[Songman45]

In the portrait business everything is based on the next visit. Longivity is the name of the game. If you understand the life stages and how they repeat in generations, you just jump on the merry-go-round and take it for a ride around. You get your original sitting at any point in life and continue the cycle. At my age, I won't begin with babies for this example. Lets go to high school and seniors. Can you go on location and shoot school dances for a modest profit, perhaps step up a notch and get the prom the following year. You are getting known to the underclass and if you get the prom, you'll be in front of the grads for this and next year. Some of these kids have gotten to know you and you can attract the senior portraits, then the weddings, then come the babies and children good for the next 5 years (before the annual school photographer) in this period you get a shot at developing children's hobbies and intrests (dance, sports, etc.) Family portrait time when the last of the brood gets to an age where the looks don't change so often and its wall portrait time. The children grow up and if you endure in the business long enough you'll see them at the dance, prom and graduation time.

The success of the business is not solely the success of the current sitting or assignment but how you get that same customer back. How you develop that customer and introduce him to the next need will impact your future. Why constantly rely upon new clients when you can have repeat business for generations?

How do you get that customer in front of the lens for the first few visits? Offer the proud new mommie an opportunity to record three of the first year's development stages and recieve an 8X10 from each sitting for a price that represents the price of a single sitting fee. Children already at school age? Those three visits change to group photos like a generation sitting, a couples session with just mom and dad, and a full family session. Each group session will (this is the hook, known only to you) also have poses of smaller break downs of the group. The clothing, scenery and mood all match and afford that up sale for a composite of enlargements.

Not only does each session lead to the next session but each session has to ultimately lead to the proofing and related additional enlargement sales. There is no need to pressure or force hard sales. In proofing you just never limit the customer's thinking to that one premium print. You guide them and suggest ways to use and display the photographs.

Its not about giving away an 8X10 and being taken advantage of. Its about having a captive audience looking at lasting recordings of fleeting moments, precious irresistable images. Its about multiple chances to advertise directly and immediately to your purchaser.