Latest / Get Your Shoot Together Photography Podcast / Episode 157 | Preparing to Sparkle: Gearing up for the Holiday Business Season

Transcript

Episode 157 | Preparing to Sparkle: Gearing up for the Holiday Business Season · Get Your Shoot Together Photography Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This week's episode is brought to you by our friends at retouchup.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Retouchup works smarter, not harder.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Get your Shoes Together, the photographer's podcast where we discuss studio business life and keeping it all in line.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: I am Kira Dairyberry.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: And I am Mary Fisk Taylor.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Welcome back Mary Fisk Taylor.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: I don't even think you said my name, right.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Yup, Mary Fisk, Joop, Joop.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Joop, Welcome back.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Hey guys, did you miss us?
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: We absolutely missed you, I think.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: But I'm going to be honest, it is just flown by.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: I mean, I can't believe we're already here, Like we're already talking about getting ready to send kiddos back to school, or maybe you're going back to school yourself or talking about getting ready for the fourth quarter of our business.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: How did this happen?
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: I feel like I've been time traveling, Because I'm thinking about the summer and travel, even if it's vacation or if it's work.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: It just feels like it's just never long enough.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: I'm perplexed, but it's also blazingly, oppressingly hot in Florida and I'm pretty much done.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: Are you over it?
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: I'm over it.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: It's hot.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: I can't even go outside, it's too hot.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Okay, well, it has been hot in Virginia, not as hot as Florida, but the humidity and the heat.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Honestly, a couple weeks ago I was up in Indiana for we all know what four Dave Matthews shows and I was shocked about how hot and humid it was in Indiana.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: I don't know why.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: I thought it was going to be different.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: It was not.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: It was impressive.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: And our hotel room, which was I'm air-quoting walkable to the venue.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: I bet you love that it was not walkable to the venue, I mean maybe it was my hood standards.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: Exactly by whose standard?
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: By an athlete, an elite athlete.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: And I was going there in the heat and humidity, not cute.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: But the coming back after you have, you know, perhaps indulged a little at the show.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Why would you?
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, shocking Truly, or two and no, no ma'am, no ma'am, that 1.6 months At one point I sat on a curb and I cried Poor Jamie, he's like crying out loud, please.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: That reminds me of that night, walking back from the karaoke place in Singapore you remember that where we were all just like over.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we were so over it.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so that was me in Indiana a couple years ago, but that's okay.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: That's okay.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: I have not gotten like.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: I've barely been to the beach this summer.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: You know me and the beach, we're like best friends.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: I know, I feel very, I feel gaunt, pale, you know Like.
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: I just you actually are.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: I'm a ghostly white, it's true, because it's just been.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: It's just not been a summer of pool time Like it has been in the past couple.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: We didn't even join our pool this year because we were traveling so much.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: I was like it's not going to be worth the money.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: There have been a couple of times where I've wished that we did have the membership.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: But I mean, it's equal.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: It has not equaled out to the cost of the membership, you know?
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: No, I understand, I gotta tell you something funny.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: So I I'm on the tiki talks.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: I don't know if people are familiar.
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah, the tiki talks.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: I mean, I'm not like posting a ton, but I am.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: I get a lot of tips on the tiki talks right.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: And there's this woman that is a makeup artist and she's talk.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: She.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: She did this makeup tutorial where she did one side of her eyes and showed like I think I sent it to you One side of her eye was how we were taught to do it, like in the 80s and 90s, right 2000s.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: And then the other side of her face is like what we should be doing now as our our lids get droopier and as our skin sags and it's all very she's at least our age, so it's.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: You know, it makes it better when it comes out of her mouth.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: So I'm starting, I'm trying to do this eye makeup and the way she's telling me how to do it and because it's been so hot and every outdoor event I've gone to somebody's like, hey, you got something on your cheek the way, the way she's telling me to do the eyeliner, which is not anything crazy, it just it looks better when I do it, but it's causing it to run, literally run down the edges of my face and hit me in the cheek Like the eye, like it's so hot.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: Oh, my God.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: And it's not cause it's just humidity, it's just it's just streaming down my face.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: So I'm like okay, well, maybe the old way wasn't so bad, huh Maybe.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: I mean hmm, wowzers.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Well, you know, I mean huh I, I did see that.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Thank you for sending it to me, because evidently I, I, what do I know?
