Shownotes
At the end of 2022, I received an inquiry from a local business looking to update their headshots. It was a large firm with multiple locations, and I quickly realized it would be a major project.
I was very much in head about sending a $20,000 proposal, but I knew the value I was offering went beyond just headshots (keep listening to hear more about my ecosystem approach).
I ended up booking the project, and it was one of the simplest projects I've ever done. It was not only a positive experience but also a confidence builder.
In this episode, I share how I booked the project and how you can land big projects too, even if you don't live in a large city or typically work with big brands (be sure to sign up for the masterclass to learn more on this).
Episode Highlights:
03:05 Booking a $20,000 Project
05:27 Being positioned as a brand photographer
06:25 Building rapport with the client
08:23 Simplifying the experience and partnering with the client
09:50 Masterclass Details
CONNECT WITH MADDIE:
LINKS:
I'm hosting a live masterclass, Three Secrets to Booking Brand Photography Clients, on October 17th at 12pm Central. Sign up here! (Replay available if signed up)
Transcripts
MacBook Pro Microphone: On October 17th
at noon central, I am hosting a free
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:live brand new never been seen before.
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:Masterclass called the three secrets
to booking brand photography clients.
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:And I would love to see you there.
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:It's going to be so great.
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:You're going to spend 90 minutes with me.
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:I'm going to go through the training and
we're going to have plenty of time for
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:Q and a to ask whatever questions you
might have when it comes to booking brand
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:photography clients, in order to register
it, you need to go to Maddie Pasha.
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:Dot com slash masterclass.
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:I will make sure that the link is in the
podcast description and in the show notes.
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:You've got to register to get both the
link to the training, as well as the
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:replay, which will be sent out afterward.
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:At the end of this masterclass, I am going
to open the doors to rebrand, which is
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:my now 12 month group coaching program.
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:It used to be 16 weeks.
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:And now it is a 12 month program.
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:My clients have been getting
incredible results in just 16 weeks.
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:They typically charge four figures for a
brand session within their first 74 days.
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:However, I realized that I want to
be there to support my clients beyond
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:just their first four figure session.
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:I want to be there for
their five figure session.
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:I want to be there.
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:As they scale their business
to six figures, because there
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:is so much more after you book
that first four figure session.
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:There's so much mindset.
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:There's so much pricing strategy.
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:There's so many ways to continue to.
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:Improve your business.
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:Every single time you
shoot a brand session.
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:So this new 12 month container
is going to allow me to do that.
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:It also has a brand new revised
curriculum that I am so excited to share.
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:it's going to help people
achieve results even faster.
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:And I just can't wait.
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:I'm just so excited.
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:And this is all happening on October 17th.
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:So go to Maddie.
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:sean.com/masterclass to register.
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:You're listening to Take It Personally,
a podcast for photographers about
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:the personal side of business
and the art of standing out.
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:Here I'll help you build a business
and a brand that is uniquely you.
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:If you want to attract dream
clients and stop looking at the
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:competition to decide your next move.
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:to show up as a confident
branding authority to help you
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:serve your clients and consider
your goals and priorities too.
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:If you want to make your mark in a
new, underserved niche of photography,
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:then this is the place for you.
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:I'm your host Maddie Pachon, South
Dakota brand photographer and educator.
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:I'm a straight shooting, Instagram
obsessed, and Instagramer.
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:Diehard Swifty who has built a multi
six figure business on the back of brand
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:photography all while raising a family.
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:And I know you can do the same.
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:Let's get ready to take it personally.
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:MacBook Pro Microphone: At the
end of:
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:from a local business who was
looking to update their headshots.
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:This business is a large firm
and they have locations all over
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:South Dakota where I'm based.
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:And so, as I was looking over
this project and everything that
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:it entailed, I realized pretty
quickly that this was going to be.
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:A big project.
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:If I, you know, only charged a
hundred dollars per person, we
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:were looking at a $10,000 project.
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:And that was just part of
what we wanted to capture.
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:As I was pulling together this
proposal, I was like, oh my gosh, this
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:is probably a 20 to $30,000 project.
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:I was very much in my head about that.
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:I could not believe that I was
sending a proposal that big.
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:And I also questioned if I was the person
to be able to pull this off, because even
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:though the project sounded really simple
and straightforward, It was so much money.
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:Like when I was just getting started in
the world of marketing after college, I
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:was really excited about a $30,000 salary.
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:And now I'm sending a
proposal for $30,000.
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:Like this felt, it just felt crazy to me.
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:And I ended up booking this project
and it was one of the simplest
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:projects that I've ever done.
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:It was such a positive experience
and such an amazing payday and
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:such a great confidence builder.
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:And I want to talk in this episode about
how I booked a $20,000 project, because
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:I think when people think about brand
photography, They think that in order to
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:be booking a $5,000 project, a $10,000
projects, certainly a $20,000 project
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:that you have to be based in some big
city and you have to be working with
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:brands like Nike or Chipola or something.
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:And that's just not accurate.
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:There are so many
incredible opportunities.
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:For brand photography in smaller towns.
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:Now I'm based in South Dakota.
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:I am based in the largest
city in South Dakota, but this
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:is still not a large city.
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:Like my neighbors are
cows and corn stocks.
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:Okay.
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:It is a rural location.
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:And even still, there was a client
here willing to pay $20,000 for me
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:to solve a problem in their business.
