Today I'm continuing my series for photographers in which I share tips for organizing and systematizing your workflow. And when I say "workflow," I don't mean it in the narrow sense of post-processing. I mean the entire customer experience and set-up of our businesses. If you're just joining us, click here to find a complete list of the posts in The Workflow Series and get caught up!
Wedding photography is SO personal and my experience has been that forming a relationship with my clients is key to their satisfaction and making sure that their day runs smoothly. I LOVE getting to know my clients and forming friendships with them. And approaching my business with this goal in mind has blessed me personally over the years, as well as really grown my business.
Getting to know my clients is fun for me. I usually start getting to know their story and what they're about at the initial client meeting, and I like to take them out to dinner after their engagement shoot as well to get to know them further. But I don't have the best memory, and as hard as I try, I can't always remember the specific details of their story, some of their favorite things, and what is most important to them about their wedding day, when it comes to a point in my workflow when those details would be really handy.
So I developed a tool to help me bring structure to keeping track of these details and it is INVALUABLE to systematizing the accomplishment of numerous goals in my client experience workflow. I call it my "Getting To Know You" questionnaire. It is a 4-page, fillable .pdf that I send to my clients right after their booking is confirmed. I send it attached to one of my email templates that lets them know that this form will help us come up with fun ideas for their engagement shoot as well as help me write the blog post for their wedding. I ask them to return it to me ASAP. Most clients seem to have a lot of fun filling it out and I think it helps them know that I am wanting to invest in a relationship with them and get to know who they truly are.
The Getting To Know You questionnaire asks questions about how they met, how they like to spend their time, and what some of their favorite things are. When I get it back from my clients, I like to read through it with a highlighter in hand, and highlight anything that gives me an idea of something unique we could do for their engagement shoot. Picking a location for an engagement shoot can often be a challenge, and I get tired of shooting in the same spots, so this tool is so helpful for asking pointed questions that help me suggest ways to personalize the shoot and make it unique. Click here to see some of the fun ideas and locations I've used for past shoots that are personalized to each client.
One of the ways that I use the Getting To Know You questionnaire that I don't make known to my clients, is to help me know what types of candy and movies are their favorites so I can put together a more personalized date-night-kit -- a fun gift I like to send out to clients two months before their wedding.
A third use for this tool is that it helps my team become acquainted with the clients on the day of the wedding. When my second shooter, assistant and I are in the car driving to the venue, my assistant pulls out the questionnaire and reads through the client's responses out loud. It helps so much for all of us to be reminded of their story and what is important to them before we begin documenting their day.
Finally, when it comes time for me to sit down and write the blog post that showcases some of my favorite photos from their wedding day, I use the questionnaire to help me share a little bit of each couple's story by way of intro. You can click here to see some of my recent wedding blog posts for examples. (Note, when sharing weddings shot by our associate photographers, I don't include a story typically. You may need to scroll down to find some weddings shot by me that do include the story feature.)
So, as you can see, I get A LOT of mileage out of this workflow tool. It is SUPER handy. I would encourage you to create something like it to help you get to know your clients better, personalize their experience, and systematize your workflow. If you'd like to purchase a copy of mine and customize it for your use you can do so here for $49.99. Note that it comes as a .pdf with my branding on it, so you will have to create your own, but you are welcome to use all of my content to do so.
I hope you've found this post helpful! If so, I would appreciate if you'd pass it on through Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below. To find out about more resources I offer photographers, click here!
Click here to read part 14 of the series -- Final Details Questionnaire
Wedding photography is SO personal and my experience has been that forming a relationship with my clients is key to their satisfaction and making sure that their day runs smoothly. I LOVE getting to know my clients and forming friendships with them. And approaching my business with this goal in mind has blessed me personally over the years, as well as really grown my business.
Getting to know my clients is fun for me. I usually start getting to know their story and what they're about at the initial client meeting, and I like to take them out to dinner after their engagement shoot as well to get to know them further. But I don't have the best memory, and as hard as I try, I can't always remember the specific details of their story, some of their favorite things, and what is most important to them about their wedding day, when it comes to a point in my workflow when those details would be really handy.
So I developed a tool to help me bring structure to keeping track of these details and it is INVALUABLE to systematizing the accomplishment of numerous goals in my client experience workflow. I call it my "Getting To Know You" questionnaire. It is a 4-page, fillable .pdf that I send to my clients right after their booking is confirmed. I send it attached to one of my email templates that lets them know that this form will help us come up with fun ideas for their engagement shoot as well as help me write the blog post for their wedding. I ask them to return it to me ASAP. Most clients seem to have a lot of fun filling it out and I think it helps them know that I am wanting to invest in a relationship with them and get to know who they truly are.
The Getting To Know You questionnaire asks questions about how they met, how they like to spend their time, and what some of their favorite things are. When I get it back from my clients, I like to read through it with a highlighter in hand, and highlight anything that gives me an idea of something unique we could do for their engagement shoot. Picking a location for an engagement shoot can often be a challenge, and I get tired of shooting in the same spots, so this tool is so helpful for asking pointed questions that help me suggest ways to personalize the shoot and make it unique. Click here to see some of the fun ideas and locations I've used for past shoots that are personalized to each client.
One of the ways that I use the Getting To Know You questionnaire that I don't make known to my clients, is to help me know what types of candy and movies are their favorites so I can put together a more personalized date-night-kit -- a fun gift I like to send out to clients two months before their wedding.
A third use for this tool is that it helps my team become acquainted with the clients on the day of the wedding. When my second shooter, assistant and I are in the car driving to the venue, my assistant pulls out the questionnaire and reads through the client's responses out loud. It helps so much for all of us to be reminded of their story and what is important to them before we begin documenting their day.
Finally, when it comes time for me to sit down and write the blog post that showcases some of my favorite photos from their wedding day, I use the questionnaire to help me share a little bit of each couple's story by way of intro. You can click here to see some of my recent wedding blog posts for examples. (Note, when sharing weddings shot by our associate photographers, I don't include a story typically. You may need to scroll down to find some weddings shot by me that do include the story feature.)
So, as you can see, I get A LOT of mileage out of this workflow tool. It is SUPER handy. I would encourage you to create something like it to help you get to know your clients better, personalize their experience, and systematize your workflow. If you'd like to purchase a copy of mine and customize it for your use you can do so here for $49.99. Note that it comes as a .pdf with my branding on it, so you will have to create your own, but you are welcome to use all of my content to do so.
I hope you've found this post helpful! If so, I would appreciate if you'd pass it on through Facebook or Twitter using the buttons below. To find out about more resources I offer photographers, click here!
Click here to read part 14 of the series -- Final Details Questionnaire
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