Marketing and Sales: Lesson 1 {Creating Print Packages}

For the first year of my business I included the DVD of images with the session (terrible I know, but I was trying to build my portfolio and get some practice and experience).  When I finally decided that I was way too talented for the prices I was charging I knew it was time to start requiring a print purchase on top of the session fee. 

I looked at what a lot of other photographers offered and just kind of threw some packages together.  They didn't really have any meaning to me.  I didn't know which one I wanted my clients to purchase or why I was offering certain things at certain price levels.  My sales were pretty sporadic with these packages, I never knew which one people would choose and I wasn't making quite what I wanted to for all the time I put into each session.

Feeling overworked and underpaid isn't good for your business so I knew I needed to re-create my packages.  My first step was to decide how much I wanted to make from each session.  My next step was to create a package that would leave me with that profit while providing enough great stuff to my clients that they felt they were getting a good deal as well. 

To choose what goes into this package think about what you want to sell.  If you hate designing albums you won't want to include an album in this package.  Whatever you do include in this package should be the things you display a lot of in your studio and talk a lot about to your clients during their session (pre-selling).  This will end up being very different for each photographer.

For me, I included the DVD of images (printable up to 8x10) in that package because I knew it would pretty much guarantee me to sell that package almost every time because people are so fixated on getting the DVD now days.  I realize many photographers wouldn't want to do this because you are pretty much capping yourself off at that price for most sessions.  For me, as of right now, I'm okay with that. 

Once you've got your ideal package created you'll want to create a couple packages below it and one package above it.  I've heard other photographers tell me that if you sell your smallest package very often there's too much in it and if you sell your largest package very often it's not expensive enough.  I think that's true.  I designed my other packages simply to guide people to the package I want them to choose (package 3).  Of course your packages will be unique to you, but here is my pricing list for some inspiration:

Since I implemented these new packages I have sold package number 3 (with the exception of only one client) every single time!  Amazing.  And that was over three months ago.  It's so nice having more stability in my income and being more confident in what I am providing and why it is valued at what I am charging for it.

I hope this is helpful for some of you.  If any of you have any tips to add to this please comment!