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: I've been doing it all wrong.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: No, no, we were doing it right.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: So everything she said that was the old way is literally the way I've been doing my makeup for like 25 years right yeah.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: And and I see the different.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: You know I did like the way it looked, the way she told us to do it, which is still not like crazy.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: It's not anything hugely different, but it just made your eye look more awake.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: You know, okay, that's nice, but it will run right down your face If you get in any sort of moisture which is hard to escape in the state of Florida, that you're going to be in a.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: It's going to be, it's going to happen.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Maybe it's a winter, look Mary.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: Maybe it's a winter, fall look.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: Maybe Maybe Maybe I don't know we could give it a whirl.
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: We could give it a whirl, but you know what?
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: Let's do this.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Let's take a pause to hear from our amazing sponsors at retouchup and come back and let's talk about whatever the heck we're going to talk about.
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: Okay, we'll do, we'll be right back.
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Hey you, is it 2 am and you're still up retouching that one year old's cake smash session because there's just not enough hours to get it all done.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Stop what you're doing right now and upload that session to retouch up.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Never tried retouch up?
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: No problem.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Sign up for a free account at retouchupcom and use the referral code GYST to tell them you're one of our loyal listeners.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: With retouch up, there are no contracts, no minimums, no complications and nothing to lose.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: For a limited time, all listeners of this podcast can save $10 with the coupon code GISTFALL10.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: That's G-Y-S-T-F-A-L-L-1-0 for all customers.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: That's enough to retouch like four headshots or get five extractions or remove all the leaves out of the pool and the cars out of the parking lot on that real estate shot you just took.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Get your life back with retouchup at retouchupcom and we are back All right.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: Well, speaking of the future, it's really I mean we're talking about like the summer flying by, but it feels too early to like be thinking about the holiday session time.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: But honestly, is it?
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: It's not.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: No, no, it's absolutely not, unfortunately, guys.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: I wish it was.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: I really do.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: I wish I could say don't worry about it, you got plenty of time.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: But we all know that's fake.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: It's absolutely fake.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: We don't.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: We don't it's gonna happen.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: And because we all work by ourselves and we don't have as big of a support system or we might not have any help, then it's hard.
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: It's just.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: I'm already like I can't even get my head around wrapping up summer, but I really need to be working on making sure my fall marketing plan is solid and it's where I want it to be and how I'm gonna launch it.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, same, and last year we talked about this last year.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Last year, I know one of the takeaways that I had that worked really well was that I reached out to all of my previous long-term clients that I'm almost always working with every single year, reached out to them first and gave them the opportunity to get their spots quick and ahead of everyone else, gave them first dibs.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and it was really early and it ended up being great because I was almost like fully booked out for all of my ideal early spots and then I was starting just to fill in with new people.
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: It kind of gave, I think, for the new people that were coming in it gave a little bit of like oh my gosh, she's already booked out that far, and a little bit of like, oh, I better go ahead and book.
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: But two, it also gave me the security of knowing that we were all good to go really early.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know how about you.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: No, I agree.
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: So I'm very you and, like our friend Alice and Tyler Jones, you guys have clients that come in every single like fall right To do something for the holidays.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: I don't have that unless it's for, like our quick takes or what some people would call my days.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: Which you know, there's book on their own.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: I don't need to really spend any energy on that.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: I don't have people that come to me every single year to do a fall portrait.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Does that make sense?
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know how I missed that vote, but I don't have that and I feel like I'm.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: Maybe am I missing something?
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: Because I guess because we don't really market or offer an opportunity to just not that we don't do it, but people just don't come to us just to get a few gift prints or get cards for the holidays.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, same.
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: So what are your repeat clients getting every year?
