Idea #12: Get your clients in a rut

Sit down for a minute and make a LOOoong list of all the professional pictures someone could have taken of them during their life. Pregnancy photo, then newborn photo, then a Christmas card, then a shoot when they turn 1 year-old, then a shoot of the kid when they are walking and talking, then another Christmas card, then a family photo, then a school photo when they go in school, senior portraits, engagement shoots, wedding photos, anniversaries, headshots for work, etc. The possibilities are endless from just one client.

The trick is that the PHOTOGRAPHER needs to clue into this system and get the clients in a rut. Get them in a routine. Think about it. When you get an oil change, the first thing you see in your car after getting back in it is a sticker on the windshield telling you when you need to return for another oil change. Photographers need to do the same thing. Right when the client orders the pictures from one shoot, hand them a coupon for their Christmas card picture, or whatever the next routine shoot will be in their lives. Then, follow up with them when it's time for the shoot.

Money you can make by implementing this idea: If the question is how much money it's worth to get 20 shoots out of each client instead of just one shoot for each client, I think we can all see that this idea could be worth thousands of dollars and bring return customers for many years to come.