HS Senior Representative - how do you do it?

Rich Brown Photography wrote in post #11630241
This sounds like a shady marketing technique from what most people have stated here. Finding the pretty,popular girl, hanging outside of schools, striking conversation at fast food chains with high school kids, checking out kids' facebooks, watching newspapers for popular kids. Just sounds wrong in a lot of ways, especially since you use them for your own financial gain. I'm not here to judge on anyone in particular, just sounds like shady practices from the photography community as a whole.

Wow. It sounds more like a way to market to high school kids in a very competitive marketplace. You are the one adding "shady characteristics" to the process.

Way to go CDI! Hit the nail on the head.

cdifoto wrote in post #11632846
The pretty, popular girls (and boys) set the trends in school. You shoot them and their friends & admirers will likely want you to shoot them too.

As harsh as it is, nobody cares what the hermits do.

Having said that, I'd never creep around the school or fast food joints.

Exactly, no one knew who I was in high school.

What limitations are good to apply. Can a rep from school A refer someoen from school B, that I also have reps in? After a rep from 2011 grauduates, can they refer someone from the 2012 class? I want to be fair to the new reps but also dont want to discourage referrals.

Orchestra. Not band, orchestra. Their parents buy big.

gfp wrote in post #11659351
What limitations are good to apply. Can a rep from school A refer someoen from school B, that I also have reps in? After a rep from 2011 grauduates, can they refer someone from the 2012 class? I want to be fair to the new reps but also dont want to discourage referrals.

A referral is a referral. Don't limit how they come in.

I think photographers have to use their heads here and look at the big picture. I know Tiffany and i both photograph HS seniors and a lot of people want to get into this market. So, they wind up doing all sorts of things that actually hurt the market for professional photographers.

My #1 suggestion

Do not give your senior rep the session, packages, prints or the responsibility for free. Its suicide and not a smart practice. First thing they are going to do is tell all their friends im a rep and i get my senior photos for free. Every kid in the school now knows this and it puts no VALUE on your photography.

I had 2 kids approach me and asked me what i would give them to be a spokesmodel for my business. Why ?
because photographers in the area are doing this..just plain stupid.

I charge any spokesmodel for the service and i use the opportunity to get some extra sessions in and to do some creative work that i want to do to market my business. So the extra time and sessions are on my dime (my choice) but the spokesmodels pay for the products.

I also make up senior rep cards and give them to the spokesmodels to pass out to their friends. We all know the reasons why. But i put the spokesmodels to work for me, offer them incentives and product when thier friends come in with their spokesmodel cards for sessions. You cant do this with every kid out there. So if you are going to have a spokesmodel, talk with the parents and make sure they know its a responsibility, they will get discounts on products and that you are offering what ever you will offer to make it worth their time as well.

But do not give it away for free-- use your head when dealing with the kids and their parents

For this years senior rep program I decided to go with the following details. Next year I will probably raise the initial package they have to purchase but I want to get a footing in the schools this year and once I get some reps, I can probably get them to recommend someone for the following year.

They have to pay $100 up front for the pictures, and they will get it back after the 3rd successful referral. They also get $20 print credit with each referral.

I will make up a leather press printed book with the pictures for them to show their friends. They have to put down a $200 retainer for this as well, which they will get back at the end of the promotion, or if they choose to keep it after 8 referrals, its theirs and they get their $200 retainer back. I normally charge much more than $200 for this, but I want to make it affordable for them to be a rep, I dont want them to have to turn it down because they cant come up with the $400 for the book. They do not get print credit for these last 5 referrals.

Then they will get $20 print credit for each referral after that. With cash bonuses for 10 referrals, 15 and 20. If I have at least 3 reps in a school, and they each bring in at least 5 referrals, there is a bonus cash bonus for the one that gets the most referrals.

I did the math in excel and Im happy with the figures, the time invested, the expenses and the possible profit after all the cash bonuses.

So far I got one girl that seems very interested, and her mother has even contacted me for more information. So hopefully itll work out.

