Freedom Focus Photography

Taming Your Workflow with Jessica Wasik

August 31, 2021 • Nicole Begley, Jessica Wasik • Episode 98

Share episode

098 - The more pet photography clients you have, the more likely it is that something—or someone—will slip through the cracks. Once Pittsburgh-based photographer Jessica Wasik reached the point of potential client-management chaos, she realized it was time to upgrade her workflow and client tracking system.

Fast-forward to today and Jessica's a full-on Dubsado evangelist, sharing with fellow photogs the sanity-saving magic of this robust client-management tool. This week we talk about workflow in general and Dubsado specifically, including why and how you might make the leap. 

What To Listen For: 

  • Why Jessica chose Dubsado for her customer relationship management (CRM) software
  • How to get started using a CRM system
  • The time-saving Dubsado feature that Jessica loves 
  • An important question to ask each new lead, to help personalize the process
  • The 3 different sections to tackle when setting up your workflow
  • Nicole's personal rule for every single client interaction

We're thrilled to have Jessica's new Dubsado 101 course available (for free!) inside the Hair of the Dog Academy. If you're ready for a grown-up CRM but could use some hand-holding as you get started, you'll definitely want to check out this thorough video series!

Resources From This Episode: 

 

 

Unlock the Secrets to a Thriving Photography Business! Tune in now to our free, private podcast!


Are you enjoying the Freedom Focus Photography Podcast? Please leave a rating or a review!

JOIN THE PARTY:



1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,650
Welcome to the hair of the dog podcast.

2
00:00:02,650 --> 00:00:03,640
I'm your host,

3
00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:04,710
Nicole Begley.

4
00:00:04,710 --> 00:00:09,010
And today we have Jessica Wasik from Bark and Gold photography

5
00:00:09,010 --> 00:00:12,400
sharing with us when you might or might not need to

6
00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:16,950
dive into that studio management software and how to navigate the

7
00:00:16,950 --> 00:00:19,180
process once you decide to do so,

8
00:00:19,180 --> 00:00:22,810
if you're in business and if you're serving clients,

9
00:00:22,810 --> 00:00:27,030
whether you've just started your pet photography business,

10
00:00:27,030 --> 00:00:29,760
or if you've been in business for decades,

11
00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,970
today's episode is definitely worth the listen.

12
00:00:32,970 --> 00:00:33,750
Stay Tuned.

13
00:00:33,750 --> 00:00:36,250
Welcome To the hair of the dog podcast.

14
00:00:36,250 --> 00:00:38,200
If you're a pet photographer,

15
00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,400
ready to make more money and start living a life by

16
00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:42,260
your design,

17
00:00:42,260 --> 00:00:44,300
you've come to the right place.

18
00:00:44,300 --> 00:00:45,470
And now your host,

19
00:00:45,470 --> 00:00:46,720
pet photographer,

20
00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:47,730
travel addict,

21
00:00:47,730 --> 00:00:49,920
chocolate martini connoisseur,

22
00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:51,030
Nicole Begley.

23
00:00:51,030 --> 00:00:53,320
Nicole here from hair of the dog.

24
00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,390
And I am here today on the podcast with a good

25
00:00:56,390 --> 00:00:57,490
friend of mine,

26
00:00:57,490 --> 00:01:00,810
Jessica Wasik from Bark and Gold Photography.

27
00:01:00,810 --> 00:01:01,750
Sorry. Yeah,

28
00:01:01,750 --> 00:01:02,940
no bark and gold.

29
00:01:02,940 --> 00:01:03,710
I was like,

30
00:01:03,710 --> 00:01:05,410
wait, no black and gold,

31
00:01:05,410 --> 00:01:09,070
which is the play on bark and gold because we're from

32
00:01:09,070 --> 00:01:12,470
Pittsburgh where everything is black and gold.

33
00:01:12,470 --> 00:01:14,870
Because if you aren't familiar with Pittsburgh,

34
00:01:14,930 --> 00:01:17,330
we're kind of obsessed with our sports teams.

35
00:01:17,510 --> 00:01:19,250
Well, two out of the three sports teams,

36
00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:20,090
the good ones,

37
00:01:20,090 --> 00:01:21,950
the pirates people could kind of take her leave,

38
00:01:22,190 --> 00:01:22,850
but anyway,

39
00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:23,930
they're all black and gold.

