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The Sales Process

Lesson 67 from: How to Start a Photography Business

Pye Jirsa

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Lesson Info

67. The Sales Process

Walk through the process of selling your work in a simple four-step process. Learn tactics for selling your work.
Summary (Generated from Transcript)

In this lesson, the instructor discusses the sales process in starting a photography business and shares personal experiences of selling meat from the back of a truck to illustrate the importance of understanding the customer's needs and presenting the solution effectively. The sales process is outlined as: identifying the customer's problem and need, developing a value proposition, presenting how the solution fits, closing by making the ask, and following up. The instructor emphasizes the importance of building rapport and trust with the customer, as well as the need for effective communication and follow-up in the sales process.

Q&A:

  1. What are the steps in the sales process discussed in the lesson?

    The steps in the sales process are: identifying the customer's problem and need, developing a value proposition, presenting how the solution fits, closing by making the ask, and following up.

  2. What is the importance of building rapport and trust in sales?

    Building rapport and trust with the customer is important to establish a positive relationship and create a foundation of trust, which can increase the chances of making a successful sale.

  3. What personal experience does the instructor share to illustrate the sales process?

    The instructor shares the experience of selling meat from the back of a truck and highlights the importance of effectively presenting the value and benefits of the product, as well as the need for effective communication and understanding the customer's needs.

  4. What is the added step in the sales process mentioned by the instructor?

    The added step in the sales process mentioned by the instructor is follow-up, which is emphasized as a necessary piece to maintain communication with the customer and ensure customer satisfaction.

  5. How does the instructor suggest reframing the sales meeting based on the discussed sales process?

    By understanding the sales process and following the steps outlined, the instructor suggests that the sales meeting can be approached differently, with a focus on understanding the customer's needs, presenting a value proposition, and effectively closing the sale.

Lessons

Class Trailer
1

Class Introduction

13:12
2

Common Myths & Unknown Truths

11:42
3

The Road Ahead

13:03
4

Find Your Passion

06:06
5

The Lin & Jirsa Journey

13:54
6

Part-time, Full-time, Employed, Partners?

03:51
7

Stop Wasting Time & Money

06:07
8

Your 12 Week Roadmap

04:33
9

Great Plans Still Fail

06:01
10

Strategy Vs. Planning

04:16
11

Mind Mapping

07:25
12

Select a Focus

14:16
13

Competitor Research

09:34
14

S.W.O.T. Analysis

13:54
15

Strategy & Long Term Goals

03:50
16

Values, Vision & Mission

27:49
17

Effectively Managing Your Time

15:05
18

Artistic Development

07:30
19

Create Your Plan

13:12
20

What's Your Product

10:51
21

Luxury vs Consumer Products & Experiences

11:44
22

Quick Break for Econ 101

16:31
23

Your Target Market & Brand Message

21:25
24

What's in a Name

09:20
25

Your Client 'Why'

05:43
26

Crafting the Why Experience

24:17
27

Document the Client Experience

08:29
28

Business Administration Basics

27:03
29

Book Keeping Management

06:51
30

Create the Logo & Branding

07:04
31

Portfolio Design

15:11
32

Design Your Services & Packages

18:51
33

Pricing Fears & Myths

08:46
34

Three Pricing Methods

25:39
35

Package Pricing Psychology & Design

06:15
36

Psychology of Numbers

07:29
37

Pricing Q&A

23:51
38

Grass Roots Marketing

09:36
39

The Empty Party

07:03
40

Friends & Family Test Shoots

16:28
41

Join Groups

04:32
42

Second Shooting Etiquette

07:44
43

The Listing & Classified Hustle

14:10
44

Make Instagram Simple

13:55
45

Your Automated Pinterest Plan

08:01
46

Facebook Because You Must

07:37
47

Giveaway & Styled Shoots

12:17
48

Content Marketing & SEO

08:12
49

The Monster: SEO

07:26
50

Selecting Your Keywords

05:45
51

Testing Your Keywords

07:53
52

Grouping Main & Niche Goals

12:39
53

Your Content Road Map

11:47
54

Content Marketing Q&A

10:45
55

Inspiration to Keep Working

07:45
56

How to Craft Your Content

15:03
57

Internal Linking Basics

05:30
58

Back Link Building Basics

04:55
59

Link Value Factos

14:38
60

Measuring Link Value

04:24
61

Link Building Strategy & Plan

06:10
62

Link Building Plan: Vendors & Guest Writing

06:45
63

Link Building Plan: Features, Directories, Comments

03:11
64

Link Building: Shortcuts & One Simple Tool

14:44
65

What is Sales? Show Me!

