Are you a new senior photographer trying to book new clients? Or maybe a seasoned one experiencing a slow period with leads and struggling to convert them into bookings? Don’t panic! In this post, I am sharing how to increase your inquiry-to-booking rate by implementing best practices for conversations with potential clients, response times, discounted rates, and more. Let’s get started!

How you handle inquiries, from the time they hit your inbox to the time the client makes a decision, is crucial. Aim to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible. Leaving inquiries unanswered gives your competitors a chance to swoop in. With a few quick Google searches, clients can find multiple photographers in your area to choose from. The first photographer to establish a relationship with them has the best chance of booking the client. If you struggle with timely responses, consider setting up an automated response email that conveys your personality and provides additional information about your services. Make the email personal by using merge tags to address potential clients by their first names. Remember, clients want to feel special and catered to, not like they are just a paycheck!

Tracking your leads is essential to prevent potential clients from falling through the cracks, especially during your busy times of the year. Use a simple spreadsheet or a business system to track your leads. Keep notes on where each lead is in your sales process and the actions you have taken for each lead. You can create buckets or phases in your booking process, such as Inquiry, Phone Consult, Booked, etc., to ensure that leads are not forgotten and that important steps, such as sending pricing and information, are not skipped.

Regardless of how exciting or unexciting a client may seem, always treat them like they are the most important person you have ever worked with. Provide an experience that is so amazing that the client would never want to go anywhere else and would rave about it to everyone they know! Evaluate your client experience from start to finish and brainstorm ways to make it better for each and every client. Implement those changes immediately to take your sessions from great to WOW and increase your bookings! 

It’s essential to provide a clear call to action to potential clients. You want to let them know what the next steps are and how to take them. Whether it’s booking a consultation, submitting a form, or contacting you, make it easy for them to take action. Use compelling language and clear instructions to guide them toward booking with you! 

Limited-time discounts or specials can create a sense of urgency for potential clients to book with you. Consider offering discounts for early bookings or special promotions for a limited time. Be strategic with your discounts to ensure they align with your business goals and profitability.

Now that we have discussed a few ways to help increase your inquiries to bookings, I want you to go back and reevaluate your own systems in place! First, what is your response time like for new inquiries? Does it need a little improvement? Next, do you have an automated response going out to inquiries when you can’t respond right away? Then, have you created a system or phases for the inquiry-to-booking process? And lastly, are you tracking your leads as they go through each phase in your system? Take some time to evaluate your business structure. See what little or big changes you need to make, and then implement them!  

I hope you found these few tips helpful and encouraging as you try to get your business growing strong!  If you are looking to improve your client retention, I would love to hear from you and help you in any way I can! Have questions? DM me on Instagram or email me at info@seniorologie.com!  

If you need more help with growing your business, making 4 -figures per senior session, and becoming the go-to senior photographer in your area, The Seniorologie Semester is for you! The Seniorologie Semester includes marketing to seniors and parents, building websites that convert visitors into clients, pricing your work for profit, creating an amazing experience seniors want to be a part of, and so much more! The Senioroligie Semester is currently open for enrollment! If you are ready to take the senior side of your business to the next level, book senior clients on repeat, and make 4 figures per session, the Seniorologie Semester is for you!  You can learn more about it by visiting www.seniorologie.com/semester.

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