The Commissioned Wedding
by Doug Box
Our Commissioned Wedding concept has created a tremendous amount of excitement. Photographic entrepreneurs see that this concept can increase profits, save time and increase your control. Rick Carmickle from New Albany, IN told me since he started using my techniques only 6 weeks ago, he has booked 12 of the last 13 prospects at $2,000. Much more than before. His brides love the fact that he will present them with a completed, custom wedding album 5 weeks after the wedding. They like the fact that he will pick the poses and enlargements for them and they don't have to fool with it. He loves the fact that he gets brides to book at a much larger coverage. He loves the fact that he will go to the wedding with all of the money up front. He is glad that his reprint orders will be up to 50% higher. You can be happy too! Here is what Kirk Voclain recently told me after seeing the new Black and White photography we are doing and how it has added $900 to our wedding averages. “After I changed to your commissioned wedding system, I added $1,000 to every wedding I was doing. Now if this new Black and White coverage adds another $900, I'm going to owe you money!” No Kirk, I'm glad to help! You can learn to save hours of time by not having to spend time with the bride in laying out the wedding album. You can hear how 6 out of 8 brides selected our $3400 coverage and how I show them doing the photographs before the wedding is right for them.
Here is the article
The Commissioned Wedding
We present a custom album with multi-size images, were we (the
studio) picks which photographs go in the album and in what
sizes, 5 weeks after the wedding.
12 years ago I was frustrated with several things about wedding
photography:
* Getting the proofs back so I could make the final album.
* Selling bigger and more reprints.
* The need to cut down the amount of time I spent with the bride
“figuring out how to put the final album together”.
* I wanted some artistic control on how the wedding album was put
together
I have always felt more relatives and friends saw the Proof book
than sees the final album. As soon as the couple receives the
photographs, they show everyone. I wanted everyone to see the
final album, with multiple size images, put together in story
book fashion and no duplicate pictures rather than only the proof
book. So I decided to try showing a completed, custom (multiple
sizes), album instead of proof books. Again, I think more people
see the photographs the first month the couple has the book than
the rest of the first year. Also, I remembered the old saying,
“You sell what you show.” When I began sending out
albums with multiple sizes,(5x5 through 10x10 and even a couple
of 10x20’s) I found that my reprint sales increased more
than 50%. Much of that increase credited to selling larger sizes,
since everyone was seeing larger sizes. We now sell many more
8x10’s and 10x10’s and even 10x20’s rather than
just 5x5’s.
The first time the couple or anyone else sees the album, it is
finished. And it is delivered just 5 weeks after the wedding.
Just think, if several brides married about the same time were at
a party 6 weeks after their weddings. And assume that all of the
major “proof delivery systems” were represented. One
girl would pass around a typical proof book complete with all of
the photos taken at the wedding- even all of the duplicates, with
order blanks between the pages. Girl two has a “box of
proofs” to pass around. What order do these go in? Girl
three passes around her video tape. These look a little dark!
Does anyone have a TV in their purse? Girl four has sheets of
paper with little “thumbnails” of her photos printed on
a $500 ink jet printer. Oh here is the magnifying glass. These
look like postage stamps. And one girl has a beautiful Art
Leather Futura album with over 140 beautiful color and Black
& White images in sizes included 4x5’s 5x5’s
5x7’s 8x8’s 8x10’s 10x10’s 10x20’s
5x10’s etc. Telling a story and only ONE of each photograph.
Without even seeing the photographs, which one do you think is
more impressive. Which one will book more weddings?
Some will ask, “You decide which are the best images
and what is the “Right” size to make the photographs
for the album?” Of course, I’m the professional. I have
photographed hundreds of weddings, most brides have only done one
or two. But also consider the following arguments. During a
discussion with Joe Schmidt from NY, he pointed out to me there
are lots of decisions that are more important. Decisions that the
B&G never get to help decide. For example; Who decides which
film to use, which lens to use, how to crop the image in the
camera, how to light the image, what exposure to use, whether to
do Traditional or Photo journalistic style for each image, etc.
