Have you ever considered using proof prints with your clients?  Let me show you how easy {and fast} it can be to use proof prints during your IPS sessions to genuinely delight your clients and increase your overall sales!

 

A few years ago, I started created swag bags for each of my clients.  I wanted to give away something special to thank them for believing in me and investing in my company!  So I found cute cellophane bags and filled them with little goodies to tuck inside the bag with their prints and albusms.  But, if I’m being honest… it felt forced and cheesy.  Not pampering and customized.  So I began to rethink how and when I was nurturing my clients.

 

When you take care of your clients, they take care of you!

 

The only drawback?  While you’re pampering your clients, you still have to ensure that you’re running a profitable company by making wise financial choices.  Not only that, but here’s the thing: there is a TON of psychology that goes into sales and selling.  While, as photographers, we may identify more as an “artist” than a “salesperson,” the truth of the matter is that we own a business.   And, to make money?  We have to sell.

 

So how do we make selling “feel” good?  Sweet sparkle, the answer is proof prints!

 

One of the things that really didn’t sit well with me was that my clients would spend a lot of money with me during their IPS session…. and then leave the studio completely empty handed {unless you count their digital receipt… but I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t exactly bring me joy!}.  While they were excited about their purchase, they had nothing tangible to show and had to wait a few weeks to see the finished products.

 

I wanted to find a way to use proof prints to make my clients happy & increase my sales!

 

So, I did some research and found out that you can, in fact, create proof prints {complete with the white borders} inside of Lightroom!  And, the best part for me, once you set it up the first time,  Lightroom remembers your settings.  So you can easily create an entire set of proof prints for a client in less than a minute!  #winning

 

Watch this quick tutorial & I’ll show you how to make proof prints!

 

It’s really quite an easy process!  Watch the video, then keep scrolling down and I’ll tell you how I’m integrating proof prints into my IPS sessions and why they’re working!

 

1. edit your images in Lightroom

2. navigate to the print tab {upper right}

3. find the page set-up option {lower left} & change the page size to 3.5×5

4. change the layout to be ¼” on all sides {right side of your screen}

5. increase the cell size

6. add any extra info you wish

7. print to file {lower right}

 

To help me keep costs down, I’m printing my proof prints at a 3.5×5 size through Millers {in RS+ choose “proofing”}.  Why this size?  It’s the cheapest option {I usually spend $15-25 per client}, it’s too small to scan and reprint at a larger size, and let’s be honest…. they fit well into a swag bag!

 

How I’m using proof prints during my IPS sessions:

 

So now that I figured out how to create and print these magical little proof prints, I wanted to find a way to integrate them into both my IPS sessions and client swag bags.  The result was far better than I could have ever imagined!

 

After my clients have viewed their images digitally on the big screen TV, I pull out the proof prints {making NO mention that they’ll get to keep them}.  I ask them to make three piles of prints…

 

I call this the “love, like, or eh” process.

 

They always giggle at my super official titles!  Once piles have been made, we work exclusively from the “love” pile and only reference the “like” pile if needed {or if they want to add more images to an album}.  It makes it INCREDIBLY easy to visualize wall groupings, decide which images look good together, and compare images… all things which are tricky to do online {unless you’re using Swift Galleries}.

 

My clients are able to select their products MUCH quicker than ever before AND {enter our aforementioned friend, mr. psychology} they begin to fall in love with and feel ownership over the very prints they’re holding in their hands.  Which…. typically makes them add on a few things they just can’t live without!  And that part?  That usually happens at the very end, when they’re left holding a stack of “unused” images in their hands.

 

The truth of the matter is, my proof prints sell for me & make my clients happy!

 

When the entire ordering process is completed and my clients are signing the large chalkboard wall in my studio, I quietly sneak over to a corner of my studio and package up a little swag bag for my clients.  I include custom hair ties from Ties for Teams, branded chapstick {Berry Sangria is everyone’s fave}, a mini nail polish, and business cards in a pillow box with custom ribbon from the Ribbon Print Company!  Also inside the goodie bag is all of their proof prints… wrapped up in a cute little wax paper bag with washi tape.  Because washi tape makes everything cuter.  Can I get an amen?!

 

As we’re saying our good-byes, I hand them their swag bag…. including the proof prints.

 

I tell them that, inside the swag bag, they’ll find some fun goodies {get all the details here}… plus all the photographs they were just holding.  I encourage them to find frames for the prints, pass them out to family members, or use them however they wish.

And, since you’re wondering, I don’t sell anything smaller than a 5×7, so never once has this hurt my sales and I’ve never had a client call and decrease their order once they were home.

 

In fact, on more than one occasion, my clients have gotten misty-eyed when I tell them they get to keep the proof prints!

 

It’s a small gesture, but by integrating proof prints into my IPS sessions, I’m able to make the process easier and faster, increase my overall sales, and MOST IMPORTANTLY make my clients truly happy by blessing them with a little gift.

 

It’s a win-win for everyone involved!

 

Do you do something similar with your IPS sessions or have a question about the process?  I’m happy to help and would love to hear your brilliant ideas too!  Leave a comment in the box below and let’s chat!  Or, if you’re a social person and think your friends would love this info, use can pin this blog post on Pinterest or share it in your Facebook groups using the buttons below!

 

It’s an honor to have you joining me on this journey and I’d love to continue to help you make informed decisions for your photography business!  Click here to download a freebie, with love from me to you!