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: Because I don't know that I could sell a wall portrait every year.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: Albums, Albums, okay yeah we're doing albums and so we're talking about the families that are.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: You know, the ones that come to mind for me are the five person families three kids and a parent and a pup.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: You know what I mean, and they're the ones that have been coming to me every single year.
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: Now they almost always.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: This is it could be because I set this precedent, like really early on in that business.
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: It was that we were always building albums and as time goes on I'm working less and less towards that.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: You know we're either building albums or we're doing the boxes now from 3XM, but I do prefer to do it like a wall portrait, so that we're working towards like one big item.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Right, it's a little add on items.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: But for these families whose walls I've sort of filled up or have already done a lot of work for, you know, they keep coming back every year because they have this tradition that we started, which is that every year their family gets a book.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: Okay.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: You know, and so some of these families have volumes of books.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: I've even I struggled in the middle there because I switched vendors like somewhere midway through, you know to.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: White House, and so the books changed, which was a hard transition for some of them because they wanted them all to look exactly the same, but they're getting a better product with what I have now.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: But yeah, so I think I started that a long time ago, and so what I am still experiencing is like these families who are coming in it's actually been great.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: You know, I don't.
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: You know, I admittedly don't love like preparing that many images anymore, like I really prefer to be preparing a small handful of images for a project versus you know, 20 images or 30 images in a book, but I mean, it's kept them coming back every year.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: And then the holiday card thing is like an add-on thing.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: They're like oh yeah, obviously we need a holiday card, you know.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: But, and especially since I eliminated many sessions or Quicktakes in my studio just because it didn't fit anymore, this has been great, but what isn't?
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: I don't want it to go away.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: And I noticed last year you know, a lot of these families that I have this tradition with their kids are aging out.
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: Exactly.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: So I've got to get a new hook.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Got to get a new, got to get a new hook?
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: Just some wondering, like I know, like I know that, yeah, I mean I just we never did that.
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: I love it.
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: I did do an album every year.
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: It's just not something I started early on.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: It doesn't mean I can't start it now, mm-hmm.
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: So do you Now?
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: And I've seen guys.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: I have to be honest I think I'm like not in the most healthiest mindset today because I'm being negative in my brain before I even ask questions.
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: But let me ask you this.
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: So I know what I charge for an album of 10 or 20 images.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: Is that something that people would spend every year?
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: They would spend several thousand dollars a year.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean they are, because what they're ending up buying here's the typical sale for this family.
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna say this family who's already got wall art right We've already done it for her, yes and doesn't have any particular room right now for it.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: They are doing the album of.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: I've got a 20 option and a 30 option.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: Okay, so most often we're doing probably the 20 option is probably the, and that's a couple thousand dollars right, okay.
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: And then they are adding on a selection of digital files.
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: Okay, so we do, because it doesn't come with the book.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: Okay, so basically we go through, we pick our favorites and we narrow it down to our top 20.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: And then I go, okay, of those 20 that we've gotten the book here, are you gonna need any digital?
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: Do you wanna do that digital set of 10?
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: And they go, oh yeah, so let's pick some super favorites now.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: So now we're adding on another couple of grand right For the digital set and then we add on carts right.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: So if we're doing that, it's a nice little sale for not a ton of amount of work.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: You know what I mean.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: I mean as far we're just sending the images out to retouch up, you know, to get them retouched and looking nice, they're getting some digital files that they can share during the holidays if they want to you know, and then they're getting their card, which is a custom design.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: Once I sell the design that nobody else gets it, you know.
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: And then because there's tons of options, you know, with White House or whatever, so we do that and they're getting their album.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: So it sounds like a lot of work.
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: It's a physical product, a digital product and then carts.
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: Okay, so that's cool.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: And then, of course, if they decide to add on gift prints or a wall portrait, they can always add that in.
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: But so do you kind of package that together?
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: I'm just thinking from a marketing perspective.
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: If I wanted to start this this year and I wanted to create a promotion that went out in August, let's say to get ready for fall, right, and it was a session.
