Ben Hartley – Booked 2.0

Ben Hartley - Booked 2.0

Check it out: Ben Hartley – Booked 2.0

During my first year in business, I felt like I sat in front of the computer just waiting for an inquiry to come in…

Every time my inbox number went up, I got giddy with excitement!

Often times it was just an advertisement from B&H reminding me about another lens I didn’t have.

…I KNEW my work was good, but the only people that were booking me were my friends and the people they recommended me to.

If I was going to make this into a full time career that could support my family, I needed to figure out how to get more people to know about my business, because whatever I was doing just wasn’t working.

Fast forward a few years and I now receive over 650+ inquires a year, had to hire an office manager to keep track of everything, and brought on 2 more full time photographers just to fulfill demand.

What changed?

I learned how to build systems that generate leads on autopilot.

But more on that in a second, you see…

Most Photography Businesses Don’t Fail Because Of Their Photography

They fail because they struggle with the business demands of running a studio and only focus on creating beautiful images.

It’s not their fault though…

I used to think this way too.

It makes perfect sense to think that if you keep improving at your craft that booking clients would become easy.

When it comes down to it, amazing work won’t save a poorly run photography business.

Having a consistent stream of photography leads is so much more than just being able to do what you love every day.

When you have an abundance of people wanting your service, two amazing things start to happen.

You can increase your prices (and gain more financial freedom)
You can choose who you want to work with (no more saying yes to pushy problem clients because you need the money)

Contrary to popular belief, the photography industry isn’t dying.

There’s actually an explosion of opportunity to earn a living capturing images… if you know how to market your services.

Hi there, my name is Ben Hartley and in the last four years I’ve built a six figure photography business, was rated the #1 wedding photographer in Ohio, and now have an entire team of people that I employ to help me shoot some of the most beautiful weddings in the world.

Now I want to show you how you can do the same, and it all starts with getting clients.

But before we get to that…

I want to address some common myths photographers have about getting clients.

Myth #1

You have to compete on price to get bookings

I’m going to start with this one, because it’s the one I hate most.

Whoever competes on price loses.

They lose because it’s not sustainable. It’s the race to the bottom.

The results may mean you book weddings, but at those bottom rates you would have to shoot so many events that you will burn out, hate work, struggle with personal life balance and rob yourself of the joy of owning your own business.

How much you charge is a reflection of your own self worth and the quality of your brand.

Clients are happy to pay premium prices if you’re delivering more value then what you’re charging them.

Let me explain with a story…

A few weeks ago I set out to the store to buy a bottle of wine for a dinner party.

But not just any bottle of wine…

This was an important event so I wanted this wine to be amazeballs.

So I’m looking at all of the wine options and I see two bottles. I’m not that familiar with wine so both look similar.

One of the bottles of wine was $50 the other was $18.99

Which bottle of wine is the better bottle?

Which bottle of wine did I choose?

I grabbed the $50 bottle of wine.

I get back to the house, and my buddy asks me why I chose that particular bottle.

“It was the most expensive and I wanted to serve the best” I explain.

When your brides see your work priced in the middle of the market, they logically conclude that your work is average.

Do you know who will never hire you?

A bride who really cares about her photography and wants the best of the best.

Which leads me to the next myth about booking clients…

Myth #2

People book you based on the quality of your work

While you do need to be a competent photographer, the quality of your work is usually not the factor that is losing you the booking.

To many photographers focus their energy on WHAT they do and HOW they do it you ignore the only thing that really matters…

Your WHY.

That’s what separates you from everyone else.

It’s the reason they book YOU instead of Sally down the road.

WHY do you do what you do?

When you focus on making your WHY the centre of your brand, you get to show your own heart.

This builds trust and relationship.

For example, I photograph weddings in order to give back tangible memories (a.k.a. prints) that can physically exist as daily reminders to my clients of who they love, and why they love those people.

I shifted my entire business to emphasize that single belief.

…and that’s when things exploded.

Remember, photography is a SERVICE based industry.

We are not being hired as craftsmen.

Craftsman focus on WHAT & HOW.

Service-based industries focus on WHY.

Myth #3

You have to live in a large city

Too many photographers romanticize the idea of what a large city provides.

They imagine bigger budgets and more brides.

What they leave out of their fantasies is the increased competition and brand diffusion that comes with larger markets.

What I mean is this, in a small city, if you structure your marketing in the correct way then you have the ability to OWN the market.

To be known as THE go-to photographer.

The business that defines the expectations that all clients should experience.

The real problem most photographers have isn’t that their town is to small…

It’s getting their name out there and in front of the right people.

Why “Word Of Mouth” Isn’t Enough

Most photographers depend exclusively on “word of mouth” to drive the growth of their business.

Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool to generate leads, especially when you understand that you have real control over it…

However word of mouth is just one way to get clients.

I was never comfortable with the fact that I was putting the success of my company in OTHER PEOPLES HANDS.

That’s why I’ve spent the last 4 years perfecting systems that generate leads for me 24/7 from multiple sources.

And the good news is, these systems can be copied and deployed in your own business so that you can start taking control of your own marketing.

…even if you live in a small town

…even if you just moved to a new area

…even if you’re competing in an over saturated market

…even if you don’t have a “marketing budget”

Here’s what’s included…

Module 1 – Value Driven Growth

Providing value to your clients and potential clients is the foundation that your brand needs to be built on. This module explains why it’s so important and gives you a blueprint on how implement it your business for explosive growth.