We are incorrect in the belief that ours is a digital generation. People still very much want to touch and hold tangible products, and they want to buy them and bring them home. In this lesson, Sue talks about the reveal wall and how selling tangible products is the pathway to making career-sustaining sales. You’ll also learn how to translate the language of photography so clients can understand it, and you’ll learn how to talk to them confidently about money.

We need to develop an industry standard for portrait photography that leads to a sustainable business and long-lasting career. The portrait industry has existed since the beginning of photography as the most valuable thing you can purchase for your family. So, let’s talk about how to price it. Sue talks about charging for sessions, for individual portraits, and in packages. She also talks about how to account for overhead and grow your average sale.

Sue breaks down the 17 strongest points in her sales system so that you can build a check list to help you nail every single one of them. This system is important for helping you understand how to make sales and how you can make even better sales. It will help you understand where you need to get more clarity in your marketing and where you need to lift your value. You don’t need to perfect this system before you get started selling. As soon as you have a folio, you should begin. Understanding this system will help you refine and grow the way you sell.

When we first get started, it’s hard to know what products to sell, and it could make sense to start with products that have lower overhead. In this lesson, Sue shows you interim products that you can use and goes over costs, products, and ideas for how to sell them. When you are selling things that are not archival, you can’t sell them at high prices, but this can be a good way to get started.

Sue walks you through all considerations that lead to sustainable pricing. First off, you need to feel value in yourself, your product, and your service. You also should consider how other photographers in the community are pricing themselves, so you can understand what makes sense for setting your session fee and developing your price list. Sue also talks about how to use gift vouchers to present yourself at full value and how to overcome guilt and shame for receiving money.