S16E01 | High sales start with a flawless processes, and a great location helps with Kim Buccheri
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How does an $8500 average sale sound to you with a cost of goods of just 5%. That is reality for today’s guest who deliberately moved their studio location to be in a town that aligns with their studio brand. I’m talking about Kim of Kimberly Sarah Photography. She joined us back in season five to share all things client experience and I’ve got her back today to share her insights into achieving consistently high sales. They’ve also just launched a new business, Hey Winston and if you’ve ever dreamed of outsourcing your sales- then it is for you!
We covered:
What is a luxury studio these days
Low volume, high price point
What is a Dog Art Gallery
How to choose a town for your studio space
Kimberly Sarah Photography average sale, and how they reach it
Why they have a studio if they could make the same money without it
Kim’s biggest tips for getting high sales
What is Hey Winston! And how can you help photographers and what will it cost
IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:
Kim’s studio sales process
Pricing and product options at Kimberley Sarah Photography
The key questions Kim asks that lead to higher sales
MENTIONED LINKS
Hey Winston! - www.Hey-Winston.com
Kimberly Sarah Photography - www.KimberlySarahPhotography.com
The Dog Art Gallery - www.TheDogArtGallery.com
Bud Thorpe's Coaching - www.BudThorpe.com
Hey Winston! A Photographers Best Friend Facebook Group
0507: Creating a High-End Customer Experience with Kimberly Buccheri
Partnership Blogging Challenge
What would your business look like if your business partners, did your marketing for you?
If you could simply text your contact at the local specialist vet clinic, doggy daycare or equine centre and say “Let’s do it again”, and within a matter of days, you have high quality bookings?
And meanwhile, your website actually gained organic traffic and some of those visitors easily converted into your highest-spending clients.
No Facebook Ad spend. No time to dedicate to expos.
Just a shoot, a blog post and some gift vouchers.
This is my best marketing strategy, and with this challenge, you can access the exact steps I take to make it happen.
Kimberly Buccheri
Kimberly Sarah Photography/ Hey Winston!, USA
My husband Bud Thorpe and I run a high-end Pet Photography studio and gallery. We realize not every business model is the same. With our newest adventure Hey Winston we help photographers raise their sales average all while getting time back to do the things you love doing, for instance having more photo sessions, taking time with family, or some “you” time. Your time is invaluable. In short I do the sales for you!
We have been on The Pet Photographers Club podcast before, so be sure to look up that episode. We have also spoken at AIM twice since they started and once virtually. If you know of Hair of the Dog we’ve been there too!
Transcript:
How does an eight and a half thousand dollar average sale sound to you with the cost of goods of just 5%? That is reality for today's guest who deliberately moved their studio location to be in a town that aligns with their studio brand. I'm talking about Kim of Kimberly Sarah photography. She joined us back in season five to share all things client experience.
And I've got her back today to share her insights. into achieving consistently high sales. They've also just launched a new business. Hey, Winston. And if you've ever dreamed of outsourcing your sales, then that one is for you. Before we get into this episode, I just want to remind you really quickly that our partnership blogging challenge is starting really soon.
If you're looking for new business partners, but you're not sure how to, how to kickstart those relationships. This is a marketing strategy for you. You can head on over to the pet photographers club. com slash blogging dash challenge to find out more.
Welcome to the pet photographers club. Tune in as experts share their insights to help grow your business with higher sales, creative marketing, and kick arse business strategies. Now onto the show. Welcome to season 16, episode one of the pet photographers club. I'm your host, Kirstie McConnell, and today I have back on the show with us Kim from Kimberley Sarah Photography and her new business, Hey Winston. Welcome back, Kim. Thank you so much, Kirstie. I'm glad to be back. I can't believe it was so you had looked up the last time I was on was, did you say episode season five?
Yeah. Yeah. Oh my goodness. Season five, episode seven. So that was quite a while ago. I didn't know what year we did that, but it was, podcast was quite different back then. So a while ago, I'm happy to be here at any time, at any time. It doesn't feel like that long because of course, you know, we've jumped on zoom calls for the conference and, and business foundations as well.