40
00:01:23,990 --> 00:01:26,990
So hence Jessica's business is barking gold.

41
00:01:26,990 --> 00:01:27,830
So Jessica,

42
00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:29,780
welcome back to the pot.

43
00:01:31,790 --> 00:01:33,020
So good to have you back here.

44
00:01:33,350 --> 00:01:36,770
You were originally on the podcast way back in the day

45
00:01:36,770 --> 00:01:39,770
on episode number 20.

46
00:01:40,340 --> 00:01:41,030
I can't believe it.

47
00:01:41,900 --> 00:01:43,610
Yes. Yeah.

48
00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:44,060
And that one,

49
00:01:44,060 --> 00:01:47,510
we talked about the calendar contest that you've run that has

50
00:01:47,510 --> 00:01:48,620
been, oh my gosh.

51
00:01:48,620 --> 00:01:49,250
So successful.

52
00:01:49,250 --> 00:01:51,350
How much money did you raise this past year?

53
00:01:51,500 --> 00:01:52,100
This Year?

54
00:01:52,100 --> 00:01:54,620
It was 21,500

55
00:01:54,620 --> 00:01:55,280
so far.

56
00:01:55,610 --> 00:01:58,580
And that does not include the calendar is wrapping up for

57
00:01:58,580 --> 00:02:00,320
September to have those available.

58
00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:01,880
So hopefully it goes up from there.

59
00:02:02,270 --> 00:02:03,470
That's awesome.

60
00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:04,370
That's incredible.

61
00:02:04,610 --> 00:02:05,370
Yeah. There,

62
00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:06,380
the calendar contest,

63
00:02:06,380 --> 00:02:07,670
if you guys want more info on that,

64
00:02:07,670 --> 00:02:08,870
go listen to that podcast.

65
00:02:08,870 --> 00:02:09,980
Episode. Number 20,

66
00:02:10,190 --> 00:02:11,330
if you're in the academy,

67
00:02:11,330 --> 00:02:15,140
Jessica has a guest artist or a guest artist program in

68
00:02:15,140 --> 00:02:16,790
there where she explains it a little bit more.

69
00:02:16,790 --> 00:02:19,490
And then there's also available as an upgrade in there,

70
00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:21,380
all the templates of all of the things.

71
00:02:21,380 --> 00:02:23,300
So definitely check that out if you guys are in the

72
00:02:23,300 --> 00:02:27,170
academy, but I just have to say that the ripple effect

73
00:02:27,170 --> 00:02:27,740
of good,

74
00:02:27,740 --> 00:02:32,360
that has happened from your calendar contest is just amazing.

75
00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,360
I've seen some of the academy students with like the first

76
00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:36,170
time running it,

77
00:02:36,410 --> 00:02:40,760
$30,000 that they've made for the charity or $20,000,

78
00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:41,660
like these big,

79
00:02:41,930 --> 00:02:44,120
huge, incredible numbers.

80
00:02:44,210 --> 00:02:46,640
So how does that make you feel?

81
00:02:47,660 --> 00:02:48,770
It's Incredible.

82
00:02:48,770 --> 00:02:52,070
I love seeing people doing more than I ever thought was

83
00:02:52,070 --> 00:02:55,550
possible and it's their first year and they have taken this

84
00:02:55,550 --> 00:02:58,340
in such a direction that I have never thought to do.

85
00:02:58,340 --> 00:02:59,980
And it's just,

86
00:02:59,980 --> 00:03:02,140
it's an amazing feeling and they feel good and the rest

87
00:03:02,140 --> 00:03:02,830
of these feel good.

88
00:03:03,060 --> 00:03:03,470
I love it.

89
00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:05,040
It's awesome.

90
00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:05,670
It's awesome.

91
00:03:05,700 --> 00:03:07,140
I love it so much.

92
00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,780
But today we're not talking about calendar contest,

93
00:03:09,810 --> 00:03:12,870
even though it is amazing and incredible today,

94
00:03:12,900 --> 00:03:18,720
we're going to talk about workflow and<inaudible> or any CRM.

95
00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,750
Really this conversation does not dip Sato specific.

