Create the right
client experience
Your customers are important, so ensure that
you look after them and watch what you say
ne of my clients told me about
an experience they had
with another
photographer. They
commissioned a shoot
of their family, and
were due to meet at a
local woodland spot.
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they’d done anything
like this, and they were
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children – six-year-old Harry
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usual challenges on the morning of the
shoot: “I don’t want to wear that!” and
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car and get to the location on time.
The photographer clearly had limited
experience with children. He seemed
unsure how to respond when Harry
complained about feeling cold and when
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than stand and pose for the camera.
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replaced by relief that there’d been no
dramas and there was an anticipation to
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back to the car park when the
photographer made a comment...
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“Your Jade’s a handful, isn’t she?!” This
sentence is what they remember most
from their experience with that
photographer. When Harry and Jade’s
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asked each other was, “Did you hear whathe said about Jade?” They dissected the
comment and mentally replayed Jade’s
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wondered whether the photographer
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anxious about seeing the images.
Despite appearances, I’m not in the
business of selling pictures – at least
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Ŗ ļǔǕmemories.
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on our website, through our pre-shoot
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memories during the shoot itself.
I capture the memories in beautiful,
aspirational images that show each
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When my clients look at the pictures
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they remember how they felt at the time
when I took the shots. That’s why the
client experience is so important. I know
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feeling at least a little frazzled – it’s my
job to suck the heat out of the situation asquickly as possible. If they are running
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I meet my clients at the door with a big
smile and a warm ‘hello’. I use my tone of
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drinks and cookies, and talk about the
trigger for their booking; perhaps
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maybe the kids are starting school;
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they’re hoping for from their shoot.A guided experience
When possible I start family sessions in
our beautiful garden before transitioning
to indoor studio work. We’re fortunate to
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outdoor shooting space, and walking
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clients, distracting them from anxieties.
As we start taking photos, I comment
on how good my clients look, how
amazing the images are, and how well
the pictures will work on the client’s
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shoot, we book in a date and time for the
client to return to the studio to see their
pictures. I show them the room where
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Then, I help them collect up any coats
and bags and walk them to the studio
door. I tell them how well the shoot went
and how excited I am to look at their
pictures. I wait at the door as they climb
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Throughout all this, I’m still smiling.
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and “I can’t wait to see the pictures!”
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your client to experience when they
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created for them. A good client
experience makes good business sense.O
I’m not in the business of
selling pictures – at least
not when it comes to the
families I photograph –
I’m selling memories
Paul Wilkinson FMPA FBIPP FSWPP is a multi-
award-winning international photographer and
co-author of the best-selling book Mastering
Portrait Photography, and shares his skills
through the free companion site
MasteringPortraitPhotography.com. In this
monthly series he shares his experiences
and stories as he talks about the trials and
tribulations of becoming a pro photographer.Paul
Wilkinson
Go Pro