So, you know, we get to see each other every now and again, but it's nice to have you back on the podcast. So thanks for joining us today. I'm really excited about what you guys are And when I say you guys, I mean you and Bud which for those of you that don't know, Bud is the other half of Kimberley Sarah photography as well.
And I'll let Kim actually tell you a bit about that just in case you haven't listened to that other episode yet. Definitely go back by the way, into the archives and listen to that season. What did I just say? Season five, episode seven. I'll pop a link in the show notes anyway, guys, but let's get into this show today.
So Kim, just for the listener, tell them where you're based in the world, what it is that you guys do. And That's it for now, actually. Okay, well I'm going to start off by saying we are the luckiest people in the world to be doing what we're doing. We are in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States, because I know, Kirstie, you are international, so that's a great thing.
And what we do is we are dog photographers. We run a, what we call, A boutique studio, luxury, I don't know, luxury is kind of overused these days, but we do, and by luxury, I mean, we offer a wonderful experience for pet parents their pups, and, you know, anyone that is kind of part of that family And we do have, we are low volume, high ticket sales.
And that is what we pride ourselves on doing. It leaves us, the reason for Bud and I to become, you know, entrepreneurs is to have the time To do other things in our lives. And for both of us, Bud and I, we both have aging parents that we need to be there for. So that was really part of making our decision.
And I think the more happy people in the world doing the work that they love to do, the world will be a better place. You know, so we're not taking the easy way out. As most of you may know, owning a business is not easy. We work 80 hours for ourselves, and we could be working 40 for someone else, right?
Absolutely, isn't that the truth? Yeah. Our main thing is to create wall art for our clients. And that is, again, something that they see when they come into our business. our dog art gallery. We have a gallery that is also our studio. The gallery is open to the public on the weekends and we have about 40 pieces of art that people can walk through.
They can take their dogs, they can walk through, they can enjoy it. Again, it's in Portsmouth which is a very beautiful little downtown area, very quaint with other boutiques. It's right on the water. It's a lovely place to go. So we thought that that would work for our business because it is a destination of sorts, especially in New Hampshire.
If you're not going to the mountains to hike. Or ski, or somewhere on the lake, then you're probably, you know, looking at the quaint little towns that we have. So, that is why we're there. Yeah. So Kim, actually, before we get too much further into this interview this is something I, Don't know the answer to actually the dog gallery.
Yes. You chose the location, especially for the gallery. I thought you guys already lived there. No, we don't live there. Actually. It's about 45 minutes away from where we live. Okay. Wow. Okay. Well, okay. We have to talk about this more now. So, so, okay. Because the dog gallery, yes, it's a gallery, but it's also your shooting space and sales room as well.
Is that right? That is correct. Absolutely. Yes. So you intentionally sought out this location because it would be the ideal place for doing all of those things, appointments, shoots, and the gallery? A hundred percent. Yes. So it, again, the quaint little town is known for its art and its art galleries. In our plan, which is what we've, it's come to fruition to have People come in and and enjoy that space, but we are also are doing things in that space.
We're having gallery shows Of our art. So it's a it's a marketing piece. We use it as a marketing piece for ourselves, which has been very successful We offer sessions You know, we do a campaign and then in the end there is a gallery show where are, where we are, you know, putting up the art that we've made during that campaign and people are inviting their friends and family for that night.
And so we're getting more, you know, the more eyes, the better , right? The more people that know about it. So that is one reason why we chose to do that. It's not. A retail space. So, and, and, and I say that because it's not very front facing like a retail window. You have to kind of know where we are. So there is a lot that, you know, there's still a lot of marketing and mentioning that we're there.
But having the people come in during the weekend and for events has been super helpful. Yeah. Amazing. So tell me. Other than, I know you said it's a quaint town and you know, it's got all these other galleries, but what was it in particular that you were looking for? Why did you choose there over the next cute town when it came for time for, yeah, finding the space?
Sure. In New Hampshire Portsmouth has a great reputation. It is like the dining hub. It is the art hub. It's everything you would want your customer to be for us anyways. And as we were doing our exploring as to where to open our, we're moving out of one, opening in another place, we went to Portsmouth and we said, okay, let's see how dog friendly Portsmouth really is.
