How To Convince A Potential Client To Work With You
Have you ever wondered what gets people to buy from person, but not another?
After all, there are hundreds and thousands of photographers out there. There are thousands of graphic designers. Thousands of illustrators. Thousands of every single kind of career person imaginable.
Yet people will choose to purchase from one person over another. Why is that?
Although there is a lot that goes into a buying decision, one factor does play a huge roll, that is the "know, like and trust" factor.
I first learnt about "know, like and trust" a few years ago, and it took me a long time to understand it. But now that I do, it's totally changed my life, and more importantly, how I run my business.
Essentially, it speaks for itself. Clients are more likely to buy from someone when they know them well, like them a lot and trust them.
As photographers, we're in a highly competitive industry. There are lots of us! But we've all got to make a living (and hopefully we get to do that through photography). The best way to stand out to our potential clients is by letting them get to know us better, so that they can like us more, and therefore trust us.
How do you build "know, like and trust" as a photographer?
There are a few ways, but here is a quick list to get some ideas flowing for you!
Share behind the scenes of your photoshoots on Instagram Stories. This lets your potential clients see how you work, get a sense for your personality, and shows off your professionalism.
Share photos of yourself. So few photographers do this, but I think its SO important that we show up on our websites (especially on your "about page"), Instagram, Facebook, and in any PDF portfolios you send out in pitches. Think about it; don't you prefer to know what someone looks like? Don't you like to be able to put a face to a name? I know I do, and the moment I can, I feel like I know someone better.
Be professional. Whenever you're dealing with a potential client and are hoping to book a job, remain super professional, helpful, and flexible as much as possible. As much as you want someone to like you, you also want them to trust you. One big way that you can build trust is by showing off how professional you are to work with.
Share what you know. You know all of those blog posts I share on my website? Or all the informative Instagram captions that I write? They're not just to help you all! They're also to show to any potential clients who may be looking that I know what I'm doing! Share your knowledge too.
Share your life. This is similar to showing off your face, but people will connect with you as a person FAR more if you share the goings on of your life as well as your photography. Share images of where you live, document your travels, share photos of your dog on Instagram Stories (I do all of the above!).
There is so much more that you can do to build "know, like, and trust" but this is a really good place to start.
Do you have any more ideas? Let me know!
