients.
I don't really do that per sebecause my clients are really
busy and I'm really busy, but itis always open to them as an
option, right.
Whether it's like sending themmaterials, sending them, you
(21:40):
know, beautifully designed PDFsthat walk them through the
process.
I want my clients to feel likethey're taken care of every step
of the way and like I am therefor them every step of the way
because they are paying for that.
That's part of the experience Ioffer pro hair and makeup.
I have since day one, even whenmy work was new and I wasn't
(22:02):
great at it yet.
I wanted to always offer thatfor a few reasons, but mainly as
this added touch point, as partof an experience.
I offer custom designed albumsthat's the biggest seller for me
as a senior photographer anddifferent things like wall art,
all of those things.
So offering these things doeslend to more of a high end
(22:26):
experience and speaks to ahigher end buyer the other thing
, too, that you want to bethinking of as far as, like,
attracting a more higher endbuyer is where are you marketing
to them, right?
So you do have to know who thatbuyer is.
I talk a lot about your targetclient.
I have a free PDF for that too.
That helps you kind of like, atleast get started on that.
So I'll link that for you guysbelow in the show notes too.
(22:47):
But you need to know who you'respeaking to.
You are going to market to thisbuyer that we've been talking
about a lot different thansomebody who's looking for a
photographer for a couplehundred bucks to show up at a
park and hand over a flash driveof images.
Those are two different peoplemost of the time.
Okay, so you need to bespeaking to that target client
(23:10):
in your marketing in a veryspecific way.
You'll need to be speaking tothe experience that you offer,
using social proof, liketestimonials and the words of
past clients, to attract more ofthose higher end buyers.
You're going to want to offersomething, like I said before,
that not everybody can have.
(23:30):
There's definitely a piece ofthis that resonates with that
specific buyer.
Again, this will probablydiffer from region to region,
but especially like in the South.
I see this a lot with mycoaching students who are
photographers.
In the South there isdefinitely a lot of keeping up
(23:50):
with the Joneses and well, Iwant what that person has sort
of mentality.
I don't see that as much whereI am on the West Coast.
I see pockets of it like smalllittle micro environments of it,
like in the suburbs and incertain suburbs of Southern
California, but as a whole likein LA, not necessarily as much
(24:15):
right.
But you guys who live in theSouth or even maybe in the
Midwest, there definitely mightbe some of that happening in
your area and your market andyour clients, and so it really
is a great thing for you to payattention to because you can
leverage that in your marketing.
You want to be displaying yourtestimonials, you want to be
standing in that confidence.
That's the most important thingthat I want you to kind of walk
(24:38):
away from.
This episode hearing is thathigh-end buyers can sense
uncertainty and nobody wants tofeel uncertain.
So if you are not confident inwhat you're doing and what
you're offering, they're goingto be able to smell that a mile
away.
You want to be able to fake ita little bit until you make it
Honestly.
(24:58):
That is a mindset shift, right,that's up to you to work on.
That's why I'm a big fan ofhypnosis and meditation and
being in the energy of who youwant to be, really immersing
yourself in that version of you,that confident version of you.
So, if you haven't done thatyet, outline what that version
(25:20):
of yourself looks like, whatthat version feels like, what
that version does on the daily.
Write it down and make amanifesto about this version of
yourself.
Who is commanding this price?
Get very specific, get really,really specific and then sit
with it in meditation.
(25:41):
Allow yourself to becomeobsessed with it and to daydream
about all the differentbeautiful things that that
version of yourself experiencesdaily, how she feels, how she
moves through the day, thethings that she does, and do it
(26:01):
every day.
Spend 10 to 15 minutes everysingle day, day.
Spend 10 to 15 minutes everysingle day feeling that in your
body, and if you do thatreligiously for two to four
weeks, your outside world isgoing to shift dramatically, I
promise you.
It is something that which a lotof you guys don't believe.
(26:23):
Right, I get it, but it'sbecause you haven't done it, and
if you have done it, youhaven't done it long enough.