Yes, they have a dog park. Yes, some of the dogs are welcome into some of the boutiques. But, but how many really are there? And we said, okay, we're going to count in an hour, how many dogs we see. In, in kind of in that location. We stayed on the corner. And we went from dogs per hour to dogs per minute.
So there are so many people with their dogs in that exact area of where we were hoping to choose for our space. And That kind of sealed the deal. We weren't getting that anywhere else that we looked. So it just made sense to us. I imagine. So Kim, what advice would you give to somebody who's looking for a space for their studio at the moment or, or dreaming about it for the future?
I mean, you picked somewhere 45 minutes from your home and you haven't moved home. So would you say that you know, that's some advice that you would pass on to somebody else. Like, don't just look in your own backyard, look a little bit further as well. Would you give advice that it's also fine to move house as well?
And what should they be looking for in a town other than counting the dogs from the corner? I'm going to say yes to all of that. I, so if you, if you're using, we'll just say, we'll call it an excuse that the people, you know, that are your market aren't coming to you where you live, then maybe you get closer to them.
And that was a decision that we made. We said, okay, 45 minutes. We can do that. We don't have to be there every day. Our sessions are scheduled one week out of the month. It becomes our session week. So we set up the gallery with our session, our gear, and it's closed to the public. So it was very strategic in choosing a space like that, but you, you have to know Who you're serving for me and our business.
And I, I do recognize there are a lot of ways to be a dog photographer. But for us, it was important to be near. The people who held art in high value you know, people would come from many different places in the States and from the UK to come to Portsmouth because of their artists. And I wanted a little, little, little slice, a little, little piece of that to fall off onto us.
Totally understandable. I mean, if people are already in that mindset. Yeah. Yes. Makes sense. I love it. Exactly. Exactly. And it is a town, like I said, it is a destination that people do go to enjoy. It's expensive. It's the most expensive town in New Hampshire you know, the real estate and otherwise.
So that, you know, it does make it difficult to find commercial space in an area like that. We got, we were very fortunate that we got what we did for the amount of space that we have. But I think you can do this on a smaller scale. I really do. If you have a way to have, you know, either block off an area for even a smaller gallery be able to display your artwork.
We made it work as an all in one. And that's something you should, you should consider for sure. Mm hmm. I love that. Now, Kim, in order to have this Beautiful space. And guys, if you haven't seen the dog art ga, the the dog art gallery, yet, definitely head on over to Kim's website and have a look at some of the photos of it.
It's really beautiful. The links will be in the show notes as usual. Of course. But anyway, so Kim, to be able to afford this beautiful space to warrant all of the, you know, the effort, the traveling back and forth. You're obviously getting some nice sales consistently from your clients. Do you like my little segue here?
Yes. All right. So tell us, let's get into the numbers here because you guys are running a great business. I know that from the last episode, from the conferences that you, you, and but you and bud, sorry, have have been on the instructor lineup for, so let's get into the nitty gritty and tell the audience, give them some inspiration, something to, you know, Know that it's possible by hearing what you guys are doing at Kimberly Sarah Photography.
So yeah, what is your average sale right now? Right now, our average sale is 8, 500. And that is up from I think the last time we talked to you, which was probably around 5, 000. And I'll be honest, we at one point, we were up around 9, 000, 9, 500. I'm sorry, do you want any other value through a UK value or Australian value?
No, no, no, it's fine. Stick with Louis D and they can jump on Google and type in currency converter, don't worry. Okay, good, good, good. All the time. We were up around 9, 9. 5 but last year, 2023, was a slow year for us. And the sales average did drop a bit. Not, I mean, it wasn't crucial. It did drop a bit.
So you do kind of have to just go with that and we're riding out this whatever is going on, what's holding people back. But we're, we're, trust me, we're still happy with 8, 500. Oh, Jesus, Kim. I mean, yeah. Yeah. Okay. You've had a drop and that drop is amazing. More than a lot of pet photographers, average sale, but you're still making like eight times that.
