Richard Esposito, a Connecticut-based wedding photographer is also a good friend. His controversial blog post, The New Wedding Guest, here on Tiffinbox ranks as one of the most popular posts since I opened the site up to guest bloggers. As a leader in the wedding photography industry, I respect what he has to say.
When RE, as he is popularly known, approached me to watch and review his new DVD, “The Consultation,” I jumped at the chance to watch all 53 minutes of it in one sitting.
Why?
Well, RE has a track record like no one I know. 2011 was his best year financially. He has a high booking rate based on his unique approach of creating a memorable and pleasant experiences for his potential and current clients. And, it's not the kind of DVD that you can stop and watch later.
From the time when his clients visit his website to when they receive their wedding albums, RE sets high expectations and exceeds them. Any wonder then that his word-of-mouth referral ratio is through the roof?
Now, wouldn't you like to know how he does what he does? I know I was curious.
I missed his presentations on this very topic at PartnerCON and Inspire Photo Seminars. I suspect way too many people missed it too, but heard of how awesome it was that he was persuaded to produce “The Consultation” for the rest of us.
The DVD is all about having successful face-to-face consults with potential clients. What to say, what to show, where to sit, how to set up your meeting space, when to provide them a pricing guide to your collections etc. Is it orchestrated? No. Not in the least bit. Richard is one of the most down-to-earth guys I know and whatever he does, his heart and soul are right in there for his clients. If you have your client's needs in mind as the end goal, nothing you do will be seen as un-authentic.
The Consultation is divided up in the following 6 chapters:
First contact
First impressions
Who are they?
What I can do for them
Reading the client
Talking business
I can hear it from some of you: “The economy sucks” or “No one is booking my services because there is too much competition.”
Really? Are creating excuses or finding blame the only way out for you? Let's get real, ok? Yes, there is competition and sure the economy has tanked, but if you focus on YOUR customers and treat them right, they will spread the word about you, for you. RE's The Consultation shows you how to do this. He outlines the steps that you can take towards business success as a wedding photographer.
If advertising hasn't worked for your business, RE makes a strong case for creating positive customer experiences that enhance and in fact sustain your photography business. It is RE's first foray into creating a gem of a DVD for wedding photographers struggling to book clients. Plus you get some really useful goodies from him.
The DVD will come with all the templates, forms and workflows that Richard uses for every client from inquiry to consultation. You can edit and print them to make them your own. You can even view how they are setup in ShootQ.
The templates themselves could be sold for the price of the DVD, which is $125. If you have Pages and Numbers (for Macintosh), you can customize these templates to match your own branding. That's a huge WIN, for those of us who don't want to reinvent the wheel.
>>>>>>> Use the code: “tiffinbox” and get The Consultation for just $99.<<<<<<<<
If you need RE to walk you through your other workflow and systems, especially setting up ShootQ, contact him through his website for photographers.
Please note: I receive absolutely no monetary compensation from RE for posting this review. I did receive a complimentary draft copy of his DVD on which this review is based. I know for a fact that RE went back into the project and further finessed it before making it available to the public.
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