by admin | Jun 7, 2022 | Podcast
Today, our hostess and Mastercraftsman Photographer Luci Dumas unpacks the 5 Love Languages and how we as business owners can use this concept to our advantage.
Originally published in 1992 by Gary Chapman as a guide to the five general ways that romantic partners express and experience love, the observations behind the 5 Love Languages can easily be used to nurture any type of personal or even professional relationship.
Listen in as Luci offers practical, tried-and-tested ways to demonstrate to your clients the love languages of physical touch, quality time, receiving gifts, words of affirmation, and acts of service to set your photography business apart from all the rest!
Key Topics:
- An introduction to the 5 Love Languages (2:08)
- How Luci learned about the 5 Love Languages (5:07)
- Incorporating practices in your business that hit on all five of the love languages (7:39)
- Physical Touch (11:26)
- Quality Time (13:07)
- Receiving Gifts (17:07)
- Words of Affirmation (21:16)
- Acts of Service (24:58)
Resources:
Photography Business Coach Luci Dumas’ Programs:
by admin | Jun 1, 2022 | Podcast
“If you can truly be curious, listen to them, ask questions and then you will get information from them so that you can deliver something. Curiosity leads to a place of empathy where then you can truly understand them and then you have the courage to act upon it.”
Today, our hostess and Mastercraftsman Photographer Luci Dumas sits down with returning guest Bryan Welsh, a Master Photographer with 43 years of experience under his belt (between generations). He is a sought-after speaker whose mission is to create impact through creativity and storytelling.
Our conversation focuses on Bryan’s takeaways from the book Exactly What to Say by Phil M. Jones regarding how photographers can improve their communication skills in order to ask great questions, which in turn lead to great conversations. Furthermore, he reveals the crucial difference between selling and professional selling.
Listen in as Bryan speaks on the four cornerstones to professional selling: 1) The worst time to figure out what to say is when you need to say it. 2) Curiosity is the fuel. 3) People make decisions for their own reasons, not for yours. 4) The person asking the questions controls the conversation.
Key Topics:
- Positive and negative changes in the industry over the past four decades (4:48)
- The first cornerstone (10:32)
- The second cornerstone (16:35)
- The third cornerstone (26:53)
- The fourth cornerstone (34:27)
- Overcoming the fear of trying to “convince” people (45:10)
- Bryan’s upcoming workshops (47:12)
- The power of “Just imagine” (50:28)
- Luci’s wrap-up (56:06)
Resources:
BIG NEWS: Bryan will be teaching a day long class in Luci’s studio in San Diego in September, 2022. Click here for the details: www.mitportraits.com/ewts
Get in touch with Bryan Welsh at:
Join Bryan’s upcoming workshops + contest:
Photography Business Coach Luci Dumas’ Programs:
by admin | May 24, 2022 | Podcast
Today, our hostess and Mastercraftsman Photographer Luci Dumas sits down with Michael Mowbray, master photographer, author, teacher, IPC juror and entrepreneur. He is deeply involved in all aspects of the photography industry.
His DeForest, Wisconsin-based studio focuses on seniors, headshots, family, and commercial photography, while his MoLight brand of lighting equipment has quickly become a leading reseller of Godox flashes and MoLight’s own unique lighting products.
Michael is the author of the popular photography books Shoot to Thrill and The Speedlight Studio (Amherst Media).
Listen in as Michael discusses how he was able to thrive as a photographer and business owner amid the most uncertain of times, beginning with the establishment of his company on 9/11.
The photography biz ace also talks about the entrepreneurial spirit that has driven him from an early age, the importance of being capitalized, and how one can even tell whether or not owning a business is for them.
Finally, Michael speaks on the advantages of off-camera flash in improving the quality of natural light photography.
Key Topics:
- Navigating turbulent economic times as a photography business owner (7:56)
- Delegating tasks and knowing when to hire (13:33)
- Michael’s thoughts on entrepreneurship (19:31)
- Knowing whether or not entrepreneurship is for you (26:22)
- Establishing your content pillars (29:41)
- Why it’s important to be capitalized as an entrepreneur (35:09)
- Justifying higher prices (40:17)
- The advantages of off-camera flash (42:55)
- How to ensure your photos don’t look “fake” when using off-camera flash (48:43)
- How to use a light meter with off-camera flash (52:25)
- How to get in touch with Michael (1:01:37)
Resources:
Photography Business Coach Luci Dumas’ Programs:
by admin | May 17, 2022 | Podcast
“If you were going to a networking event in person, what would you do, how would you respond to people approaching you, what would you share with them? These are the exact same things that you would do on your Instagram profile.”
