Your customers are important, so ensure that you look after them and watch what you say
One of my clients told me about an experience they had with another photographer. They commissioned a shoot of their family, and were due to meet at a local woodland spot. It was the first time they’d done anything like this, and they were a bit nervous. Their two children – six-year-old Harry and three-year-old Jade – provided the usual challenges on the morning of the shoot: “I don’t want to wear that!” and “I don’t want to go!” Still, mum and dad managed to bundle everyone into the car and get to the location on time.
The photographer clearly had limited experience with children. He seemed unsure how to respond when Harry complained about feeling cold and when Jade preferred to kick up leaves rather than stand and pose for the camera. However, the parents felt it went well overall. Mum and dad’s anxiety was replaced by relief that there’d been no dramas and there was an anticipation to see the images. Everyone started walking back to the car park when the photographer made a comment…
“My goodness,” he said to the parents, “Your Jade’s a handful, isn’t she?!” This sentence is what they remember most from their experience with that photographer. Despite appearances, I’m not in the business of selling pictures, at least not when it comes to the families I photograph. I’m selling memories.
When Harry and Jade’s parents got in the car after their woodland shoot, the first thing they asked each other was, “Did you hear what he said about Jade?” They dissected the comment and mentally replayed Jade’s behaviour during the session. They wondered whether the photographer managed to get anything good, and felt anxious about seeing the images.
I create these memories through every interaction clients have with our brand: on our website, through our pre-shoot email sequence, and at the final unveiling of their chosen product at our studio. But mostly, I create these memories during the shoot itself.
I capture the memories in beautiful, aspirational images that show each family at their best: full of joy and love. When my clients look at the pictures they do so through an emotional filter: they remember how they felt at the time when I took the shots. That’s why the client experience is so important. I know that my clients will arrive at my studio feeling at least a little frazzled – it’s my job to suck the heat out of the situation as quickly as possible. If they are running late, they will be even more stressed and I have less time to fix the mood, then it’s even more important that I do it.
I meet my clients at the door with a big smile and a warm ‘hello’. I use my tone…