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Attracting dream clients using google - Ingvild Kolnes
112 Plays2 years ago
Happy Woo Wednesdays! Today's conversation is so deep with Ingvild. Ingvild is a Photographer + mentor, Host of Sustainable Photography 🎙 She helps overwhelmed and underpaid photographers build a sustainable business.
Ingvild Kolnes is all about teaching talented, overworked photographers how to best run their business. A business where you make good money and attract clients you love working with. all while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
He focus is on how to work with the right clients and how to set up your business so you can have the life you want, and not just on the money you can make. Too many photographers end up burnt out and quitting because their prices and business model isn't sustainable. She wants to fix that. Work is such a big part of life that thriving should be way up at the top.
Hot Topic
Attracting dream clients using google. - be very clear about who your dream client is - use your website to write about how you can help your dream client - make sure your website is set up to guide your website visitors in the best possible wayFreebie
Use this workbook to help you get clients on autopilot by giving you tips on how to improve your website. https://education.ingvildkolnes.no/free-seo-workbook/Connect with Ingvild
https://www.instagram.com/ingvildkolnes/
https://education.ingvildkolnes.no/podcast/
https://www.ingvildkolnes.no/en/
Connect with Carissa
Join my facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/957498271691816/
Learn about my coaching program
https://www.instagram.com/carissawoo/
DM me the work lead for all the free goodies
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Focus
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back to Get a Heck Yes with me, your host, Carissa Wu. If you're loving my podcast, please leave me a review and you could download my free guide on how to get hot wedding photography leads. I know you want them. So today's episode is with Ingvile Koniz. She's a mentor and photographer. And today our hot topic is how to attract your ideal client using your website and Google. And so, so, so much
Ingvile's Specialization in Elopements
00:00:26
Speaker
more. She specializes in all day allotments in Norway.
00:00:30
Speaker
and she gives her clients an adventure to remember and is super involved in the planning process. We go so deep in finding and talking to your ideal client and I think this episode will really resonate with you in knowing your ideal client on a level you didn't know existed. Enjoy!
00:00:50
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all. I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise. Some healthy hustle, mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story,
00:01:19
Speaker
time packs because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey. I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon!
Journey into Photography
00:01:41
Speaker
Hey guys, welcome back to Heck Yes, it's me, Carissa Wu, your host, and I have a very special guest, Ingvael Konez, and she is a coach just like me, and I found her, and she actually lives in Norway, so it's 10 a.m. my time and 7 p.m. her time, so it's so cool to connect with people around the world, but she's all about teaching talented overworked photographers how to best run their business,
00:02:09
Speaker
because a business where you make good money and attract clients you love working with all while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. And I'm so obsessed with your podcast called The Sustainable Photography. So welcome. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah. And we're just talking about how both of us have just started up our podcast. I've been doing it for like three months and you have been doing it for six months. But tell me like your podcast journey and like any tips you could give me.
00:02:39
Speaker
Actually, I started like two months ago, so you're a bit ahead of me. Oh, too much. But it's been so much fun. I've been thinking about it for way longer, and I've been planning it for way longer. But I started probably recording, I think maybe I started recording this summer, but I didn't actually broadcast anything until this fall.
00:03:06
Speaker
I thought it was going to be more scary than what it was but it just felt so right to me. It just felt like all the pieces were falling into place because I just love connecting with people. I love learning from others and what better way to do that than through podcasting.
00:03:20
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I love your voice. And I know you've been a photographer for over 10 years, just like me. And we have a lot of knowledge to share. And then me and you before the we started recording, we're just geeking out on all our favorite podcasts. So you're definitely doing a great job.
00:03:38
Speaker
Oh, thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah, I think when if you want some actual like tips, I think my favorite tip or the thing that's like taught me the most is just reaching out to people and asking them to to be on, which I know you already do. So yeah, probably the best thing. Yeah.
00:03:57
Speaker
That's like the most fun part, right? Yeah, absolutely. And when you see that book in your calendar, you're like, yes. I know, I know so much fun. Oh, cool, cool. Okay, so walk me through like how you got started and wedding photography or even, you know, growing up and what you're doing now. I know you're a coach like me, so take me through everything.
