During our chat Padraic and Sonia explain the steps they took that redefined the way they do business following the dramatic downturn. As soon as it became obvious that the industry was changing, the first thing Sonia implemented was a brand new and very simple price list, dramatically less products, a new “Simply Friday” package, some staff were let go and Padraic altered the way he was shooting.
Although the Deasy's were big on systems before, now everything was about systems, workflow, streamlining and simplifying.
The good news is you can implement the same strategies right now and see similar results in your portrait photography business. You will never look at numbers and costs the same way again, following this episode of the podcast.
Here's some of what we cover:
Not only are they operating a profitable and busy portrait studio, Sonia works school hours four days per week and Padraic never stays past 6pm – incredible and inspirational.
What is your big takeaway?
After listening to this episode, what is your one big takeaway, what's the one thing you'd like to implement in your business as a result of what Sonia and Padraic had to say? Get involved, leave a comment below and let me know… I really am interested.
Also, if you disagree with something that was said or feel I left a question unasked, leave a note in the comments and I'll chase the Deasy's up for an answer.
Australian Workshop Locations and Dates?
If you're interested in attending one of the Australian workshops by Sonia and Padraic, the dates and locations are listed below.
- Melbourne, Australia 1 Day Seminar Monday 12th August 1PM – 7PM
- Sydney, Australia 1 Day Seminar Wednesday 14th August 1PM – 7PM
- Brisbane, Australia 1 Day Seminar Friday 16th August 1PM – 7PM
- Melbourne, Australia 2 Day Masterclass 19th & 20th August 10AM – 6PM
- Sydney, Australia 2 Day Masterclass 22nd & 23rd August 10AM – 6PM
If you'd like more information about these workshops and others from around the world head over to: Padraic and Sonia
iTunes ratings and reviews
Only the one iTunes rating and review this week from Alina Wall of www.photographybyalinawall.com in Canada. Thanks so much Alina, great to have you listening and laughing along, Ben Marden will love to know you enjoyed his episode.
If you'd like to leave a review like Alina did, simply click here and follow the directions in the “review” tab in iTunes.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Deasy Photographic: http://deasyphotographic.ie
Padraic and Sonia – workshop website: http://www.padraicandsonia.com
Deasy Photographic on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deasyphotographic
Deasy Photographic on Twitter: https://twitter.com/deasyphoto
Ann Monteith – http://www.annmonteith.com
The PPA Benchmark: http://www.ppa.com/membership/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1578
Pro Show Producer – Slideshow software the Deasy's use: http://www.photodex.com/proshow/producer
Studio Plus – studio management software: http://www.studioplussoftware.com
Mail Chimp – email software for promotions to integrate with your database: http://mailchimp.com
That's it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you. I'd love for you to leave a comment below to let me know what you took away from this interview.
Speak soon
Andrew
Thanks for a second great interview this week Andrew! I love their philosophy into keeping the product range as simple as possible with factoring in labour as part of all their profit calculations. I have to admit, I would love to know how many hours of work it takes me to reach my average sale so I think that’s definitely something I need to figure out too (although as a wedding photographer I think the hours add up a lot quicker!).
No worries Jono – glad you enjoyed it.
I was excited to release this episode for the exact reasons you mentioned; the Deasy’s fantastic philosophy on simplification.
I think plenty of wedding photographers would be surprised at the ‘actual’ hours that go into a wedding – it’ll be interesting talking to a wedding photographer that knows their numbers as well as Padraic to talk about their cost of sales.
Thanks for commenting.
Speak soon.
Hi Johnathan,
We shot our last wedding in 2006 after many years of phasing them out , through slowly growing our portrait business. For us, we just weren’t making any money shooting weddings. We calculated that it took us 60 hours to produce a wedding from start to finish and we had a wedding staff photographer to pay as well. At the time we were charging €3500 per wedding and we still could’t make it profitable! After doing the numbers and looking more closely at our costs the decision for us to phase out weddings was easy. Look at your costs and cost out your weddings-DO the figures and you will get a whole different insight into your business and learn at the same time how to put more money into your back pocket:) Sonia.
