PODCAST TRANSCRIPT - EPISODE 085

[MM] PRICING & MARKETING IN A NEW AREA WITH TARA FJETLAND

Please note: This transcript was created with the assistance of AI technology. While we strive for accuracy, the text may contain errors and should be verified against the original source for critical uses.

Annemie Tonken  00:00

Welcome to mini mentoring. A weekly bonus episode of This can't be that hard. Every Friday, I share a conversation that I've had with one of you my amazing listeners about a problem or issue that's got you stuck in your photography business. We set the timer for 15 minutes and see how much progress we can make. And sometimes 15 minutes is all you need to find clarity or achieve your next breakthrough. If you've got an issue that you'd like to have featured on the show, stick around at the end to find out how to reach out. But for now, let's dive in. Hey, Tara, welcome to this can't be that hard. How are you today?

00:32

I'm good. How are you?

Annemie Tonken  00:34

I'm doing really well, we were before we hit the record button, just chatting about the weather that we have here in North Carolina versus where you are in Minnesota. It's a little bit different.

00:45

Just a little bit.

Annemie Tonken  00:49

I think we're all ready to start maybe seeing the end of winter coming around the corner. But well, I am really excited to chat with you today. And unless you've got anything, I'll just go ahead and get the timer started and let you dive in. Does that sound good?

01:04

Sounds great.

Annemie Tonken  01:05

Okay, so ready and go.

01:14

I guess I was wondering, if you had any tips, tricks, that type of things for someone that is trying to transition from a part time photography business into a full time photography business. Not only that, I have also moved from an hour away from where I was. And, you know, now I'm staying home with the kids. So I have a whole bunch of stuff going on at once. And just trying to get some ideas on how to get people in the door. I've tried a bunch of different things and haven't been super successful. But I'm in a new area, and it's starting fresh. So I'm hoping that I can be profitable and get enough people in the door to make a decent wage.

Annemie Tonken  02:01

Are you going from part time to full time because you feel like you have more time to dedicate to it or because you're leaving a part time job and we'll have sort of a gap to fill in.

02:12

I'm actually left a full time job and was doing photography part time. So when I was doing that it wasn't as pertinent to have X amount of sessions or bring an X amount of money for your was just like whatever happened happened.

Annemie Tonken  02:29

And you had mentioned when you submitted your mini mentoring information that you were also sort of struggling with some pricing information. Do you want to talk a bit about like, what your issues there are? Because oftentimes, they're related?

02:45

Yep, um, I don't know, I just feel kind of stuck. I've been kind of an all in one, I guess he was at all inclusive, I give all the Digital's for X amount. And that's that which has been really good for me. As far as doing the work part time. People tend to seem to like that. But I am now like I said, trying to be more full time making a better wage, doing less work for more money, hopefully. And I really want to start branching into like offering prints and products, not in personal sales. But just to be able to offer that to clients. I mean, they don't have to choose that if they don't want to. But I'm just trying to like find some different pricing structures. I'm a little afraid about pricing myself in this market. But I've been trying to like look around and see what the competition just offers what the wages are, and they're all over the place. So yes, is different going from one thing to now I'm trying to like just, you know, do I do collections? Do I do one set price? Do I sell prints of products? That's just a lot of information. I'm a little overwhelmed. Yeah, for

Annemie Tonken  03:56

sure. The overwhelm is real. Tell me a little bit more about your local, you've mentioned, you know, I'm a little concerned about out pricing myself in my area, which is something that I hear from a lot of people kind of regardless of where they live. And I think that part of that goes back to what you said like you hit the nail on the head when you said I you know, I've looked around and the prices are all over the place. But tell me a little bit about where you live in terms of what you think the expectations are from people and what you hear from, you know, if people inquire with you and don't end up looking Do you ever hear pushback about your pricing? Like what's the where, where's that?

04:40

I'm kind of both it's hard because I haven't had a ton of bookings here. We only moved here a few months ago, but just being an hour away in May last place. Yeah, everybody it was one of the more higher price photographers I think, in the area and it was just hard to get paid. Pull. Everyone said, Well, you're too expensive. I'm like, you know, I was offering something I didn't think was that expensive? But no, I think in that place, I pride myself in the middle of the road, which is not a great place to be, I guess. And here I know, there is nowhere at the hub of Mayo Clinic heard of that? In Rochester?

Annemie Tonken  05:20

I think I've heard of that. Yeah.

