The Pet Photographers Club Podcast Archives

Today’s guest, Mareike Konrad was one of Europe’s first, if not the first, professional pet photographer. She started her business 12 years ago doing what most of you are doing today- selling digital only packages at unsustainable prices. She quickly realized that in order to put food on her table, something had to change. After reaching out to newborn photographers around the world to learn what worked for them, she introduced albums, wall art and other products too- and when she did- her clients thanked her!

WE COVERED:

• Mareike’s journey into pet photography
• What Mareike offered when she first started, and why she changes
• How much Mareike’s clients spend

EXTENDED MEMBERS-ONLY EPISODE:

• The exact products Mareike sells & which are the most popular 
• Offering digitals and the client response to that
• Where Mareike’s clients come from

LINK: https://mareike-konrad.de/

LEARN MORE:

Mareike is co-hosting an online conference for german pet photographers with Sarah Stangl! More on that here: https://mareike-konrad.de/onlinekonferenz-fuer-tierfotografen/

Es wird Zeit, dass sich in der Tierfotografie endlich etwas ändert. Seit Jahren schon beobachten wir den Markt und finden talentierte Fotografen, die sich völlig unter Wert verkaufen. Menschen, die den Spaß an der Tierfotografie verlieren, weil sie sich totarbeiten, um ein geringes Einkommen zu erwirtschaften. Viele, vor allem Frauen, die aus schlechtem Gewissen, ebenso wie aus Unwissenheit viel zu viel verschenken.

Gleichzeitig gibt es ein Konkurrenzdenken unter den Tierfotografen, welches es einem schwer macht seinen Traum zu verfolgen.

Das soll sich jetzt ändern, dachten Sarah (Abenteuerhunde Fotografie) und Mareike (Mareike Konrad Fotografie) und riefen mit „Mutig voran!“ eine Onlinekonferenz für Tierfotografen ins Leben, in der sie sich dem Thema Preise annehmen, ganz viel Wissen zum Thema vermitteln, Erfahrungswerte einstreuen und dir zeigen, was du sofort ändern kannst, um als Tierfotograf:in faire Preise aufzurufen

If you’re interested to know if you can run a profitable pet photography business part-time, today’s guest, Hanako Soncini is sure to inspire. She is Swiss, living in Canada, working full time as a teacher and on top of that, shooting for 30 paying clients a year- mostly only in the Summer break! She spends winter working on her marketing plan and has no intention of ever going full time!

Hanako was truly an open book in this interview, particularly in the members-only extended half we got into financials, pricing structures and lead sources. This is an episode you don’t want to miss so if you’re not yet a member, be sure to join now at the petphotographersclub.com/join so you can hear the entire interview.

WE COVERED:

• When Hanako shoots among teaching
• How many clients she has per year
• Why going full-time isn’t on the cards for Hanako
• How knowing your personality can help your business
• How the impact of keeping the safety net can differ for certain people

PLUS IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED HALF

• Increasing from 17 to 30 clients from 2021 to 2022
• When Hanako fits in time for marketing and her best lead sources 
• Annual revenue, pricing structure & pricing
• Automation

https://kiwisphotography.com/

If you are feeling like you’re stuck in an echo-chamber of information, today’s guest is sure to show you a different way. I’m chatting with german photographer Anika Lauer. She started off as a wedding photographer, then transitioned into pets and opened a studio space which she shares with a newborn photographer, even though she is now combining shooting with travel and often has clients out of town or even out of Germany!

If your ears perked up at travel.. You will love the strategy that Anika shares in the members half of the interview which she used to get her first few “international” clients, and it’s something you can do right now!

If Anika’s name rings a bell, no doubt it’s because you’ve seen she’s on our instructor line up for this years Retreat in Tuscany. You can join her for a shoot or two to learn how she captures that gorgeous connection between people and their pets that you’ll hear her discuss in this interview. Plus her classroom workshops will help you to better prepare your clients for a look of harmony and then how to finalise that with her editing style.

Want to join us and the other instructors and attendees?

Bookings close this Friday, January 20th.

Tickets are €2290. Head on over to retreat.thepetphotographersclub.com to learn more.

Did you know that photographers are three times more likely to experience mental illness than the general population?

We’re kickstarting Season 14, and the podcast for 2023 with a conversation around this very important topic with Jessica McGovern from That Tog Spot who not only shares her own experiences, but has also extensively researched Mental Health and the impact on photographers.

Tune in as we break down the three biggest factors and what can be done to help counter those.

P.S. Jess is an instructor at our upcoming Pet Photographers Retreat in Tuscany. Want to join? Bookings close Friday: https://retreat.thepetphotographersclub.com/

Today’s interview topic might not excite you- but it certainly is a useful one! We’re talking insurance. I learned from personal experience the importance of a good insurance policy, you’ll hear all about that and how luck was on my side in the interview! 

Other than my story, you’ll learn what means what in your policy and about the application for accepting risk so that you can make sure all your business activities are actually covered. And for the members tuning into the second half you’ll learn the difference between all the policy types you may want to consider and why.