From Landscapes to Weddings
00:04:17
Speaker
Okay, so growing up, I did have a camera. It was back in the day when it was like a film camera, but I didn't know anything about anything. So I have never been in a dark room or anything like that. I had the interest for photography, but didn't really do anything about it until I was backpacking.
00:04:36
Speaker
And I got a DSLR. We're probably back in 2008 now. So I was traveling, taking a lot of photos, and then it got closer to the time when it's like, okay, I have to go back home now. Am I really ready for that? Having a normal job and all that. And I started thinking, is there a way I can do something different, maybe make a living from photography? So that's really how it started.
00:05:05
Speaker
I took a lot of landscape photos and I realized that that wasn't really for me because you have to
00:05:13
Speaker
get up really early and you have to be really patient. Yeah, like five in the morning. Yeah, and that's really not for me at all. So, same with wildlife stuff. I had an experience in Argentina waiting on the beach to look for, or waiting for killer whales for like three days before they showed up. And it was just like, this is not for me. Three days? They did go up in the end, yeah. They did show up, but I realized that, no, this isn't for me.
00:05:41
Speaker
And since I'm such an introvert, I never would have thought that photographing people was for me. But it turns out that that's really what I love the most. And the fact that I ended up doing weddings, that was even stranger because I
00:06:00
Speaker
I don't have that wedding thing where I've been dreaming of getting married since I was a kid. I feel like most girls do, but I have never had that. But it's that whole telling stories and sharing the connection between people. That's what I like the most. So that's how I got started with photography and how I ended up.
00:06:23
Speaker
after doing weddings for probably about 10 years, I discovered elopements, which isn't really that common here in Norway.
Business Side of Photography
00:06:30
Speaker
We mainly get foreign people coming to Norway to elope. It's not something Norwegians do really. So when I discovered elopements, it was like, yeah, that's what I want to do. So I don't do that many weddings anymore. It's more elopements. And I think it was when I was
00:06:51
Speaker
going to different workshops and stuff that I realized when I got to know the other photographers, I realized that, oh, I'm one of the only ones that actually like the business side of my business. I like all that stuff, creating strategies and systems and learning how to get visible in Google, for example. So that's why I thought
00:07:13
Speaker
I can do something with this and teach what I know to others because one of the saddest things to me is when someone really talented, a really talented photographer, is just giving up because they can't be found, they can't make a living or anything like that. Because oftentimes it's not the best photographers that you see the work of, it's just the ones that know business best and they're not necessarily the ones that do the best job. So I just know I can help.
00:07:42
Speaker
so many get better at running their business. So that's what I want to do. Oh, that's so interesting. I think you being an introvert has maybe helped you in business because I see your style and your photography and it's gorgeous, but you're very like photojournalistic. So you could actually like your observers. So you're observing like what's going on and you're really like seeing like their expressions and the moments and that's what you really focus on. So it really shows in your work.
00:08:05
Speaker
And also being an introvert, while other people are playing and hanging out at the bar, you're actually, you know, focusing on the structure of your business and making it sustainable, right? Yeah. When other people go out, I'm at home working because that's my favorite thing to do. Oh my God, that's so interesting. Yeah, you're like, you're in the sidelines, like, you know, on your computer, like geeking out on Excel sheets and stuff and everyone just kind of like at the beach or whatever.
00:08:32
Speaker
Yeah, that's not even a joke. That's actually how it is. That's how I like to do it. Oh, I love it. Okay, so take me a little bit further because you didn't pick up a camera until 2007 and you were backpacking and you like to travel, but what did you like to do before that? Was it just regular photography or did you like arts or anything, like subjects, different subjects?
00:08:59
Speaker
Yeah, I have liked a lot of like arts and crafts and that kind of stuff. I did a year at university, which was like arts, not a degree because it was only one year, but like, art related. And when I could choose my subjects in school as well, I would always choose something art related. So I really like
00:09:18
Speaker
creative things and making things. And I used to read a lot. Now it's mainly business related, but I used to read a lot of like just normal literature fiction and stuff. Oh, interesting. Okay. Yeah. You're a smart girl.