96
00:03:21,750 --> 00:03:23,700
It is just workflow specific.

97
00:03:23,700 --> 00:03:26,100
So if you guys are in business or you're getting started

98
00:03:26,100 --> 00:03:27,000
in business and you're like,

99
00:03:27,030 --> 00:03:27,510
oh my gosh,

100
00:03:27,540 --> 00:03:28,770
I need to get a handle on like,

101
00:03:28,770 --> 00:03:32,220
what the heck happens when a client contacts me and go

102
00:03:32,220 --> 00:03:33,360
through that process.

103
00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:36,960
This is a podcast episode for you.

104
00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:38,190
So Jessica let's start off.

105
00:03:38,190 --> 00:03:40,680
Maybe let's go back in our head,

106
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:43,500
back to when we first started our business.

107
00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,670
And what was your workflow like then?

108
00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:47,460
Cause you know,

109
00:03:47,940 --> 00:03:48,600
you probably didn't.

110
00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:50,610
I know I didn't start out of the gate with like

111
00:03:50,610 --> 00:03:51,870
a CRM software.

112
00:03:51,900 --> 00:03:53,880
So what did your process look like when you first started?

113
00:03:54,300 --> 00:03:56,130
Yeah, I had no CRM.

114
00:03:56,250 --> 00:03:59,760
I had a couple of Google Gmail files.

115
00:03:59,820 --> 00:04:02,730
I had a Google drive where I was storing stuff and

116
00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,150
I was sending most of my contacts through jot form.

117
00:04:06,810 --> 00:04:08,790
So everything was in one place,

118
00:04:08,790 --> 00:04:11,310
but coming in for many different areas.

119
00:04:11,310 --> 00:04:13,330
So it was a little bit chaotic to keep track of

120
00:04:13,330 --> 00:04:14,250
it. Yeah.

121
00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,580
Yeah. I remember I started mine and actually ran mine like

122
00:04:17,580 --> 00:04:22,320
this for quite a few years of straight up like file

123
00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,950
folder. And actually when I first started,

124
00:04:25,950 --> 00:04:27,390
I started my business in 2010.

125
00:04:27,390 --> 00:04:28,320
When I first started,

126
00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:32,970
I actually printed off session agreements and mailed them to my

127
00:04:32,970 --> 00:04:35,730
clients for them to sign and return,

128
00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:36,900
which, you know,

129
00:04:36,930 --> 00:04:38,160
in the 20,

130
00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:39,120
21 digital world,

131
00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:39,870
I just,

132
00:04:40,050 --> 00:04:45,690
I really just can't believe that we did.

133
00:04:45,690 --> 00:04:47,400
And then I started using JotForm.

134
00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,230
So I streamlined that part a little bit.

135
00:04:49,230 --> 00:04:52,860
So at least wasn't pruning or expecting my clients to print

136
00:04:52,860 --> 00:04:55,860
anything because we all know that so many of our homes

137
00:04:55,860 --> 00:04:57,870
have a printer that may or may not have ANC or

138
00:04:57,870 --> 00:04:59,100
just doesn't have a printer at all.

139
00:05:00,660 --> 00:05:03,720
So No I'm saying that's exactly right.

140
00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,060
Like any work I can take off of their plate makes

141
00:05:06,060 --> 00:05:07,290
life easier on my end too.

142
00:05:07,770 --> 00:05:09,030
Yes, Absolutely.

143
00:05:09,030 --> 00:05:12,750
I think that's a great strategy for every aspect of our

144
00:05:12,780 --> 00:05:14,190
client experience is like,

145
00:05:14,220 --> 00:05:16,290
alright, how can I make this easier for my client?

146
00:05:16,350 --> 00:05:16,710
But yeah,

147
00:05:16,710 --> 00:05:20,010
I ended up having a magazine rack on my wall.

148
00:05:20,010 --> 00:05:22,080
Like if you go into a doctor's office and there's like

149
00:05:22,110 --> 00:05:23,370
six different levels,

150
00:05:23,370 --> 00:05:23,760
it's like,

151
00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,720
I'm making these different things with my hands here.

152
00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:28,560
Like you guys can see me,

153
00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:29,400
this is a podcast.