Today, our hostess and Mastercraftsman Photographer Luci Dumas sits down with María Oliva, Founder and CEO of SMS Media, a social media coaching business for wedding vendors based in the DC area. She is on a mission to change the way wedding vendors approach Instagram by helping them create sustainable and fun strategies!
Listen in as the digital marketing master shares how Instagram can become your go-to tool for attracting dream clients and why it’s important to niche down in order to maximize your ability to reach and start building relationships with those clients.
Referring to Instagram as “a free networking platform online,” Maria encourages any photographer looking to build a brand to be proactive in starting and continuing conversations, and to personally extend invitations to those who interact positively with their posts to join their community.
She continues on to offer a treasure trove of practical tips and strategies to grow your Instagram following and, ultimately, your client base. These include using hashtags effectively, creating posts based on your content pillars, finding opportunities to collaborate with local vendors, and visual branding best practices.
Key Topics:
- Why Instagram is a great tool for attracting your dream clients (5:25)
- Overcoming excuses that stop you from investing in your business (10:49)
- How to build a community on Instagram (15:41)
- Using hashtags effectively (23:45)
- Establishing your content pillars (29:41)
- Collaboration with vendors on Instagram (33:37)
- Making money on Instagram (36:11)
- Understanding the buyer’s journey (38:44)
- Visual branding on how to provide value on Instagram (41:49)
- Get María’s freebie and stay connected (49:35)
- Luci’s wrap up (50:23)
Resources:
Get María Oliva’s free Instagram selling guide:
https://smsmediapr.lpages.co/instagram-selling-guide-freebie/
Get in touch with María Oliva at:
Website: https://smsmediapr.lpages.co/our-services/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sms_mediapr/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sms-media-group-inc/
Photography Business Coach Luci Dumas’ Programs:
lucidumascoaching.com
https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablephotographer_pod/
https://www.facebook.com/LuciDumasCoaching
by admin | May 10, 2022 | Podcast
“You’re going to need a telephone and you’re going to need to know how to use it. I could make a better living with my cellphone and nothing else, than having a great camera, and a computer where I only communicate via email and text and such.”
Today, our hostess, Photography Business Coach Luci Dumas shares her best tips and strategies to set up your photography business for massive success.
Just as photography is an art, Luci believes that selling is an art. Likewise, just as photography is a skill, selling is a skill. That means anyone with the passion and tenacity to succeed in this industry has the opportunity to learn the skills they need to improve both their photography and ability to sell their work.
Luci invites us to set the goal of becoming a full-service photographer. Strive to be able to create an experience for the client in which, from their first interaction with you to the last, you deliver not only what they want, but also what they didn’t know they wanted.
In fact, full-service photographers are not just photographers. They are designers. They are clothing consultants. They are makeup guides. By embracing your role as a salesperson, you are also your clients’ trusted advisor.
You don’t need to be the world’s greatest photographer. Just being the best full-service photographer you can be gives both you and your client immense joy. They become raving fans of you, and you learn how to be a better photographer and business owner.
Listen in as Luci shares her checklist of nine things every photographer needs to do when establishing their new business and the rewards that await, as well as her five steps to onboarding a new client.
Key Topics:
- Photography and selling as an both art and skill (4:09)
- Creating a long-term win-win relationship with your clients (10:26)
- Addressing misconceptions around selling (13:50)
- Nine things you need to get started in this business (21:57)
- Three rewards of having a strong photography business (36:50)
- Five steps to taking on a new client (39:25)
- A brief overview of Luci’s sales system (41:59)
- SSS – Secret Sales Sauce (44:45)
Find out more about my programs at:
lucidumascoaching.com
https://www.instagram.com/theprofitablephotographer_pod/
https://www.facebook.com/LuciDumasCoaching
