Our clients continue to come out in the blistering heat for their business or headshots, families, seniors, and children portraits. Seniors come in between camps and trips from around the world; we usually see about three seniors daily at this time of the year. We take their photos; then, we show them the images in our small theater or conference room, which has a projector for easy viewing. The magic occurs with the interaction between the salesperson and the client. It is easy to post photos on a website; however, after an initial viewing, nothing else happens. The link between the student and the client is lost, resulting in a less than satisfactory outcome. Previously, the studio would provide the client with a few small photos or proofs. Then weeks later, after the excitement of the session had worn off, the client would return the proofs, and they would make an order. This procedure took forever; however, we knew no better way to conduct business. The customers liked the small photos since they were a complete session record; we often included the "proofs" in the more expensive packages. Then we were introduced to "in-person sales ."It took a while for the technology to catch up with our ambition to sell the photos directly to the client while they were n the studio. With the advent of affordable digital cameras, we had the necessary tools for "in-person selling." People responded well to the increase in customer service with larger purchases.