154
00:05:29,610 --> 00:05:30,300
But anyway,

155
00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:32,850
like the magazine racks on the wall,

156
00:05:32,850 --> 00:05:36,810
it had six buckets and I would get like Manila folder

157
00:05:37,050 --> 00:05:39,240
and I would write the client's name on the tab.

158
00:05:39,270 --> 00:05:39,870
And then I would have,

159
00:05:39,870 --> 00:05:42,630
my workflow is just a piece of paper.

160
00:05:42,630 --> 00:05:45,210
I would print out and staple on the front of that

161
00:05:45,300 --> 00:05:47,760
folder. And then just check off things as we went and

162
00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:48,750
put any paperwork,

163
00:05:48,750 --> 00:05:51,090
like their questionnaire that they would send from jot form.

164
00:05:51,090 --> 00:05:53,100
I would send them through jot form for that and keep

165
00:05:53,100 --> 00:05:55,080
that all in there and then I'd move it down.

166
00:05:55,290 --> 00:05:56,550
So the top one was,

167
00:05:56,550 --> 00:05:57,290
they had booked,

168
00:05:57,290 --> 00:06:00,140
but I was still waiting for all of the things to

169
00:06:00,140 --> 00:06:01,930
finalize, like waiting for the contractor,

170
00:06:01,950 --> 00:06:02,420
their payment.

171
00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:04,640
And the second one was they were booked and we were

172
00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,850
waiting for the session or their pre-session consultation.

173
00:06:07,850 --> 00:06:10,310
And then it was like the session was held and they

174
00:06:10,310 --> 00:06:14,150
needed to edit and then it was edited and I needed

175
00:06:14,150 --> 00:06:15,410
to have the sales session.

176
00:06:15,410 --> 00:06:17,120
And then it was like the sales session was done in

177
00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:18,710
production. So I just moved it down.

178
00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:19,670
It actually worked really,

179
00:06:19,670 --> 00:06:26,600
really well until I just wanted some aspect of it digitally.

180
00:06:26,690 --> 00:06:30,590
And until I started getting a little bit busier than managing

181
00:06:30,590 --> 00:06:35,060
the inquiry process and the leads became my biggest pain point

182
00:06:35,060 --> 00:06:37,370
where I realized I needed to change it up.

183
00:06:38,230 --> 00:06:39,100
Yeah. My,

184
00:06:39,260 --> 00:06:42,640
my big thing is I know everyone loves paper and you're

185
00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:44,770
supposed to write stuff down and it's supposed to be so

186
00:06:44,770 --> 00:06:45,760
much more beneficial,

187
00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,190
but from calendars and everything,

188
00:06:48,220 --> 00:06:50,110
I am a digital person all the way.

189
00:06:50,380 --> 00:06:51,640
So I actually,

190
00:06:52,090 --> 00:06:53,980
I still use that type of set up a little bit

191
00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,290
just in keeping track of where the client is through that

192
00:06:56,290 --> 00:06:58,750
workflow, but I use it on Trello boards.

193
00:06:58,870 --> 00:07:00,520
So I have it wrote down and I can just drag

194
00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:01,660
and drop them as I go.

195
00:07:01,660 --> 00:07:03,280
And I can still see that visual,

196
00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:06,730
but I don't have papers and notes and folders everywhere right

197
00:07:06,730 --> 00:07:07,960
now. Yeah.

198
00:07:07,990 --> 00:07:11,320
Are you still using Trello a bit even though now you're

199
00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:12,820
using DeSanto so much more.

200
00:07:13,420 --> 00:07:16,000
Yeah. Just mostly for tracking where they are on that client

201
00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:17,290
process. Yeah.

202
00:07:17,350 --> 00:07:21,070
No, that's really helpful to have that visual outlook on that

203
00:07:21,070 --> 00:07:22,150
somewhere. So yeah.

204
00:07:22,150 --> 00:07:24,700
So what if you want to tell us maybe a little

205
00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:28,330
bit about like what someone should look for,

206
00:07:28,330 --> 00:07:29,890
because when you're starting your business,

207
00:07:29,890 --> 00:07:30,100
you know,

208
00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:31,380
there's so many things going on.