12:58
66

Your First Massive Failure

05:17
67

The Sales Process

07:31
68

Your Second Massive Failure

05:23
69

Understand Buyer Psychology

10:00
70

Step 0: Building Rapport & Trust

15:14
71

Step 1: Identify Need or Want

15:39
72

Cognitive Dissonance

12:01
73

Steps 2 & 3: Value Proposition & The Solution

14:21
74

Step 4 : Close, Make the Ask

04:32
75

Step 5: Follow Up & Resolve Concerns

06:13
76

Family Photography Hot Seat

12:06
77

Business Example Hot Seat

15:52
78

Boudoir Photography Hot Seat

16:09
79

The Best Sales Person

07:45
80

Your Mindset, Vibrations & Frequency

06:56
81

Always Positive, Always Affirming

11:55
82

The Second Money & Dual Process

07:39
83

Chumming the Price Waters

03:57
84

Creating Want or Scarcity

09:54
85

Timeless Advice on Being Likable

11:53
86

Selling Over The Phone

10:59
87

Forbidden Words in Sales

11:40

Lesson Info

The Sales Process

Let's talk about the sales process. This is where I want you guys to mentally take yourselves, okay? The sales process is one, identify the customer's problem and need. Two, develop a value proposition. Three, present how the solution fits. Four, close by making the ask, and, Haldis, bless your heart, but where did we hit any of these? (audience laughing) It's, don't feel bad, like, this is literally every single one of us. You were just bold enough and brave enough to stand up here, which means that you're gonna be the first person that takes all this to heart so, kudos. The sales process, this is 100 years unchanged. This goes back to John Henry Patterson. He's considered the pioneer, the father of sales. I have a story to tell you guys. So, this is back in the 1890s when this sales training that he developed came out. That's what this is from. And all of us learn sales incorrectly. Like this has been out forever, yet all of us don't understand it. That's funny. "Don't sell the steak...

