Rules, respect and approach: reasons for losing a customer
Fabiana and I stand adamant behind our values, behind our belief and behind the respect for our customer. We also have rules, and as we don’t break the respect for our customers, we don’t break our rules.
All our sessions requires a booking deposit. This is not refundable in case of cancellation, but can be reused if the session date can change. We have decided to adopt this rule because our work begun before us being behind the camera.
At London Boudoir Photography every session is customised on the woman we plan to photograph and not one is the same as another. When we agree on a photo shoot we start talking to our customer, we start researching, based on what they like, the best solutions for them.
So it happens that in these days we were completing the initial discussion with a customer, coming back with customised proposals for her and she seemed happy about what we would have delivered. We arrived to the point deciding the date and then I asked her if she could have booked the session with a deposit. Let’s just say that with her first reply it was absolutely clear that she had no interest in moving the business forward any longer. Unfortunately (for her) we stand by our words, by the respect for our customer and by the rules that make us different from the others.
Tonight I would have started planning her session in the details. I would have written down the plan to provide her exactly what she was looking for. I would have researched what colours would have better matched her skin tone. I would have planned few poses that would have worked with her body.
Behind a boudoir session with us there is research, there is time and diligence. This is why a boudoir session at London Boudoir Photography is so special and this is why all the comments we had have always been incredibly good.
We decided to stand behind our rules, we decided to stand behind the fact that the customer is our most important value, not just a simple number in an account book.
We lost a customer today, but at least it was for the right reason! Yes, in our opinion it is better to sacrifice an income in order to maintain our values and our service as high as it has always been (and as it always will).
This is us, welcome to London Boudoir Photography!
[…] realise that, despite my terrible writing (I don't blame Fabiana for this in the slightest :P) and my business visions we are two people who love to know the people they are dealing with and who feels more than just […]
Leave a CommentThis site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Rules, respect and approach: reasons for losing a customer https://fabyandcarlo.com/… #boudoir #photography #london
I applaud you for having a business model and sticking to it; bravo.
Naturally, it’s uncertain, but a customer who is unwilling to put down a deposit is likely to be one that either doesn’t pay in the end or at best turns into a head ache, constantly playing games. So on balance, you probably didn’t loose a customer, you gained strength as photographers and avoided a head ache!
Thanks Edmond!
Despite being hard to lose a “potential” customer, I’d rather focus on the people who trust our brand and are core value for the business.
Another bravo from me, this is a hot topic at the moment and one we face daily in the design studio I work in. Clients constantly want more work done for less money in less time, as soon as we say no the respect actually builds and a relationship can sometimes even improve.
As you correctly point out, taking a deposit is necessary due to the work done beforehand and things like this are rarely thought about by the client.
Hi Tim,
Many people underestimate the work that is required to do a good job. I will remain faithful on the idea that the quality has no compromises. :)
You may not know, but in today’s blog post we have Laura Wells, a quite well known plus size model https://fabyandcarlo.com/…
RT @londonboudoir: You may not know, but in today’s blog post we have Laura Wells, a quite well known plus size model https://fabyandcarlo.com/…
Stunning images, But (perhaps more importantly) good job on standing your ground! I hate when i have to let a client go, but when I do it, its usually for the best. Sounds like you made the right choice with this one!
Also, Re: your comment below. You are right in saying that quality has no compromises!
Hi Evan,
Thanks for your comment (and for the compliments as well :P)
I think that I will write a page on the website just to explain the process and tell the potential customers why our photos are “tailored” once they buy a session.
Hey Carlo,
Thanks for the quick response!
I’ve been thinking of doing the same thing on my website, it’s just one of the many things that we as professional photographers need to educate our clients about.