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:So let's talk about how I did that.
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:Right out the gate.
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:I was positioned as a brand photographer.
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:When brands are looking to hire someone
for a project, this large, they are
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:not looking for a family photographer.
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:They are not looking for
a wedding photographer.
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:They are looking for someone who
specializes and who can handle the nuance.
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:Of brand and commercial photography.
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:And that's what people knew me for.
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:This project was actually
booked because of a referral.
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:It was a person who I
work with really often.
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:We are in like adjacent industries and
she has sent me a lot of business over the
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:years because when she works with clients,
updating their website, And creating
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:these brand identities for clients.
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:She wants to be able to refer
them to someone who knows what
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:they're doing in the brand space.
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:So right away, my positioning helped me
capture not only the client's attention,
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:but probably more importantly, in this
case, the attention of someone who
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:could connect me with that client.
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:The second thing that I did was I built
rapport with this client right away.
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:I could tell in our first
conversations that this client was
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:a little bit overwhelmed and quite
frankly, I also would have been
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:overwhelmed if I was in her shoes.
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:I have worked in corporate before.
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:And if my boss was like, hi, we want
to update a hundred people's headshots,
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:and we want to do it this specific week.
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:And none of the people are
going to drive anywhere.
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:Like we have to bring the photographer
to them and we also want to do
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:lifestyle photography, and we
also might want video clips like.
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:I would probably just melt into a puddle
because you have to remember, this
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:is somebody who, isn't a photographer,
who isn't in the industry and they've
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:just been given this giant task.
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:So I could tell in our first communication
that she had a lot going on, like
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:this was just one piece of her day.
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:So immediately I built rapport with her.
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:I let her know, Hey, I have
done projects like this before.
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:Perhaps not to this extent, but I
have not only shot projects like
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:this before I have been on your side.
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:Like I have worked in corporate
and I have worked at agencies
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:where we have had to put together
these large multi-person shoots.
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:And I can handle it.
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:I will be your partner in this.
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:There was even a moment on the
call where I said Hey, I can tell
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:that this is stressful for you.
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:And I completely understand why
it would be, but I just want you
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:to know that I'm not stressed.
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:I feel really confident that we're
going to be able to accomplish this.
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:I see this project as like a big puzzle
and I am so excited to put it together
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:with you and you can really depend on me.
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:And I know that that was so reassuring
to her, because again, this was just
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:one thing that she was working on.
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:Like, this was.
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:Just one part of her day.
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:So to be able to hear, okay, this
person is going to be my partner.
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:They're going to help me with us.
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:I don't have to do this on my own.
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:That totally changed the
dynamic of the pitching process.
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:And it made it so much easier for
me to eventually sell this project.
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:The third thing that I did was I made
this experience for her really simple.
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:I wanted her to know that I wasn't just
coming into this as a photographer.
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:I was again, I was going to be
her partner and I was going to
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:help creatively direct this shoot.
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:I was going to put together the shot
list of the lifestyle photos that
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:I recommended for their website.
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:I was going to work with the brand.
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:I was going to work with the website
designer to be, I was going to
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:work with the website designer to
be able to understand what types
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:of photos we should be shooting.
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:I was going to put together the
timeline and the schedule of everything
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:happening across these couple of days.
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:I made sure that she knew that I
understood the nuance of a project like
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:this, and I was ready to deliver on it.
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:Focusing on these three things,
reputation, rapport, and relationships
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:starts this incredible ecosystem in your
business where you're positioned as a
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:MacBook Pro Microphone-2: Brand
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:photographer.
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:MacBook Pro Microphone: So then
people find out who you are.
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:They connect with you.
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:They want to get to know you.
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:They want to work with you.
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:They come into your sphere.
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:They hire you to be their photographer.
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:They have this incredible experience.
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:You deepen that relationship.
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:With them.
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:And then those people turn around
and help you get your next clients.
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:And this project is
proof of that happening.
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:This project came to me
through a relationship and
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:that wouldn't have happened.
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:If my business wasn't set up
to foster these relationships.
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:On October 17th, I'm going to walk you
through how to do this in your business.
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:What does it mean to
have a good reputation?
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:What are the things that you need
to make sure that you have in place?
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:What does it mean to create rapport?
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:What does that look like in your
marketing and what type of marketing
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:should you be creating and what
is a five-star client experience?
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:What are the things that you should
be doing in your brand photography
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:business to get people talking about
you and referring you to their friends?
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:We're going to cover all of
those things on October 17th.
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:So make sure you sign up for
that masterclass at Maddie Pasha.
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:sean.com/masterclass.
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:See you there.
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:Thank you so much for listening
to Take It Personally.
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:If you haven't already, would you head
over to iTunes and leave us a review?
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:This is the best way to let other
photographers know about the show and
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:help keep us creating content you crave.
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:And if you want more tips and tools to
build your personal photography brand,
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:head over to my website, MaddiePichon.
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:com.
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:Here, you can access my downloadable
ultimate personal brand session shot
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:list to get your clients singing
your praises and browse my blog for
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:more trade secrets to help you hone
your craft and grow your business.
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:Love to learn while you
listen, visit MaddiePachon.
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:com and click on podcast for all things.
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:Take it personally.
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:From show notes to recent episodes
and incredible guest profiles.
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:Remember friend, the most important part
of any brand is the people behind it.
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:Branding and business is personal,
so let's take it personally.