509: Juliette and Benn Wilkinson – Transition successfully from wedding to portrait photography

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Nothing makes me happier than recording success story interviews like this with Juliette and Benn Wilkinson of www.blueskyphotography.net.au.

My initial contact with this couple was about business coaching when the pandemic hit. Their main focus was weddings, and they were struggling, like all wedding photographers, with cancellations and ongoing expenses.

Juliette emailed me and wrote…

Benn and I are looking for a business coach to help us transition from weddings to portrait work. We're already on this path, and things have been quite successful on the sales side.

However, where we struggle is getting leads. We've tried a few things (FB ads, emailing previous clients) with varying results, but we feel like we're a little directionless, trying many different things.

We want to create a great marketing plan and have someone to keep us accountable and consistent in our approach instead of our ad hoc & reactive manner!

Months later, this…

We've been up against it the past couple of months, feeling a bit like we aren't getting any traction and how hard it is to run a business (basically feeling pretty sorry for ourselves!)

Fast forward to the present day, and you can see on their beautiful website the transition to portraits is complete, and they are on track for an annual revenue of over $200k!

In this interview, learn what it takes to transition successfully from wedding to portrait photography.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

• Jules and Benn's target market
• Roles in the business
• The catalyst that made Jules and Benn hire a business coach
• Reasons to consider different photography niches and stay away from weddings
• How to transition to a new photography genre successfully
• The benefits of hiring a business coach
• How to effectively keep a journal and why you should
• How to generate leads
• How to find the best leads from your photography competitions
• Planning session processes
• Jules and Benn's reveal process
• The importance of photographers being present during the planning sessions
• The need to have couples present to get better results during planning consults
• How to deal with pushback from clients
• The process of contacting leads from competitions
• Third-party marketing promos
• How to approach hotel venues and get in front of their clients
• What transpires when reaching out to third-party vendors
• Why it is important to hire a photography business coach
• Is having the right mindset more important than implementing a strategy
• Where Jules and Benn's business is heading in the next 12 months

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this interview – the full-length and more revealing version where you hear the absolute best tips and advice from every guest.

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, get access to a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

Wherever you can, pick up the phone and speak to someone rather than sending them an email. – Juliette Wilkinson

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Juliette and Benn shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business due to what you heard in today's episode.

No matter how uncomfortable it feels or sounds, once you get on the phone and start talking to people, you forget that, you really do. I mean, you can still be nervous and you can still feel clunky but every call you get better and better. – Benn Wilkinson

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Juliette and Benn or if you want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes and Google are the biggest search engine for podcasts, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately, a better show.

If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes or https://photobizx.com/google, and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show, and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast and email me your keywords or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy, and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has impacted you and your photography business.​

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Blue Sky Photography Website

Blue Sky Photography on Instagram

Blue Sky Photography on Facebook

Episode 168: Two Mann Studios – Careful Curation is the Key to Photography Success

Episode 293: Ben Chrisman – How to Build a Successful Studio Portrait Photography Business

Episode 330: Johl Dunn – How to create a money-making portrait photography business

Episode 302: Kylie Garner – Email marketing for photographers

Episode 436: Nik Buttigieg – Change your mindset for photography sales success

Episode 508: Helen Schryver – How to book profitable holiday portrait photography sessions

Episode 466: Helen Schryver – Work less and make more by tripling your portrait photography prices

Access the Johl Dunn facebook Ad Training

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening, and thanks to Juliette and Benn for sharing their thoughts, ideas and advice on transitioning successfully from wedding to portrait photography with the help of a photography business coach, journaling and successful lead generation and conversion.

If you are thinking of coaching, do it. Because it will save you so long. You're basically paying for someone's experience and it helps you leapfrog making so many of your own errors. – Juliette Wilkinson

That’s it for me this week; I hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

Thanks, and speak soon
Andrew

The post 509: Juliette and Benn Wilkinson – Transition successfully from wedding to portrait photography appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.