That's really what it comesdown to.
You know you can't just do thisfor like a week and be like, oh
, that didn't work, okay, sureit didn't work.
How deep is your belief?
How strong is it and howunwavering are you in getting
(26:47):
this thing that you want?
How bad do you want it?
Do you want it more thananything else in your life?
You definitely are going to getthe results that you want,
depending on how obsessed youare with it and your state
really matters.
So if you're approaching all ofthis with like a oh, I really
(27:09):
want this, but I know it's notpossible for people like me, or
I'm just not good at this, orwhatever, that is not a strong,
certain belief that you'rehaving and holding and feeling,
and so you're not going to beable to like energetically match
that version of yourself thatyou are conjuring up.
You've got to get to that placeand this comes with time, just
(27:31):
like anything else.
Just like how you get betterover time as a photographer or
as an artist and your skillswill develop and your editing
gets better.
This is the same thing.
Your mindset gets better overtime.
The stronger you get with it,the more disciplined you are
with this, the stronger it gets,and the more you do this and
(27:52):
the more you sit with this, youroutside world will shift.
You will start to see proof ofit showing up in your life.
Because you're doing the workinside, they match.
So, in general, you have to stoptalking to higher end buyers
the way that you would speak topeople on a budget.
That's really what it comesdown to.
(28:13):
And all of the copy that youuse on your website, all of the
captions on your social media,all of the things that you say
to people in person matter, andso if you got to fake it a
little bit until you make it,that's what you need to do,
because, guess what?
Your unconscious mind does notknow that you're faking it.
(28:33):
Your unconscious mind does notknow that you don't actually
have $10,000 in your bankaccount right now.
Your unconscious mind doesn'tknow unless you tell it out
right now.
Your unconscious mind doesn'tknow unless you tell it.
So you get to decide whatreality you want your
unconscious mind to believe,because whatever your
unconscious mind believes iswhat you are going to put forth
(28:56):
out as far as energy and whatyou're going to attract right
back to you.
So why not make it believe thatyou consistently and
effortlessly attract clients whowould love to spend $3,000 to
$4,000 with you per session orwhatever that is?
Insert?
Whatever your dream is there.
(29:18):
Why not have your unconsciousmind believe that, instead of
what you have been telling it orwhat the people in your direct
circle around you physicallyhave been saying to you, that's
the other thing.
If you've got people in yourworld who are consistently
(29:38):
knocking you back down, who aretelling you that's not possible
for you, who are telling youthat you know people around here
, just don't spend that kind ofmoney.
You have to break free of theirlimiting beliefs as well.
Okay, and you can, and it maytake you physically removing
yourself from that environment alittle bit, but when you get
(30:00):
stronger in this mindset workand stronger in your of making
sure that you are doing it andyou're really good at talking to
your unconscious mind andimplanting the kind of life you
want and beliefs and feelingsthat you want, you will start to
see other people show up inyour life who will support that
(30:22):
more as well.
So whatever is showing up inyour life right now is a
reflection of how you're feeling.
I know a lot of you guys don'tlove that, but it really is true
, right?
So I really believe that.
I really believe that how wefeel matters so much.
(30:43):
And no, we're not going to bein great moods all the time,
trust me.
I have had my fair share ofreally shitty stressful weeks
the last year and a half.
A lot.
I've had to get really, reallystrategic and strict with myself
about this.
Because I have this anxietybrain.
(31:06):
It's really easy for me tocatch all of these little
stressful anxiety thoughts,especially about money,
especially when I'm the onemainly supporting us, right,
because then it's like up to you, like as the breadwinner.
That's a really tough thing asespecially, I think, as women,
like we love it.
But it also kind of goesagainst our sort of like
(31:26):
feminine receiving energysometimes, and so we can get
stuck in the masculine, which isnot super fun, just going to be
honest with you.
So I have to be really consciousabout that and I have to be
very aware of how I am showingup energetically, just in my
personal life, in business,whatever.
