Hey guys, this week on the podcast, I'm doing something a little bit different. As many of you know, we've been talking a lot about this on social media and in my newsletters and on the podcast and everything else. We have been hard at work doing a major upgrade slash overhaul of the
simple sales blueprint. For the last couple of months, we've been working on this, we're rolling out new features, it feels like daily these days, and things are so exciting over in that little corner of my business, it has been since February of 20, to 2022, that I have made any major changes to the course. And the course didn't need major changes at its core. But there were a lot of features that I felt like could
use more examples. I felt like the calculator needed a big upgrade, I had better tools for that I have better tools for the emails and everything else. Like I just knew that there were some changes that I could make, that would make it a much better and user experience for you as my students. And so we've been working on that. And I'm just so excited to be kind of getting these things out in the world. And so in the meantime, the podcast has been a little more interview heavy, you may have
noticed that. And I have been keeping everything going. And that's that's been good. But this week, I realized I wanted to do a show about simple sales for those of you who either don't know anything about it, or maybe it's been a while since you revisited the topic. Or maybe you are a simple Sales
User. But in that case, it's always nice to sort of hear a little bit about like, what it is that you do versus what it is that I do, because of course everybody modifies the simple sales system a little bit to fit their own business. And so I was planning on putting together an episode and then it occurred to me that I recorded a conversation with a woman back in December, who was a student of mine, her name is Mackenzie. And she was sharing her simple
sales experience. And she did such an amazing job of it that I ended up making it part of the 10 part miniseries that I have out there. Its own podcast, it's called the simple sales system for photographers, you can like search for it on Apple, this is episode two, the conversation that I'm sharing with you today is I put it sort of at the beginning to set the tone for everything that you learn in
that mini series. Because I share the six steps of the system I share, you know why certain things work, why certain things don't work, what kind of modifications people make. And I do share some client stories. This is the one that I share in the beginning of the series. And I really feel like it does a great job showing a realistic picture of what simple sales can look like in somebody's business
other than mine. So instead of trying to, you know, tell simple sales story again, I know many of you have heard me do that over the years, I wanted to let this be someone else's voice and Mackenzie felt like the perfect person to do it. So without further ado, I will cue the music and play that episode. And if you want more where that came from, I highly encourage you to check out the simple sales for photographers mini series. Again, you can find that on Apple or Spotify or wherever you
listen to podcasts. We also have it in video form on YouTube. And if you're interested in checking that out, I'll put that in the show notes as well. So I hope you enjoy it. And then I'll be back in your earbuds with a brand new show next week. Welcome to this can't be that hard. My name is Annemie Tonken. And I help photographers run profitable, sustainable
businesses that they love. Each week on the podcast, I cover simple, actionable strategies and systems that photographers at every level of experience can use to earn more money in a more sustainable way. Running a photography business doesn't have to be that hard. You can do it and I can show you how. All right, so Mackenzie, you come from an all inclusive background. Is that correct?
I do. Yes. From the very get go. I was all inclusive. Okay,
so tell me a little bit about Yeah, how long that was and how that went and why you started in all inclusive.
I was freelancing photography and 2018 I left my job my husband and I moved to Singapore and the work visa situation was strange over there. So I was like, Okay, well this is a great time to start freelancing. I wasn't into families yet but I was doing like some editorial on some food. So that was like a flat rate all inclusive, which was a little bit easier to price than
family. And so then when we moved from Singapore to Cleveland, then I started my family business here and all inclusive just felt like the easiest way to go like I really didn't have a ton of information on like how I should be pricing myself. And so I just thought, all right, well, we'll see how this goes, you know, tail as old as time, it did not go well. You put so much work into it, and then you just it feels like it's
a constant hustle. So I was doing that 2018 to 2023 when I got into the blueprint and launched my pricing, my new pricing, got
it. Cool. So tell me a little bit about that transition, like, how did you find out about simple sales? What made you you know, what was it that was inspiring you to go out and actually look for alternatives to what you were doing.