00:09:35
Speaker
It's paid off in the long run. Yeah, probably. I do like to watch a lot of TV series and movies and stuff as well. And I think that's easy to connect to photography because especially if it's done really well, then it's interesting to see how it's filmed and colored and stuff like that. I think that's really interesting.
00:09:58
Speaker
Yes, okay. So I want you to describe like your approach to wedding photography as far as like client communication or client experience. And then how do you get your heck yes from your dream clients? Okay, so when it comes to weddings and elopements, I really tend to focus on the experience that they're getting. It's
00:10:21
Speaker
It's about getting to know them so I can make their experience really personal. I can give them a lot of tips, especially here in Norway. It's not common to have a wedding planner.
00:10:34
Speaker
I feel like if I don't help them out and let them know what's possible and how they should do things, everything will just get a bit messed up and they won't get the best possible picture. So it's kind of like my job to make sure that things run smoothly and stuff. So giving a lot of value is really big. And for elopements, I do...
Creating Memorable Elopement Experiences
00:10:56
Speaker
more of it even. I actually have that as part of my package that I help plan it because if you're a foreigner coming to Norway, it's really difficult to know how to begin. And since I live here, it's a lot easier for me to help out. So that's a big part of it. Yes, yes, yes, yes. You know, the grounds. Exactly. Yeah. So I think that's
00:11:19
Speaker
That's probably my biggest thing that makes me stand out that I have so much to offer. And I use that as part of what I'm selling, basically, because I'm sure all photographers give tips and can give you give a couple of the best advice about what to do and how to plan their day. But when it comes to like, what makes you stand out, I always think it's what you choose to focus on in terms of how you present it. So what I do.
00:11:45
Speaker
So do you like suggest the locations because you know some of the foreigners don't know and so you just kind of say oh I know this cool spot and I know this other cool spot and they have some galleries to show you? Yeah well basically when I work with the lopemans I always start out asking a lot of questions. I ask them like how they like to spend like a day off or what kind of scenery they're imagining to have in their photos or if they're
00:12:12
Speaker
Okay with it being really cold or altitude or if they want to hike or not so then I based on what they say I can give them a few location ideas and that's how we kind of narrow it down so it's like a collaborative process where we go through everything together but I usually have after talking with them the first time I usually have some places in mind that I can imagine them being because after talking to someone you you get a feeling of who they are and what they want.
00:12:41
Speaker
Yeah, I love that. And is it like a three hour package or is that normally the number of hours? I usually tend to do all day elopements because it's not just about the photo shoot, it's about like capturing the whole day. So I've been on the elopements where we go on like a long boat ride and hiking and road tripping and all sorts of stuff. So it can be so much fun.
00:13:07
Speaker
I think if you just do it for an hour or three, then you can get some really nice photos, but you won't necessarily be left with that amazing experience of how you spend the day waking up in a cute cabin somewhere and ending the day with a bonfire or something like that. So just add to it.
00:13:25
Speaker
Yeah, I never talked to an elopement photographer. And I'm not an elopement photographer. So this is all new to me. But that's very interesting. All day elopement photographer, very interesting. And you're giving them a whole day of experience of different adventures and ending the night with a bonfire. That's so cool. It's like a once in a lifetime thing. So yeah, you should make the most of it. Cool, cool. What was like your one of your favorite adventures or elopements?
00:13:54
Speaker
Oh, that's a difficult one. I think one of my favorites is from this fall. My couple were supposed to come to Norway in the middle of September, but due to the pandemic, they weren't actually allowed to get into Norway, so we had to reschedule
00:14:12
Speaker
and how we thought it was going to be. So we ended up having to go to Italy instead of Norway. So me and my boyfriend drove through Europe because I didn't want to fly just in case of like infection and that kind of stuff. So we just played it safe and we drove all the way down. That took like 24 hours or something like that.
00:14:33
Speaker
And then we met the couple there. We were actually staying in the same boutique hotel, so that was really nice. And they were just the sweetest. They had their families with them, like both their parents on each side, and they had siblings and their husbands and wives and stuff. And then we went, they did a first look and gave each other their vows that they read to
00:15:01
Speaker
to each other. And then we took a cable car up to the mountains and we went hiking with the whole family. And then they did their vows with spectacular mountains in the background. And then we just went for sunset portraits, just the couple, to a different place. And it was the best day. And everyone was so nice and it was so calm
00:15:31
Speaker
Yeah, it was really nice. Oh, I have goosebumps all up to my shoulders. They sound so beautiful.
