Question: Is there something you can do in the next seven days to be assured of bringing in more money RIGHT NOW - regardless of the economy or all the cheap competition everywhere? The Answer: Yes! Answer your telephone and e-mail price inquiries correctly! There's GOLD in them! Here's three powerful tips: 1. Always use the "Redirection Question." Here's how the Redirection Question goes: Your prospect calls or emails you and asks: "How much do you charge?" You answer: "I'll be happy to discuss our fees but may I ask you a few questions first - so I know exactly what it is you're looking for?" By using the "Redirection Question" you are "redirecting" the prospect's mind away from the question of price and onto the fact that you actually care about her and want to find out what it is she's looking for. This is an extremely powerful, little-known secret for telephone and e-mail handling of the questions about price. I urge you to use this with every phone call and every e-mail that comes into you. 2. Use the "Magic Question." I've talked about the Magic Question before, but just in case you missed it, here it is again: "If you don't mind me asking, what's most important to you about ____________?" (Where the _________ is what she is asking about - a family portrait, child's portrait, wedding photography, etc.) This is one of the most incredibly powerful and effective ways to find out what is known as the "DBM" - which is the dominant buying motive of that prospect - the one thing she wants to be sure to get out of the photography that she's thinking of doing. If you just ask this Magic Question and listen carefully to her answer, you will be given a wonderful opportunity to show her, in an emotional way, why she should work with you rather than any other photographer in the area. It's extremely powerful. 3. Handle the "Stalls" correctly. A "stall" is a statement a prospect or client says that she thinks will "stall" you off - make it so she can just get off the phone or whatever and then she will never call you again most likely. The reason "stalls" are so powerful, is most photographers don't know how to handle them, so it's an easy "get away" for the client or prospect. I will write a complete article on this in the future, but for today, let's cover one of the most common stalls you and I receive all the time on the telephone & sometimes even in e-mails. This stall goes like this: Prospect says, "I'll have to talk with my husband about this, and I'll call you back." You and I have heard this hundreds of times, right? Here's your response to this stall: "I understand completely. If you don't mind me asking, what do you feel he will say when you check with him?" Then, you SHUT UP! What this does is it asks her to speak some more - rather than just hanging up. And as long as you keep the conversation going, you have a chance to turn it into a paying client. Now, she might say, "Oh, I think he will say it's too much money." (That's always a common response I get.) So then you say something like this: "You know, I totally understand. I would probably say the same thing if I were him. Let's say you call three photographers. The first one says '$50' the second one says '$100' and then I say '$300-$500'. I would probably say 'I don't know where we'll go, but I know where we won't go - we won't go to that guy who said $300-$500!' And you know what? That could very well be one of the biggest mistakes ever. Why? Because the fact that we charge a little more is the VERY REASON why you should seriously consider working with me. "I can tell from talking with you how very important these photographs are to you. You want something special. Something that touches your heart and makes you cry tears of joy every time you look at the photographs. And that's what I specialize in creating for you. In fact, I GUARANTEE that you will cry tears of joy the first time you see the images, or I will give you all your money back. Let's get together and chat, no charge, and no obligation………" See how you just turned someone who was going to walk away and never call you back, into someone who just might take the next "baby step" and come in to chat with you? Very powerful - and remember - this is a win-win. Yes, you win by very possibly getting her as a client - but she wins, too - as she receives the beautiful images that only you can create for her in your special way. I sincerely hope these three tips have been helpful for you. Now TAKE ACTION on them! All the best to you, Charles J. Lewis
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