(31:47):
Am I leading with my masculinetoo much?
Am I leading with my feminineas well?
How am I receiving?
How am I just showing up to bein the energy that I want to be
in and not trying to force andcreate and make right.
So there's a lot that I couldsay about that, but, at the end
of the day, really, what Iwant's a lot that I could say
(32:07):
about that, but at the end ofthe day, really, what I want you
to hear is that how you feelreally, really matters.
So if you are trying to attracta higher end buyer and you feel
really stressed about it andyou feel really intimidated, not
confident, like it's not foryou, that's a telltale sign that
you have a lot more mindsetwork to do before you can
(32:28):
actually probably implement thestrategy.
Yes, you can do it at the sametime.
I have coaching students who dothat often.
But again, they're working witha coach.
They're working with somebodyweekly who is showing up Well,
not even just weekly.
They have me on Voxer, so I'mshowing up on their Voxer thread
helping them stay in thismindset.
(32:53):
It's a lot harder to do it onyour own.
It just really is.
It's why I always love having acoach myself and why I like to
surround myself with like-mindedpeople.
Right, my friends may not be myclose circle of friends may not
be business owners per se, butthey're all super positive and
all the people that I dosurround myself with as far as
(33:16):
business owners are of thatmindset as well.
We are all very supportive ofeach other and we can all give
each other a nice swift kick inthe pants if we need to.
So that is a very importantpiece of it and why I created
Elevate because I wanted tocreate a group where people
could just go in there for 49bucks a month and get coaching
and also get support from otherpeople, other photographers, who
(33:39):
are dealing with the same stuffthat they're dealing with.
So doing it by yourself, it's alot harder.
Get yourself a community of anykind, whether it's one of mine
or not.
Get yourself a community that'sgoing to help you stay on track
.
Because if you want to attracta higher end buyer, if you want
to make more money in yourbusiness and you know that what
you're doing is not sustainableat $200, $300, $400 a pop,
(34:02):
giving all the digitals away,that is only going to last so
long and if you are unsatisfiedwith that result, then you have
to double down on your mindsetto make sure that your body is
also on board with that, becauseyou can think it all day long.
You can overthink it all daylong.
(34:24):
Unless you really believe it inyour body, it's not going to
show up for you.
So that's why I say you have tosit with it daily and feel it.
You have to feel what it wouldfeel like to be this version of
you.
You have to really embody thisversion of you and, yeah, it's
going to feel super weird,especially if you've got people
in your immediate vicinity whodon't reflect that back to you.
(34:46):
Be stronger than that.
Right, I'm here to tell youthat it can happen.
I see it all the time.
I've lived it myself.
But you will.
Those things in your life willstart to fall away when you step
more into this energetic spacethat you desire to be in.
So you do have to be okay withthat part of it.
(35:06):
What's meant for you willalways be for you, period.
So trust.
Trust that you are on the rightpath.
If you're listening to thisepisode, chances are you're of
this mindset.
Anyway, you are already primedfor it and this was just a
little reminder.
Again, we didn't get so superdeep into this episode about all
(35:30):
the nuts and bolts of how toraise your prices, because I
don't know where a lot of youguys are.
Honestly, there are people wholisten to this podcast who
aren't photographers.
A lot of you guys are, and evenwithin that subset, some of you
are brand new.
Some of you are completelyprofessional and been at this a
long time.
But even those of us who'vebeen at this a long time fall
(35:52):
prey to that.
What if?
Right?
We always go to this worst casescenario Well, what if I don't
book any more clients next month?
What if I can't book any moreclients?
That kind of stuff.
Your mindset is the mostimportant and how you feel is
the most important thing thatyou can be working on right now,
and then, yes, creating astrategy of what that looks like
(36:15):
for you.
So again, look in the shownotes.
There's this little freepricing video that's going to
walk you through those fourthings that I really feel like
you need to kind of have inplace when you're creating, like
, more boutique, higher endpricing.