00:15:38
Speaker
Yeah, you're really giving them this outstanding experience that they'll never forget. And if they're ever in the area again, they'll hit you up for more photos. Yeah, and that's something that's really nice about. I think especially elopement photography compared to weddings, because you get so connected with a couple that even years later, you're still friends with a couple and you still message each other on Instagram and send holiday cards and all that. And I think that's really special.
00:16:06
Speaker
No, totally. I feel like for me, I try to do associate photography, but it just wasn't my passion because if I'm not really connecting with them on the engagement session and the wedding, then I just, honestly, I don't really care as much about it. I really have to be connected with them to just love it. And it starts with that phone call, then engagement session, then being all day together at the wedding, and then a little coffee after. So it's all about the experience.
00:16:34
Speaker
Yeah, I can't do it either if I'm not connected with a couple and if I don't genuinely like them and want to get to know them because if I have a full calendar and there's a name on the calendar and I'm like, oh, I don't really remember who that is, then it's like, nope, nope, that just can never happen because then I have to know who they are. Yeah, it gives you like anxiety, right? Like who are they?
00:16:59
Speaker
Absolutely, yeah. So I would rather have fewer weddings or elopements than too many and feel like disconnected from it. Yeah, okay. So your whole like, everything about you is about like sustainable, you're very peaceful. Tell us like, how that came about? Like, why? Why are you so passionate about teaching photographers how to run a sustainable business? And what does that mean to you?
Sustainability in Photography
00:17:26
Speaker
comes from getting to know other photographers over the years as you said we've both been doing this for a long time and I know so many photographers who have ended up burnt out like I couldn't even count them like so many ending up burnt out quitting and being really like broke and miserable and working with the wrong clients and being really upset about it and
00:17:49
Speaker
I honestly think it doesn't have to be like that okay everyone can be unfortunate and and kind of get the wrong client every every now and again but if it's like a pattern if it happens all the time then you're doing something wrong.
00:18:04
Speaker
And that's something that I'm pretty sure that I can help with. And when I've seen that, when I've seen like there is a way out of it, I feel like it's kind of my job to put it like that, to put that out into the world and be like, okay, if you're struggling with this, I can help because I feel it's so unnecessary. And I also,
00:18:31
Speaker
think that if you're working with the wrong clients, you're not going to want to do this over time. You're going to want to quit because it's just not going to work. That whole sustainability is what it all comes back to because if you're working with people you love, you're not going to get tired of it. If you're pricing your work right, then you've got enough money to make a living and money set aside for emergencies and all that.
00:18:58
Speaker
You can keep going for as long as you want to and you won't have to quit because you don't really have a choice. Ah, you light up so much when talking about this.
00:19:07
Speaker
And it actually makes me feel empowered too, because we're kind of like the mama bears of photography. We've been doing this for a long time. And it's our job to have our students create a healthy photography business with margin, with space, working with the right clients. And this leads us to our hot topic. So tell us about your hot topic, and you could take it away with tip number one.
00:19:34
Speaker
I got in the last like two or three days, 18 inquiries. What the heck? Hey guys, you all know me. I'm Carissa Wu and I'm a coach for wedding photographers. I've also been a wedding photographer for over a decade, so I've been through it all. I was a shy, awkward girl and I've come so far. I'm now beyond passionate about helping wedding photographers not struggle how I did for so many years.
00:20:01
Speaker
It was six years into my business and I was so tired of being ghosted, nickel undimed, and hearing the dreaded words, we went a different direction. I also knew I needed to find a way to not rely on referrals or paying $350 a month for the knot to get my leads.
00:20:16
Speaker
I didn't want to have anxiety about when my next payday was going to come and I wanted to scale my business. Fast forward to now, I created my very own stack system to help wedding photographers get constant leads and master the dreaded sales call and get a heck yes in 24 hours or less.
