Taking on In-Person Sales with Vicki Taufer
Photographer Vicki Taufer Explores How Her Sales Process Changed Her Business and Her Life
Vicki has been running her fine art photography studio, V Gallery, with her husband, Jed, for almost 20 years. With a passion for people and a love for telling stories, Vicki’s taken her photography around the world to create art and help others. Read how she’s transformed her business in recent years to fit her lifestyle and foster her success.
As photographers and business owners, we can relate to almost every situation a photographer may find themselves in. We started our business almost 20 years ago and ran it out of our home until we could eventually have our own studio and hire employees. Since then, we started working with WHCC while simultaneously running photography businesses in two states, one in a small community and the other in a big city, and traveling around the world to teach photographers. From relocating to remodeling and rebuilding all while maintaining our brand — we’ve done it all.
Through the ups and downs, challenges and times of growth, our main goal has been to shape our business around our family. We work smarter, not harder, so that we can be the kind of parents we aim to be while still being successful business owners.
An Ever Changing Sales Process
As our family changed and our business grew, we made adjustments in our processes to create a balance between our personal and business lives. Eventually we reached a point of growth where I became a high-volume photographer, solely spending my time behind the camera and taking a step back from doing sales. I let my employees take over doing the in-person sales, and we started using online galleries as a way to deliver images. For awhile this worked well for us — it was the type of business we wanted that fit best with our family.
Recently, after moving back to Illinois, I realized that process wasn’t one that would continue to bring us success. I wanted to be more involved with clients and reevaluate myself as a high-end photographer. So, after 8 years of the old process, I took over doing in-person sales, I do a majority of my image reveals in person, and I give my employees new tasks they enjoy while utilizing their strengths.
My Sales Process — Turning Sales into an Experience
When I went back to doing all my own sales, I quickly learned that people still value print. Clients were coming back to me, and I was getting some of my largest orders to date! But I realized that mostly, people value the experience that comes with ordering print products. Because of this, I decided that I wanted my sales process to be about more than just selling my collections and being present for the image reveal.
So now, my clients and I discuss their vision for their images and what they want to do with them, plan out clothing, and talk about why they’re getting photos taken. I like to be present from the start so that I can start forming relationships with my clients before we go into the photo session.
Being the expert they need
A part of being present for my clients is making sure I’m there for everything they need. Clients appreciate being helped through the process of a photo session and sales session. I’ve learned that as a photographer, people value your opinions. They hire you because they consider you an expert in these areas and are looking for that guidance! When clients come to me, I want them to know that they’re getting more than just a person working a camera — I am their photographer, interior decorator, style curator, installation service, and more.
This discovery has allowed me to shoot less and earn more! Now I concentrate on fewer clients and how I can be an expert for them instead of trying to book as many people and sessions as I possibly can. By focusing on the experience and education I can provide a handful of clients, I see a larger return on the investment of my time than I saw as a high-volume photographer.
Selling from the start
My in-person sales isn’t just a single sit down session, I sell from the start. My marketing shows that hiring me means more than just getting quality portraits. When we first meet, I talk products and collections right away so that people know this experience is an investment. My clients value print products because they know they’ll be receiving exactly what they want at the end of our journey together.
Sometimes before sessions, I’ll go to a client’s home to look at their walls, talk about what they’re envisioning, and give my own ideas. I’ll even suggest how they can add on in the future by talking about what to do with the images from next year’s session, how images from a certain season will look better on different colored walls, and how it’ll be great to have updated photos as the family grows! I like to allow extra time for all my appointments so that I can give clients my undivided attention while we talk about their session and what they’ll do with their images. This time gives me an opportunity to get a feel for what they’re looking for in the experience.
I find that this new process also allows me to keep clients excited every step of the way, which leads to higher sales. Building a relationship with them helps me learn their styles to know what will work best in their homes. Immediately establishing the idea that they’re making an investment lets me discover the products they really need to make them the most satisfied.
The in-person sales
But, I do more than just talk collections — I’m a believer that you need to show what you want to sell. So I take the time to educate my clients on all their options. One of the most important steps with in-person sales is to show clients the sizes of products. I’ve found that clients often think a 16x20" will look like a 30x40" until they see what it actually looks like on their wall. People are hesitant to purchase larger sizes when left to their own devices, which is why I help them realize what they really need.
I like to put together examples of what their products will look like in the appropriate sizes. I always have studio samples on hand to demonstrate a variety of sizes and styles of products. We go through WHCC’s Inspiration Guides together to see the products in real home settings. I have people send me pictures of their walls where I then create wall groupings and collages to help them visualize the art in their home. The more you can show people, the more excited and open-minded they get!
The reveal
Another change I made to make my process more personal was that I stopped using online galleries for delivering images. Now I have clients come to my studio or I go to their homes for an image reveal. This ends up being an emotional time for people that gets them excited about their images and the products they’ll receive.
Oftentimes, the image reveal is where a lot of final decisions are made. It’s where clients make the decision between a 30x60" or 40x60" wall display, or to add on other products to their collection. This is the time where I’ll upsell products by suggesting larger sizes or certain feature upgrades, knowing it’ll make my clients more happy to have photo products look even better and that they can enjoy for a lifetime.
Adding that final step
As a final, extra step to the experience, I like to hand deliver and install my clients’ wall display orders. While this takes time and hard work, people are beyond thankful. They love that they don’t have to wait to hang their images on their own! Another plus is that I also get a sense of satisfaction when I see my clients’ faces after their products are installed properly.
One Process, a Whole New Business
Ultimately, this sales process is what works best for me right now. I’m able to build relationships and plant seeds for future sessions to create repeat, lifelong clients that invest more than my single-session clients. Focusing on the experience I provide and how I sell turned out to be a catalyst for creating the type of business and life that I want. It’s helped me discover what my clients want from me as their photographer and how to make my business more successful than ever.
If you’re looking for a way to revitalize or boost your business, start with changing your sales process! Photographers need to change their mindset and not be afraid of selling. If you’re hesitant about selling to clients, then they’ll be unsure about purchasing from you. People now are looking for someone to advise them every step of the way! Trust your work, be confident in your prices, and believe in your process. You’ll find that your ideal clients will fall in love with their images and the experience you provide.
Continue reading about the logistics of Vicki’s sales process and more!
Besides photography, Vicki loves the outdoors, travel, paddle boarding, and camping in her vintage trailer, “The Tin Mango.” She is a mom to two precious children, adopted from Nepal and Thailand. A portion of her photography sales are donated to The Aasha Fund, which Vicki and Jed started to help children and families in need.
You can follow Vicki on Instagram @vtaufer and on Facebook @vgalleryphoto, or connect with her at www.vgallery.net.
