Ensuring Client Happiness
9 Strategies to Make Clients Love You from Contact to Delivery

As a service-based business, client satisfaction is obviously paramount to continued success. Your best clients become repeat business and referral magnets for you, assuming they adore what you deliver and vibe with you. So how do you make your clients feel over the moon and fall in love with your work? The obvious answer is to hone your craft and elevate their experience with premium offerings. My emphasis is on what happens behind the scenes. Your ongoing communication with your clients will magnify the bond they feel with your photography business. I highlight 9 strategies to boost connection below:

1. Be responsive.

   This is SO important and sets the tone for your ongoing client-photographer relationship. Getting back to inquiries quickly can go a long way to letting them know that you value their business—and them. Humans have an innate need to be seen! I know it’s tricky when you are in the thick of busy season, but do it anyway. Your responses can even be automated with services like Picsello doing the heavy lifting for you so everyone gets a swift reply. You can then follow up with a more personalized message at a better time. Just be sure that all the places where you generate leads—your website forms, Instagram and Facebook page—get regular attention.

2. Be curious.

   Maybe you had them at hello, because they already follow you and have been aiming to hire you for years, or they came in via their bestie’s glowing review who showered you with praise while showing off their own session. Even if it’s a warm lead, new clients are going to have a unique set of desires. Show some genuine interest in what brought them to you, the type of session they are looking to bring to life and getting to know more. My initial response often mirrors some of the language they have used when they reach out to me—it encourages rapport. I also aim to answer all of their questions, explain my process and get them talking about themselves in service of connection and creative discovery.

3. Be informative.

   A successful shoot starts with great information exchange and you have a wealth of knowledge to share. Clients are coming to you for your expertise in all things photography. They are investing in your service to meet their marketing needs, forever encapsulate an event, or capture their family’s now. Most clients are motivated by envisioning how your skills will make them look gorgeous, as well as their budget. They may not even know what other questions to ask. Help them wrap their heads around ALL the considerations and possibilities: location, time of day, duration, props, wardrobe, hair and makeup, pricing, what’s included, print and digital options, timeline for delivery and any other logistics that you find matter. Share all your best tips and personalize them to their requests when possible. Consider adding some info-packed blog articles to your website as an added value to your clients and the photo community.

4. Be warm.

   Once they’ve booked and you’ve discussed all the finer details, how will you turn their vision into reality? Their comfort on set all starts with a friendly greeting and a smile. It’s time to quell your own nerves and focus on being warm and reassuring. Engage in conversation. Headshot client? Shake hands! Ask them about what they do, then ask them about vacation plans! Working with young kids? Get down on their level, make eye contact and bust out your sweet and silly side. I find that addressing kids first puts parents at ease. Be funny if that feels authentic. I’m not a joke teller, but I ask my clients all the time if they have any (dad) jokes. Even if they don’t, it’s a verbal cue that fosters ease and laughter. I have a few phrases and directions that are foolproof at eliciting smiles too. Be your most charming self and develop your own.

5. Be patient.

   Some subjects are full of sunshine and rainbows from the first capture. They catch light on their features like an orchid in a greenhouse. There are giggles and dynamic poses and the session feels like homemade lemonade and fireflies. Magic. Other times the magic of the creative process relies more on patience. Kids won’t cooperate? Make a game of it and follow them around with your camera. Your headshot client looks stunning in front of the modeling lights, but one of their eyes squints every time you take a shot and you need some more fill to flatter their features. Take this opportunity as you direct them and adjust your lighting to build on your relationship. Maybe you just caught a light stand that wasn’t nailed down yet, you knocked your head into a modifier in front of your client, or the toddler made a beeline for the seamless sweep. Take action and breathe. If you look stressed, your clients may internalize it, so explain what you’re doing instead. Brush off the little things that will inevitably happen on occasion. A photo shoot is a dance. Channel your inner calm and trust that you can recover from any toes getting stepped on and still have an incredible performance.

6. Be consistent.

   Aim to be consistent with both your verbal and visual communication. Continue the conversation when the shoot is over, keeping up with your track record for being responsive and reaching out proactively. Share your enthusiasm for sending their images, remind them when they can expect their gallery and express your gratitude and pleasure in working with them. When editing, stay true to your style and vision. Send a gallery which feel harmonious in terms of saturation, crop, contrast etc. and matches the aesthetic you showcase in your portfolio—the look that they hired you for.

7. Be open.

   Remain open to feedback. Occassionally your happy client may be unhappy about a particular nuance. It may have nothing to do with you or the service you provide, but how you approach and problem solve can make all the difference in maintaining their positive experience. My client’s daughter got a shiner from a fall the night before their lifestyle family session. I offered immediately to reschedule in spite of my cancelation policy. I had a mini session client that was disappointed in the work of my second shooter so I chose to upgrade their package the following year at my expense and made sure they came to me. I’ve had clients not love something about their appearance, so addressed it in retouching. Sometimes I just don’t get it all in one shot either, especially in groups with small kids. Hello, face swap!

8. Be flexible.

   I’ve had all kinds of things “go wrong” but my focus on “making things right” for my clients has garnered me a lot of kudos over the years. My mirror locked up during Kids Fashion Week NYC early in my career. I was able to borrow another DSLR from a commercial studio I was managing at the time and only a short walk away. It was a big lesson to always have a backup camera, but my ability to think on my feet helped me make it work in the moment. Harsh winds and rain storms have moved entire shoots indoors, requiring a lot of last minute pivoting for all. I’ve dropped lights or had batteries/cards run out at inopportune times. Kids and grownups “run out” of capacity too. Your ability to shift is key.

9. Be appreciative.

   You are in love with your last session and your client is blown away. It’s given rise to a glowing email and many social media likes. But don’t forget to love on them too. They spent time researching photogs and chose you, gifting you their trust and admiration. They pored over and followed your tips for hair and makeup, and wardrobed themselves in camera-ready attire. They showed up in great spirits even though there was a fight getting clothes on their son that morning, they got a flat on the way, or they had to wait an extra hour for your hair and makeup artist to fight through traffic from Brooklyn. They delivered on smiles. They are basically awesome—so tell them all the unique reasons why.

Share in the comments below how your quick thinking kept your clients happy!

Shine on set,
Leila