Free Stuff: Business Articles - Phone Scripts

You need to do this!

Ever been caught off guard by the phone ringing with an inquiry about your wedding services or family portrait prices? At a loss for just the right words? You wouldn't be if you had phone scripts for EVERY life cycle in your studio.

What is a phone script? Is it word for word exactly what to say when the phone rings? Not really. It is a list of questions to keep you on track. It is also statements about your studio. It's your mission statement. It is benefits that you can offer to prospective clients.

Lets look at a typical set of questions for weddings:

  • What type of wedding will you be having?
  • Why did you decide to have your wedding at this church?
  • Do you have a date or dates you are considering?
  • What type of service would you desire?
  • What is the purpose of the wedding? or What do you need to accomplish with the wedding?
  • Who will be attending the wedding?
  • If you could get exactly what you wanted what would it be? or Given the ideal situation, what would you want?
  • Why did you decide to call our studio?
  • What would you envision as the sequence of events for the wedding?
  • Do you have a set amount allocated for our services? What does that amount include?

Of course the first thing you must realize: What do brides want in regard to wedding photography? Do they want 8x10s and 5x7s, albums and hours of time. NO! The sooner you realize this the sooner you can become more successful. Brides want you to capture the events of the day, record her dreams, make her look beautiful, reduce her stress by the way you work with her and her friends and family, and photograph all the details that make her day special and different.

Once you know what brides want, make sure you talk about these things in terms of benefits to her. "We specialize in creating beautiful images of you while minimizing the time you are away from your guests." Or "You want to feel special, we'll help you do that!" Or "Your peace of mind from our 26 years of experience." Or "We can make you look your absolute best because we use the finest equipment and continuous training." I list these benefits statements at the bottom of my scripts. This helps keep me on track.

You need a script for every life cycle in your business. A script for weddings, children, families, promotional photography, frames, and accessories. Keep these by each phone. Have places to write information on the script, including a place for name, address and phone number.