With you making all of these important decisions, what is the big
deal deciding which image will be enlarged to a 8x10. I assure
the B&G that they can change anything they want to change,
from the order the images are in the album or the size. They will
even get to see duplicate images and if they want to switch
between the image I chose and the duplicate they can make that
decision. (But they almost never make any changes) This relieves
their anxiety and besides, they trust me. In fact, the trust
exhibited in hiring you to photograph the wedding, makes choosing
the size and order of the images in the album seem like “No
big Deal”.
Also consider the video guys, they choose which images or
segments are included in the final tape, they choose which order
and the length of time each segment is in the tape. And I
don’t know about you, but I feel that I’m just as
professional as the videographer.
In my opinion there are two basic ways to sell wedding
photography, packages and the a-la-carte/minimum order procedure.
The a-la-carte method entails booking the wedding at an amount
less than you hope the final order is. This requires “doing
your selling job” after the wedding. The problem with this
method is that many times the couple is out of money. The other
method is of course selling some sort of package or combination.
One of the advantages of this method is the selling is done
before the wedding, while all of the budget is not allocated. Our
method of “showing a completed album” will work with
both arrangements.
For many years I used the minimum order system. The method I used
was to have the couple choose the coverage with appropriate
minimum order, based on the number of hours the bride and I
decided would be necessary for her particular wedding day. Then I
would show the couple a completed custom album with about 50%
more photographs in the album than the original minimum order, in
hopes of selling them all. I accomplished my goal of everyone
seeing the custom album instead of the proof book, but many times
the couple could not afford the album the way I showed. I would
usually have to offer some sort of discount or bonus “If
they would take them all.” I got tired of trying to increase
the sale on the bride’s album after the wedding, when all of
their money is gone.
Now I sell a complete coverage. It includes my time, the album,
complete wedding coverage, all of the photographs including 20-30
full page images (8x10 and 10x10) 10 to 15 half page images (5x7
and 8x8) and 70 to 120 quarter page images (4x5 and 5x5)
depending on coverage purchased. Some of the coverage even
include a bridal session with 20x24 portrait and/or an engagement
session and enlargements. My goal is to sell a larger coverage
and album than they originally thought they needed. I use my
selling skills before the wedding, when they still have some
money. I call this new concept the “Commissioned
Wedding”. They pay me a price for wedding coverage with a
particular amount of time and a minimum number of photographs.
Then I decide which and how many photographs are in the album. It
always includes more photos than they contracted for. I would
rather give them a few more photographs as a “Bonus”
rather than discount my work. The best thing is, they never take
the book apart. They take it just like I show it to them.
Everyone is happy. Especially me!
There are still ways to upgrade the sale. We offer canvas
upgrades to the bridal portrait and even our new
“Photographic Watercolor Art Prints”. We offer Black
and White coverage up grade to our smaller coverage or they can
choose one of our upscale coverage that include Black and White
images. And of course there are parent albums and reprints. Does
all of this work? I think so. I now average $3652 per wedding,
which includes almost $1000 in reprints and parents albums. I
will admit that I do less weddings now, but my is the same and
growing and my profit is way up. In 1989 I did 38 weddings with
an average of just under $1000. Last year I had reached that
amount sales after just 13 weddings. I am able to provide a
higher level of service and even better photography, because I am
less tired and more creative.
Oh well, just another way to do weddings. As I teach this method
in my seminars, I have found that others are doing this method
also. Which only proves the point, “Nothing is new in
Photography.” Nothing against Montage or Epix, I just
don’t understand why you would want spend the extra money
for the equipment just so you can “Show them what your book
COULD look like.” Why not just show them what it does look
like, with the real album.
If you want more information, call me, 979-272-0900 Order your copy of our Commissioned Wedding Tape
Set. (2-90 minute tapes and
workbook for only $39)
Doug Box
This article is reprinted by permission of the author, Doug Box. To contact Doug, visit his web site www.SimplySelling.com or email him at dougbox@mac.com. You can also write Doug Box at 2504 County Rd 235, Caldwell, TX 77836