Guest Post by Catalina Grigoriev of Planable

As the famous saying goes, people do business with people. No matter how good you are at photography, if you want to turn it into a profitable and long-term income source, you must master client relationships.

Effective communication is the foundation of the relationship and helps you manage and meet client expectations. In this blog, we’ll discuss five factors that’ll help you build strong client relationships.

Five key components of successful client relationships

Let’s explore the five most important aspects of maintaining exceptional client relationships so your business can reap the rewards for years to come. 

Understand your client’s needs

Whenever someone says they received a good service, what they mean is their needs were met. 

Take the time to understand what potential clients desire and expect from their photography experience. 

Don’t start the work until you’re clear on this. Poor communication at this stage can hinder your relationship with clients. 

If your client is struggling to articulate their expectations, do this:

Effective client communication and successful business relationships rely on this type of active listening and responding.

Create a client communication strategy

The real work begins when the client has agreed to take you up on your services. At this point, you must have a clear client communication process to avoid confusion and misaligned expectations later on.

This means establishing a client onboarding process.

Start by identifying what you’ll be delivering and by when.

For example, if it’s for wedding photography, you might say you’ll:

Although you’re the service provider, it’s crucial to outline what you’ll need from your client to stick to this timeline. For example, if they want the final album within six months, they need to proof the album within two weeks of receipt. 

And don’t forget to outline any other logistical responsibilities of the client.

Make sure you document these via your proposal, contract, and email conversations. At the same time, have in-person conversations with clients about it. This gives you and the client the chance to ask any clarifying questions.

If you're holding conference calls, consider using audio-to-text technology to transcribe your conversations. Once you have the text, you can use an AI voice generator to create audio summaries of key points. This combination allows you to have both written records and easy-to-share audio highlights of important details, requests, and feedback.

Once uploaded, these videos are converted into text, making it easier to reference specific needs, preferences, and feedback.

And, as a general rule of thumb, be prompt in all communication with clients.

When clients see you have a robust service delivery system in place, it’ll build trust and add to your credibility.

Exceed client expectations

The key to repeat business and client referrals is giving clients what they need and then a bit extra.

Start by tailoring the service to their preferences and vision, which is done by understanding their needs, listening, and communicating (as we’ve discussed). This allows you to pay attention to the little details that matter to your clients, such as capturing a specific moment.

Depending on your resources and capacity, you can consider the following additional strategies:

Manage client complaints

Sometimes, you’ll make mistakes, and things will go wrong. At other times, it might be ‌out of your control.

It happens.

How you react and manage any perceived dissatisfaction from the client can make or break the relationship.

Here’s the right way to approach client complaints:

Transparency and honesty are key. Provide clear expectations and realistic timelines for resolving the issue.

Ask for feedback

The best photographers are always looking to refine their technical craft and how they deliver the overall service.

One way to do this is by soliciting client feedback after every completed project. You can:

To ensure you get proper feedback, incentivize the process by offering a discount, prize draw, or extra deliverables at no cost.

With this feedback, you can improve your client relationship management skills for future projects.

Sustainable Income: A Pillar of Success

To ensure the sustainability of your photography business, managing your finances effectively is as vital as producing quality work and your approach to client relationships.

Here is where a money tracker app becomes an indispensable tool. Integrating a money tracker app into your daily operations gives you a clear overview of your income, expenses, and bottom line. 

This visibility allows you to make informed decisions, such as setting competitive pricing, budgeting for new equipment, or identifying the most profitable assignments.

Moreover, by monitoring your financial flow closely, you can ensure that you’re adequately compensated for your efforts, paving the way for a stable and prosperous career.

Wrapping up

Good client relationships essentially come down to the following:

In theory, it sounds simple. In practice, it’s challenging. As long as you take the time to understand client needs and communicate promptly and professionally, you’re on the right path, and you’ll only get better with practice.

Good luck! 

 

Author bio

Catalina Grigoriev is an incurable optimist with a bubbly personality. That’s what my colleagues say. Secret mission: cat lover disguised as a dog person. Ex law student who switched into the digital marketing lane. Currently delving into the depths of SEO and content marketing at Planable.