The ugly truth about In Person Sales
WARNING: This copy is polarising. On purpose. I’m making no photographer friends saying what I say below. Right or wrong… if you're selling photography, this affects you and your sales.
Before we get into the meat of this story… a true story, about a photographer named Nick – yes, his real name and I’ll introduce him properly, below.
I had to add the paragraph above because people I know and trust, thought Nick was made up! Both Nick and his story… made up?
WTF!
Nick is 100% real, so are his wife Hayley and four kids. So are the photos of him, the screenshots of his Paypal account, everything.
I interviewed Nick to get his story. That's what I do, interview photographers – over at https://photobizx.com/interviews. Almost 300 to date and a new one each week.
If you’ve struggled to make money from photography, you’ll understand what Nick was going through.
He found himself in a downward spiral of a photography career because he thought he had to sell in person.
What if In Person Sales (IPS) wasn't right for you? What if you thought, that's what you had to do. That's what was expected… by the crowd.
That’s what Nick thought. He was convinced IPS was the only way to make a go of photography.
The IPS Mastermind Facebook Group has close to 60,000 members.
All preaching the benefits of IPS. Surely, this many photographers doing IPS can’t be wrong?
Listen to any podcast about photography business and what do you hear… IPS is the only way to go if you truly want to be profitable.
Software has been made to make IPS easier, more attractive. Swift Galleries and ProSelect to name two.
In truth…
I believed in person was the best way to maximise your photography sales. I was on the IPS bandwagon preaching to anyone who asked or listened…
My mantra was, “You MUST do IPS if you want to succeed.”
I heard far worse…
Shoot and burn is for the Mums With A Camera (MWAC’s), newbies, weekend warriors, uncle Bob's and for anyone who doesn't take their business seriously. Photographers on the fast road to going downhill and broke.
Until I met Nick.
In Person Sales (IPS), product samples, expenses and time away from his family all took Nick to breaking point. His pursuit to make this work was making him miserable and moody.
Nick was literally at the point of giving up on photography as a possible income earner. It was too hard, too competitive and too time consuming. Family life was suffering. It just wasn’t worth it.
All because he believed (was told), the only way to profit was to sell products in person. You must sell wall art, albums and physical products to make a good profit.
When Nick started out to make photography a viable income earner, he had no idea he was heading to breaking point where he was ready to chuck it all in. A bumpy ride of emotions, frustrations, a few highs, lows and a lot of crappy portrait sales.
Let me introduce Nick
He lives in the suburbs with his four(!) crazy, busy, noisy kids and beautiful wife Hayley.
He loves his full-time job. The work, the security, the people he works with and the pay (of course) – loves em all.
He's also a good photographer. Really good. Definitely good enough to be charging for his work (which he’s proven) and making money from his photography, which he started to do.
And he LOVES photography.
Photographing kids and families is his happy place.
Kids love him, parents adore him… he has a knack with kids, getting them to relax and grabbing those natural expressions parents treasure.
Nick was playing with the idea of making photography a full time gig but he would never risk his day job until he knows for sure he can make consistent and good money from shooting.
Also, the extra income would mean the mortgage repayments would be easier, there might be some extra cash for holidays and spending on fun things. Most importantly, Hayley could continue to stay at home and raise their kids, be there after school and not have to rely on day care if she goes back to work part time.
So…
Nick kicked off his photography business and after researching knew he had to do IPS to make this photography thing pay well.
EVERYONE and everything he read… pointed towards IPS and products.
Mention or ask about online sales in a photography group at your own risk.
Nick knows his way around a computer, spends time online and would have preferred online sales but… EVERYTHING and EVERYONE was pointing him towards IPS.
The arguments against to online sales were valid.
Other photographers said he couldn't make money selling online; it can't be done well, it's inconsistent, it's not for serious photographers… IPS is better. End of story.
It was a CLEAR MESSAGE but Nick, being Nick, hadn’t given up on the idea. And why should he…
Online is where he does plenty shopping – and he is his own target demographic. Why should photography be any different?
Following sleepless nights and unfocussed periods at his day job, Nick's thoughts kept returning to how he could make this photography thing work without wrecking family life, time with the kids and being able to keep his day job.
He was determined to give it a try his way. He honestly thought he could make online sales work.
Queue… the BIG bright idea
Ever experienced one of those can't get to sleep nights because your brain is on overdrive trying to solve a problem? You know there's a way and the solution just isn't dropping in and you drift off to sleep.
Then BAM.
I’ve GOT IT!
You wake sometime in the night and have the problem solved.
That was Nick. No getting back to sleep now.
He nudges Hayley and whispers, “Are you awake?”
“I am now,” she mumbles and rolls slightly to look over Nick's shoulder and checks the time on the bedside clock.
She’s not impressed and still half asleep, mumbles, “What is it, why did you wake me? This better not be about photography again.”
Nick, wide awake, excitedly explains his idea to use online galleries to sell product, not digital files. It’s the best of both worlds!
Hayley feigns interest (like any spouse would in the middle of the night when they've heard the same stuff day in, day out) in Nick’s big idea.
“That's great honey, let's talk about it in the morning,” and drifts back to sleep.
Nick can’t get the idea out of his head. He’s pumped!
What about selling products online?
This was the solution to keep everyone happy.
His was thinking… I can shoot. I'd still have plenty of time to spend with the family without worrying about IPS. Other photographers would be happy I won’t devalue the industry by selling digital files.
Happy days!
The next morning, Nick jumps into his favourite photography Facebook Group looking for some feedback and validation for his idea.
The general consensus was… “It's difficult to sell online, especially if you want to sell products.”
And… “If you try selling wall art and albums online, the client experience will be rubbish and you'd be shooting yourself in the foot with no chance of any upselling – a big benefit of selling in person.”
Nick listens and lets the idea go. As much as he believes selling printed products online could work, he scraps the idea.
Next… it gets worse.
Nick toyed with the idea of selling digital files only but you can imagine the shit storm in the Facebook groups when he suggested that idea…