I had a particularly busy 2020 to fall and I was I had a little, little one, and then I had a little one on the way. So I'm like, Okay, this just doesn't, I felt wrecked at the end of fall, and it didn't feel like I could maintain it. I feel like I just have to do a lot of hands on gallery delivery and question answering and emailing and link sending and all of that. So I'm like, Okay, I have to find an alternative for this. This is not working. I am like an education junkie. And I like to
research a lot. So I'm like, Alright, I gotta find something and something that's gonna help me on the pricing end of things, and the systems end of things. So I just scoured like all of my photography, Facebook groups, and you kept popping up. And I did listen to your podcast. And I watched the masterclass. And I think I watched the first time it might have been this summer end of the summer in 2022. And I just like was not ready to pull
the trigger yet. And I had had a particularly bad experience where I invested a good chunk of money in a photography business course. And it just like did not do it. For me, it did not move the needle for my business. So I was a little hesitant. But after I kept seeing your name pop up and listening to the podcast and hearing other people talk about the results that they had. I'm like, Okay, it's time to just
try it. So I purchased like end of 2022 the class and then was like ready to launch in March of 23. I was on maternity leave. And so March I was like, Alright, this is when I'm going to launch the new pricing. And I did that went through the course like pretty quickly gobbled it up. It was really, really good. Interesting. The spreadsheet that you have is like mind blowing, loved it made
a spreadsheet, do you mean that? Do you mean the calculator? The calculator? I mean, it is the spreadsheet based calculator. But yeah, the
calculator. Yeah, it was like, Oh, you're a genius for figuring out you know, things. So I just feel like that made it super simple. Once I got into it, it's felt so much more manageable, seeing how you had everything laid out and all the systems laid out and how you've worked with pic time to make it like really, really easy for your students and people to access it and implement it on the back end.
Nice. So you went through the course you launched in sounds like the beginning ish of 2023. And what were your like? Did you have any fears or concerns as you're getting ready to launch as you were getting ready? I mean, you had an established business, it sounds like for four ish years. I feel like a lot of people have concerns about like, how it was going to be received or that sort of thing. Was any of that going through your your mind? Yeah,
absolutely. So I just think the biggest concern for me was my past clients not wanting to pay the pricing. Because while my like base collection is similar to what my initial all inclusive pricing was, it was like you're getting a lot less for that price. So I was just, I was worried that people would see that and be like, Well, I'm not I paid her this last year. I'm not going to pay this this year. Sure. And I did have a couple of
those. But like for the most part, people came, you know, they were coming back, I had new clients that were not balking at the price. And they were like, Okay. And to me, I think like we all struggle with that imposter syndrome, where you're like, people are really going to pay this Sure. For fixtures for me. And yeah, so that was like my main concern. And I mean, hindsight 2020 like it should not have been, but you never know, when you're venturing into something new like that, how
it's gonna be perceived. So, yeah, I was pleasantly surprised. Good.
Well, I always say it's one of those things where it's easier said than done. You know, I can sit here and talk until I'm blue in the face about like, well, the people who leave, you know, that was meant to be and you have to, you know, let that go. Whatever people for you. Yeah, but I've been there many times where I, you know, I'm sitting there kind of staring at my new whatever pricing guide or sales page or
whatever. And just thinking, is this going to be, you know, the straw that breaks the camel's back? Yeah. How can it work? So good. I'm glad that you had a good return or response rate rather on that. Okay. Yeah. And my understanding was that you kind of soft launched them in and then sort of took it. So let's talk about over the course of the last year, how it kind of came together because when we're recording this, it's the end of the year, you've you know, been running us for about a year.
Talk to me about like what you're seeing now that you're looking at a year's worth of data.