00:20:33
Speaker
and charge more than 4, 5, 6K. No more waiting around, guys. This is our livelihood, our artistry, and our passion, and we deserve to be respected, valued, and paid for what we are worth. I've helped so many wedding photographers. Watch my 20-minute masterclass all about lead generation and closing the sale. The link is in the bio. You don't want to miss out on the wedding boom, and you don't want to miss out on booking your calendar for 2022.
00:21:00
Speaker
It's engagement season, guys. So you don't want to miss this. See you guys soon.
Using Websites to Attract Clients
00:21:05
Speaker
My hot topic is using your website to be found by your dream client. Oh, yeah. And.
00:21:13
Speaker
Tip number one is to be very clear about who your dream client is. I don't know about you, but when I was starting out as a photographer, I kind of thought that when someone was getting married, I should be there photographing it. There was no no. There was no option to turn something down. Anything that came my way, I would say yes to. And of course, that does not work long term. That is not sustainable. So I quickly learned that
00:21:43
Speaker
Not everyone was for me, but I didn't really know what to do about them. So it kind of came slowly that you have to be very clear about who's right for you. And I think the best way to do that is to start figuring out more about you and who you are and who you're compatible working with and what you want. Except for that, you have to be really clear about who that person is. You kind of have to build yourself a dream client profile. You have to figure out
00:22:12
Speaker
where your dream client lives, where they work, what they do for a living, how they spend their free time, what social medias they use, what kind of a wedding they want to have, basically anything about them you want to know, because that's stuff you need to use when you write things on your website or social media or whatever it is. So that's definitely the first thing. Be very clear about who you want to work with.
00:22:40
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, just going from what I've been working on yesterday, I had a call with my team. And they, my team wanted me to be more clear of who my target audience is for my students. And I'm like, it's just people that want more leads and want more bookings and raise their prices. They're like, no, like you need to be more specific. Have they been in business for one year, three years? Do they have a portfolio? Like, they're like, we need to send you a questionnaire. I was like, God dang it.
00:23:07
Speaker
Yeah, so they're like, please, this is going to help us so much. So just going back to who your ideal avatar is and your dream client, what would you say your dream client is? Well, for elopements, it's definitely someone adventurous, someone living in the US, someone who's wanting a different day, not like everyone else, someone who's
00:23:36
Speaker
Not as quiet as me, probably, someone who's a little bit more outgoing, but someone who's really intimate with their partner, someone who's close, physically, and not just scared to look at each other almost. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they're not like that. Yeah, yeah. Like the engineer's first kiss on the wedding day or something. Yeah.
00:24:05
Speaker
No, no, not at all. Because that's the good thing about finding your dream client, I think it's my version of a dream client might be your nightmare, which is why it's so important to talk about it and be clear about it. So that's, that's what I feel is the whole
00:24:21
Speaker
kind of like not magic but the essence of this is once you become really clear about it you can start turning down all the ones that feel wrong to you so that they can work with their right photographer and you can work with your right clients and then everyone will end up happy because they're gonna step their life out of you.
00:24:44
Speaker
So that's kind of my philosophy when it comes to it, that saying no benefits everyone, especially you and your client, because they'll be better off with someone else.
00:24:58
Speaker
Okay, that's great. I actually gained a lot of knowledge from that because even like you said, like the way they look at each other, like they're probably more like touchy feely. And, you know, they're passionate about love, maybe their love language is physical touch. And that's what you want to capture. Very interesting. Not like, you know, your sixth grade dance, like, you know,
00:25:23
Speaker
standing six feet apart in our social distancing. Thank you for diving deep into that. Take us away with tip number two. So the things that you know about your dream client, that's the things that you have to write about and really be clear about so that there is no doubt who you're right for and who you're wrong for.
00:25:43
Speaker
Oh, I love that. Yeah, I hired a copywriter a little late in the game. But she had like this 30 minute conversation with me. But when she sent me the copy, I was in tears because it just really encapsulated like my 10 years of photography. And it just
00:26:00
Speaker
It's not about you know, the photos. It's about the love like I don't like landscape photography. I don't like real estate photography. I don't like I don't like a lot of different photographers. I just I really fall in love with the people and the love and the chemistry between two people. And that's what that's why I am obsessed with weddings.
