Imagine for just a moment if you will, you have just purchased a new car. You are enjoying the new car smell, the feel of the leather steering wheel, the comfort of the heated or cooled seats. Every time you get in your new car, a smile forms as you reflect on your purchasing decision.
Then BAM!
About a week after you have purchased your new car, you are innocently getting the mail out of the mailbox and tucked away between the gas bill and the cable bill, there it is, an envelope that has been hand addressed. Now you are thinking, ‘WOW! Credit Card companies are now hitting me up with a hand addressed envelope. Really? How desperate are they?’. You sigh and open the envelope anyway.
Much to your surprise, the card is not from a credit card company but from your salesperson at the car dealership thanking you for your recent purchase!
WOW! How AWESOME is that?!
It’s pretty awesome! You feel good about spending your hard earned money on a new car, the sales process was painless, you are enjoying your new car and then you are thanked for purchasing your new car! The next time you are ready to purchase another new car, you will definitely look at that dealership first, maybe even ask for the same salesperson.
So, how does the scenario above apply to your photography business?
Are you thanking your business partners for spending their hard earned money with you? Or is the last interaction they have with you is you saying thank you as they walk out the door?
Photography today is not just about producing beautiful imagery or having awesome products for people to purchase. Photography today is about building relationships.
Take the above scenario and change it to photography. Your client has just spent $2000 on family pictures with you. They pick up their order. The wall portrait is hanging in their home. Every time they walk by it, a huge smile forms on their face.
A few days later, your client is innocently getting the mail and between the gas bill and the cable bill is a hand addressed envelope. With a roll of her eyes, she thinks to herself, ‘WOW! Credit Card companies are now hitting me up with a hand addressed envelope. Really? How desperate are they?’. She sighs and opens the envelope anyway.’
Much to her surprise, it’s a gorgeous card (with one of your own images on the front and branding on the back), THANKING her for her recent purchase.
Wait. There’s more.
You have included two business cards in the card. One for her and one for a friend of hers with a free offer on their next session.
Your client is so impressed with the card, she hangs it on her refrigerator for all her friends and family to see.
You can be assured you will be in the front of her mind the next time she needs a photographer.
According to Mike Capuzzi, ‘…who doesn’t like to be appreciated and thought of? This is an extremely powerful emotion you should be tapping into regularly.’
When is it appropriate to send a handwritten thank you?
After a consultation.
After a session.
For a referral.
After a sales session.
There is an opportunity to send a thank you several times a day. Look for them. Take 5 minutes write a thoughtful note out and drop it in the mail. Your business partners will thank you for it!
Check out our full line of Press Printed Greeting Cards. They are perfect for thank you’s!
