I get a lot of Inquires BUT.....

No one books me?! all I can say is WTH? I have a few things in mind that can be swaying WHY I don't get any... This is a forum to help fellow photographers... Especially Canon shooters BUT really I need some advice here... What should I be doing differently or not doing at all?.... Heres a few factors for me as of the moment.

1) Im in an area where the market is HUGE for wedding photography and some more like what I do ... Portraiture work.

2) There are A LOT of "unqualified photographers" doing the jack of all trades around here for a hell of a lot cheaper than I would do.

3) I DO NOT own a really good professional site for my work at all yet, but I will be honest, I blame that on not having clientele to invest in my work for me to RE invest it into a good flash player website or Blog. (Then again I could always DUMP my own money, which theres not much of into it and HOPE people will start investing)

4) Im not quite sure what to explain my style as other than offering Portrait work for kids, family, couples ,maternity Etc.

6) I don't exactly have "professional grade"(canon t2i) gear BUT its not about the camera..I do have a couple of good lenses and no they aren't L glass (85 1.4 and 50 mm 1.8 and a few others)... BUT I feel I still take WAY better photos than the "others" in my same area doing the same thing for a lot cheaper

7) My post processing is pretty good I think, then again I haven't had a lot of clientele to ask "what do you like most about my work" so that I could improve on it..

8) HOW DO I MARKET MYSELF?! I guess this is also where I fail... Im not REALLY a good sales person but I know its obviously needed in order to make a decent income out of doing it.

Here is another thing besides the fact that Im not booking anyone.... I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY with all my heart, Not doing it because of the money you can get from it but because literally once I have a set of photos, you cant stop me from working on them.. Im addicted... I love what I do, so not its not just for the quick buck that so many of these others think they can get and DO get... Im just surprised by it. Thanks.

Oh and heres my facebook fanpage link.... you can see some of my work there.
http://www.facebook.co​m …otography/24489​3445552220

If you get inquiries, but no bookings... people see you as overpriced

#3 - Sounds like you're expecting others to invest (aka take a gamble) in you... You really should be sinking your own $$$ to get the ball rolling... spend money to promote yourself and any work you may already have... if you're pricing as a pro, your work should be displayed as a pro

Put yourself in the shoes of a customer who you would expect to need for (whatever services you offer)

Then; shop around for your ideal photographer. Pretend you aren't you and evaluate how you perceive your marketing materials (site, networks, mailers, whatever). Would you hire yourself? Is this content interesting to you? Does it make you want to inquire/book? Does it make you excited to work with the person (the person being you of course, but remember you're pretending).

Whatever springs out at you write it down in a list and find & consider solutions to fix it. Money can help but throwing money at things without a clear mission, idea of a target market and a logistics plan is something I don't think will be a good idea.

It takes a bit of practice but it helps me out

You sound a lot like me when I started...My advice to you is get out and be seen....Some people may dis agree with me, but get involved with local organizations and volunteer your photography to them. Charitable organizations are a great way to get your name known and build up a reputation as a all around good guy.
Do work cheap for your friends, let them know what the normal cost is and that you are giving them a friend and family discount...I have 5 families I do this for who are well connected in the community.
Lastly all I can say is give it time, its taken me 5 years to get where I am and I still dont fully book a wedding season. but every year it gets better and every year I can afford a little better gear... good luck

If you get inquiries but no bookings, consider the methodology and steps that it takes for a potential client to book you - Some questions you could ask yourself:

How many points of contact do you have for a potential client to reach you (contact form on site, phone number on mailers, invoice with studio address on it, blah blah blah? How many emails does it take on average to book (yyzx client for xyyz purpose)? how many loops and bridges are there to cross? Are they easy to discern and get through if you are not a photographer? Do you have paperwork that needs to be signed, what is the workflow of your payment collection method, how do you fulfill orders, how much time do they have to complete ordering/files available, how easy is it for them to understand your process,

Thanks Guys....

Great advice. I should revise where I said "dump my own money into it and hope people re invest" Its not that I have a problem investing my OWN money, I know it will come back somewhere from a client but its soo hard when all you feel is okay Im putting myself out some money this month (but is worth it) and yet Im in a place (or everyones in a place) where the market is over saturated with people that dont know the first clue about the camera they bought, let alone the lenses they use and PP software they have and IF they have correct knowledge of using it. It is so darn hard to rise above them when all people can see is Price BUT Karl, you made a great point that should stick out is that if my site and everything I have relating to my photography is EYE catching then I suppose more people are likely to choose me and my work over someone whos show casing their work but with crappy quality... Im guilty for that I should say....