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: It was a 10-page album or image box they're interchangeable for me and the digital's or a 20-page album or image box in the digital's.
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: Can you do you sell it like just a collection, so they could just sign up, book it and it could be whatever, one flat price.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: So I haven't, because it kind of goes against the way I set this up, which was to allow myself to offer discounts on multiple items.
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: You know what I mean.
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: So it's all a la carte.
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: But I give them like a 10% when they add on those digital's.
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: Or I give them like a 15% if we're doing a wall item with the digital's in the book.
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: Like I'll be able to give like an overall item discount on the entire thing, which kind of makes it like a bundle.
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: You know, it's kind of like being able to create your own packages on the fly.
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: Now I'm not saying that's the best way to do it.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: You know, that's just the way I've done it, so that I'm not pre-selling it.
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: I'm doing, I'm definitely doing another thing, but the truth is is I kind of know what they're gonna do, you know like, I mean based on experience.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: Now, if for the new people to bring them in, it might suit me well to do a to do a yeah so.
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: I'm thinking, I'm just thinking to make, because nowadays it's harder, like you're doing.
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: You've been doing this all along, so your client, these clients understand, but trying to get the attention of someone new.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: So if there was just like a price, you're like, okay, for $3,500, $2,000, $1,000, whatever it is be scheduled today, to make sure you get your 2020, 2023, you know heirloom album of your family or your kids with your dog, whatever it is and it's, you can choose this one or this one and you know, booked your spot, put your retainer down and then obviously you can upsell or add more to it.
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: But at least if I stacked those, I would know okay, I got a 25, I've got three, you know, $2,500 sessions today.
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: It's a done deal.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know.
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: Just I'm just wondering for marketing reasons, moving forward, you know, because we wanna get new clients, right If that's something that would work.
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: And I'm totally asking because I've never tried it.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it could, right, I mean the only thing that I'll admit, it scares me a little bit, right?
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: Because even though I send the pricing out when they inquire, and even though I, you know something about, they'll see the pricing, but they're not sitting there going.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: Okay, if I want these three things, it's going to cost me this right.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: Like, that's probably not what they're doing.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: They're probably looking at it and going, okay, I've seen it, I don't know what it is, I'm exactly going to get.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: Yet, even though they do, you know, and they're looking at it and they go, okay, yeah, that's in my range.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: But if I outright be like, okay, so this is $3,500 and it comes with this, or this is $4,000 and it comes with this, I'm a little scared to scare people away.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: I mean, you know what I mean.
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: Okay, so what could be an introductory piece that everyone would be happy.
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: So this is what this always has to be right.
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: If that's the all they buy, I'm still going to be happy.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: So what could?
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: I think there's something here, kira, and I've been thinking about this a lot because I'm getting ready to actually run a promotion and give something try very similar to this, but it's a very nailed down promotion.
• 16:51
  Speaker 2: It's a very certain style, very certain look, but I'll let you know how it goes, if it goes, if I get it together.
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: But I built a landing page and everything for it, so it's ready to rock, but it's kind of the same thing.
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: So if I wanted to do that in August right when this promotion ends, I want to do this in August.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: What would be the number that people would go?
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: Okay, but I still would do it, maybe like what would that be?
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: So if it's a session and what that you could get them in the door with that, I would still be happy if that's all they bought, hopefully moving them into that.
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: $2,000, $3,000, $4,000.
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: Album image box collection.
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: Well, you don't want it to be digital files only right.
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: You don't want it to be cards Correct.
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: You don't want it to be holiday cards.
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: It's not enough money for me in cards.
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: Not enough money in cards.
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: Cards are a.
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: Some people do great with it and make a ton of money on it.
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: That's not where I have to find energy.
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: My average quantity of cards is like 75 cards, 100 cards.
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: You know what I mean.
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: Like 50, it's just.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: I don't know.
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: I'm just not selling my cards for $10 a piece, like some photographers are.
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know people that are doing really well.
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: I'm selling mine for a lot less because they're total add-on.