And I find that this is really interesting that you're saying, you know, times have changed a little bit and your sale has been impacted, but despite that you're still doing eight and a half thousand dollar average. I mean, that's, that's not the same as saying. Everybody's struggling right now. Are they having to pay me on payment plan to pay for a 1, 200 order?
No, they're dropping eight and a half thousand dollars on photos of their pet, which look, we all value and love, but nobody actually needs, I mean, they need food.
So if they're choosing that, then that's because. You know, they're making it work and yes, of course you do a beautiful job not taking away from that, but I think it's just really worth taking a moment to stop and reflect on that for the audience and myself and even you as well sometimes to stop and think, okay, hang on a minute.
Yeah. There's been a slight drop, but not drop enough to say there's not enough people that are willing to pay for me because they're still paying eight and a half thousand dollars. Right. Right. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Which is crazy impressive. Okay. How Yeah. Go on. Go ahead. It really, it comes down to, I think our process, the experience, and Having the right pricing, you know, as a photographer, there's a lot of information out there about pricing.
I would say get a coach, buy a course, work with a mentor, you know, get some help. I know it's not, I've never had a problem raising my prices because I know what I had to make, right? Like I know if I couldn't get this, then it doesn't work for where I am. And I, It's hard to separate your business brain and your emotional brain most of the time.
But you have to get serious about it and have a good long think about raising your prices if you want to get there. What do you have for them to buy for 8, 500? You know, that 8, 500 could be as simple as two pieces of art for us. So, I mean, we're, we're talking about one larger piece and then a, and then a small to medium sized piece and that's 8, 500 right there.
So, You know, do you have that on your price list? Does that exist? Now we were doing very well, because I know the objections, right? I know some of the photographers that are listening to, you know, in on this, Kirstie, and they're going, Yeah, but I don't have a studio in a town like that, and I don't, you know, have that large of a space.
It's okay. Because at one point we did not either. We were in the slums of New Hampshire making five to 6, 000 on average. So it can be done. It can be done. So Kim, hang on. I've got to ask you a couple of questions because I know that like the listeners are saying, come on, Cassie, ask the question. Two things.
Number one, what is your cost of goods on an eight and a half thousand dollar sale? So we strive very hard to keep our cost of goods. Let me see. You know what? I've got it all written down, Kirstie. I knew you would. Guys, this is why I love having Kim here. She's all about the numbers. I do, I do, I do. One second.
I've got it. Okay, so, pulling out my paper. Sorry folks, make you wait. So I will give you a Break it down, go on. Just to kind of, yeah, like a The last sale that we had 8, 500 is the average, our minimum commission. And if I can start with some of those numbers our minimum commission to work with us is 1, 500.
So that's right from the get go was a 350 session fee. Our cost of goods, we try to keep it at. So, yeah, which is great. If it's anything above that, it sets off, you know, 10 percent or something. It sets off some alarm bells that something in our pricing structure is not where we want it. To be you know, and we have to look at that.
What are they ordering? Did the lab go up in cost? Where are we, you know, losing that percentage or gaining that percentage? So that's great, Kim. I mean, so on an eight and a half thousand dollar order, your costs are around 425. That's for the product costs. Yes. Okay. Yeah. And then of course you've got your marketing costs and, and running the business and everything.
That's a separate thing. Cost of business, but at least we know like cost of goods, 5%, which is incredible. Guys, if you're listening, thinking, Oh my God, I, I mark up my, you know, canvas for an extra 100 pound or an extra 100 euro, an extra 100. Let this be your reminder. But just, yes, but just for cost of goods, because we do have to do the cost of doing business, right, that's something else.
So we just try to keep the cost of goods at that five, under, under ten for sure. But yeah. Amazing. Yeah. All right. So that was my question. Number one that I knew I had to ask, what is your profit margin? I'm using like air quotations guys, because we know that's not all profit margin. You've got, you know, all your business expenses, but at least after your cost of goods.
So now we know that and we're all in awe. My second question was, and I think you already answered it actually briefly, but, It's two part question. One, do we actually need a studio in order to sell eight and a half thousand dollars of product? And I think you said, no, you were already doing five, 6, 000 in, in your other studio.