So if you are looking to dothat, that's a really good
resource for you.
The target client resource willbe down there too.
I might put a couple of otherthings down there if it comes to
(36:38):
my mind when I'm putting thistogether later, but also if you
feel like any of these thingstrigger you into like, oh my
gosh, I do have some more workto do.
There's Elevate.
You can always show up inElevate.
It's not hard for you to jointhat.
It's very accessible and youget a lot of this and more.
(36:59):
Inside of that, you can alsopurchase my pricing class, which
walks you through how I love toteach boutique pricing.
It's very simple, it's easy.
I do not overcomplicate it withlike multiple collections and
like different levels, and ifyour clients are confused, their
brains are going to shut downand they're not going to want to
buy anything.
So you don't want to create asystem that is confusing for
(37:20):
your clients.
You want to make it reallysimple and you want to make it
work for you.
Ultimately, where do you wantthem to be?
How much do you want and needto make and then expand out from
there.
So attracting this higher endbuyer really and truly means
above anything else, above eventhe strategy part, means you are
(37:40):
feeling confident that you canattract this higher end buyer.
You are feeling that you'reembodying that in everything
that you do, everything that yousay, everything that you
believe, and it is going to feelforeign for you at first, but
over time, it gets easier, Ipromise you.
(38:01):
I promise you it gets easier.
You do have to commit to it,though, so I really hope that
you do.
I hope that you.
I promise you it gets easier.
You do have to commit to it,though, so I really hope that
you do.
I hope that you you see thevalue in this.
I hope that you see the valuein shifting from a very
unsustainable business model toone that can bring you not just
you know great financialoutcomes, but also a lot more
(38:24):
meaning, because when you havethis sort of business model
especially as a photographer,this boutique model where you
are charging more for a higherend experience, you're working
with fewer clients and you'recreating deeper relationships
with them.
And then you have theopportunity to give back to your
favorite nonprofits, becauseyou don't have to worry about
(38:45):
well, I wonder if I'm going toget paid for this.
You can just give stuff away.
You can donate your time toyour favorite nonprofits.
You can give away a couple ofsessions a year to families who
truly are in need and wouldgreatly appreciate what you do.
You don't have to worry aboutcharging people because you are
(39:05):
priced appropriately and youknow your numbers and you feel
confident in what you candeliver.
So that's that goal right.
And if you have any problemswith that, if you have any
trouble with that, if you arelooking for help with that,
whether it's like I want to be abetter photographer, I need to
get better consistency in mywork.
(39:26):
I need to be a better editor.
I need a better workflow.
I need to not spend eight hoursediting a session.
I need to get better at selling, just in general.
I need to just get better atsales, my sales language.
I need to understand thepsychology of pricing.
If any of those things arethings you need to work on, you
need to get inside of coachingwith me, because that's what we
(39:48):
do one-on-one and it is tailoredto you.
That's the beauty of it.
You're not worried about like.
My groups are great, don't getme wrong, but one-on-one
coaching is like the super fasttrack, so I do have a couple of
spots open for that.
I am gonna be pulling back alittle bit as I go into fall,
though, because I do get busy.
So if you are looking forsomeone to work with you, hold
(40:09):
your hand throughout thisprocess and help you create a
system that actually makes sensefor you, your market, where you
live and your mindset and howyou integrate things, then you
need to hit me up, schedule acall.
That's below as well in theshow notes, and I hope you guys
have an amazing rest of yourweek.
I know we are living throughmultiple unprecedented times
(40:32):
right now, but again, it is upto us to control our actions and
our reactions because,ultimately, that's the only
thing that we have control over.
Okay, your response is yourresponsibility.
Just remember that goingforward.
So I love you guys and I hopeyou have a phenomenal week, and
please hit me up on social ifyou have any questions, and I'll
(40:52):
talk to you guys soon.
Popular Podcasts
1. Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
2. Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
3. Crime Junkie
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.