I've talked before about how people buy products and services to solve various problems, right. And I know that that seems obvious. But sometimes when we're too close to the work that we're doing or too close to the thing that we're selling, we tend to lose sight of the bigger picture of why our ideal clients want that thing in the first place. So as we head into the busy season, I wanted to help
you do a reset. Today, I'm going to walk you through the 10 general problems that people are looking to solve when they buy any product or service, and some of the ways that each of those might pertain to our businesses and our clients in the
photography sphere. Then I'm going to talk about how choosing and focusing on just one or two or maybe even three of those problems, the ones that are the most specific to your particular ideal clients, is going to help you capture those people's attention and ultimately capture their business. But before we dive into today's episode, if you haven't already, please make sure that you subscribe to the
podcast. You know that I am a big believer that the more photographers that are out there, running profitable, sustainable businesses, the better it is for all of us and by subscribing or better yet, taking five minutes to rate and review the show, you are making a massive difference in helping
achieve that goal. I also want to say a big welcome to our new listeners here and let you know that if you like the practical, actionable approach that I take to running your photography business, you will absolutely love the free masterclass that I offer on my website. The masterclass teaches the unique system that I created several years ago that took my business from hard to manage and barely profitable to highly profitable
and super streamlined. And that same system is now working for hundreds of photographers all around the world. The masterclass is about an hour and 20 minutes long, it's completely free. And I absolutely recommend that you make the time to give it a listen before you get your next inquiry. And with that on with the show. 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. People buy products for all kinds of reasons. They buy a jacket because it's chilly outside, they buy a bicycle because they are looking to be
more active. But when we think a bit more critically about those decisions, more detail begins to emerge. Maybe they buy a specific jacket because they want to be associated with the brand that represents or they like this specific style that that jacket shows off. Maybe they buy this specific bike because it was recommended by their friend who's a cyclist, or maybe they just really like the
color that it comes in. Even though we could come up with millions of specific reasons for specific purchases, almost all of them will ultimately fall into one of 10 categories. And those 10 categories are what I want to talk to you about today. Because beyond taking good photos and offering them at some price point, you need to know why someone might hire you what
their motivations are. Because once you figure that out, then you can speak more clearly to that motivation, which will move people from thinking "I want to hire a photographer", and on to thinking "I want to hire this photographer". So I'm going to walk you through all 10 of these different motivators in no particular order. The fact of the matter is any of them could absolutely be used as a differentiating factor or feature for a photography
business. However, the whole time that we're listening to this, I want you to be thinking critically about which ones most pertain to your business, and which ones are going to be most appealing to your ideal clients. Because whereas any of them could be used to market a photography business, it's important not to use all of them all at the same time. When your marketing message is too broad when you are trying to speak to everyone you end up speaking to
no one at all. Your message gets lost when it is too scattered. So even if every single one of these 10 motivators could be used as sort of an ingredient in your marketing, you want to think about what the primary flavors are of your particular brand, so that you can make this recipe work for you. But the first one that I'm going to mention, I do think comes up for a lot of people in a lot of ways. And that is convenience.
Back to the bicycle example, let's say that someone was not really into cycling didn't have a very specific idea of what bike they wanted to buy, they just knew that they needed a bike. So they go to their local bicycle store, which is convenient. And they kind of look around and they pick a bike that is in stock that fits them. And that fits their budget, right? It's convenient, it could very well have been another bicycle if it had met those parameters and happened to be in
that store. But because this is the one that was it was the one that got purchased. When it comes to photography, there are lots of ways that convenience can come into play. Of course, being somebody that someone knows, makes it kind of convenient, or you know, your kids go to the same school as the person who's looking to hire a family photographer, and they hear that you're a family photographer, great, you're sort of first person in line for them
to check. And then all they need to do is make sure that they like your style, and they can afford your prices. So being in the right place at the right time is part of convenience. But there are lots of other ways that we can build convenience into what we offer, right? A lot of people offer mini sessions as a form of convenience, it's a smaller commitment of time, it's a smaller commitment of money.
