7 Ways to Increase Sales in Your Photography Business

If you’re looking for ways to increase sales for your photography business, you’ve landed on the right blog! 

There are so many ways to create more income for yourself, but many photographers struggle with getting booked and selling their products. I like to think it’s because you’re so talented with the creative side of photography – the angles, the edits, and whatnot. But so many of us also just don’t come from a business background, so it’s all about learning as you go.

I’ve been a business coach for photographers for a LONG time. So, if you’re ready to grow your sales skills, keep scrolling down. I’m going to teach you seven tips I teach my photography coaching clients to increase sales. (And the best part is that you can start doing all of these today!)

How to increase your photography business sales

Fast response time

My first tip to increase your photography sales is to focus on having a fast response time when someone first reaches out to you. You could chalk this “need for speed” up to people being impatient (and you’re not wrong…) but it’s way more than that. When someone reaches out to you to inquire about your services – they’re excited! They’ve probably combed through your photos on Instagram and your website, and they loved what they saw. You already passed their first test. Now they’re looking for more information on pricing and your process so they can say YES. 

But you can’t be at-the-ready to respond all the time. So, I recommend setting up an auto-response when someone inquires on your website. Use that inquiry response email to show off your personality, thank them for inquiring, share your pricing and packages, and set up a discovery call with you.

You’ll be able to capture them while they’re still excited, without having to do any of the work yourself. Win, win!

Get them on the phone

The second tip is to get people on the phone for a discovery call as soon as you can. Discovery calls are amazing because they’re another chance to show off your personality, build a personal connection, and prove you’re the right photographer for them.

I know your first instinct might be to resist discovery calls. Especially if you’re new and still just getting confident in selling your services. I get it. I’ve noticed photographers, no matter how long they’ve been in business, don’t like to get on the phone. I don’t blame you; neither do I. 

But think of it this way. This person that has inquired with you probably doesn’t know a lot about how the process works. They clearly love your work. But this is a big investment for them. Not only in terms of money (because you’re not cheap!) but also because they’re turning to you to capture something special for them. The resulting image is what matters to them and they need to know you can achieve whatever they’re looking for.

Discovery calls let you prove that. You do not need a lengthy call, a presentation, or anything fancy. Your discovery call doesn’t even have to last that long! You simply have to have one, listen to their questions, and answer them. That’s it. 

Use a pricing guide

I build websites for photographers for a living and I’ll be the first to admit people don’t read everything on your website. People are skimmers. So, it’s important to give them information more than once. That’s why I always tell my clients to include a pricing guide as part of their client experience workflow.

A pricing guide lays out all the details about what’s included in your packages and your pricing. It does not have to be long, but it does have to share enough details so we understand what we’re getting. (Check out my pricing guide templates in the shop for an example!) You can include the pricing guide in your initial inquiry response email and reference it when you’re on the discovery call.

How does having your prices in a PDF help you? To put it simply: people can’t hire you unless they know what they’re getting. The more detailed you are in your pricing guide, and the more questions you can answer for someone, the less work you have to do to convince them to hire you. 

Imagine getting on a discovery call to hear “I read the pricing guide you sent me and everything looks like what I’m looking for. I like the Premium package the best.”

How easy would do you think it would be to turn this person into a booked client? Pretty easy!

Explain the process & next steps

I’ve mentioned this in a previous blog post, and I’ll say it again. Photographers get a bad reputation for being under-communicative. Clients want to know what to expect before they book you. They see the horror stories about being ghosted by professionals on TikTok too! 

It’s important to explain your photography process and what the next steps are every chance you get. I find doing this on the discovery call helps increase your chances of converting them. Not only does it increase the person’s confidence that you have your stuff together, but it also helps them understand what’s needed from them to book your services. 

Remember, you’re the expert and they’re relying on you to tell them what to do.

Penciling their date in

Another great sales tip I like to use is to give people a date hold for 2-3 days. Depending on what type of photographer you are, clients may come to you wanting a specific date for their session. A date hold means you will tentatively pencil their name into their ideal session date.

By putting a deadline on how long you’ll hold their session date it incentivizes them to sign your photography contract and pay the deposit quickly. This is important for scheduling. It helps ensure you’re not overbooking yourself or underbooking yourself. 

Just let them know gently that after that time you’ll need to open that date to others. Don’t worry about coming off as salesy. Practice delivering this gently. Most people will understand that you can’t leave your schedule open forever.

Talk about your products from day one

Products are the best way to boost sales for your photography business. If you’re following the IPS method, they’re likely a big chunk of how you make your money. I have always found that my photography clients sell more if they weave products into the backbone of their business. 

AKA, mention your products everywhere, from day one! 

Photographers have a hard time selling and/or upselling their products when clients don’t see the value or need for them – when it feels like having to purchase something “on top of” the session. You have to show the value and create demand for your products. The more confident you are that purchasing products is a standard step in your process, the more likely you are to sell more products. 

Some ways I like to increase product sales are to:

• Add products to your session style guide
• Show your most popular products on your website
• Explain when during your process client needs to pick out their favorites
• Send emails throughout the client experience reminding them to check out your products and put their order in
• Incentivize purchasing products before gallery delivery

Do sales consultations in person

Yes, I am team In-Person Sales! Once your photos are ready and it’s time to pick your clients’ favorites, do it in person.

Doing sales in person allows you to hold your client’s hands one more time. Your client can see and touch the album material for themselves. They can see how large different print sizes are on your wall and envision the perfect spot in their own home to hang their photos. 

Think of this step as the difference between buying a car online or in person at the dealership. Going to a dealership lets you test drive each vehicle you’re interested in. You can smell the leather and feel the steering wheel in your hands. Peeking in the back seat will give you an idea of how much legroom your kids will have. You can even measure the distance between seats to make sure there’s no reason Suzie may bump into Johnny or that Moose (your fake Saint Bernard) won’t have amble snoot room to cruise in comfort.

Are you picturing it? Your client will be too when you do in-person sales consultations. (Picturing your photography in their home, not whether Moose needs an SUV or a sports car. ;D )

There are so many more ways you can increase sales for your photography business, but these seven are things you can start doing TODAY! I wanted to focus on things that anyone can implement at any stage of their business.

If you’re not sure which one to implement first, I highly recommend you start by including the pricing guide. You can pick up my template from the shop and start adding it to your emails and discovery calls immediately.