00:26:20
Speaker
Yeah, I completely relate to that. That's how it feels. And when it comes to this topic or this type of using your website to attract your dream client, one thing is using your website copy.
00:26:35
Speaker
Like the general stuff about who you are and what you do and all that. But if you go even a step further, you can start writing the most amazing blog posts filled with tips for exactly that couple that you want to work with. And that's when things really start happening and in terms of getting found.
00:26:54
Speaker
and buy your dream clients. Yeah, I love that. Like for me, I didn't want to pigeonhole myself, but I did love working at like the hip LA venues, the ones that had like food trucks and the colorful walls and just like the kind of quirky props and cool furniture. So I would write my blog posts according to that, like how to make your wedding stand out
00:27:22
Speaker
and just some cool things I've seen at weddings in LA. And I kind of honed on to that niche, like that colorful vibe, funky, bright, you know. So that was definitely like my style and that's what spoke to my heart. Take us away with tip number three.
00:27:39
Speaker
Okay, so one thing that I see a lot of photographers doing, and I've done this myself, and I think that's important to note as well, that when I'm saying these things that I want to pass on to others as knowledge, I've made all the mistakes myself, so there's no judgment for me when it comes to anything. But one mistake that I see a lot is using website templates that look the same as others when you're building your website, looking to others to see what they're doing.
00:28:08
Speaker
wedding photographers are not website designers. So you have to make sure that your website is working for you. You have to make sure that you're thought through what the goal of your website is, which in most photographers cases you want them to fill in your contact form.
00:28:28
Speaker
So that means that when someone is landing on your website and going through it, no matter which page they're landing on, make it really easy for them to get to your contact form, give them the information that they need, make sure that they know what you're all about, and then get them to the contact form. And that's it. Ah, I love that. Okay.
00:28:52
Speaker
Maybe you're saying don't use the same templates that everyone else is using. Would you say hire a professional web designer to help you?
00:29:02
Speaker
Not necessarily. I do see a lot of photographers getting it, um, like getting the basis of it right. Like it looks nice and all that. It's just having a little bit more focus on, on the function of it. But if you don't know what you're doing, um, I would say to hire someone to help you out, because I do see a lot of photographers spending a lot of time building their websites. And if they spent that time doing shoots, they could make
00:29:28
Speaker
a lot more money than what it would cost to hire a designer. Okay. Okay. I love that. Okay. I'm just going to recap on how to track your dream clients using your website and Google. So number one, let's be very clear about who your dream client is. We talked a lot about that. That was great.
00:29:45
Speaker
and then use your website to write about how you could help your dream client. So we talked about like the blog post and just speaking directly to your ideal client on your website. And then number three was make sure your website is set up to guide your website visitors in the best possible way and that
00:30:06
Speaker
is to guide them to the contact page for them to hit the send. Anything you want to add to that before we go into our fun rapid fire question?
00:30:22
Speaker
Um, just that your website is really, really important that even though you're depending on Instagram or Facebook to get all your clients, don't underestimate your website. Um, you don't need a lot, but just make it a bit nicer and a bit more functional and just have your favorite images on there. Not a ton. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's it. Yeah. I've been doing a lot of sales calls, um, for people trying to get them into my three month program.
00:30:52
Speaker
And what I found is a lot of people would have like these good shoots, like here and there on their Instagram. And, but it's bundled with not very good shoots. And I, I just wanted them to like bump up the old, the only, the good shoots to their website because it was like, Oh, I found a good shoot. Oh, let me scroll down. I found another good shoot. More is not better. Yes. Less is best. Okay. Rapid fire questions. Let's see.
00:31:22
Speaker
What do you like to do for fun with your boyfriend? We like to watch TV series and go out for walks with our dog. Oh, what TV series? We like to watch like a lot of True Crime. Oh, okay. Yeah. Cool. What is your woo factor? Why do you stand up?
00:31:42
Speaker
I stand out because I don't just talk about money. I see that a lot of photographer mentors talk about all the money you can make if you just do this or that. But I focus more on the thriving, making sure that you enjoy your work and that it's lasting and not just for a limited time and then you burn out. I love that. I love that. Okay. Ask me a question since you're a podcaster.
