Free Stuff: Business Articles - Building Relationships is the Secret to Selling Success

Especially with weddings, but also in portraiture, building a relationship is the first step in "making the sale." A bride is not going to hire you to photograph or tell the story of her wedding if she does not feel she has a relationship with you. This is a day she has dreamed about since she was a young girl. This is a day she and her family are going to spend thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. This is a day she is going to invite the people who mean the most to her, to spend her most special day with. She had better like you!

A portrait client is really the same situation. They are going to invite you into their home, to capture for them, their child or family as an art piece. You need to get to know them so that you can "Capture their Spirit" in the photographs.

In relationship selling three things have to happen:

  1. Customer has to decide, "Do I want to build a long-term relationship with you?" Yes, long-term. Isn't that what you want? You don't want a "One-Time" customer and they don't want a "One-Time" buying relationship.
  2. The customer wants the relationship first. Don't you? Think of the places you spend money. Your lab. Why do you send your work there? Isn't there a relationship there with someone? Your rep or the owner. For me it is definitely a relationship with my lab, with Lisle Ramsey, Patsy Hodge, Mark Weber, and everyone else there. I trust them. I have to. Your clients do too!
  3. The relationship is more important than the product. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but your product or service is available elsewhere. I have had brides that loved me find another photographer if I was not available. Remember, they are buying YOU!

In the old days we spent 40% of our time closing and 30% of our time on a canned speech. We spent almost no time on relationship building. We walked up, shook their hand, found out if they could afford us, gave our sales pitch - the same pitch for everyone, no matter what their needs were. Then we use well-practiced closes to get them to sign a contract. Is this the way you want to buy or be sold?

Now, in the 90s and beyond, you had better turn this method on it's head. Now we spend the majority of our time listening to the client (that is the secret of relationship building). We need to spend 40% of our time getting to know them - and them getting to know you! Then instead of pre-qualifying them to see if they can afford you, your job is to find out what they want or need and show them how what you have will satisfy their needs. Then you show how your product or service can benefit them! Then make a suggestion on what you have that can that matches their needs. It is that simple!

Friendship Factor- Become their friend, not their salesman

  1. Time - The more time you spend during the sales relationships builds more trust. When a bride calls on the phone to ask about wedding services, I spend 20-40 minutes building the relationship. Asking questions and listening. You might think, "Man that is a long time! How can you spend that much time on the phone?" I want to ask you, how can you not spend that much time? My wedding average will break $4,000 this year. Is 40 minutes too long to spend for a $4,000 sale?
  2. Caring - Show them you care about their needs more than you care about their money. Show them this by matching your features to the benefits that they want.
  3. Respect - Concentrate on the relationship instead of the sale. I promise you, if you look like you are trying to get their money instead of their respect you will not book as many weddings or sessions. But if you concentrate on their needs, act more as a consultant than a salesman helping them get everything they want, they will respect you.