Yeah, I mean, short story. I've been It made more money than I ever have, in the four years I've been in business and I feel like I've done like, maybe the half 75% of the work, you know, it's just I can take on less clients and make the same amount or more, in
this case, a lot more money. And I'm seeing, like, it's so much more hands off with a simple sales system when I can go into pick time and I send the gallery and then I'm like, Okay, I don't have to go back and forth and do emails, unless like, they're obviously having an issue or need help with something. But it's like, all automated, and I don't have to touch it, which is amazing. And you've got, I've
got two little kids at home. And so I don't have a ton of time to be sitting in my car in front of my computer. And the time I do have, I'm like, Alright, I gotta edit this session, I got to do this social media, but you know, all of the admin backend stuff that needs to get done. So it's just, I'm blown away when I looked at my analytics and pick time, and I'm like, Oh, my gosh, just say like product sales alone, that I just never could have imagined that that would
have happened. And I posted on our on the Facebook group about that I had a 10k month. Never ever ever said I think that I would have a 10k month and I was just like, absolutely blown away. That's yeah, yeah, it's incredible. And I, I didn't feel burned out like I did the year before. You know, it just felt a lot easier, seamless. I mean, I was busy. Everybody is busy in the fall. Yeah, that's the
plight of us photographers. But it just felt just felt a lot more manageable to be able to kind of like, alright, edit, send, and then everybody else, you know, my clients get to do the work, they get to pick what they want. And I don't have to be get my hands in the pot. With that. I've had incredible results this year. I can't wait to see what happens next year. That's been a great, great investment in my business. That's why I waited so long.
Oh, that's I am I am a look forward, not backward kind of a person. The only backward is just sort of see, you know, is there anything that I can learn from this going forward? So that's wonderful. Well, talk to me a little bit about like, let's do a bit of make believe were there other options that you were considering? When you were saying to yourself, like what I'm doing isn't working? And, you know, let's Where do you feel like you'd be if you had gone in a different direction? Yeah, I
think there's several paths. So if I would have kept on the all inclusive, doing what I was doing, keeping my price in the same, I don't know how long I would be doing this. So you know, it's, it's just really time consuming. So it didn't seem manageable. It didn't, it wasn't profitable for me at the end of the day. And then at the other end of the spectrum, I didn't want to do IPS because I, like I said, have two small kids at home. And I just I don't have the time to do
that. Nor do I really want to do that. I'm not like in your face salesy. I don't like that type of environment. And I don't ever want to make my clients feel like I'm trying to push them into something that they don't want to do. Right. So this felt like a really happy medium. I mean, I think the other alternative to this would have been to raise my prices. But then I just feel like you really don't give your clients many
options. And I like that the simple sales blueprint gives them options, like if they need to purchase the lowest collection, because that's what fits with their budget, and but they still really want to work with me, they can do that. And if they have the budget for the higher end, they can do that too. And they're getting, you know, everything in between they get to go pick the products that they really like, I just think it gives a lot of flexibility
both for me and my clients. And I think that's important.
Yeah, I love that too. We all want to feel like we have options. And when it comes to all inclusive, it really is it's like a it's like all or none. Are you? Good? Yeah. Yeah. So good. So
you know, middle ground with that. So I love
it. So tell me or tell our listeners if they are sort of in the process of considering the blueprint or simple sales in general, do you have any words of advice? Or are there people that you think it really makes sense for or doesn't make sense for?
I think it makes sense for everyone. Even the second story addition, so I will occasionally shoot birds. And even that before I had gotten into the blueprint and got into that specific lesson, I'm like, Well, how is that going to work? And you put it in a way that just I mean, it explains it so well. And it really helps to, if you're the type of person that's doing wedding or birth or something like more long form, that you can do it, you can use the
blueprint for that as well. But yes, I mean, if anyone is considering it, run, run and buy it and how it is that you can make your business I will never look back. It's incredible. It's done so much for me. It's given me time back in my life with my kids with my family. So I highly recommend to anyone.
Well, I love that and I I love that you were willing to take the time. I know you were as we got on the call. You were like yeah, my nine month old is napping right now. So sleeping. Yeah. So I appreciate you taking the time in between all of the other things that you've got going on. But I know that this kind of information really helps people when they're in the process of making their own decisions. So I will let you Get back to your little one. But thank you so much.
Thank you for having me. And thank you for all the amazing resources that you put out for everyone. It's your fantastic best educator.
Thank you.
You made my good. Well, thank you so much. Well,
that's it for this week's episode of This can't be that hard. I'll be back Same time, same place next week. In the meantime, you can find more information about this episode, along with all the relevant links, notes and downloads at this can't be that hard.com/learn If you like the podcast, be sure to hit the subscribe button. Even better, share the love by leaving a review in iTunes. And as always, thanks so much for joining me. I hope you have a fantastic week.