Sometimes all somebody needs is one or two or three photos for a holiday card or commemorating an event. So a mini session is a convenient offering that can give people the opportunity to buy. Other convenience based purchases in photography can be around all inclusive pricing, which doesn't ask someone to do a whole lot of thinking about what they want to do with their pictures, they can just sort of say yes, and then worry about
that later. Right. Ditto with other kinds of easy purchasing options, you always want to make it as easy as possible for someone to buy from you. Other things are scheduling related, you know, you can make it so that people can self schedule on a calendar like a calendly or an acuity calendar. You can make yourself available on weekends. And you can go to your clients or if it's more convenient for your clients, you can have them come into a studio that's all
set up and ready for them. Maybe you even go so far as to provide a client wardrobe for people like maternity clients and newborn clients where there is you know, more prop based photography happening. All of those are forms of convenience. And if you offer those, you want to make sure that you are out there talking about them on your social media on your website.
And when someone first inquires with you, if you believe that convenience is an important factor in your ideal clients decision making process. The second motivator for purchasing is entertainment. So people buy concert tickets to go be entertained, even though they can listen to the same music on their stereo at home, which is hyper convenient. They appreciate the entertainment factor of going and seeing that
music live. When it comes to photography, I see entertainment as part of the package when we're talking about wedding photographers who offer like adventure sessions for their engagement sessions, or boudoir or glamour photographers, where when someone comes in to have their picture made, it's a whole experience there's hair and makeup beforehand, they're drinking champagne, maybe they have a friend with them. It's kind of a pampering girls day out kind of thing. Same thing
with a themed mini session. Sure people want pictures of their kids sitting on Santa's lap. But you can make it an event by offering hot chocolate and marshmallows and little goodie bags for the kids and playing holiday music and really making it an event. So we have convenience, we have entertainment. And then the third motivator is wellness. The wellness industry is a multi billion dollar industry and maybe we don't think of that immediately when we think about photography.
Instead we think more of things like gym memberships or juicers, or self help books. There are lots of wellness ideas out there that come to mind before photography, but I would argue that there is a way to sort of tap into that desire for people to create more wellness in their lives through photography. Number one, you're really offering people an opportunity
to look their best. So that is in and of itself sort of a way to display wellness, and to display that not only out in the world, but also to themselves. Like, look at us, we look great, we look happy, we look healthy not just physically, but also emotionally. And that really is for a lot of us as family photographers or even wedding photographers, one of the things that we're selling is this idea of togetherness, and the fact that you are happy together. And
let's capture this right now. So there's sort of a psychological well being that we are looking to package up and give back to people. I have also seen plenty of photographers who photograph kids talk about various psychological studies that have been done showing the impact of Family Photos being hung around the house, on the children in that house, how it increases a sense of safety and well being
within that child's home. And so, although wellness may not be the tippy top of the list of things that I think that we are selling and packaging up as photographers, it's not to be neglected. The fourth motivation that comes into play when someone's making a buying decision is nostalgia. And this one can be a little more esoteric, it can be harder to really tap into what may remind someone of something that
makes them feel nostalgic. But photos, on the other hand, are highly nostalgic, maybe not before they're made. But we all have enough nostalgia around our own photos. Our parents wedding album, the photos of us as children with our parents and grandparents that we know that when we invest in photography, now it will create feelings of nostalgia in the future. The next motivator is reward or recognition. And this can take all kinds of forms when it comes
to photography. Obviously, if you are a photographer who has a particularly popular blog, or Instagram feed, where you are featuring your clients, there are going to be people out there who see that and want to be on that blog or in your Instagram feed, they can see themselves in that place. And that can sort of ping that reward center in their
brain. Or maybe you have a really great referral program where if a client refers another client, they are able to earn either free products or earn credit toward a free session for themselves. Even just a nice welcome gift can be the type of reward that will motivate a
purchase. In that case, though, you need to make sure that you are not only delivering nice welcome gifts, but making sure that those are getting featured, whether you are doing the featuring or whether you are somehow incentivizing or encouraging your clients to do like an unboxing kind of a video and post that to their social. Motivation number six is information or expertise. So this is the reason that people buy newspaper subscriptions, or subscribe to Consumer Reports.
