Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.
Kristin Karkoska of www.blueskysstudio.com is based in Orange County, California and focuses on family portraits, seniors and headshots/personal branding photography and I'm excited to share her interview.
Why excited?
Kristin is a long time PhotoBizX member and recently completed the Daily Vlog Challenge, where I learnt more about her business.
The impression I received was this is a switched-on, business-focussed, intelligent, talented and successful operator who gets stuff done. Someone focused on building and running a successful and profitable business without getting bogged down and distracted by all the noise out there.
Taking a closer look at her website, it's obvious she implements what she's learnt over the years with a site that's beautifully SEO optimised and appears to be a conversion machine utilising video, gorgeous imagery, optin forms, plenty of client information to overcome objections and get people excited about photography.
In this interview, learn how Kristen has built the successful business she has – from lead generation to bookings to delivering a terrific photography experience and making fantastic sales.
Here's some more of what we cover in the interview:
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.
Please put together a database. It gets more and more valuable over time. Having all that information on your clients, it's invaluable. – Kristin Karkoska
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.
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.
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Kristin 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.
Having the reveal session, even if they don't actually buy the matted prints, it just speeds up the process. – Kristin Karkoska
If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Kristin or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.
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.
For my business, it's so much of an experience and I sell products. I sell albums and wall art. So, I want to first educate them as to why they want a photographer that is going to provide them with beautiful products as opposed to a shoot and burn photographer. – Kristin Karkoska
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.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Episode 294: Rachel Bourke – How to make consistently higher sales to every photography client
Episode 087: Sue Bryce – How to Make Real Money From Your Photography Business Right Now
Thank you!
Thanks again for listening and thanks to Kristin for coming on to share her thoughts, ideas and experience on creating a well oiled and successful photography business in an incredibly competitive market today.
I actually try not to focus too much on what everybody else is doing and just stay in my own lane. – Kristin Karkoska
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
Don’t make the same mistake I did with this great interview.
I listened to the non-premium interview!! I couldn’t believe how much great content that I missed out on. Don’t get me wrong, Andrew lets you listen to quite a bit on the free one but it’s nothing compared to the full -fat edition. I’ve been a Premium member of PhotoBizX (worth it’s weight in gold) for a few years now. I’m used to hearing the unabridged version. I made the mistake of tuning into the free one and realised just how much extra I was getting as a PhotoBizX member. Honestly if you haven’t signed up for the trial to listen to all the great content you are really missing out. Thanks Kristin for such an upbeat chat. I have so many takeaways to implement in my business.
Haha, love your comments Ally and that you heard how much better the Premium episodes are for members – love you guys and appreciate your support!
And how good is Kristin – what a business woman and what a business she has crafted.