So you are working hard on your business. You want it to be the best it can be. You've been following this series and see the value of systematizing so you can give your clients a consistent experience, stay efficient with your workflow, make sure nothing falls through the cracks and make your business scalable and able to handle growth. Despite your best efforts something goes wrong. A client is upset about something that wasn't they way they expected it to be. You forgot to send an email at just the right time so that you have the information you need from the client to meet the next deadline in your workflow. You're struggling to get any response from your client and as a result you are backed up on album orders for years. AHHHHH! SO FRUSTRATING!! What now!?
Today I am sharing another installment of my workflow series for photographers -- my "Principle for Plugging Leaks". If this is your first time tuning in, click here to find a complete list of the posts in The Workflow Series and get caught up!
So here's the thing. No matter how good our intensions are, no matter how hard we work to make our businesses the best they can be -- to manage our client's expectations, to make our workflow speedy and efficient, to set up our systems so that nothing falls through the cracks -- things inevitably will. Problems arise, and they will continue to do so for every business until the end of time. And while this news is an incredible bummer for those of us who are recovering perfectionists (finger pointed at self), it helps me to realize this truth so I don't spiral into a pit of despair every time something goes wrong. Instead, I try my best to take a more constructive approach to problems.
There's an analogy I like to use to help me explain systematizing a business, and help paint a picture of this effort as an ongoing process. Let's pretend for a moment that you and I are for some reason out in nature and we're each trying to build a dam. The dam is in a dry river bed, but we know the water is coming. The goal is to build the dam super-strong with sticks, rocks, debris -- anything we can get our hands on -- so that when the water does come, it can't penetrate our creation. We do our best to build it strong, and to fill in any holes we can see with our naked eye. But we don't really know how well it will hold up until it is put to the test. When the water finally comes, we stand on the other side and wait in expectation. It does a pretty good job holding back the bulk of the water, but guess what? There are leaks. The water has found a path through at points that we didn't even notice before.
Since this isn't a remarkably sophisticated analogy, you've probably figured out that the dam is the system we build for our business. We build it to the best of our ability, attempting to anticipate issues that might arise, but problems, or leaks, are bound to happen. Part of the process of systematizing is plugging those leaks when we find them. And because problems are bound to continue to arise throughout the life of a business, plugging these leaks will be an ongoing process. The goal is to plug the leak or solve the problem by tweaking the system so that that specific issue does not arise again.
For instance, when a client is upset about something that wasn't the way they expected it to be, rather than writing them off for not paying attention when you so clearly explained it during your initial client meeting, add additional client education for future clients. In addition to telling them verbally, add a clause to the contract and add it to an email template you send out as a reminder of what they can expect from you.
If you forget to send an email at a specific point in your workflow process, don't get mad at yourself and simply determine to try harder to remember next time. Add a reminder to iCal and make putting this reminder on iCal a step on your workflow checklist.
If you're struggling to get a response from clients and as a result you are backed up on album orders for years, instead of getting increasingly frustrated with them, evaluate what the obstacle to their response might be. Is it possible you are asking too much of them and that could be causing their paralysis? Could you simplify the task or even remove it altogether? Is there a deadline or incentive you could add to your workflow to encourage them to reply? (Incidentally, I have had to plug A LOT of leaks in my album workflow. I haven't talked much about albums in this series so far, but I will be starting a series on album sales and workflow on Align's blog here -- so stay tuned for that!)
If you take this constructive approach to problems in your business, and commit yourself to continually improving your system, you will greatly improve your client's experience over time, become super-efficient, and create a business that can scale and grow.
I hope you have found this tip helpful!
Up to this point in the workflow series, I have been sharing workflow strategies and resources that I consider vital to a basic wedding workflow. I've shared them roughly in priority order and with the conclusion of Part 20 today, the basics are covered. I'm going to continue it the coming months to share what I like to call, "The Bells & Whistles". These are additional components I have added to my workflow over time as I've increased my prices, in order to improve my clients' experience. They aren't vital to a wedding workflow, but they are fun extras that can set you apart from other photographers. So stay tuned for more goodness soon!