WE COVERED:

• How to find what is actually covered
• Application for accepting risk and examples 
• When you’ll never be covered 

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:

• Types of insurance 
• Which type will cover what?
• Cash value Vs Replacement value 
• Third Party Property Liability 
• Professional liability / Professional indemnity 
• What if I can’t work?
• How to find a broker

MENTION LINKS:

Tool for finding a broker: https://web.ambest.com/home

https://harvardwestern.com/

Business Foundations Challenge

Are you selling digital only but would love to sell more product? Or perhaps you offer product but you find you can’t sell it? In today’s episode I chatted all about selling product with Maggie Robinson. We also covered the impact of booking a shoot for yourself, how her background in sales helps her in photography and the benefit of IPS that no one likes to mention - the ego boost!

And if you’re a member you’ll hear Maggie share her entire client process in the second half, including the questions she asks on the phone, when she shares her prices and how, how she starts her sales appointments and leads that into a top package sale, and a few key lines that she uses too plus so much more!

WE COVERED:

• Why you need to book a photographer today
• How a job in trading is the same as photography
• The ego boost that comes with IPS, and how it helps you grow your business

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:

• Maggie’s response to an initial enquiry
• When Maggie shares her pricing and how
• How many images Maggie shows and why
• The only way to start an IPS appointment
• How to introduce the top package as the only option
• Selling lines that work
• The only closing line you need

MENTION LINKS:

Dinky Feet Photography

Tog Academy

Business Foundations Challenge - The Pet Photographers Club

One big takeaway from this interview will surely be the importance of processes, that the sale doesn’t actually happen in the salesroom. If you’re looking for help setting up those processes we cover them week by week in the Business Foundations Challenge. If you’re interested head to foundations.thepetphotographersclub.com

Are you guilty of seeing a particular dog pose or expression on Instagram and wanting to capture it too, before really stopping to think if that was a nice experience for the dog or not? Today’s episode might make you uncomfortable but I challenge you to take a listen and then keep in mind all that you hear during this episode, for your future photoshoots. Personally, I’ll be trying to help my clients recognise stress in their dogs by pointing out when their dog is happy. That’s my big takeaway from this interview!

And if you’re looking for a reference for positive pet poses, head on over to the site to download our free PDF, Pet Poses That Sell.

WE COVERED

• The questions to ask clients to prepare for a stress-free photoshoot
• The top signs a dog is stressed
• How to educate our clients during the shoot

As pet photographers we are always looking for ways to give our clients a reason to stop saying “I’ll book that shoot.. One day”.. And instead, book now. Indian pet photographer, Prathima of Pawparazzi Pet Photography looked deep into the values of her culture to find a way to do just that - and it’s something that’s right in front of us and can easily be introduced around the world.

And if you’re not yet a member, you’re certainly going to want to join to hear the members-only extended episode of this interview. We chatted about making gift certificates profitable, creating desire for wall art, and what to offer if that doesn’t work! PLUS we chatted all about offering shoots outside of your local area, and how you can incentivise your clients to do the marketing for you in a way that’s simpler than you might think!

WE COVERED

• The difference between pet parents and pet owners
• When the focus is on an occasion
• Understanding culture in order to market
• Best lead sources
• Base package inclusions 

Does it feel like every business around you is somehow switching to a subscription model except us pet photographers? All our software, education, even our own dogs food can be purchased on subscription. 

How would you like to jump on board this trend and improve your cash-flow? Today’s guest took inspiration from another photographer to launch an offering to do just that with a Monthly Print Club. Tune in to hear all about it.

In the extended member-only episode you’ll hear all the details around pricing and workload, plus a conversation around the turning point for Cassie’s business which is sure to encourage those of you who are in the early stage of your business.

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:

• Stripe - scheduled payments 
• Logistics, workflow & workload 
• Pricing - discounted 
• Turning point
• Books and model calls 
• Practise clients

MENTIONED LINKS:

• Julie Christie podcast episode
• Free download - Required Average Sale

Do you feel like you’re always chasing your tail? Like there’s always a huge to-do list and you just can’t get on top of it? You know you need a better system but implementing it is a whole other to-do list?

If that all sounds familiar, tune in for today’s episode with Kim Hamblin where she shares actionable advice as we break down all the systems that can help you free up more time in your business.

We covered

• How to save time in your business
• What enables you to bring on a team
• Which systems are important to put in place
• How to document your systems efficiently

IN THE MEMBERS-ONLY EXTENDED EPISODE:

• Kim's top work-life balance tip
• Having set days for set tasks 
• The most important system to ensure a successful client experience 
• Bank accounts & the finance system
• Tips for improving your sales system for higher sales
• How Kim reduced from four days of production to one per week!
• Having a plan to meet your bookings goals
• How to bring on a team - know who you want and what their role could be 

MENTIONED LINKS

• Free download: 7 Simple Systems To Build Your 6 Figure Portrait Business
• Fly on the Wall
• Studio ninja code: PPPI50 to save 50% on your first year
• Marketing Intensive Course
• DISC test
• Enneagram test

SPECIAL OFFER

Kim's Blueprint program mentioned in the episode is being retired but you can still grab access! Just use this link: https://www.kimmarietraining.com/six-figure-blueprint

You can also join her coaching program and we have organised a cash-back offer for you on that! See the details here: COACHING CASH-BACK OFFER