Gallery displays featuring professional photo prints have proven to be the most effective sales tool professional photographers have available. Here is the fifth idea in our series.
Method 5 Pick a theme. Big shots in industry (in your area) for example. Send a letter to these people mentioning that you will be having a print display and describe the theme. Explain why they were chosen and how their participation will enhance the display. Go for the image and prestige in this selection and display. Mention the five invitations (discussed in a previous post), the publicity they will receive etc. Talk of how this is an exclusive offer to only a few people and there will only be ‘x’ number of participants in the display. Stick to this number because they will come to see the display and if you have more they will see you fibbed. These ’special sessions’ and ‘display prints’ are available to this select few for only $xxx. They pay at the time of session for the size* they want in the display. Assume you were doing this for the county fair held in the summer. You would shoot these sessions in Jan-March. Prints would be made April-May. You get your money (a nice winter bonus in Jan-March) plus you have prints ready for the fair on time.
Sell the frames as mentioned earlier except you could collect the entire amount now. Offer a discount of course. Remember, emotion, pride, ego get this going; a discount, logic, keeps it sold. This promotion should get you 5-10 new location sessions, 1 -2 20×30’s and the rest 16×20 sample prints. No one will want a small print in this display, after all these are the tycoons in town, the leaders with their peers. How would it look for them to be seen in this group as small.
*Your letters/notes/request for display prints from customers need not be limited to 16×20 prints. Neither do you have to list actual sizes in inches. You could say, “in our most popular display sizes” or just refer to the sizes as “display sizes”. These could be small, medium and large; 16×20, 20×24 and 20×30. Of course the deposits would be larger.
You comments and suggestions or display ideas are welcome. -Bryan