Thanks again for reading! Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below. And to find out about more resources I offer photographers, click here!
Click here to read Part 21 of the series -- New Client Kit
Today I am sharing another installment of my workflow series for photographers -- my "Principle for Plugging Leaks". If this is your first time tuning in, click here to find a complete list of the posts in The Workflow Series and get caught up!
So here's the thing. No matter how good our intensions are, no matter how hard we work to make our businesses the best they can be -- to manage our client's expectations, to make our workflow speedy and efficient, to set up our systems so that nothing falls through the cracks -- things inevitably will. Problems arise, and they will continue to do so for every business until the end of time. And while this news is an incredible bummer for those of us who are recovering perfectionists (finger pointed at self), it helps me to realize this truth so I don't spiral into a pit of despair every time something goes wrong. Instead, I try my best to take a more constructive approach to problems.
There's an analogy I like to use to help me explain systematizing a business, and help paint a picture of this effort as an ongoing process. Let's pretend for a moment that you and I are for some reason out in nature and we're each trying to build a dam. The dam is in a dry river bed, but we know the water is coming. The goal is to build the dam super-strong with sticks, rocks, debris -- anything we can get our hands on -- so that when the water does come, it can't penetrate our creation. We do our best to build it strong, and to fill in any holes we can see with our naked eye. But we don't really know how well it will hold up until it is put to the test. When the water finally comes, we stand on the other side and wait in expectation. It does a pretty good job holding back the bulk of the water, but guess what? There are leaks. The water has found a path through at points that we didn't even notice before.
Since this isn't a remarkably sophisticated analogy, you've probably figured out that the dam is the system we build for our business. We build it to the best of our ability, attempting to anticipate issues that might arise, but problems, or leaks, are bound to happen. Part of the process of systematizing is plugging those leaks when we find them. And because problems are bound to continue to arise throughout the life of a business, plugging these leaks will be an ongoing process. The goal is to plug the leak or solve the problem by tweaking the system so that that specific issue does not arise again.
For instance, when a client is upset about something that wasn't the way they expected it to be, rather than writing them off for not paying attention when you so clearly explained it during your initial client meeting, add additional client education for future clients. In addition to telling them verbally, add a clause to the contract and add it to an email template you send out as a reminder of what they can expect from you.
If you forget to send an email at a specific point in your workflow process, don't get mad at yourself and simply determine to try harder to remember next time. Add a reminder to iCal and make putting this reminder on iCal a step on your workflow checklist.
If you're struggling to get a response from clients and as a result you are backed up on album orders for years, instead of getting increasingly frustrated with them, evaluate what the obstacle to their response might be. Is it possible you are asking too much of them and that could be causing their paralysis? Could you simplify the task or even remove it altogether? Is there a deadline or incentive you could add to your workflow to encourage them to reply? (Incidentally, I have had to plug A LOT of leaks in my album workflow. I haven't talked much about albums in this series so far, but I will be starting a series on album sales and workflow on Align's blog here -- so stay tuned for that!)
If you take this constructive approach to problems in your business, and commit yourself to continually improving your system, you will greatly improve your client's experience over time, become super-efficient, and create a business that can scale and grow.
I hope you have found this tip helpful!
Up to this point in the workflow series, I have been sharing workflow strategies and resources that I consider vital to a basic wedding workflow. I've shared them roughly in priority order and with the conclusion of Part 20 today, the basics are covered. I'm going to continue it the coming months to share what I like to call, "The Bells & Whistles". These are additional components I have added to my workflow over time as I've increased my prices, in order to improve my clients' experience. They aren't vital to a wedding workflow, but they are fun extras that can set you apart from other photographers. So stay tuned for more goodness soon!
Thanks again for reading! Let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below. And to find out about more resources I offer photographers, click here!
Click here to read Part 21 of the series -- New Client Kit
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