Good day fellow shutterbugs! Welcome to part 2 of this informative interview series with Jeff and Lori of Indigo Silver Studio. This duo has garnered much success at their wedding photography business in North Carolina and have decided to share 3 Tips on Wedding Album Sales. If you haven’t seen these guys in part 1, 3 Tips for Wedding Photography Pricing Strategies, we urge you to watch it, like right now! Also, if you want to see these guys in person, they will be teaching a few workshops at this year’s Shutterfest.

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The Wedding Album remains one of the most important heirlooms from a couple’s wedding. However, many people don’t think much about it during the craziness of planning their biggest day. Jeff and Lori make this process easy and also hint to clients that the memories from their biggest day is a worthy investment.

3 Tips For Wedding Album Sales Video

Wedding Album Sales Tip 1: Start with a small number of pages

Some photographers make a 30 page spread (60 pages) when their clients only wanted a 15 page spread (30 pages). This is designed to show people what they are missing, thereby having them approve the longer (and more expensive) album. However, Jeff and Lori have found that this method backfired a lot of the time, making the clients angry when they saw a more expensive book they didn’t ask for.

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It’s like contracting someone to build a 1,000 square foot house and driving up to see a house twice that size with all your furniture already in. They feel bullied because they were not in control from the start. A small number of pages is a great start for the client to first see their wedding, but it doesn’t have to stay there.

Wedding Album Sales Tip 2: Subtly prepare your clients to invest more in the album

If a client asks for only 15 spreads, show them what a 15 spread album will look like. For most people, the biggest day of their life on only 15 spreads looks quite small, especially compared to most albums that Jeff and Lori have around their studio. They let them know that most people choose a larger album. They then show them what other have done. They show them them a beautiful 40 page spread in the lobby as they discuss layouts.

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All this is done very subtly with no hard selling involved. It is important to make the client feel they are making the decisions and naturally taking suggestions that Jeff and Lori give. To sell albums you need to show albums. Even if the clients don’t want an album at all, you need to plant the seeds for possibilities. Falling in love with a layout is the client’s job, it is the photographer’s job to subtly introduce an idea.

Wedding Album Sales Tip 3: Create an album checklist for clients to customize

To truly give your clients the feeling of control, you should give them the control! Lori came up with a system where clients had more input into which pictures they keep and which pictures they take out. Sitting down in a cozy viewing area, clients are taken through their wedding day while Jeff and Lori give suggestions on spreads. It might include adding more spreads and even taking out spreads. This eliminated the dilemma of a client not understanding why a 15 page spread is not sufficient for their wedding. As they increase the album size, Jeff and Lori mention upgrade possibilities if they add only 2 or 3 more pages, giving them even more options.

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Through this collaborative process, Jeff and Lori arrive at the 30 page spread that their clients originally didn’t think they needed. Their clients were not bullied into accepting something they didn’t want. When Jeff and Lori bring them into the album making process, they could see for themselves why upgrading was needed. They came to that conclusion on their own terms and are left with a beautiful culmination of their wedding day. Along with excitement and praises, Jeff and Lori usually receive hugs and kisses from their clients when they leave a sales meeting, and that’s how it should be.

Learn More About Wedding Photography!

This is a 3 part interview series, click here to check out part 1 (3 Tips For Weddings Photography Pricing Strategies), and be on the lookout for part 3 next week. We hope you enjoyed this interview, if you’re interested in learning more about Jeff and Lori be sure to check out their weddings at indigosilver studio, or their photographers’ educational resource at The Shoot Space.

If you’re interested about learning more about wedding photography Jeff and Lori will be teaching a few classes at Shutterfest, and we’re also teaching a wedding workshop in the Bahamas!

Jeff and Lori also have an Album Pricing Worksheet available for purchase.  SLRLounge readers get 25% off, simply use the promo code “loungepricing” for the discount to apply.