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: It's a total service and I treat it almost like a marketing thing.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: I just like to see my name on everybody's cards.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: You know what I mean Same.
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: I mean I'm profitable.
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: But if that's all I did, I would not be happy.
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: No, it wouldn't be profitable for the effort, correct.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: So what could it be though?
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: What if it was?
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: What would it be Like?
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: What is something that's so cool that people would go, yes, that.
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: Well, I mean, you could do the book, you could do the book, yeah, but I feel like the book is hard to convey how great it is.
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: In marketing I agree, especially when there's Shutterfly and all the companies, and no offense to them, but I mean there's just too many companies out there that they can upload their images into the book.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: It's hard to see the difference until you hold again.
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: Correct you know what, if it was something like that, you could do the 3XM box but honestly, that that's the physical item I do with my big digital watch.
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: It has to be something that, for this much money, you get a session with me.
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: I'll photograph your family and you get this, and then obviously my goal is to move them into an album collection, upgrade them from that.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: Yes, I mean, is it a wall item?
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: In case of I'm thinking that these are people that may not be ready for wall items or they've already bought.
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: I mean, most of my clients have bought huge wall art.
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: I know I can only sell them, but so much wall art, right.
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: So what would it be?
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: I mean maybe like and this is what's gone through my head, so just roll with me here, it would.
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: I just don't think acrylics are my thing.
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: Like that's something I don't.
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: I'm also trying to think of something I don't sell.
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: So it's like a special, come in, get this and then hopefully I'm gonna add on to it.
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: I don't sell acrylics or metals unless they absolutely ask for them.
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: Like, I don't have them hanging in my studio.
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: I think I have like one little wedding area that's got some of those so they can see it, but it's and I've sold them, but it's not like something I focus on.
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: But what would be?
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: Something super freaking cool that people would go yes, I wanna pay this money because I wanna get this.
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: Part of me was wondering and this may be goofy, but bear with me here what if it was like one of those you could take your image and essentially turn it into like a watercolor sketch of like your family.
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: You know what I mean.
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: Like that it's really.
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: They're kind of pretty.
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: Maybe they're a little Southern, I don't know, but it and I know that there's programs and processes out there.
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: It's not something that I know how to do yet, but you can take a photo and essentially make it look like a beautiful little.
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: Our piece does that make sense.
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: I don't know like something like that.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: Maybe there's something, there's something to be done about a special edition item, right, like we've talked about that before.
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: You know, when I was doing the holiday sessions, we did the cubes and we did the holiday displays that were only displayed at Christmas time, you know, like that kind of stuff.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: But a special edition item, I mean I like the idea of doing something special and different on acrylic.
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: Maybe it's a black and white, maybe it's a highly stylized black and white, you know, maybe it's.
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: I mean, I guess we could look back to those personal project ones that you're selling you know what I mean and look for those custom items there.
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: I mean, isn't it kind of the same system?
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: It?
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: is.
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: It is the same system.
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: I think I'm overcomplicating it.
• 21:22
  Speaker 2: I just I'm getting ready to do a very specialized project.
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: It's gonna be very much kicking it.
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: Old school I don't know if you know this.
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: I mean be from Alabama.
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: Somebody in Alabama had these, but it's essentially a bust or head and shoulder shot where they kind of the faded vignette.
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: They're very, very high key black and white.
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: And I'm doing a classic and a modern version.
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: I've got the oval convex glass frames or a very simple modern museum frame and so they're gonna book these sessions single subject.
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: But the, the, the.
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: So I'm just doing that and booking like maybe three dates of these and but it's a buy-in, so you buy in at this price and you get this, and then hopefully, of course, I will add on and there's very specific product products.
• 22:03
  Speaker 2: It's just the, you know oval or square, and these two different sizes or the Triptych, and there's gonna be a very simple image box option and that's really it and it'll just run and then it'll be over.
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: If it does well, I'll do it again next year, you know, obviously.
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: But I'm thinking about that something and I don't like to run promotions in the fall because we are busy and all that stuff.