00:32:07
Speaker
Well, I'm really curious about the way you communicate with your clients. That's what really stands out to me. So can you give me a tip when it comes to communicating with clients? Yeah, I think it's the same as you. I ask them a lot of questions, and I get in their head, and I make it really fun. So I ask fun questions at the end after we talk about money. And I get really deep, like what do you love most about each other? And it could sound corny, but it actually lights me up.
00:32:36
Speaker
That's why I've been doing it for so long. Now I'm coaching, but I've been doing it for 12 years. So I really want to know the love story. And then my last sales call, they told me they liked how I was very upfront. I said, I don't hold your photos for hostage. I don't do much of upsells after the wedding. I give them 800 photos. They're all high res. They're all retouched. And they're all theirs. They have the rights to the photos. I could use them for my Insta.
00:33:04
Speaker
But yeah, I'm not gonna be like, Oh, I give you 30 photos and they upsell every, you know, $10 per photo. So they like that. And I tell them about that. I really love like, the story behind like,
00:33:19
Speaker
why they're getting married. And I pay attention to what they're trying to tell me what they want, their likes, their dislikes. And then after the call, I actually take notes on everything they said. So when I show up to the engagement session, you know, it could be six months from the call, then I already know them and they are so impressed that I remember everything.
00:33:43
Speaker
like, Oh, yeah, so you like those jewel tones. And, you know, you work at Northrop. And, oh, you're, you're a med school. They're like, Oh, like, she actually cares about us. And then the day of I'm their cheerleader. And I'm like, Do you need to go to the bathroom? Do you need water?
00:33:59
Speaker
Are you okay? How are you feeling? You know, like, how your feet you know, did you bring your flip flops? Do you need to change shoes? And they're like, Oh, you're so awesome. Like, because I'm all about them. I'm kind of rooting for them the whole day. Like, do you need water? Do you need a break? You good.
00:34:15
Speaker
So just checking in on them, like, can you do 10 more minutes of photos? Or do you want to rest stuff like that? So I'm always on like their side. And I think a lot of photographers are kind of like their way or the highway, like, I need this shot now. But I'm more about, okay, we're a team, we're a team, like, we need to communicate the whole entire day and work as a team, work with your family, work with a wedding party. So we're all like, we all have like the best outcome. And that's a beautiful day and beautiful wedding photos.
00:34:46
Speaker
Thank you for asking me that. Yeah, that was a good answer. I loved it. Yeah. So tell me more about your coaching program or how to work with you and then your Instagram handles and then your freebie.
Sustainable Photography Program
00:35:00
Speaker
Okay. So my program is called the sustainable photography program. Okay.
00:35:06
Speaker
It's like the main version is six months and they start really at the beginning or at the core. So I feel like my experience have been that a lot of photographers just do things. They do things the way they've always done it and they maybe haven't questioned why enough. Like why do they do it like that?
00:35:27
Speaker
What do you really want to do? So we just take it a step back first and then get really clear on that. And then we use that information to build on like setting goals and creating plans to reach those goals and making sure pricing is up to speed, which usually it's not high enough. Totally. And then creating a brand to suit the pricing and who you figured out that you want to be.
00:35:53
Speaker
Then, of course, ending with marketing and making sure that your clients can find you. Oh, I love that. You make it sound so simple. Yeah, really simple. Cool. And tell us about your... Your very generous freebie that you're giving everyone.
00:36:10
Speaker
Okay. So, um, as I mentioned, my, my, one of my favorite topics is website and SEO. So the freebie is a workbook that you can use to learn more about what to do. And it kind of guides you through some of the most important things to help you to focus on your next steps to get closer to, to getting the website and the visibility you need. Cool. Cool. And where can we all find you?
00:36:40
Speaker
You can find me on Instagram at Ingeveilcolmers. And if all the listeners, if you're listening, please screenshot this episode and post to Instagram and tag us and say, maybe your goal for 2022.
00:37:01
Speaker
And yeah, this is a really good conversation, and I've learned so much from you. And I told you I want to stay connected with you so we could all lift each other up as podcasters and as coaches. Absolutely. I can't wait. This was so much fun. I enjoyed it so much. Aw, I'm so happy. Thank you so much.
00:37:24
Speaker
Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me. Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine. See you next time, wedding pros.