. Sell the sizzle." Elmer Wheeler, love you. I'm gonna tell you about actually selling the steak. 'Cause I did it when I was 22 years old. I drove a truck with a refrigerator in the back around rural areas of Utah. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Isn't Utah all?" Yeah, all of Utah is pretty rural compared to Seattle, Los Angeles, whatever. But Salt Lake is a decently sized city. Now, I would drive around the outskirts of Salt Lake with my refrigerator, take it to places like Tooele, and Farmington. And I would take my truck, and I would go and sell meat. I kid you not, I did this for almost a year in college. Now, you're laughing. I would go up, and I would knock on a door to people who had no clue who I was. I would go and knock on a door, "Hey, hi." I didn't use my southern accent then. I just, normal, normal Utah accent. We do have accents. "Hey, my name is Pye. "I got some meat." (audience laughing) That's my favorite line, "I got meat." You can't say that without a southern accent. "I got some meat." You have to put a southern accent on that. I don't know why. My southern friends, I love you all. My mom's from Oklahoma. I love you, and that's where I get my accent from. So, I would introduce myself, and I'd say, "Look, I'm just driving by. "I know this is kind of odd, but I have "some really great meat in the back of my truck. "I'd love to come and show you. "Let me go grab it." And I'd just go start walking back to the truck (laughing). Now, you guys are laughing right now. I get it, it's funny. It's funny up until I tell you that I put myself and my family through college with no debt because I made $1200 a day selling meat from the back of a truck. This is not revenue. This is how much I took home. Meat from the back of a truck. And now all of you are like, "Hmm, okay." (audience laughing) Where's that meat truck? (audience laughing) Where's that meat truck? Haldis wants to sell some meat. Who else wants to sell some meat? (audience laughing) So, that's the thing about it is, like, this is the beauty of sales. It can really be anything. Now, I'll tell you this, it's depressing selling meat out of the back of a truck. There's no joy in that. There's no nothing. There's simply a paycheck at the end of the day. And I would work, I worked one day a week, making 50, $60,000 a year. And that's how I went through college without any debt. So, it worked for me, it was fine. But I learned a whole heck of a lot doing that. And this line was like the meat seller's motto. (audience chuckling) "You don't sell the steak, you sell the sizzle." And I mean literally, do you know how many times I would grab a steak out and be like, "Hey, you got a grill? "Let's fire this up." I would actually take the steak out and grill it for them. I literally sold the sizzle. And they would taste it, and they'd be like, "Yeah, that's really good steak." You're damn right it is, Julie. You can get a box for just $300. The boxes were large and expensive, and we would move a lot of them at a time. And there was money in it. Now, here's the thing. Any of you, who talked the most up here in our little quick role play? You did, we do, right? We, the sales people, talk the most. So, my question is, "How do you hear the sizzle "of the steak when you keep talking over it?" Okay, we're gonna go back to the sales process. I'm gonna add two simple points. We're gonna put two minor tweaks into this. Step zero, because this shouldn't have to be said, so it's step zero. It's to build a rapport to create trust. Now, I have done the door-to-door sales thing two times in my life for a total of almost four years. One time it was selling religion. I was a missionary for two years. One time it was selling steaks. One time, knives. I've sold a lot of things door-to-door. And step zero is always number one. By the way, you know what the toughest sale of anything is? Religion, that is by far harder to sell than anything else in this entire world. But, man, I learned a lot about people and relationships and understanding and love. And no matter what happened, no matter what is said on the other side of that table or on the other side of that door, you show love. That's the only proper response to any result. Whether it's a client saying, "no," whether it's a door shut in your face, whether it's someone asking if they can get a better deal, the proper response is love. Number one, build that rapport, build trust. So, that's zero. Number one is then identify what the hell it is you're selling. Like, what is their need, and what do I want? And that's where I want Erin, you, to ask, "Tell me something about yourself. "Or tell me something about what you're looking for." Figure out, like, pull them out of that. You are there to serve them. And guess what? They're meeting with you because you have a service that they freakin' want. It's not about you. At that point, we're gonna develop a value proposition. We're gonna present the solution. Then, we're gonna close by making the ask. And this is the other one I'm gonna add in there, which is follow up because so often that's forgotten. And follow up is a necessary piece. Already, can you think of how you might do that meeting differently right now? Yeah. Yeah, we haven't even learned the psychology of anything. We haven't learned anything else. We just simply learned a process, and now we can go, "Okay, I can "already reframe that to go very differently."

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

How to Launch a Photography Business Workbook
Experience Pricing Example

Ratings and Reviews

Armstrong Su
 

This class and materials are to the point and eye-opening on the business side of photography. Pye Jirsa is an amazing and fun teacher as well! Most photographers need more business classes offered to bring us who love to create art back to reality for a more successful business that makes a living on it's own. This course will definately get you started in the right direction and so cheap too! Great investment! armstrong outdoor tv case outdoortvcase Pye Jirsa is one of the best instructors that I have the pleasure to learn from. He and his team have given me so much more than they'll ever realize. Knowledge, wisdom, training, friendship, mentoring, inspiration, joy... I cannot thank Pye enough for changing my life for the better. I owe them more than they'll ever realize. Thank you, Pye Jirsa!!!

Angela Sanchez
 

This class has been an eye opener for me; a point of change in my vision as photographer. Pye is and AMAZING, INSPIRING, GENEROUS instructor, with an, authentic desire to help people and to share with them the best of his knowledge. I will not have enough words to say thanks to Pye Jirsa, as a teacher and as a human being, and thanks to Creative Live who allows us to benefit from the experience of such a knowledgeable, educated, well-versed photographer and instructor. 1000% recommended!

Yenith LianTy
 

Been following this guy forever. Pye Jirsa may be well known in the wedding & portrait photography world and if there is something that this guy knows it is how to create a business, a sustainable one. The workbook he provided is comprehensive, and I honestly wish I had this when I first started out as a photographer! I love that he talks about his failures, keeping it real and honest for anyone starting out. He is definitely one of the best instructors around, super humble, down to earth and with a sense of humor to boot. The course is worth it! THE WORKBOOK is AMAZING! SUPER DETAILED!

Student Work

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