They basically want someone else to get all of the information for them. And they are willing to pay for that sort of curated experience. And there are tons of ways that photographers can demonstrate expertise. They can teach, they can write, they can do educational series on social, they can produce educational content in a newsletter, they can even teach a class in person that not only gives value for the content that it is providing, but also shows that photographer off as an expert in
their field. Anytime that you are showcasing awards or features or even testimonials on your website, that is a way to demonstrate expertise. And then you guys know my favorite getting on the phone with a prospective client when someone contacts you to potentially work with you by getting on the telephone with them or a zoom call or even meeting with them in person and walking them through your pricing and your
process. And doing that in a way where you are confident and you are showing them that you have a plan that is going to inspire in them trust that you are an expert that you know what you're doing and that they can trust you with not only their time but also their money. Reason number seven that people buy is that they see a particular product as lower risk or higher value than other products that they are compared
against. Now, obviously, this could be taken in the lower price wins kind of way, right. And that is certainly true. Sometimes if customers are truly price sensitive, then they may be pre shopping for the cheapest option that will get the job done. But I want to underline and I'm going to come back to this in a minute, that is not
true for everyone. In fact, although no one out there, no matter how much money they have, wants to be taken advantage of, there are a lot of people out there who will view super low prices with suspicion, I got an ad just yesterday when I was putting this, my notes together for this episode, for a really cute pair of pants, popped them up in my Instagram feed. And it was cute enough that I like clicked on it and looked at
them. And they were so inexpensive, that I sort of sat there thinking like, hmm, there's no way that these are going to show up and be of any kind of quality, they're probably going to fall apart in the first couple of weeks that I have them. And then I'm going to have to go through the whole trouble of like shipping them back and the whole thing. So I didn't buy because they were as
cheap as they were. And when it comes to photography, the same is going to be true, a super low price may actually demonstrate to some people that it is a lower risk or a higher value, but to other people that may call into question the quality that you're going to provide. So proceed with caution.
What I would instead recommend that you consider when it comes to positioning yourself as a lower risk or higher value photographer is that you consider how you can lower this person's risk without lowering the overall price. And for those of you who are familiar with the way that I structure my pricing with simple sales, I start out
with a session fee. And the session fee is a way to lower that barrier to entry, someone knows that eventually they will spend more money if they like their photos, but I have reduced the pressure on them in the beginning. Compared to the all inclusive photographers in my area who are asking for everything up front, I say, you know, we're going to start out with a session fee that's going to cover the time of the session and the editing and the
preparation and all of that. And then once you've had a chance to see your images and know for sure that you want to proceed, then you'll make a purchasing decision. And that really makes it a lot easier for people to commit. Reason number seven that people buy has to do with social image
or status. Now, photographers who are going for that particular demographic or that purchasing motivation are going to be unapologetically high end, they are not only going to not hide the fact that they're more expensive than other photographers, they are actually going to use that to their advantage, they are going to lean into the luxury side of things with that unicorn business model. If you've heard me talk about the unicorn, the workhorse and the donkey business models.
In that case, and in that business structure, you would want to stay away from things like discounting because that's not going to incentivize your purchasers, that's actually going to be a turnoff, that's going to be a red flag for them, that this is not the luxury experience that they are looking
for. So if your ideal clients are choosing to work with you because it contributes to a social image or a high status, you want to build your packages around that and think about how you can create what feels like a truly bespoke experience. Number nine is cause based purchases, people spend money with companies and for products that they believe represent their values. And the same is
true in photography. Now, this isn't true for every photographer, but there are plenty of photographers out there who are activists, and whose brands are centered on that activism. It's all over their social media. They are outspoken advocates for this or that or the other, or they are very anti certain things. And those people are going to have a very strong attraction for certain potential clients, and then they're going to repel other clients. And once upon a time this was a strategy that
was frowned upon. In business people would say don't mix business and politics don't mix business and religion. But these days, it's much more common for people and brands to take a stand and consumers tend to like that. It's also possible to take a stand for things that aren't terribly polarizing. There are photographers I know who do volunteer work for, let's say Children's Cancer hospitals, everybody can get on board with
that. And the fact that that person puts their time and money and efforts into supporting a cause like that is going to attract a lot of people who feel good about spending their money in support of a person or a business that is aligned with their values in that way. And the final purchase motivator that I want to talk about today is when a business is able to create a sense of belonging or affiliation for their clients.