So that brings me to part B, the question, which is, so why do you guys have a fancy fancy dog art gallery and studio if it's not making you more money? And is it ego? Maybe it is! Because it would be for me! I think, you know, it's so funny. I think it could be ego. Nothing wrong with that, Kim. Nothing wrong with that.
Wow. Thanks for calling me out on that, Kirstie. I love it. I love it. That's what I'm here for, guys. That's what I'm here for. No, I think that totally can be a reason. It can absolutely be a reason. I mean, I also want a studio here and it's purely for ego and I'm aware of that. And that's fine guys. We're artists at the end of the day.
Why can't we be proud of hanging out art on the walls? Exactly. You know, I think, I think it also is kind of representative of the art that we create in a way, but that's, again, there's, there's so many ways to do this. If you were an artist, outdoor photographer. And you go and to these amazing epic locations that should bring a lot of money in as well, because this is not someone doing it.
You know, in their backyard or at the dog park or it has to, your art has to set you apart. That's first and foremost, I think, for us. And then we get to decide where we do that, you know, and what, what's the cohesiveness of that does the gallery or your studio space. allow you to make the art you want to make.
That's important just as well. It could be a small, small studio and you can make beautiful art and that's enough. So it doesn't have to be what, it doesn't have to be grand, but yes, it's all ego. Sorry, you got me. No, I love it. I didn't say that in a nasty way at all. I mean, I say it in a way, like you should be proud that you, you know, it's something that you wanted and you made it happen.
And there's plenty of people in that are listening to this, I'm sure, who are just like me and would also want to open their own studio just because they want to. It's not going to be for money. I am. I am. And yeah, I'm in love with our space. I really am. I just love it. It feels like going home to me. We've created this kind of very relaxed environment.
You know, there's a lot of brick and warm tones and we have a fireplace and leather couches and, you know, it's, it's Almost like a dark library kind of thing. And, and that's what I, I like about it. Yeah. And we made it our own, you know, so there's something to be proud of in that as well. Yeah.
Absolutely. And you should be, it really is gorgeous. I can't wait to get over there. And I mean, you sold you sold it to me earlier, not just the gallery, but like you're saying, Oh, it's the capital for food and there's also hiking trails nearby and I'm like, When can I book a flight? Yes. Yes. All right, Kim.
So obviously like we can hear that you guys know how to sell. I mean, eight and a half thousand dollar average, 5 percent cost of goods, quite impressive. You're doing this, you know, month in month out. You obviously perfected you know, a strategy that helps you that helped you hit those averages.
What one tip could you give to the audience who are sitting there going, there's no way that I could have an eight and a half thousand dollar or an eight and a half. thousand euro or a six thousand pound sale. I have a couple of things, if that's okay. I would say get real with yourself, right? Are you willing and will you allow yourself to raise your prices so you can get there?
Now, you could get there at 8, 500 with selling a hundred plus images. Sure, you know what I mean? A hundred plus pieces of wall art. Most likely it's not going to happen that way. You do have to have your pricing structure in place. You have to be able to order the right products for your clients and offer something there that is valuable to them.
The other thing is Find someone to work with. I think I mentioned that already. But what is it about sales and pricing that is holding you back? You know, we hear a lot about money blocks and things like that which are all very, very true and real. But you have to somehow allow yourself and get out of your comfort zone, make yourself a little bit vulnerable and work towards it.
It does come with time, it comes with time and experience but you can get there. Yeah. I think that's great advice. Kim, absolutely. And if I can just add one little thing to that, it's that once you do one sale that you consider to be an incredibly insane amount of money, once you've done one at that point and for you, you know, for the least, not that might be 1000 euro or it might be, you know, 3000 pound or whatever the number doesn't have to be eight and a half thousand.
It can be whatever number is insane amount of money to you. Once you do it once. Then it's like, Oh, wow, people will actually pay that. And then it just gets easier and easier and easier. Correct. Correct. I think the process as well has something to do with it. And what I mean, the process is from your point of contact with your client.
You can, you know, there's a, there's a way that you can get them thinking. about talking about wall art in the very beginning. So they're thinking about it the whole way through, through to your session and then right into the sales room. That makes it quite easy. And, you know, there's a lot of kind of tips and tricks around doing that.
But it really is about having open communication, being confident in what you do, being confident. You don't even have to be that confident in the art that you create. I'm saying that as a person who is married to a lighting guru who would kill me if he heard me say that. But, you know, he's, he's more of a stickler for the technicality of lighting.
Where for us and maybe most photographers, it doesn't matter. It is about the emotion and it's about capturing something for somebody that is meaningful for them, you know, and they're not able to do it for themselves. They're not able to get that great picture of their black dog, you know, and you can do that, you can bank it out.
So it starts, it starts from there. Yeah. Kim, I want to get into that in more detail shortly. I want to hear more about your sales process. You know, like you said, it starts well and truly before the sales room. So I'd love to hear more about that. And also a little bit about your price list, if you're happy to share, because you know, you shared before, but it's just, You know, 5 percent because of goods and already I can, you know, I'm sure people are questioning.
So what are you selling then? And you've mentioned wall up, I want to get into the nuts and bolts of that. So let's take that for the members half of this interview. But before we wrap up part one, You have to tell the listener about your new venture, which is HeyWinston. I'm super excited that you're doing this.
Please share everything about it with the listeners so that they can learn how you can help them. I would love to. Thank you. Yes. So HeyWinston was, was created because we knew that people photographers, pet photographers and otherwise, I mean, any photographer could use this service that selling is not comfortable for everybody.
Raising their prices is not comfortable for everybody. And we are the ones who have the experience, who have, you know, Paid for the knowledge to find out how to do this better. And we've, we're happy with where we are and we want to share that with other people. So what we do, Hey, Winston we call it your, you know, photographer's best friend, cause Winston was my corgi.
So he's he's my little, my little angel. We will do the sales for you and we have a way, a strategy of doing that. We have created this software as well that will keep track of So I'm gonna speak in terms of we are Hey Winston You are the photographer and then there are your clients. So those are the three names that I'm going to be using So as myself, I am creating in my software a profile
And then I have the information from you about what your price list is, what products you offer. I get to know you. It's an onboarding kind of strategy that we do. I get to know you, what you sell, what you do. Where are you located? Do you do location? Are you studio? What are some of your best selling products?
Just a lot to know so I understand your business fully. Am I going to ask you to change everything about your business? Absolutely not. You've, I'm sure you've given it thought. I'm not asking you to change everything. Are there things you may want to change and need some help with? Great, then ask us and we can work on that too.
So that is where we start. I get to know you and how you work. Once we're kind of happy with that, we'll go ahead and get started. And when you book your client, however, you're getting them. So you're getting your own clients. I'm not doing the marketing piece. When you're booking your client, you will tell them, and this I think is one of the greatest parts, Kirstie, and you will say, Kirstie.
So, Mrs. Client, I'm going to have my designer, Kim, call you and set up a time for her, you know, I'm sorry. Well, set up a time to speak with you. But on that call, she's going to be telling you about your options for purchasing wall art or albums or whatever it is you offer. Could be digital packages. I mean, whatever it is.
And then she's going to talk to you about where. You may want to have some of your portraits displayed. That's what I do. I call them, say, Hey, this is Kim from XYZ photographer. And I'm calling to talk about what you may love to see on your walls as a portrait of Scooby Doo, you know, and how would you enjoy that the most?
That, the reason for doing that I think is huge. It's, it's a must in our plan to have me have that call with them initially, because I am planting the seeds for them to grow. Make a purchase think about what they're going to purchase if someone can envision and tell me Where on their wall would they want a portrait then they're already seeing it, right?
Now they can't unsee it because every time they walk past that room or look at that thing empty space on their wall, they're going to say, soon I'm going to have a portrait there. You know, they already, it's becoming part of their world. And so that makes what I need to do in the sales room that much more profitable for you and easier for the client.
So that is the initial part. You then have your session, you then send me the images, I will take those images and put them into ProSelect, create a slideshow for them. In ProSelect, you are put in as, Your studio name and I have your pricing and your products already in there So that is what your client is saying.
I will have made some room mock ups And we do the sales session through there with some of our handy dandy sales skills We are not managing. Yeah, we're not high pressure. We're not high pressure with our sales. I wouldn't be for you and it really is about Me mimicking what your studio wants for your clients and we're able to do that and that is important to us that it's a seamless, yeah, it's not disconnected, right?
That it's all one seamless, I am working for you. So Kim, okay, let's pretend you are, I'm, I'm working with you from now on. So I'm the photographer, you are my sales person. The client doesn't know that you're also a photographer. Correct. Correct. Okay. Very important. That would be important for me if I were to hire someone.
Yes. Okay. Perfect. And the reason why Yeah, the reason why you would hire a photographer like me is because of the experience. Because of the years of experience and where I am. I would say don't hire anyone who isn't already doing what you hope to do one day. Now, can you hire a photographer friend and will they understand?
Yes, most of it they probably will, but what experience do they have getting your clients to purchase? You know, and I, I have that. So I think if you, if you're going to hire, you don't have to hire me. If you're going to hire someone, make sure they're already doing. What you want to be doing perfect creative advice.
All right. So I'm working with you. You are going to have that initial or that, that design console. Yeah. Then you're going to do the ordering appointment, which I'm guessing is on zoom. Is that right? Yes. Yes, it's on Zoom. People can stay home that, you know, you don't need to leave your studio again. I had said, okay, now how valuable can this be to a photographer?
Not just getting you a bit more money, but also saving you time. And we came out to about six hours or so per client because Between talking and communication with your client, right? That is a lot of booking, rescheduling kind of thing that you won't have to do. Setting up with ProSelect, getting room images from the client if they so wish.
That's a lot of back and forth. Our sales sessions sometimes last two hours because people can be indecisive. Or if they're picking A number of images for an album it takes time and we're not rushing them. We want people to be absolutely fine With their purchase because I don't want any buyer's remorse so if you could get back six hours What value is that to you?
So it's not just about the money. It is also about the time that you can have back. Amazing. Yeah, I think you're absolutely right. I mean, saving time, making more money because, you know, probably you're better at sales than, than me or, or than the other photographers, you know, and even if you're not, as long as you're equal, you know, if, if I'm currently doing a 5, 000 euro sale, then obviously you're going to keep me at a 5, 000 euro sale.
Or. Most likely with your skills increase that. Right. So exactly. You making the same money or more. But I'm saving all of that time and it's one less stress for me. So while we're talking about the money, how does it work with you guys? Is it like an ongoing monthly fee? Is it a commission? Is it a combination of both?
What are we expecting here? It's yes. Great. Great question. It is a combination of both, for sure. We do have a monthly fee, and that is for things like, we have to buy phone numbers for each studio to use in our software so that comes with its own set of complications And getting it registered A2P for those, you know, who know what that is and have been down that road.
Also, you will not be charged for the text messages and the emails and the phone calls that go out. When you have a business line and it is you know, federally watched you incur a lot of charges that way. So that covers the charges. The only thing that you will pay will be that monthly fee and then a percentage of the sales.
And that's it. I mean, it's yeah, it's really that simple. We Payment of your choice, however, you want to do that with whatever processor you want to do that We're not telling you to change your business. So you have to do anything our way so the fees are minimal as far as The extras. Yeah. Okay. Great.
Sounds to me like a bit of a win, win actually working with you Kim, because firstly, lots of people don't like doing the sales themselves and maybe that's their bottleneck. Maybe that's. You know, for a lot of people, if you don't want to be doing the sales and maybe you're not that confident in your price list or the price list that you should be using.
And so your business is just not growing because even if you're getting the number of clients you need, you're not selling what you need. You know, your target sale, average sale. And so it's kind of holding your growth back. And so, you know, when I said win, win, I mean, one part is that part covered because I don't have to stress about it anymore.
That's now your problem. And then the second part is that. They have you guys on speed dial as almost consultants. You're like a coach, consultant, doer, everything in one. And I think that is like so valuable. I hope you guys are charging enough for that. Have you, I know you haven't started yet, but you're very like, You're just about to, you know, you're in the launch process.
So have you got that price list finalized yet? Are you able to share any numbers with us to give us a bit of an idea of what we'd end up paying for? Hey, Winston. Yes. So the fee, the monthly service fee is 200, 200 us dollars. And then the sales commission part is 25 percent of the sales. And again, that includes, you know, The time, the effort, the knowledge that we put in.
So, it's something that you have to realize is all kind of encapsulated into one thing. I am positive that we can do a better job of getting more money in the sales room for you. And giving you that time. So, I think it, you know, could also come down to what is your time worth? Right? At what point would you pay someone to do this to get your time back or to relieve that anxiety of you having to do the sales?
And maybe it's a matter of, it frees you up to take in another client, right? I mean, you could be making more money that way by us, Doing the sales sessions for you. That clears you up to do more. I love it, Kim. I think it's simple. It's easy. I mean, honestly, that's not a crazy amount of money. And I honestly believe that you have, you know, if the photographer is willing to work with you to, to, Take on board some of your feedback, then for sure you will be able to increase their average sale by 25 percent as well.
And so in that case, your fee is covered. I mean, right. I think it's genius. Anybody that's listening, that is really stuck with sales, if you can find 200 a month, this is something that would be absolutely worth it because the rest will pay for itself. Exactly. I'm really excited to see what happens with this.
What, you know, what Are you looking for with photographers right now? Because I know, you know, you're kind of in this launch stage. So tell us how somebody can get in touch and what they should expect. Sure. Absolutely. Love to. So hey, Winston, hey winston. com is the website that you can go and check out there.
We're also launching a Facebook group for people who just kind of want to come in, see what we're about. I will, you know, friend me, or I can, of course, give you the link to that too, if you would add that. We're looking for photographers who are open, and to, open to change. Their pricing, if that, if it comes down to it, it might not.
We are looking for photographers that are established business, even though You know, Bud does coaching and mentoring, and he can get you up to that point to do that. Well, that's not what Hey Winston is necessarily for from the very beginning. So you need to know, like, the prices and where you stand and what you offer, have that already.
And Yeah, I mean, there's not a, not a lot there. We're not asking for photographers with high volume. So no worries if you're only getting a few clients a month. I don't need it to be high volume. And you know, we may be able to get your numbers up if that's what you want to do, as far as the amount of clients that you see, but.
It doesn't necessarily need to be that way right now. It actually, we, we prefer that it's not high volume in high volume. I mean, you're calling 300 leads, you know, every time you put out a Facebook ad, right, that's, you know, for something that is a giveaway. I'd love for you to be able to get clients in other ways, other marketing ways that they come to you already ready.
you know, that they're, they're looking for the dog photographer. So yeah, that's it. Not much. Perfect. Kim, this has been awesome. I know that, I mean, I'm really excited. That's why I was like really asking you lots about it because I think that this is just going to be such a game changer for so many of the listeners.
You know, this is really missing in our world of photography and you guys, you and Bada are the perfect team to bring it out. Bring it to us as photographers or, or you as the, as the designer, mostly it sounds like we are supposed to do these interviews as two parts. The first half goes out to the free list and second as the premium members, as everybody knows, and I try to keep them about equal split, but I did just go well over time, you know, because I got so excited about how it went set.
And I'm going to leave that in there, all of that for the first half of this episode too. I am going to wrap up. This episode is still do a little bit of extra for the premium members as well. Even though, you know, we've done 45 minutes so far already, I just really want to get into your sales process just for the listeners who either aren't looking at hiring somebody, you know, or a team like, Like, Hey Winston, or they are, and they just want to know a bit more about how it is that you work.
So I would love to hear about your sales process and any tips you have for the listeners about that. And like I said before, getting into your price list a bit as well. So what we're going to do, we're going to wrap up part one now. If you aren't a premium member don't forget, you can head on over to the show notes and you will find all the links to everything we mentioned in there.
If you are a premium member, of course. Please keep on listening. You can listen to the full episode. If you're just listening to the, you know, to the free part at the moment, you can listen to the full episode through the member zone or via your private RSS feed in your favorite podcast player. Don't forget, if you're not a member yet, you can join today.
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