October 20, 2020
We’re going to cover a ton of YOUR questions that you posted in the Heart & Hustle Facebook group! Soooo if you wanna have your question answered on a future Q&A episode OR have input on what topics we cover on the show, ORRR just have a DOPEEE community of badass entrepreneurs… then JOIN THE SQUAD! Link is in the show notes of today’s episode!
ALL RIGHT. So. Today’s episode is gonna be funnnnn. We’re going to talk about how to speak to body image and insecurities in clients as a photographer, whether or not you might be “boring” if you’re getting ghosted and how to fix that, tips to finding your branding style, how Lindsey and I “do it all” (hint: we don’t lolz but I talk about time management and prioritization!) and how to write and think of caption ideas!!! It’s gonna be a gooooood show so buckle up and let’s dive straight on in!!!
CUE THE THEME SONG IN 3…2….1…..!!!!!
Let’s first ask the question, “How often does this happen?”. I have clients occasionally point out insecurities, but the fact that this happens at almost every session. First and foremost assess how you’re doing as the photographer to make them see their beauty and worth throughout the process. If it is constantly happening, I would put a question mark over the photographer in this situation. Just because if you are PRAISING THE HECK OUT OF YOUR CLIENTS.
“Omg you look AMAZING!”
“Daaangggg guys you’re SEXAAAYY.”
“Okay wow that’s precious. You two are perfect together.” etc.
These types of comments, being genuine. It truly will make a difference. It sounds like you already see the beauty and worth in each of your clients (I LOVE THAT!!!).
My encouragement is to freaking CALL IT OUT. Every single chance you have (which is a LOT on a session!!!!) This is one of the number one mistakes I see with photographers is they are so focused on directing, the settings, and the surrounding. There is so much going on in your head, which is natural, but it is very easy to forget to praise the HECK out of your clients. If not being able to praise them that might send them into a spiral of thoughts about insecurities and negative self-talk. Whereas when you have the space and mental capacity to speak into them and praise them. It will change the mental game for the models, couples, or clients.
It is very hard to enjoy what you are doing. It is also very hard to feel confident and beautiful when the photographer is dead silent taking photos. You start to think, “Wow, we suck!”. It is so important to constantly praise your clients as you are working with them. Tell them how good they look, tell them how much you love that. You are the cheerleader in this situation.
If a client points out an insecurity don’t be afraid to reply with the truth. For instance, I once had a girl say she thought her hands were ugly and I straight up laughed at her and said “I legit was just taking that closeup because I think your hands are beautiful, feminine, and yet strongggg. I LOVE them!” She never mentioned her hands again and I saw her loosen up with them after that.
The bottom line is you can speak your truth if an insecurity surfaces during a session. And if your clients feel the need to point out insecurities during sessions?? See if that’s something you can mitigate as the photographer!!!
A few more thoughts on how to respond if your clients still make comments about their insecurities:
I’m gonna cut it to you straight: I guarantee YOU aren’t boring. BUT, your client experience maybe! So what are you doing to set yourself apart from the competition? Most clients are reaching out to at least a handful of people at once to find the right fit and get quotes, so what about YOUR emails and YOUR processes. What is it that sets you apart and makes people see why you’re different and why they should pick you?
Your initial response email HAS to be different than “thank you for reaching out. Congratulations on this project. We would be delighted to serve you. Please read the prices below. Thank you.” *ROBOT VOICE*
Every single freaking vendor is probably using verbiage and layouts like this. So SCREW THAT. How can you bring YOUR personality into that first email??
For instance, my initial response emails are LOOOONGGG. It’s SO hyped it’s a little scary. And I reiterate tons of stuff from my website including WHO I serve best and who I don’t. YES, IN MY FIRST EMAIL. I state my repel and retract. I am stating I am for you or I am not for you. So I’d re-evaluate that first email and think about how you can show who you are, who you serve best, and why you might be different from your competition. And why they should pick you and not Sally down the road!
I would put your Pricing guides in the FIRST email: long, detailed, fun, and showing why you’re the best freaking human they could ever choose.
For example, have reviews throughout the entire guide. Have an entire section dedicated to what it looks like to work with you and what sets you apart from your competition. Prove to them through the quality of the guide as well as all the details involved that you’re worth the investment (no matter how big or small). Show through every single step in the guide that you are worth it. Have a section introducing yourself and building a connection with them RIGHT away. Set expectations, serve, and walk those potential customers through every step of the process throughout the ENTIRE pricing guide!!!! (This includes “next steps” to booking!!! Show through every single step in the guide that you are worth it.
Showing your worth through every step of the process is a game-changer. Yes, you will still get ghosted by clients who are not the right fit, but if you have done your work ahead of time your ghosting will drop to close to nothing.
