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Indispensable:
The Key to a Successful Business
by: Beth Forester

People are always asking me what is the secret to a successful senior business. Truthfully, there are many answers. But, if I had to name just one thing to ensure success in the senior market, it would be to make yourself indispensable.

What do I mean by that? The Webster-Meriam definition of indispensable is "absolutely necessary; essential; imperative, needed." A large portion of our moms tell us things like,
"my son/daughter had to come to Beth Forester Photography for senior portraits! Nothing else would do!" Or, "she's been waiting to have her senior portraits taken by Beth since the ninth grade!"

When you take out the options or alternatives, price is no longer an issue. Therefore, from the initial phone call price isn't even discussed- it's completely out of the equation. This IS where they are going to have their portraits taken and now they just want to know what they have to do to get an appointment.

The photography industry has seen so many rapid changes in the past few years, and affordable digital cameras are making it easier than ever for almost anyone to produce really awesome images with pretty good composition at the click of an automatic shutter. So now, not only are you competing with the studio down the street, but you are also competing with your clients, their friends and even your local high school students. As I talk to photographers all over the country, the question keeps arising, "what do I need to do to survive?"

But there is also another problem, in that people are so wired into the digital medium that the entire culture covets only the images on their phones, their Facebook pages and their computer. They aren't valuing the printed image, partly because our industry is devaluing its own products. We are telling them it's okay to ask for everything even when it's not in the interest of our business. Photographers tell me they are selling their files for very little money because they feel like "they HAVE to." I believe that if you let the consumer dictate price and product, you've lost the battle. I am championing the studio cause, and I have yet to go down. I have not sold one full-resolution digital file to any senior client. The best they can get from me is a webPIX which is a watermarked 600x600-pixel image for web usage. (for further information on how we sell webPIX see below)

So how am I selling the printed image to my clients, you might ask. My business model is totally product driven. I know that once I have sold the digital file the sale is over- they have purchased one product from me and there is no potential to sell anything else. Period. Why would I want to create a sales strategy that is so finite? I have the potential to sell each client that walks through my door thousands of dollars in products. My average sale for a senior session is around $1,800 per senior, but, last year, I had two seniors spend nearly $5,000 on their orders. I hear a lot of people say things like, "why don't you just sell the digital files at the end?" My answer always is "Did you hear what you said? You said END. Why would I ever want to imply that there is an end to what I can sell to my clients?"

So, how am I selling printed images and not selling full-resolution digital images? This is how we are achieving this in our studio, and thus making ourselves INDESPENSABLE to our clients.

Educate your clients.
Consumers make decisions and purchases everyday without even trying a product. What makes them pick brand A over brand B? Maybe a friend told them they liked brand A, maybe they liked the look and feel of brand A? Who knows? But most likely it was because brand A's marketing told a story that they identified with. They felt as if brand A was THE product for them. Marketing really boils down to convincing your clients that you ARE the choice for them. The best way to do this is to educate them through your words through various mediums: your website, your blog, and or your literature. Maybe you write a blog post showing your clients the difference between snapshots and portraits. Maybe you show them good vs. bad lighting samples or my favorite good skin tones vs bad or inconsistent skin tones. Even better, let your existing clients tell others by strategically supplying them with the talking points. You'd be surprised at what your clients tell others. Sometimes while I am working, I explain a little of what I am trying to do technically. I might say things like, "I am using this light to show your muscle definition," or, "move two inches to the right because I want to make sure the leading lines direct right into your face because two inches can make a huge difference between an average portrait and an AWESOME portrait." I talk about things like lens and aperture choice and how it will affect the look I am trying to achieve in their portrait. Many of them say things to me like, "wow, I never realized it was so technical!" Teens, always trying to "one up" the next person, usually go out and tell their friends how it was much more than holding up a camera and pushing the button.

Setting yourself apart.
When I first started my photography career, I did so like many women in today's industry. I had a child, bought a camera and started photographing. I quickly learned about f-stops and shutter speeds because, in those days, I was shooting film and had to make sure I got it right the first time. I couldn't see if my image was acceptable right away, and I had to know that I was exposing properly. But, as far as lighting was concerned, my key light was the sun and I photographed everything outside the way that most newbies do now. At the time though, this was how I differed myself from Sears, JC Penney and the school photographer. Quite simply, they couldn't take their subjects outdoors. So, even in the early stage of my career, I understood differentiating myself from the pack.

Now everyone shoots outdoors, so I have placed a huge emphasis on studio lighting and off-camera flash using multiple units. Do you really expect the moms and students to go out and invest in studio equipment and lighting? In a senior shoot, I probably use at least six or seven varied lighting setups, from one light to as many as six. And again, I offer explanations while I am creating the lighting design. One key to my success is that not only am I always trying to make sure I stay ahead of the studio down the street, but I am always striving to be better than the Beth Forester of last year. So I am always searching for new and innovative ideas because the fact of the matter is people will tire of me if I'm not reaching to new heights every year!

Design your image.
Okay, so now I have photographed you, what's next? Just give me the files, right? No! Not in my world. I spend a lot of time designing. In fact, I am probably known for that as well. Many of my clients pick out four to eight images and say, "have Beth design something for me." They want more of me... the photography was only part of the process. While Photoshop is becoming more widespread and teens love to play with it, they hardly have their 10,000 hours in yet. I promise I do. (See Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" and you'll understand the professional and the 10,000 hours principal.) So they want something original, something only theirs... they want me to design them something UNIQUE. This is something that requires me, my artistic vision and my design talent.

Be an Artist.
The final part to making yourself indispensable to your clients is the delivery of the final products. We make sure to have countless printed samples of design and mediums in the studio. Recently, we added a new high-end artist series line on canvas, fine art papers and metals accompanied by literature describing the printing process and the archival stability of the images if printed properly. Plus, when I am shooting the subject, I start talking about my vision for the image. "Oh, this would look really great printed on metal. We work with some of the best professional labs in producing some of the finest metal art pieces you'll ever see." We talk about output and how I have a different vision for every image that will hang on your wall. How the very same image will not have as much impact if it's printed on the wrong surface. Yes, again with the education! I am trying to emphasize that I am an artist and that as an artist it is important that the client trust and utilize my knowledge, talent and expertise.

One final thought on selling full-res files to your customer. Think about this analogy for a moment when you decide if your are going to portray yourself as an indispensable artist or merely a commodity that's a dime a dozen: If a you went to a fine restaurant and the chef handed you a raw steak for dinner that you had to prepare-- Would you still call that person a chef or would you call them a butcher? Think about it!

webPIX
Seniors really aren't looking for full-res files so they can print their images. They want digital files to share on the web on sites such as Facebook and google+. In our studio we offer a webPIX of any image of which they have ordered a print or product. These webPIX images are 600x600 pixels and also have a small watermark logo. We also sell entire webPIX albums from their entire session at higher price points because we know that this is a desirable product that can increase sales.

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