209
00:07:31,390 --> 00:07:33,520
So I think a lot of people get really hung up

210
00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:37,090
on this feeling like I have to have a CRM.

211
00:07:37,090 --> 00:07:39,520
And for those of you guys that don't know what CRM

212
00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:41,560
it's client relationship management,

213
00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:43,330
I think is what it technically stands for.

214
00:07:43,510 --> 00:07:46,450
It's basically a software that helps manage your leads and manage

215
00:07:46,450 --> 00:07:46,990
your clients.

216
00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:48,790
And there's a lot of different ones out there on the

217
00:07:48,790 --> 00:07:51,760
market. But Jessica kind of tell us a little bit about,

218
00:07:51,820 --> 00:07:52,300
you know,

219
00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:54,790
if people definitely need it and what they might want to

220
00:07:54,790 --> 00:07:57,970
look for or what might cause them to start to think

221
00:07:57,970 --> 00:08:00,790
that they should maybe consider moving to.

222
00:08:01,420 --> 00:08:02,010
Yeah, for,

223
00:08:02,010 --> 00:08:02,530
for me,

224
00:08:02,530 --> 00:08:06,190
I was okay until I started getting more clients and I

225
00:08:06,190 --> 00:08:09,850
never want to be in a place where I overlooked something

226
00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,370
or I have a client asking what's next.

227
00:08:12,820 --> 00:08:14,320
I want to stay one step ahead of them.

228
00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:16,960
So when I got to that point and I can see

229
00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:20,980
how easily everything could be managed in one central area that

230
00:08:20,980 --> 00:08:25,360
really helped the hard part was knowing when you need one,

231
00:08:25,630 --> 00:08:28,210
because I love shiny object syndrome.

232
00:08:28,210 --> 00:08:28,660
I love,

233
00:08:28,810 --> 00:08:29,800
especially technology,

234
00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:32,800
like new fun things are really cool to invest in,

235
00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:35,650
but there's a point where you don't necessarily need to,

236
00:08:35,650 --> 00:08:38,590
and you can take that freeway and use the free resources

237
00:08:38,590 --> 00:08:41,440
that you have before you have to invest because it is,

238
00:08:41,500 --> 00:08:42,580
it is an investment.

239
00:08:42,580 --> 00:08:42,850
I mean,

240
00:08:42,850 --> 00:08:43,300
they're not,

241
00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:43,990
they're not cheap,

242
00:08:44,020 --> 00:08:47,050
but when I compare the time versus the money that,

243
00:08:47,590 --> 00:08:49,180
that comparison and what I'm saving,

244
00:08:49,180 --> 00:08:50,470
I'd rather save my time.

245
00:08:50,470 --> 00:08:51,160
And my sanity,

246
00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,740
then a couple of hundred dollars for a CRM.

247
00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:55,150
Oh my gosh,

248
00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:57,510
I am with you with the shiny object syndrome.

249
00:08:57,510 --> 00:08:57,840
I'm like,

250
00:08:57,870 --> 00:08:58,410
oh my God,

251
00:08:58,410 --> 00:09:00,240
what is that new productivity software?

252
00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,720
Which ironically then takes away my productivity because I've spent like

253
00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:05,190
a day and a half playing with it.

254
00:09:05,190 --> 00:09:05,490
I'm like,

255
00:09:05,490 --> 00:09:07,770
okay, I should just stick back to what actually works.

256
00:09:09,090 --> 00:09:10,110
Even then Alan would work.

257
00:09:10,110 --> 00:09:10,440
But I'm like,

258
00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,330
I have a system that is just fine if it's not

259
00:09:12,420 --> 00:09:13,800
broken, don't fix it.

260
00:09:14,460 --> 00:09:15,810
Exactly. Yeah.

261
00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:17,970
Yeah. So if you guys are out there and you're,

262
00:09:18,030 --> 00:09:18,390
you know,

263
00:09:18,420 --> 00:09:19,980
going through your,

264
00:09:19,980 --> 00:09:23,790
your business and you're not feeling like there's too many balls

265
00:09:23,790 --> 00:09:24,540
up in the air,

266
00:09:24,540 --> 00:09:24,930
then you know,

267
00:09:24,930 --> 00:09:27,450
you're probably fine kind of sticking with the process that you

268
00:09:27,450 --> 00:09:29,490
have, but I know for me,

269
00:09:29,490 --> 00:09:31,710
yeah, it started to be when I felt like there were

270
00:09:31,710 --> 00:09:34,590
too many balls in the air was too much juggling and,

271
00:09:34,620 --> 00:09:34,860
you know,

272
00:09:34,860 --> 00:09:37,110
I would have the leads coming in that I wasn't sure

273
00:09:37,110 --> 00:09:40,200
where I was in the followup process with them and things

274
00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:40,590
like that.