HINT: stay tuned for something epic coming this fall for you along these lines. 😉
One last thing: communication and expectations begin on your website. You may be getting a ton of inquiries from the wrong people because they’re not being repelled on your website. Then they get into your inbox, realize it’s not the right fit, and that’s why the ghosting is happening. You need to step up your client communication and show why you are worth it and why they should choose you above anyone else!
Go listen to episode 002 and episode 026 of this podcast for even more anti-ghosting and client communication tips!
First finding your branding and branding style takes time and is ABSOLUTELY something that will continue to evolve so keep that in mind!!! I am constantly changing my branding style as I grow, change, and as my business and companies grow and change. So don’t be afraid to start somewhere and continue to grow over time.
If you are hunting to find that style, the biggest tip is Pinterest! Hunt around + build out a Pinterest board of all the vibes, colors, styles, etc. that catch your eye. Then go back and notice any consistencies and themes and hone in on your style! It may take a few boards/a few rounds of revision and narrowing down… but that should help you realize what your eye is most drawn to! It will help decipher what color and styles you are drawn to and then you can begin to build your brand from there!
Best site that Lindsey and I both use is ShowIt for all of our company sites and LOVEEE it. It is super easy to customize, navigate, and update even if you are not a web designer of any kind.
If you want 10% off your first annual subscription and use ‘HEART10’. We can’t say enough good things about Showit, seriously for someone who is not a graphic or web designer it will be easy to navigate!
WE DON’T DO IT ALL! As an entrepreneur, there will ALWAYS be more to do. Learn to give yourself grace, prioritize, and not be overwhelmed by the “more” that will always be there. Can anyone confidently say that they are ahead? We guarantee there is always more on the list. Learn how to navigate the more in life and do it in such a way that you feel productive and ahead, even if there are more items on the list.
Everyone’s routines will look different so build a routine that works for YOU!
A more in-depth answer and thoughts to the struggle of feeling productive, busy, and overwhelmed. Deep Work is one of my favorite books ever and I re-read it regularly because it’s just so dang good and there’s so much in it. BUT… Deep Work talks more about how to lock in on a task and get it done… NOT how to prioritize your tasks and deadlines. I think that’s where a lot of entrepreneurs still struggle. You can’t just “lock in on a deep work task and knock it outta the park”… when it’s an unnecessary deep work task at that moment.
Learn how to prioritize tasks. Especially as a busy person. ESPECIALLY AS A MOM.
Some questions to ask yourself when working to prioritize your tasks and lists:
Begin to triage based on that info and assign due dates to your tasks and projects. This will help you head into each week, day, and month knowing that while YES, there’s 100 tasks on your list… you only have to tackle 1 today, 5 this week, 10 this month, etc. It gives you the ability and flexibility to REST knowing that it’ll all get done in a prioritized time.
Time management & productivity is a WHOLEEEE long conversation with MANY facets and angles. Learn how to prioritize what’s urgent and make sure to include that time for you, time with your family, and to rest. So then you assign what task you will do that day, then some emails, and then carving out time to spend with your kids. The best thing you can do in your life is to know what you need to do that day. It will help you stay focused and feel more productive because you have tackled what was on your list for that day. You do NOT NEED to tackle a hundred tasks at once. You just need to tackle them systematically in order, one day at a time.
It is on my list to create lots of resources for everyone struggling with this because TRUST ME, you’re not alone!!! I still struggle with this and it is a learning process for all of us.
I take a lot of feedback from my ideal client. What are they struggling with? What questions do they have? How can I serve them? Create lists based on that.
Also, write down ideas whenever inspiration strikes!!! I have DOZENS of notes in my phone/on my computer from random caption ideas. Use that as inspiration when you are going to batch captions.
Another tip is using voice memos to word dump your thoughts and then compile into neat captions!
Note the places you feel the most inspired and get ideas: for example in the shower, driving, talking to a friend, etc. Harness the power of those times of inspiration and intentionally make time to seek those flowing ideas!!! Make sure you pay attention when the inspiration strikes and if you need to carve out time to get your creative juices flowing, take that time.
Break up your content (captions, blogs, etc this applies to all of it) into “content pillars.” So for example, a few of those could be:
Everyone has different content pillars so try to discover yours and then use those as the basis to help you plan and draft captions!!
I’d go listen to episode 006 of this podcast if you haven’t already to get even more ideas and tips on captions!!!
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WASSUP FRIENDS. We’re Evie + Lindsey, co-founders of this wild partayyy called The Heart University. Our goal is to empower entrepreneurs to kick freaking BUTT in their businesses, dive down into the heart of their why and how, and serve you with all possible tools you’ll need to up-level your business game and CRUSH those goals of yours.
Whether you’re coming to an in-person workshop, joining our online course, or soaking up all the strategies via this blog or our podcast, we’re STOKED you’re here + can’t wait to see you out there kicking butt.
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