 Tara R. Swartzendruber |
client referrals Does anyone offer incentives to clients who refer others to your studio (if you have a studio). Would anyone be willing to share what you offer as an incentive or a thank you in this situation? Thanks!
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Lynn R. Powers |
Yes, I did. I would give each customer three business cards with their name on the back and tell them to inform the potential client to return the card to me when they contacted me. I gave the person a "finders fee" of 10%. The odd thing was that many referals were not really referals. A person would see the photos that I had taken and would ask who took them and contact me on their own. I ended up with more customers by word of mouth than I did actual referals. If you cannot afford 10% you are not charging enough.
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Tara R. Swartzendruber |
why do you say "did"? Have you changed your policy? I also receive most of my customers the way you described....word of mouth, someone say their photos, etc... However, I have some people who say, "my friend so and so recommended you....." I want to reward those people (and encourage them to tell others!), so I thought about a free 5x7 or 8x10 at their next visit, or a percentage. Just want to know what others do. Thank you for sharing!!
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Lynn R. Powers |
Tara, I no longer have a studio to use. Now I select my customers or potential customers. If someone comes to me because they saw my work I find out EXACTLY what they desire. Often they want something that I am not well versed in doing. Other times something that I don't know how to do, or have the equipment to do properly. Two examples: A girl wanted some outdoor nude shots but wanted me to enlarge her breasts in the photos. I do not have the program where I could accomplish this nor do I know how to do it. Another person wanted his small glass sculptures photographed. I do not have a lightbox nor the space to setup something else that would work so I had to decline. It wasn't a problem of not knowing how to take the shots. I believe that a paying customer is not the place to experiment or to try something new. If I do not feel I can give them my best it is better to say "No, but thanks for thinking of me. Perhaps I can be of use to you later". Charging for less than your best is unfair to the customer and will give you a bad reputation. I also have a policy that if they are not happy with the results there will be a free reshoot or no charge. Sometimes they will say they don't care and I make sure I get that in writing.
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