Let’s talk husbands. 

Not all husbands. Just the complainers. The whiners. The picture haters. The bribers. The threateners. The time checkers. The killers of finalized orders and those “too busy” to attend a consultation or sales appointment, but not too busy to scuttle the actual sale.

Actually…that might just cover 87% of husbands.

If you are a family photographer, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

As much as we love the men in our lives, one of the questions I get most from my Art of Selling Art students is “what do we do about the husbands?”

In today’s podcast, Kathryn Langsford and I discuss our own journey in learning to “Speak Husband”. 

Becoming a certified Husband Whisperer means:

• Including the husband in the process
• Acknowledging his “pain” 
• Respecting his time by getting to the point
• Coming prepared

Figuring out how to engage the husband is worth your time. It will change the experience for everyone involved. Moms will feel less like the monkey in the middle trying to please everyone, and you might actually gain an ally (yep, the husband). 

And before long, you might just hear our most favorite sentence when answering a call from a client: “My husband has been bugging me to call and book our session!”

 

Here’s a glance at this episode:

• [2:57] - The common issues with husbands we both noticed during sessions.
• [4:03] - Kathryn describes some of the common problems.
• [5:56] - Now that they know how to speak to them, the process is way easier.
• [6:34] - Kathryn now acknowledges that the husband may not want to be involved for a lengthy amount of time unless they want to.
• [8:02] - Even though their time is respected and they only plan to stay for a few minutes, Allison shares that they rarely leave even though they’re able to.
• [9:52] - When it comes to money, husbands are already on edge with the cost of clothing and prepping for the shoot. Acknowledging this lightens the mood.
• [11:20] - Find out if this is a decision that needs to be made together or a project that may only involve the wife.
• [13:27] - What happens when the husband and wife are not at all on the same page but don’t realize it until the sales appointment.
• [16:19] - What Kathryn and Allison know now came from years of experiences and tweaking their strategies.
• [17:05] - The process needs to be extremely clear.
• [18:36] - A benefit of having pricing conversations together is that everyone is on the same page.
• [20:21] - The consistent feedback Kathryn got earlier in her career is that the sessions didn’t have a clear end-goal.
• [21:49] - When she changed the way she ran consultations, things were much clearer for everyone.
• [24:05] - Allison shares the importance of having husbands included in the selection of photos.
• [26:02] - Editing the number of photos down so as not to overwhelm.
• [28:12] - People are busy and it’s important to take them through a process that doesn’t waste time (including your own time).
• [30:45] - The best client experiences are when both partners are included.
• [32:40] - Acknowledge time and help them work together to be decisive.

 

Links and Resources:

Drake Busath
Website | Instagram | Italy Workshops

Do The ReWork
Website | Instagram

Allison Tyler Jones
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn