Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Tony Taafe of www.tonytaafe.com brands himself as Scottsdale's premier headshot photographer and he's grown a successful business by utilising a simple but genius pricing system for his headshot photography clients.

In this interview, Tony shares how to build a profitable headshot photography business by allowing clients to spend more. Sounds simple right? It is, but that's what makes it so beautiful… and easy for you to copy and implement in your business.

Tony is a mentor in Peter Hurley's Headshot Crew, and he is the name that always comes up when talking pricing and headshot photography.

Incredibly, he went from generating $60,000 in his first year of business to $250,000 in his third.

He photographs actors, models and corporate people – meaning individuals, and employees for large and small organisations.

Before photography, he was an award-winning salesman in the UK for luxury car manufacturers Audi and Bentley.

He says…

People buy based on how they feel. Customers don't buy products; they buy how a product makes them feel: younger, more beautiful, part of the in-crowd, nostalgic, confident, etc.

Based on this principle, he recommends going with a session fee and a per-image price to remove limitations clients might feel about how many images they buy.

If you want to grow a more profitable headshot photography business, this interview is for you!

Here's some more of what we cover in the interview:

  • How long Tony had a headshot photography business
  • Tony's revenue
  • How Tony manages three studios while working solo on his photography business
  • How shared photography studios work
  • Tony's clients are 95% corporate – how do they find and book him
  • Tony's ideal client
  • Do corporate clients spend good money on headshots
  • Why Tony markets himself as the most expensive headshot photographer
  • Why photographers need to set client expectations beforehand
  • Tony's reason for displaying photography pricing on his website for everyone to see
  • How to handle client inquiries and bookings successfully
  • Why Tony meets clients in the studio carpark before their headshot session
  • How to elevate your client's experience in regards to feeling comfortable
  • How Tony's email sequence works
  • The importance of building relationships
  • How people are finding Tony's business
  • Is the headshot photography market dead
  • Tony's average client spend
  • Thoughts on photographers charging less than the value of their work
  • Tony's headshot photography pricing structure
  • The need to make it easy for people to buy more
  • How many images Tony's clients buy
  • Shooting different looks to give clients options and variety
  • The number of images Tony shoots per client
  • What happens after each photo session
  • Tony's culling process
  • The two different buyer types and why you need to be able to identify them
  • What is the TNT Method
  • Dealing with decisive and indecisive clients
  • Why you need to stay with your clients while they make decisions on what images to buy
  • How Tony takes payments after each reveal session
  • What happens after clients buy the images
  • How to distinguish a decisive from an indecisive client
  • The importance of being open to change

Tony Taafe Photography Podcast

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this interview – the full length and more revealing version where you hear the absolute best tips and advice from every guest.

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus special member-only interviews.

I care because it's an opportunity to relate, to build a relationship. – Tony Taafe

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. There are also FB live video tutorials, role-play interviews and special live interviews happening in the group. You will not find more friendly, more motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Joining a Mastermind Group (encouraged by Andrew) has been incredibly valuable and fun, I look forward to connecting with my group members every week. Jina Zheng, Premium Member and Melbourne Children photographer.

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

Tony Taafe Photography Podcast

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Tony shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below, let me know what your takeaways were, what you plan to implement in your business as a result of what you heard in today's episode.

If you want people to spend more money, if you want to sell, then just make it easier for people to buy. – Tony Taafe

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Tony or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

6 Month Membership Special

I recently announced a flash sale on the 6 month PhotoBizX Premium Membership.

In light of the current circumstances, I'm be extending this offer. It's my attempt to make the education and motivation provided by the interview guests and other members inside the Facebook Group as affordable as possible.

If you are an existing member who has already made a monthly payment this month, let me know after signing up for the 6-month membership, and I'll refund your $20 payment.

Once you sign up for the 6 month membership, make sure you cancel your existing monthly payments via your automatic payments dashboard inside your PayPal account.

For more info and to sign up, click this link —>> https://photobizx.com/sms

New members are also welcome to sign up with this special offer.

Live Website Review and Q&A

Anna Pumer is offering one of her famous, FULL website reviews for one lucky PBX member.

These in-depth website reviews are normally £150.

PBX Members save 20% with the code PBX: https://photobizx.com/kickasstools
This will be a live call via Zoom – all members are invited to ask questions!
If submitting your site for review, you must be willing to have your entire site critiqued live for other members to watch.
NOTE: You may not love everything you hear.
Anna will have the final say on the website she decides to give the ‘fine-toothed comb' treatment.
The live website review will be happening via Zoom on Tuesday 19th May at 8 am Australian Eastern time.

Change your mindset and grow your photography business

Live Call with Mindset Coach, Johl Dunn

There are 4 main blocks preventing photographers from creating the success they want.

  1. Beliefs
  2. Fear
  3. Action
  4. Habits

Johl will be covering action steps you can implement to Action steps on each of these.

If like most photographers, you've been through the stages of panic, then novelty and now fatigue since the start of the pandemic, join the live call with Johl this Friday and learn how to come out of Covid19 in a better position than before it.

This is not a sales session! Johl will dive right into 20-30 minutes of solid teaching to help with your mindset, followed by a Q&A session with anyone on the live call.

Some topics I expect to come up:

  • If I increase my price list, I won't get booked.
  • What if my marketing doesn't work
  • What if COVID comes back.

If you know what you need to to do to get clients but struggle to actually implement an get it done, it's your mind stopping you.

This is what Johl will be addressing and helping you with.

When: May 22, 2020 09:00 AM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Find your local time here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=Change+your+mindset+and+grow+your+photography+business&iso=20200522T09&p1=240&ah=1

Where: via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89831724303

Tony Taafe Photography Podcast

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

Each week I check for any new iTunes reviews and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes is the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and ultimately a better show.

If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast and email me your keywords or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has made a difference to you and your photography business.

Tony Taafe Photography Podcast

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Tony Taafe Website

Tony Taafe on Facebook

Tony Taafe on Instagram

TNT Method by Tony Taafe

Capture One

Episode 145: Peter Hurley – How To Survive and Thrive as a Headshot Photographer

Episode 292: Michael Schacht – Advanced Facebook Ads for Headshot Photographers

Episode 342: Michael Schacht – Why personal branding photographers should pursue headshot photography first

Tony's headshot taken by John David Pittman

Coronavirus Resource page

Tony Taafe Photography Podcast

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening and thanks to Tony for coming on and sharing his thoughts and ideas for pricing, selling and building a successful headshot photography business by not limiting what your clients can spend and recognising the type of buyer personality they are.

I think having beautiful photography is not enough to make real money. – Tony Taafe

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

Thanks and speak soon
Andrew