Yeah I Like To Refer Clients To Friends, Why Wouldn’t You?

One thing that I always felt was a key to success in this business is professional collaboration. Whether that be collaboration with other photographers or other industry vendors, collaboration is key. When I first started I was lucky enough to hook up with another photographer and we shot weddings together, learning from each other as well as growing professionally together. Even though we both ran our own businesses we still collaborated on everything from pricing to sales pitches to advertising. Some people look at that and say why are you working with the competition? To that question I have a very simple answer, because in the long run you’re not going to get every customer so why not work together to grow your business as much as possible.

I tell all of my clients when I meet them that photography is very much a personal choice and that the style of photographer that you choose shouldn’t necessarily be because of their skills but rather their ability to accurately portray your personality. If the photographer only wants to photograph their way because they are an “artist” and cannot change or compliment their style for your personality then that may not be the right photographer for you. I tell my clients to shop around, check out other photographers. Find one that will work with them and reflects their personality. These are their photos, not the photographers and they need to ensure they pick the right one.  

So with that being said, that’s exactly why I collaborate with other photographers on business related issues. For one, I’m not going to book every client that walks through my door but at the same time, shouldn’t I be able to offer them valuable alternatives as well? If I can’t book them, there’s no reason that one of my other photographer friends couldn’t. We all have different styles and approaches to photography. We are not the same. That is a benefit to the client. Just because my style doesn’t suit their taste doesn’t mean my colleagues won’t and that’s all the more reason to collaborate and refer other photographers. The old “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” kind of mentality.

This holds true with your vendors as well. Find some reliable vendor partners to work with. People that you don’t mind attaching your reputation to and actively work to promote their business as well as yours. Let them know you are doing this and see if there is something that you can do together to promote each other.  The first year I started my business I happened to get hooked up with a caterer who had a great idea for the industry. They wanted to provide a one stop shop for all of your event needs from linens, to catering to photography to floral arrangements to event coordination but they didn’t want to run it as one company rather a collaboration of several businesses who all had the same attitude towards their industry and clientele and were willing to stick their reputations out for each other. It worked really really well. Not only did the vendors benefit from this arrangement but the clients ultimately were the real winners. They didn’t have to go with all of us or any of us but the option to go with a reputable vendor and not have to spend a lot of time looking for someone in such a saturated market was a real value. Collaboration like that helped all of us to grow. Collaborating with other vendor partners helps to gain your credibility as well as help establish your reputation with other industry professionals. Collaboration is key to success in this business.

So that’s my thoughts. Share and share often and I guarantee that it will come back to you in a positive way!