05:23

So there's a lot of doctors and nurses and like successful people, educators, I mean, there's like just a ton of people that I know make a decent wage, and some people that probably wouldn't invest in photography. I think I'm nervous, because I knew I don't have very many, I'm not really even on Google yet. Like, I don't know anybody here. So as far as like pricing myself out, I feel like I need to get my foot in the door. So that's where I'm like, do I don't want to price where I want to be, because I feel like I should get people in the door before I do that. But then, you know, once I build up a good clientele, I don't want to have to tell my clients, sorry, you know, I've increased my rates by double.

Annemie Tonken  06:10

Okay, I'm gonna stop you there. Because that is you are sort of exactly, you're thinking, the way that you're thinking about this is what a lot of people do, like, I'm either a new photographer, or I'm new in the area, or I need a lot of clients. So the last thing I want to do is price myself at a place where I'm going to get a bunch of pushback about price, I want to like bring as many people in the door as possible. And then I'll worry about the profitability piece. And to my mind, that is really the opposite. And you're in kind of a beautiful place in that you know what you're doing, I peeked at your website, before we jumped on the call, like you're not, you're not a photographer who doesn't, you know, you're able to deliver on what you're promising to people. And what you need to do is you need to figure out, okay, I have a business, I need to make X amount of money, I want to do this number of sessions per year, this is the kind of level of service that I want to give. And it sounds like you're starting to think about that in terms of images that are not just digital files, but also printed products and things like that. Those are all great. And that kind of goes into your overall business model. And if you happen not to have listened to, I don't know that episode numbers off the top of my head, but have you listened to the business alignment series of podcasts that I did that was about the the unicorn, the donkey and the workhorse model

07:41

did actually the other day. Yeah, I'll doing it. So not sure how much I like got out of it. But I should go back and listen to it. Again, those might be

Annemie Tonken  07:51

relevant to where, like what you're going through right now. And there's a worksheet like a download that goes with those. And if you just search like this can't be that hard unicorn, it'll come up. But um, that sort of sense of setting your business up. All in alignment, where the level of service that you're giving is aligned with your pricing structure and is aligned with like, how you interact with your clients, you get that lined up, you don't need to wade in, you know, bit by bit, I know that it can be scary to jump in the deep end when it comes to pricing. But if you're offering and it even already on your website kind of looks like you're offering this kind of high tech, I mean, I didn't I didn't dive super deep. And I don't know exactly what all of this stuff is you're, you're doing all inclusive pricing, but you do mention products on there. And, and you know, the level of work and all that sort of stuff. If someone has a fair amount of disposable income, and they are shopping around for something that they're not particularly familiar with, in this case, you know, photography, and what that should cost. And this is why it's very confusing for people because, you know, they go to this website, and it costs $300. And they go to this website, and it costs $3,000. And then they find a whole bunch in between. And they're like, Well, what's it supposed to cost? Our brains are wired to assume that if we spend more money, we will get a better product. So I think the problem with setting your prices low initially to bring in a lot of people is that you and you said this, but like you may end up bringing in people who you can't hold on to long term as clients because if they're used to paying you $300 And you need to be paying charging $1,000 You're going to have to like switch it and then those people are going to be like, well, I can't afford you anymore. So my recommendation would instead be that you really run the numbers now figure out what it is that you need to do and want to do, because again, you can make the same amount of money photographing for people for $250, or one person for $1,000. So you can create the same amount of income using different models, you just need to decide what works best for your lifestyle. And you're like how you like to run your business. So get that all set up and just set your prices and go from there would definitely be my recommendation on that. Now, in terms of how you structure that are, have you watched my masterclass on simple sales? Yes. Okay. That model to me sounds kind of like what you're trying to, you know, it's like the ease of the, I mean, I recognize that I'm speaking about my own system. But that was why I created it, I knew I was coming from the other direction where I was doing in person sales. And I needed more of that ease of all inclusive, but I didn't want to stop offering print products and giving myself that potential additional income. So that was sort of where I came from it from to that from, but if you were doing all inclusive, and you know where to spend the time to kind of get that set up and get your products chosen and priced and all that sort of stuff. Once you were actually running it the you know, the like the actual amount of work that it takes is not a whole lot more than what you're already used to. So I do think that that might be a good option. But I've just like thrown several things at you about pricing and business model. What how does all that sound? And what what are your sticking points?

11:46

It sounds great. And then I've obviously found you somehow I don't remember how, but I liked the way that your masterclass went over everything. And I'm like, oh, that really connected with me to say I'd love to, like make some extra money, but not be, you know, the sales part of it. Yeah. And it just doesn't work with my way of life and how I do things to do the in person sales. So that pays for an option. That's why I really liked what you have to offer. And I'm in your group and things like that. So I've definitely have a lot of, you know, I connect a lot to that for sure. Yeah,

Annemie Tonken  12:23

the and and what about the sort of pricing yourself? Where do you need to be and then working on filling up? You're, like working on the marketing piece? How does that resonate with you?

12:40

Yeah, that definitely, that's kind of where I've been working right now actually was just in the midst of like doing things on my website, which I hadn't had any pricing listed up until today. So I just kind of like threw some stuff on there. And then I got I then I had to do this. I'm like, Oh, I don't think too many people are on my website at this moment. But

Annemie Tonken  12:57

it's me, I was the one.

13:02

The price and I'm just gonna go with it. But then yeah, I haven't really stepped into, you know, what am I pricing my products at? am I setting this up? Right, just a beginning point. And then yeah, marketing, I think is going to be a huge piece for me which I have done a lot of research and hired coaches and things. Like actually doing it and then doing the things that I feel comfortable doing. Networking and like getting on Zoom calls with people I've done that it's definitely not my thing. Trying to collaborate with other people is scary. All of it's tough. I was hoping to hope and more it would go more organically for me to kind of started to where I was in the old place at the end. It was starting to get people I'm not really sure how what references and whatever. So I was hoping that maybe what happened here.

Annemie Tonken  13:58

But well, you know, you mentioned being near the Mayo Clinic and having a lot of health care professionals. So I come from a healthcare background. I was a nurse before I went into photography, and I often laugh at the fact that so I was working at UNC Hospital, which is a big teaching hospital and there's you know, tons of so we have a lot of local people here who come and they live here for four or five years because they're doing some kind of training and then they leave and oftentimes they're at an age bracket where they're starting families. So you know, residents in that age bracket bracket, they're like 30 ish. And, and so when I was working there, I my prices were you know, I was just starting out, they were lower, whatever. And I was working with some of the nurses and a few of the residents and somehow I have maintained I would say at least half of my clientele Oh is medical. I haven't worked in healthcare in years and years, but it is it's like you get into a community like that, and there is good word of mouth. So it might be worthwhile from a marketing perspective, because that is a financially solvent group of people. And and it's sort of a steady source of young people coming in who are at the age start, or at the age where they're going to be starting families and that sort of thing. So you know, if you were to really work and focus on getting a few clients, even if you were to offer, like, if you were to do really good research on people, maybe on Instagram, or something like that, a little bit of Instagram, stalking, and find some people who seem to be very well connected, they have lots of followers, they are on social media a lot, and they're participating, and then reaching out to them and saying, like, hey, you know, your family looks beautiful, I'm a new photographer in the area, and I'm looking to build my business. And you'd be very clear with them about your like, I would love to offer you a session, I'm not going to charge you for it. I'm not going to charge you for it. And you know, and then you define what it is that you will deliver to them files, that sort of thing. I always say be generous and give them the full experience of your whole process. Don't give them like the freebie service. But you know, if you reach out to them enhance like them and say, I'd love to do this for you. And I would love it if after the fact you wouldn't be willing to share some of our images with your friends and things like that, you know, if you were to do that with two or three very selected people, and you wouldn't expect them to tell other people that it was free, you would be making sure that they understood what your normal pricing was, that might be a good way to get your foot in the door into a community of people that generally does sort of ask each other for like, Hey, I'm having a baby, you have those beautiful pictures, where do you get those? That sort of thing? You know, so strategic, deep dive marketing into their correct pool of people like your bluebird clients. can be can be really good when you've got especially when you have kind of a local fountain head of that kind of client.

17:23

Good idea. Yeah.

Annemie Tonken  17:25

So well, our time is up. But it is lovely to chat with you. And I hope that this has been helpful.

17:33

It has thank you so much.

Annemie Tonken  17:36

Well, good luck with all of it. I hope it goes really well. And I hope that it starts to get warm there so that you can go make photos outside with people.

17:44

I hope you too.

Annemie Tonken  17:47

Probably sooner here than there, but excellent. Well have a great day, Tara. It's so nice to meet you.

17:53

Thanks, you too. All right, bye. Bye. That's it for this week's mini

Annemie Tonken  17:57

mentoring session. If you've got a problem or issue in your photography business that you'd like to have featured on the show, go to this can't be that hard.com/mentoring and use the form to submit your information. I can't wait to hear from you.