Photography News

How Should one Manage Their Clients Expectations?

July 29, 2016 by Rene Anthony

To become a successful photographer, it goes without saying that your success will depend upon your ability to satisfy your clients. Not only does a happy customer translate into an increased likelihood of their return business in the future, but it also generates word-of-mouth marketing that is vital for a photographer to increase their customer base.

 

Often however, customers’ satisfaction levels can be influenced by factors beyond the technical skills you possess as a photographer. In some instances, it is the expectations of clients that will determine whether they’re pleased with the final results. With this in mind, photographers need to be well prepared to manage their clients’ expectations.

 

There are various strategies one can adopt when dealing with clients, however, the first and most vital step is to realise that every client has different expectations from the next, meaning a ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t always work. At the very least however, you want to address these expectations at the beginning of the relationship, which is the time when people are most receptive to suggestions on the work they desire.

 

It’s one thing for photographers to gauge and understand their clients work, which they will almost always do – another thing is to stand in their shoes and understand their perspective on the entire process. Try to foresee what questions and concerns they might have.

Issues and complaints and not uncommon within the photography industry, and can arise from a number of grievances – those might include a client who is: expecting a greater number of photos; asking for the original RAW files; demanding a refund; unhappy with the makeup they were wearing on the day; requesting a reshoot; and many more.

 

More often than not however, when photographers find themselves in this sort of predicament, it becomes apparent they have not implemented or (effectively) briefed their clients on their policies – instead, they’ve operated under the impression that terms are ‘implied’. Worse yet, if there are policies in place, they may be ambiguous, unclear or not refined to the shoot in question.

 

In that sense, while some clients may have demanding expectations, clear policies and discussions at the beginning of a contract will serve to align both parties – thus, reducing the likelihood of later grievances. You are, in effect, operating as a small business, and every business owner should have such information at hand for their clients, and their own reference.

 

The policies don’t need to be pages of ‘legalese’. Instead, it should be phrased in a clear and simple manner, while photographs and examples of situations can aid the descriptions. Tailor the policies towards specific shoots – after all, a wedding shoot is vastly different than taking baby portraits and clients may require different information. Another strategy is to include general policy information on your website and social media platforms.

Once you start to go into the specifics, make sure to cover the full spectrum of events that stand to cause a potential issue – no matter how small. For instance, the effects of bad weather, styling issues, pricing, the process, cancellations, delays, timelines, refunds, the provision of RAW files, reshoots, booking availabilities, album sizing and so forth.

 

There’s also the argument one could make for adjusting your clients expectations slightly lower at the beginning of a shoot, with the intent to exceed them and delight the customer. While this becomes a slightly risky approach in a heavily competitive industry like photography, you may find this suits particular individuals rather than across the board.

 

At the end of the day, if you’re unable to set, and meet, the expectations of your clients, another photographer will be the one who benefits. Establishing policies is just the beginning of the process, from there clear and aligned dialogue is key.

 

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