WOW, WOW WOW!!
This is my favorite podcast of all!! I am so glad I am not fully established and I have listened to this podcast before I am in full swing!!
I was driving along nodding and saying “exactly” and “such a great idea” to myself. I love the idea of selling the product before they have the shoot. I loved your questioning of this Andrew but I have to say if I knew how much money I was making on a particular shoot before I shot it it would simplify EVERYTHING so much. I love the fact that they don’t like to show clients a photo that they didn’t ask for as it is to them like emotional blackmail almost. In Australia I think we rely a lot on selling our work that way. Such a positive new angle.
I cant tell you my biggest take away other than I would love to meet these guys. FANTASTIC!!
Actually now I think of it my biggest takeaway is the “Simply Friday” sessions that are not massive money makers but almost ensure the customer to come back the next year for another shoot, realizing how important this timeline of family growth really is and repeat business!!
I could go on… but I will spare you.
I would be totally happy to run their franchise over here on that model!!
Thanks for another great podcast.
Hi Aleisha,
Thank you so much! You are really in the perfect position to take everything we teach on board. I can’t wait to meet you and show you really how simple it is. Your right, a lot of people start by learning our Simply Friday concept and get that working first, the rest naturally falls into place. If you do a good enough job at these you will see them back for a Family portrait. Emotional black mail is absolutely out for me and doesn’t win you long term customers or a good reputation. Looking forward to meeting you next month. Sonia.
Another great interview mate. I’m loving these, love to hear a few on inspiration too – while I love the business focus I think it’s really cool to also inspire the mind along with the bank account 🙂
Love to hear you talk to people about their style, passion and technique too. It would be a nice addition to what’s turning out to be a must listen to podcast.
keep it up mate – good to see an Aussie creating amazing content.
Rob
Hi Rob, great to have you listening and nice to hear you’re enjoying the interviews.
I’ll definitely take your comments on board about style, passion and technique although I’m a little wary about diving too deep into that side of things with so many other podcasts out there covering that side.
If I think a photographer has a style or technique they are known for, I’ll definitely ask.
Thanks for commenting!
Speak soon
Andrew
Great to hear from Sonia and Padraic with their wonderful Irish Accents!
Their comments about Cost of Sales were really important.
In Australia, Accountants wouldn’t usually include labour/wages of staff (retouchers) in cost of sale although it is an expense directly related to making that product.
Usually it would only include things like your albums, prints, ink + paper (if inhouse printing), framing.
But in our industry where it is easy to spend endless hours editing images, it is probably a good idea to take into account that component as part of your product cost.
Benchmarking is a great to way to see how your ratios are going compared to other studios that are doing well. Many newer studios are not doing this, and spending too much on product cost and therefore cutting into their end profit margin without realising it.
It was also great to see a studio that has developed a unique, very refined product being studio photography with distinctive styles and rules for customers to follow. Many studios do the opposite and let the customer tell them what they are going to be doing which makes for a very hard business to get systemised and efficient.
As business owners it is up to us to set the rules for customers to follow.
I love hearing they are taking pride in a finished product and not cutting corners selling a digital file (even though everyone else is). As they said, they don’t sell a framed disk.
When their clients have friends over and they see an amazing series of Deasy Photographic prints on that families walls, stylishly framed and expertly printed… it is like free billboard advertising!
You don’t get that when the client just posts images to facebook amongst the other hundreds of snapshots and Instagram moments.