Each referral has to buy a minimum package to count as well with a sitting fee, and hopefully each one will buy additional stuff.

I agree. You can give them extra "neat stuff" that's not on your regular price list, or extended sessions..."appreciati​on gifts" that others can't get at any price. This maintains the integrity of your regular products and at the same time gives your reps something nobody else can get at any price. But don't anything free that others have to pay for.

RDKirk wrote in post #11674910
I agree. You can give them extra "neat stuff" that's not on your regular price list, or extended sessions..."appreciati​on gifts" that others can't get at any price. This maintains the integrity of your regular products and at the same time gives your reps something nobody else can get at any price. But don't anything free that others have to pay for.

glad somebody else sees the logic. cant tell you how many people i see out there with a basic camera,on camera flash, and shooting in P mode that are calling themselves professional photographers, selling kids prints for $50.00 and going back to their part time bank teller job, part time teaching job. It really is getting silly out there. This past year, I was asked to redo 2 sessions for some hack in our area. The pictures were horrible. The clients paid for 1/2 the session, got some proofs and called me. Then they wanted to know if i would help them out because they already paid for some prints someplace else. Not a chance. Regular prices but you can be sure i put the extra effort into the session. But it all went back to a client who puts no value into the photography. So if your giving it away, thats the client you will attract.

Dont think for 1 second that these kids wont tell each other what they paid for pictures. These kids are very smart and know exactly how to work a system. Giving it to them for free will not get you more business and will in fact get you less. You will attract clients that have no money. So be smart and pick out kids that will see the value in what you are offering. Thats what will get you more business. Screen your clients calls, offer an up front price format for the clients and make sure the prices will keep you in business.

So whats an easy way to find out who the "cool" kids are in each school using facebook? I dont particularly want to ask random kids who the cool kids are, because they will either probably ignore the message or give me false information.

Gerald, this isn't going to be easy.

did you see my facebook and seniors thread?


There is a lot of info in there that would help.

Basically, what you are looking for is a kid with a. lots of friends and b. lots of pictures. Once you score one or two really good candidates you can then offer them a small bit of picture credit for suggesting other kids to you. I offer $1 print credit up to $50 per friend. If they do more, great but they max at $50. Saves LOTS of time.

gfp wrote in post #11711774
So whats an easy way to find out who the "cool" kids are in each school using facebook? I dont particularly want to ask random kids who the cool kids are, because they will either probably ignore the message or give me false information.

They are all cool kids. You have to spend some time with them and find out what make them tick. Put some feelers out and interview the kids. Kids are pretty smart. For those that are shopping price anything will work. For those that want something special, product and the look that you produce will prevail. They will find you if you have the right look.

I read the thread and it is full of useful information. I have had a senior rep search event going for a while now and I got some interest, but not as much as I would like.

Someone else said they had luck with approaching a few of the popular kids directly and get them to become a rep, so I figured it wont hurt to try this as well.

slewi wrote in post #11627715
Here's how I find reps. I look in the newspaper for school districts to announce their deans list or whatever, I make that list a word document, and search for the girls on facebook. If they are good looking and are involved in a lot of activities I'll friend her and message her the offer to be a rep. That's all. Just be sure to give her rep cards to hand out, tag all of her pics, and give them a good deal. then they'll produce for you.

This is all foreign to me but i really felt like the last line was going to say then they'll put out for you. I just find this whole process such an interesting endeavor to partake in. I personally think if you are going to be doing campaigns like this YOU MUST have the parents involved if not you could be setting yourself up for some serious trouble.

By the way i meant no offense to you slewi and was not insinuating anything about your post, just a comical observation.

If you think this type of work is shady the same thing happens with products that people are trying to brand as cool. They have scouts hang around malls and look for kids that are trend setters, approach them and offer them free clothing, the kids take it wear it to school and boom just like that every kid in the school wants to know what they are wearing and where they got it. Some of these kids even get paid monthly to wear cloths from a specific company. This is by no means an uncommon practice, doesn't mean its right...