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: But an early fall, an early, you know, holiday, something I don't know.
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: And I'm I had no idea you guys were gonna talk about this.
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: It's just you kind of got my mind, you know, spinning like what would that be?
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: That would kind of get them in.
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: It's easy to, it's easy to convey, so I could show it and people go oh, what is that Like?
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: It has to be that cool, right, and then that they go yes, I'll book it and I want to do it.
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: And then it's our job to do a great job, you know, with them, obviously, to photograph it well and to sell well, but in that part we're good at, it's the getting them in the door and getting people that are willing to make the time, take the time early to do it because everybody's so busy.
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: I mean, what would make them go?
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's worth it for me to get the haircuts, get the outfits, get it done early.
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: Well, you know what getting it done early is the part of the marketing, for that is to get it out of the way, because it's not just us that gets busy.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: The closer it gets to the holidays, it's everyone that gets busy.
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: Closer to the holidays, there's all kinds of things going on for the children, for the kids, for the school, for I mean for the, for the parents, for the holiday parties, for all the stuff.
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: And to think that you could get all that done and be done before even November, yeah.
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: I mean, that's a selling point.
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: I think it's a selling point for me To be able to know that I have it out of the way and done and I don't have to stress about it, as I'm holiday shopping and getting ready for a hundred holiday things.
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: That'd be amazing.
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: No, that's true.
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that definitely can be part of the messaging.
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: You know, get it, it's not gonna get, life's not.
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: You're not gonna find more time as we move forward into the holiday season, right?
• 24:05
  Speaker 2: So get it out of the way now and so you can enjoy the holidays less.
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: You know, stress-free, you know whatever you want to use.
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: You know what feels like something that you could offer too, just because I feel like I know you have somebody who does this and this would not go.
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: This isn't to say that you should just do carts right, but some sort of like really fancy upgraded way to add on the cars to carts is if you had, like a hand-writing expert or calligrapher that you could pay to do their mailing list and actually hand-write all their cart, you probably already do it.
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: That sounds like something you would do.
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: We do offer that, we do have a clicker for it.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: You do offer it right.
• 24:43
  Speaker 1: So what if it was part of that holiday add-on menu?
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: That's true.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: You know what I mean.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: That's true, that could be an option.
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: Something like that would might be a great option.
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: I don't have to think on it guys, maybe I'll have an answer for you.
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: I just I like that.
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: I like I just something that would turn their heads enough to make them push the button to schedule, because I know from there I can do a great.
• 25:01
  Speaker 2: You know my numbers, my data will prove to me that I can do a great job from there.
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: I just gotta get them to book early.
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: Okay, so we talk about the.
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: We're going back to story Grant Mary.
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: Look how we're going to talk.
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: Here we go.
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: Look at us.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: But let's talk about the problem that we're solving.
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, Mm-hmm.
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: I think the problem that we're solving is not that, oh, I need to make time to get my family photographed, right.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: I think the problem that we're solving is, oh, I want to make sure I don't miss another year without getting the holiday photos done and out, right, yeah.
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: So the problem that we're solving is offering these extremely early.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: The benefit is getting it done, getting the cards done, them addressed, whatever the specialty item done is so that it's completely done before they're even thinking about Halloween costumes.
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: Right, right, right.
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: And so that's the problem.
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: Right Is like so you're offering if you could somehow come up with some marketing where you're just like let me take one more thing off your plate, yeah, let's get this done now, right.
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: No, I think you're absolutely right.
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: I think that we absolutely are solving that problem.
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: I really do.
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: I like the idea, so I don't know.
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: I'm going to, I am going to think about this.
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: This is not going to be the.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: I get everything we're saying and you're absolutely right.
• 26:15
  Speaker 2: Like I know how we can message it.
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: That's, that's, that's the what is it?
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but what is it?
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: And I, you know, I don't know, like it just can't be a print, it can't be something that's too hard to understand.
• 26:29
  Speaker 2: It's got to be something so incredibly simple.