If people are shopping around and they see you lack a professional website and you are most expensive than others, then they probably do not see the value in what you offer.

It has become more and more common in today's world to go check out someone's website. I have spoken to MANY business professionals that are under the impression that a poor website is a reflection of the business. If a business isn't going to invest in itself, how can you really take them seriously? It is the same with marketing as well. Cheap marketing materials are usually viewed as a negative. People view the company as cheap and poor quality, not worth the investment.

If you competition has a better presentation and costs less, you are not going to get many bookings at all. You either have to invest in a much higher quality presentation, or price yourself accordingly.

You have to spend money to make money. Seen an ad for the newest smartphone lately? They didn't sell a ton of them THEN make that ad, they made that ad so they can sell a ton of them.

cdifoto wrote in post #13365774
You have to spend money to make money. Seen an ad for the newest smartphone lately? They didn't sell a ton of them THEN make that ad, they made that ad so they can sell a ton of them.

Except when they manage to get 1000 "reporters" to pick up the marketing material and write "articles" about the upcoming phone

But before a company reaches that kind of fame, they have had to do it the traditional way. Investing in publicity.

Your photography is solid, but not having a website makes you look more amateur. Your portfolio on FB only shows a few shoots and most will assume you have very limited experience. You alone will have to make the investment and market your business to your potential customers.

Many places have family portraits for very cheap, perhaps your pricing is not competitive in your market for the people that know you. For most pro photographers, portraits are not their only specialty. They have other specialties-wedding, commercial, seniors, fashion, etc that bring them into contact with people who may also need family photos. Print advertising may help bring make potential customers aware of your services.

Not to suggest this is the source of your woes, but: you have misspelled 'business' on the front page of your website. If you saw a misspelled word on a business website, what do you think you would infer ? There are also several typing and grammatical issues with your site. If you want to project professionalism, I would recommend looking into this.

Yes, first thing I think when I read your post was: must be priced more than folks expected given the work. I notice your prices are public on your site--does that include prints as well ? In other words, when people contact you, do they know your prices ? What are the questions they ask and you answer that ends up being the last email exchanged ? That's what I would consider.

pwm2 wrote in post #13365806
Except when they manage to get 1000 "reporters" to pick up the marketing material and write "articles" about the upcoming phone

But before a company reaches that kind of fame, they have had to do it the traditional way. Investing in publicity.

Those tech reports can only reach like-minded nerds. To get mass appeal they still need traditional advertising. Most people (ie the average consumer) don't make it a point to stay abreast of new things whether they're gadgets, laundry detergent, or photographic services.

Build your Facebook page into a real website in itself. "Tabsite" is extremely economical, and it allows you essentially to create a full-blown website (with top-row tabs, multiple pages, galleries, and video) on a Facebook fan page. For wedding clients, this might even be all you need in terms of Internet presence.

Christopher Steven b wrote in post #13365825
Not to suggest this is the source of your woes, but: you have misspelled 'business' on the front page of your website. If you saw a misspelled word on a business website, what do you think you would infer ? There are also several typing and grammatical issues with your site. If you want to project professionalism, I would recommend looking into this.

Yes, first thing I think when I read your post was: must be priced more than folks expected given the work. I notice your prices are public on your site--does that include prints as well ? In other words, when people contact you, do they know your prices ? What are the questions they ask and you answer that ends up being the last email exchanged ? That's what I would consider.

There are typos on the Facebook page as well.

Vanessa- I would have someone write your content for you that is an expert is writing. The grammar and typos can send the wrong message. I am not trying to be mean, I am just trying to help. Writing is NOT my strength, which is why I had an English teacher I know read over all my content for my website.

If you really want to make a successfull business out of your photography then you should have some basics down.
A good business plan.
A very good marketing plan.
You really need to know where your clients are coming from and how you are going to book them.
Honestly, a love of photography will not make a successfull business. You will be surprised that running a photography business has less to do with being a good photographer then being a good business person.