275
00:09:40,590 --> 00:09:43,200
So that's when I discovered that I needed to,

276
00:09:43,770 --> 00:09:44,100
you know,

277
00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:45,300
look at it,

278
00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:46,650
moving on to something else.

279
00:09:47,340 --> 00:09:48,510
So Jessica,

280
00:09:48,510 --> 00:09:51,150
you and I both out of all the different programs out

281
00:09:51,150 --> 00:09:53,130
there, we both landed dub Sato.

282
00:09:53,430 --> 00:09:56,310
What, what was it about that program that,

283
00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:57,390
that had you,

284
00:09:57,600 --> 00:09:58,050
well actually,

285
00:09:58,050 --> 00:09:59,610
did you try a whole bunch of other ones at the

286
00:09:59,610 --> 00:10:00,150
same time?

287
00:10:00,150 --> 00:10:02,700
Or did you kind of just go in with that one?

288
00:10:03,410 --> 00:10:06,800
Definitely trialed like every CRM under the sun,

289
00:10:07,700 --> 00:10:09,800
but the trick with that was there was only that limited

290
00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:12,590
time. So it might be a week or a month and

291
00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,200
I typically cannot run a full client workflow,

292
00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:16,370
start to finish in a week,

293
00:10:16,550 --> 00:10:17,120
swift them side,

294
00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:19,550
or you get the full three clients to tile.

295
00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:21,620
And then from there you can make that decision.

296
00:10:21,620 --> 00:10:23,810
You don't have to pay anything up until you use those

297
00:10:23,810 --> 00:10:24,620
three clients up.

298
00:10:24,740 --> 00:10:27,620
And so having that time to really space it out,

299
00:10:27,950 --> 00:10:31,970
figure out my workflows and see what I needed within that

300
00:10:31,970 --> 00:10:33,770
time period was really helpful.

301
00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:35,390
Yeah. Yeah.

302
00:10:35,450 --> 00:10:37,430
I know for me the biggest thing,

303
00:10:37,820 --> 00:10:39,830
cause back when I started using,

304
00:10:39,830 --> 00:10:40,880
I've been using it for years,

305
00:10:40,940 --> 00:10:44,210
they were the only ones that integrated with Zapier at the

306
00:10:44,210 --> 00:10:47,030
time. Now a few others do as well,

307
00:10:47,060 --> 00:10:49,250
but that was a deal breaker for me because I did

308
00:10:49,250 --> 00:10:52,730
have some other pieces of software that I wasn't going to

309
00:10:52,730 --> 00:10:55,490
switch. Like I had already been using QuickBooks and you know,

310
00:10:55,490 --> 00:10:57,380
my books are a little bit more complicated because I have

311
00:10:57,380 --> 00:10:59,570
the hair of the dog side and my photography business side.

312
00:10:59,570 --> 00:11:01,790
But my accountant like had that all set up and I,

313
00:11:01,850 --> 00:11:02,150
you know,

314
00:11:02,150 --> 00:11:04,760
that that was all good and didn't need to be touched.

315
00:11:04,790 --> 00:11:06,680
And there were a couple other pieces of software that I

316
00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:08,300
didn't want to give up.

317
00:11:08,300 --> 00:11:10,880
So being able to have that,

318
00:11:10,970 --> 00:11:13,040
talk to my different things,

319
00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:14,210
such as my email,

320
00:11:14,770 --> 00:11:17,090
I was using MailChimp at the time now use flow desk,

321
00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,940
but whenever somebody would fill out my inquiry form that I

322
00:11:19,940 --> 00:11:23,570
could have that email automatically added into my email system.