So when someone is purchasing, they become a member, or they become part of some kind of a club, that can be a very strong motivator for someone to choose one, let's say photographer over
another. And the number one example that comes to mind for me when it comes to creating belonging or affiliation in photography, our senior photographers who do modeling programs, as you can imagine, teenagers in particular love to have that affiliation or that belonging, that part of a group that senior photographers can
sort of garner. So when they do that, and they feature that in a prominent way, that is a wonderful way to encourage other teenagers to sign up with their business for their senior portraits. So to recap those 10 reasons that people buy, we have convenience, entertainment, wellness, nostalgia, reward, expertise, lower risk and higher value, social image or status, cause based purchases, and then those brands that create a sense
of belonging or affiliation. But with all of those, still, most photographers that I talked to get hyper focused on two things, the quality of their photos, and their price point. And they talk about those, as though they are the only reasons that someone would or would not hire them. And for sure, those two things are going to attract some people and repel or exclude others, right. But they are by no means the whole story of why someone hires you or doesn't hire you.
And that is my point and going through all of those 10. Because I would say that those two things are just kind of a baseline. They are a tripwire, if someone doesn't like your photos, it doesn't really matter anything else about what you offer, or how you offer it. If someone can't afford your prices, that's a non starter, it doesn't ultimately matter what you're doing to package that up.
That said, once you get past that starting line, there is a client out there for absolutely every photographic style and skill level and price point. When it comes to actually choosing a photographer, though, people need a hook to help them differentiate and decide between all the options that they have. So as you know, when a client is new, and I am bringing them into my business for the first time, I use my simple sales system. And I think that simple sales in particular appeals to people in
three of those areas. Number one is expertise. Here I am, I'm getting on the phone with them, and I'm talking them through a system. It's easy enough to explain it's not a complicated system, but it feels tried and tested, they can sort of look and see that I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm talking about. So there's that trust in my expertise. Number two is
convenience. One of the things that I sort of harp on when we are on the phone is that once they hire me, I am going to walk them through the whole thing, step by step. And other than the session itself, everything is online, they can do everything on their time, they don't have to wait for me or my convenience. And finally, simple sales provides that lower risk.
And we talked about this before, but because there is a session fee and not an all inclusive fee, they are able to spend just a little bit before they see their photos, which makes people feel a lot more confident. After someone has come through simple sales after they've worked with me, I pivot the message a bit because their needs have changed. They no longer need to be convinced of
my expertise. They no longer need that lower risk because they trust because they have experience that I am going to deliver on the promise of good photos. So instead, I invite them into my membership and I sell the membership with slightly different purchase motivators. Number one is that they are
becoming a member. Right. So that's that belonging and affiliation piece, I am also offering them even more convenience, all of a sudden they have the ability to self schedule on my calendar, they have first dibs to my calendar, they don't even have to think about scheduling because I am going to reach out to them and say, hey, it's time for your
session. And then finally, I reward my members, they get not only a better overall value when they're a member versus when they hire me as a one off, but they're also getting tons of little special perks along the way. So they feel like their loyalty is being rewarded. So today, I want you to think through your process, I want you to think outside the box of price outside the box of photos.
And I want you to think if you were one of let's say 20 photographers being interviewed by a single prospective client, and all of you all 20, photographers had pretty similar skill level, relatively similar style. And you all have the same price point, right? What would you talk about during that interview? What would make you stand out? What do you do best?
And what does your ideal client value the most if you get 100% clear on what the top two or three of those items is for you and for your clients, and then use your website and your social media to really demonstrate how you solve those problems for people. You are going to see your inquiries grow and your conversion rates soar. 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 comm slash 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.