Ill be listening to this interview again to pick up all that I may have missed the first time. 🙂
kind regards
Brian Chapman
http://www.familyimage.com.au
hi
Totally agree, I think you could do some workshops Brian in business for photographers, seems like you have the right model to work from also. If it wasn’t for you in your initial interview I think a lot of us would still be agreeing to hand over a CD of images, it’s certainly made me think, and from the last two podcasts where they both do the same, I think it’s very important to protect your work and not let some lame lab destroy all our hard work. So thanks
Hey Paul – have you decided not to offer your files? If so, stop by and let us know how it goes, what the feedback is, how clients take it and if it’s workable for you. Will you offer a disc of Low-Res files for clients to share on Facebook or email?
Yeah I seriously think it’s the best solution, if clients don’t like it maybe it’s just educating them. The thought of offering a slideshow as Deasy do is very clever.
Maybe you could offer clients a print service even if you don’t make that much on the prints at least you know that your pictures will be printed to your own standards and shown in the best way…?
Lots to think of and as always can only improve from these talks.
I am also considering doing portraits and just have two sizes, framed and studio style, I just love the idea and for me the difference might be natural light as I have a room that has that ability, more tests but it’s feeling and looking like a good idea.
Yes, the slideshow is great – Bran Chapman, who has a lot in common with the Deasy’s also offers a slideshow to his clients.
I think the print service is a good idea but I’m not sure about reduced prices, I think that will again devalue your work. The print is what you are aiming to sell after all. If the client really wants to have more, I believe the slideshow is the better option rather than reducing print prices.
The simplification, like you are talking about with your options is probably the thing that most resonated with me about this interview.
Stay in touch and let us know how it goes.
Haha, I knew this interview would be right up your alley Brian.
Love that you enjoyed it and that you stopped by to comment.
I believe your two businesses have a lot in common and it’s patterns like these that make it difficult to ignore what makes a successful photography business: knowing your costs, offering and valuing finished products, no digital files, developing a style, shooting to a system etc.
Thanks again for coming on the show and staying involved.
They have it sorted those two, brilliant how they turned the price list around and streamlined everything to suit there own lifestyle. Really condensed everything for a simple workable flow, i love the idea.
I think the take away for me was ‘work smarter not harder’ which they have really done.
And NO CD I think this is something we all need to do, protect and respect our work.
thanks
Hey Paul, great to see you here again!
I agree, the Deasy’s have things simplified and sorted – they make it sound doable to run a profitable portrait business.
Speak soon
Andrew
[…] Sonia & Padraic Deasy – The Secret To Portrait Photography Success is Know Your Numbers […]
Such a great interview. I am very excited about seeing them talk next week in Sydney!
They are so similar to my husband and I in the way we run our business. It really affirms for me that we are heading in the right direction with our business.
Hi Kate, thanks for stopping by to comment and glad you enjoyed the interview.
I just read some reviews of the Deasy’s workshop in Melbourne and it sounds fantastic – have fun in Sydney, let us know how it goes.
Great to have you listening.
And there’s me thinking I knew my numbers inside out and back to front…well that’s now out of the window.
Very impressed with this Interview Andrew: Engaging, Educational and Entertaining too.
I’m really pleased for Padraic & Sonia that they’ve managed to keep things profitable. Not just because it’s not nice to see people go out of business, but because their business is generations old, because they’ve got a huge family to support and mostly because they’re hugely talented. I’d hate to see that happen to anyone with skills.
What I found great also was the dynamic between the two and the very clearly defined lines with regards to who’s responsibility was who’s. They seem to run like a well-oiled machine and that’s the key to business. Furthermore it appears that perhaps where Padraic is lacking, Sonia excels and vice-versa. They compliment one-another perfectly.
Congrats to the Deasy’s for remaining profitibale suring the GFC, times were tough, particularly over in Ireland, so huge Kudos to them and massive pat on the back to you Andrew for a great interview.
Keep ’em coming!
Regards
Michael
Thanks or the rap Michael – I had a lot of fun doing this interview and learnt a ton too!
To hear you say that you were impressed about how well the Deasy’s know their numbers really is something… Ive seen the spreadsheet you work from!
Thanks for adding your comments, great to have you tuning in and getting involved.