323
00:11:23,570 --> 00:11:25,220
And whenever somebody came a client,

324
00:11:25,220 --> 00:11:28,040
I can have that automatically tagged in my email system as

325
00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:28,610
a client.

326
00:11:28,700 --> 00:11:31,070
And so it saves just a lot of work being able

327
00:11:31,070 --> 00:11:32,420
to utilize that software too.

328
00:11:32,420 --> 00:11:33,050
So that was,

329
00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:34,340
that was definitely my,

330
00:11:35,410 --> 00:11:38,720
my, my non-negotiable when I was looking and really it's kind

331
00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:41,390
of a non-negotiable for any other software that I bring into

332
00:11:41,390 --> 00:11:42,020
my business,

333
00:11:42,050 --> 00:11:44,600
that it needs to be able to connect to my other

334
00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,150
things, because at some point I'm going to want to connect

335
00:11:47,150 --> 00:11:52,850
something. So that's a whole nother podcast jumping into how we

336
00:11:52,850 --> 00:11:53,770
use Zapier,

337
00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:55,720
but what else?

338
00:11:55,750 --> 00:11:57,820
Well, what do you use for like,

339
00:11:57,820 --> 00:11:59,020
what do you have DeSoto?

340
00:11:59,020 --> 00:12:00,490
Do you connect it to anything else?

341
00:12:00,660 --> 00:12:01,680
I Connected,

342
00:12:02,430 --> 00:12:03,480
I think to flow desk,

343
00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:04,470
I have a connection.

344
00:12:04,770 --> 00:12:06,750
Yeah. I was connected to square,

345
00:12:06,750 --> 00:12:07,230
of course,

346
00:12:07,290 --> 00:12:08,490
for my payment processing.

347
00:12:08,490 --> 00:12:10,260
And then that connects into my wave app,

348
00:12:10,290 --> 00:12:12,630
which is what I use for my accounting right now.

349
00:12:12,930 --> 00:12:13,740
I think that's it.

350
00:12:13,770 --> 00:12:18,420
But there's so many integrations with Zapier and you could just

351
00:12:18,420 --> 00:12:19,740
spend a whole day connecting things.

352
00:12:20,130 --> 00:12:23,250
You Could definitely have someone depending where you bring them in

353
00:12:23,250 --> 00:12:24,300
onto your trailer board.

354
00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:25,140
You can have,

355
00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:26,100
you know,

356
00:12:26,100 --> 00:12:28,920
with either a lead or when they book,

357
00:12:28,950 --> 00:12:30,240
when they like signed their contract,

358
00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:32,430
it can make a card and pull in all that stuff.

359
00:12:34,860 --> 00:12:39,330
Now I'm going to be now your afternoon shot.

360
00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:39,780
There you go.

361
00:12:39,780 --> 00:12:40,860
Down that tech rabbit hole.

362
00:12:42,930 --> 00:12:43,230
All right.

363
00:12:43,230 --> 00:12:46,170
Well, let's let for the people out there too that are

364
00:12:46,230 --> 00:12:48,060
maybe, I mean,

365
00:12:48,060 --> 00:12:50,190
it could work either way if they're just getting started with

366
00:12:50,190 --> 00:12:54,450
their workflow or let's maybe start with the photographer that has

367
00:12:54,450 --> 00:12:58,110
been, that has been in business for a little bit and

368
00:12:58,110 --> 00:12:59,190
they kind of have a workflow,

369
00:12:59,190 --> 00:13:01,590
but they're thinking of jumping into CRM,

370
00:13:01,710 --> 00:13:05,160
kind of what are the first steps that they need to

371
00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:07,740
do once they get started,

372
00:13:07,740 --> 00:13:09,870
whether it's<inaudible> or some other CRM,

373
00:13:09,900 --> 00:13:13,530
like how do they even start to figure out that process?

374
00:13:14,250 --> 00:13:15,240
Yeah, it's,

375
00:13:15,450 --> 00:13:18,990
it's a bit of a beast of a getting started with

376
00:13:18,990 --> 00:13:23,130
mine. I set up all of my payment processing because I

377
00:13:23,130 --> 00:13:25,650
wanted to be able to have any money that was coming

378
00:13:25,650 --> 00:13:28,020
into those invoices going right into,

379
00:13:28,050 --> 00:13:30,000
through Divisadero and into my square account.

