Tag Archives: houston wedding photography

I have written before about the lack of customer service that I see occurring around us every day. You can read this little rant in my post ‘What Ever Happened to Customer Service?‘ I really think that service is the cornerstone to any successful business, whether it is a creative one like wedding photography, or a more mundane one, like accounting. Now that we are in an era when customer service is not highly valued by many companies, we should see this as an opportunity to set ourselves apart from the competition by providing real service to our clients. I know that in my business, Red Photo, customer service is vital to us and to our clients. We do everything possible to uphold our belief that people should be receiving better quality wedding photographs and albums. Our business is based on a boutique model where we provide fine art wedding photography and custom made albums. We are always aware of the needs of our customers because we listen to them. By asking questions of your clients instead of just treating them as an income source, you can learn a great deal about how you can help them with whatever needs they may have. Listening is key here. Too often photographers, and other business people, do not ask enough questions when they are meeting with perspective clients. Or they ask many questions but they do not really listen to the answers because either they are planning their next question in their head, or they are just asking questions to seem like they are interested. I learned a long time ago that listening is the key to a good relationship, whether that is a business or personal one. We need to stop thinking about selling something and more about providing help to our clients, to help them solve their problems. That is what service is all about. It is not about selling someone something, or showing up on time. It is about listening and giving your clients more than what they need and ask for.

Good customer service goes a long way and will help a business to be successful. I really think that it is part of the larger idea of transparency. The idea of transparency has become quite the buzzword since social media has grown. You have to be real and honest online so that you can build relationships based on trust and not on sales tactics, empty promises, or fluff. One great book that I recommend to learn more about this is Michael Port’s ‘Book Yourself Solid.’ He is a big proponent of the honest, service approach. Being true is the way to go across the board.

Gary Miller

Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer

Houston Wedding Photographers

www.redphotophotography.com

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