Sales Tips Series Part 7: Creating an Image that Sells

Welcome to part 7 of this outstandingly exciting Sales Tips series! Check out previous tips:

Part 1: Start Selling at HELLO 

Part 2: Salesmanship Begins at NO 

Part 3: Directing Sales Conversations with Probes & Closes
Part 4: Inflating Your Prices to Make Room for Volume Discounts
Part 5: Guerilla Marketing to Increase Sales 
Part 6: Your Confidence as a Sales Person 


Branding, branding, branding, la la la la la, branding, branding, branding.... Here we go again.
You've got to have an 'image' that people are buying into. Whether we admit it or not, we all love brands.... even when we love the 'non-brand' brand. But if your brand is inconsistent, people will be confused and turned off.

• When you run a personal business, make sure YOU (who you are...who you really are) is shining through. That's what will attract the right clients and repel the wrong clients.
  
• Consistency! If you run a high end brand, make sure every part of it is high-end. You can't sell high-end images at high-end prices in a studio that hasn't been vacuumed.
  
• Think about your own image. Does the salesman at Tiffany's come to work with holes in his pants? I don't think so.
  
• If you want to wear pants with holes in them, consider rebranding — move away from high-end and play up the down-to-earth rustic thing you've got going on!
  
• Own your space. Decorate it the way that you want to decorate it in order to create the vibe you fancy. This is especially important for sales — people want to feel good about the experience they're paying for. They aren't just paying for photos, they're paying for the couch they sit on while they look at photos.
  
• Have a "thing"- a signature that helps people recognize you & set you apart from others. My 'thing' is wearing dangly earrings. It may seem little but it's a big part of how I look — people comment on my earrings, I offer a whole collection of earrings that women can wear, if someone likes earrings we instantly have something in common etc... If someone forgets my name they can say... "Who's that photograph? You know... the one with the dangly earrings?" You gotta have a thing. (That said...don't force it. Let it emerge naturally. Just observe yourself and see what you like and ask other people what they notice etc...)
  
• Everything is connected. Your blog should look like your website. Your website should look like your business cards. Your business cards should match your studio. Your studio should be like a 3D representation of your website.... etc... Give people 'the experience' from start to finish — wherever they look, there you are!
  
• Oh, and literally create images that sell! Artwork that is worth buying. Artwork that matches the price. Artwork that your clients can't create for themselves.