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: Maybe it's and maybe it is just a special edition matted and framed small print like, or you know, like a tiny little canvas, like one thing I could do and I've never offered our miniature little paintings, like little miniature digital canvases, like I've actually painted them or whatever.
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: Maybe it's something like that, because I don't really talk about those or offer those.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: But if I could find it in a reasonable way that I could offer a you know eight by eight painted canvas, miniature canvas on an easel or something I don't know, I don't know if to think about it, that it has a hefty because it still has to have a hefty price, you know what I mean.
• 27:11
  Speaker 2: Like I don't, meaning I don't want to offer something with you know $99.
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: Like it's, I still need them to buy in at you know at least 500 or $750 for it to be, for me to be okay if that's all they buy.
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, a hundred percent yeah.
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: So that's one of the things.
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: But I could set it up like we do a lot of other things, like you do your headshots, and I could set it up where there's a landing page and they go into Calendly, they book it, they pay their retainer and then I just have a day or two of those back to back.
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: I don't know, I think it could work.
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: I think it could work, but I think I think you, just like you said, it's got to be something that can translate in a photo of it, right Like, and the value of it can be perceived in the photo of it or a video of it Very easily.
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: That's the problem, and that's one thing.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: With paintings it's so hard to communicate the integrity of the product Meaning.
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: It's hard to see on a flat screen what it is we're doing, like you know what I mean.
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: It's really hard to see?
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: Well, the way that you always convey that in my mind is showing Jamie paint.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah Right, I can't show me digitally painting.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: It's just not as sexy, no, it's not, but you know.
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: But no, showing him painting, that's easy to show, it's it's catching their attention with a product very quickly and it's just.
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: You know, a video is obviously the best way to do it because you could take the product and show it like this and if you move it you can see the depth and the dimension on it.
• 28:34
  Speaker 2: But I don't know, I like this idea and it's something I've been kind of kind of thinking about, like how to how to secure more sketch sessions earlier on, because I'm good, you know, middle of October through December, I'm good.
• 28:49
  Speaker 2: It's just I find that my September tends to be a little bit like because people are so busy trying to write to school and all the stuff that I don't.
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: I wish I was busier in September and I could spread that out and there's got to be a way to do it, I believe it.
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: If anyone's going to find a way to do it, it's you.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: It's definitely you.
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: Well, I don't know I'm.
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: This is giving me a lot to think on.
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: I want to start planning.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: I obviously want to do what I did last year, but I really need to be thinking about things I could be doing to to bring in the next generation of that.
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, this could be something that, obviously, if you're into the digital marketing or Facebook funnel marketing, this is something that could run as a funnel If you do that.
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: If not, you know, just through your own traditional ways of marketing, whether it's emails or social media or direct mail.
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: But I know there's a way and I think that we're both in that position where we need to start getting new people in because our clients are aging out.
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: So this might be a new way to start a tradition, because I think it's the way you started is amazing, but I think it's harder than those people already are in.
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: That's the hard part.
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: It's the on-boarding and getting people to pay attention.
• 29:56
  Speaker 2: That's become the tough spot for portrait photographers.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: So I 100% agree, and I think I think it's got me excited to sort of do some brainstorming now.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: I think I love that when we were able to do this, we're able to like kind of like throw out ideas.
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: It's not quite there yet, but it's coming.
• 30:11
  Speaker 1: You know, I love it.
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: I love it All right, cool.
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: I'm going to get to work.
• 30:14
  Speaker 2: Let's do that.
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: Let's do that, and the dogs feel that way too.
• 30:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, waffles says, waffles is like somebody's here, so let's move along.
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: All right, guys.
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: Thank you so much.
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: I like this.
• 30:23
  Speaker 2: I'm excited I've got notes, all right.
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: I'm excited too.
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: Okay, let's wrap it up.
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: We can follow us on Instagram I get your shoot together.
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: You can follow us on Facebook at get your shoot together.
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: You can email us at girl at getyourshoottogethercom and follow us wherever podcasts are played.
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: We will see you guys next time.
• 30:38
  Speaker 1: Thanks y'all.