380
00:13:30,090 --> 00:13:31,020
So for sure,

381
00:13:31,620 --> 00:13:33,270
getting your bank accounts set up,

382
00:13:33,330 --> 00:13:36,840
any branding colors for your business fonts,

383
00:13:37,140 --> 00:13:40,620
you can do your email signature is getting your canned emails

384
00:13:40,620 --> 00:13:40,950
set up,

385
00:13:40,980 --> 00:13:44,040
which for me is one of my favorite features in Sato.

386
00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:47,730
And then after you've kind of got that basic stuff set

387
00:13:47,730 --> 00:13:50,040
up, then you can go into getting the contracts and your

388
00:13:50,070 --> 00:13:52,650
proposals and your workflows and your questionnaires going.

389
00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:53,700
Yeah, no,

390
00:13:53,700 --> 00:13:55,320
that's a good workflow for,

391
00:13:55,340 --> 00:13:56,100
for most of them.

392
00:13:56,100 --> 00:13:58,230
I think I know one of the things that helps me

393
00:13:58,230 --> 00:14:00,210
kind of get a handle on it.

394
00:14:00,210 --> 00:14:03,600
If I'm looking at revamping my client experience or my workflow,

395
00:14:03,870 --> 00:14:08,370
or bringing it into DeSoto or any other software is I

396
00:14:08,370 --> 00:14:12,240
will actually sit down and kind of write out an entire

397
00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,870
flow of what happens throughout the process.

398
00:14:15,900 --> 00:14:18,030
And I think where a lot of people get hung up

399
00:14:18,030 --> 00:14:19,050
or at least I did,

400
00:14:19,260 --> 00:14:22,650
I feel like I got hung up on figuring out my

401
00:14:22,650 --> 00:14:26,850
inquiry process for years because it was like,

402
00:14:26,880 --> 00:14:28,800
well, what if it comes in this way?

403
00:14:29,010 --> 00:14:31,350
Or what if they're ready to book at this point?

404
00:14:31,590 --> 00:14:33,510
Or do I have to call everyone?

405
00:14:33,510 --> 00:14:35,420
Or what if I can't get ahold of this person?

406
00:14:35,430 --> 00:14:36,420
Because there were so many,

407
00:14:36,420 --> 00:14:37,110
it wasn't linear,

408
00:14:38,230 --> 00:14:39,780
there were so many options.

409
00:14:39,780 --> 00:14:43,230
So I discovered that there were kind of like three workflow

410
00:14:43,230 --> 00:14:46,050
sections and that is number one,

411
00:14:46,050 --> 00:14:47,070
that inquiry process.

412
00:14:47,070 --> 00:14:50,670
So getting a potential client from that inquiry to booking.

413
00:14:50,790 --> 00:14:53,750
And then the second one is once they say,

414
00:14:53,750 --> 00:14:54,350
Hey, yes,

415
00:14:54,350 --> 00:14:56,720
I want a book like getting them onboarded.

416
00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,410
So getting all the things paid and signed and prepared and

417
00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:01,490
scheduling their session.

418
00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,400
And then the third section is that,

419
00:15:04,460 --> 00:15:04,730
you know,

420
00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:05,690
order to delivery.

421
00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:06,920
So after you have the session,

422
00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:07,970
have the ordering appointment,

423
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,070
like what's the workflow there and the follow-up.

424
00:15:10,640 --> 00:15:13,280
So if you guys are out there trying to figure out

425
00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,040
your workflow and you're feeling completely overwhelmed,

426
00:15:16,130 --> 00:15:18,920
break it down into those three sections and maybe start with

427
00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:20,150
the delivery.

428
00:15:20,210 --> 00:15:23,240
Cause I think that's the easiest one to be like,

429
00:15:23,300 --> 00:15:24,620
oh, they've ordered,

430
00:15:25,070 --> 00:15:26,210
what's my process now.

431
00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:28,460
Like that's a pretty easy one to feel like you got

432
00:15:28,460 --> 00:15:28,850
like, all right,

433
00:15:28,850 --> 00:15:29,690
I got a quick win.

434
00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:32,120
I can do this.

435
00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:35,990
And then maybe start to go to the like basically work

436
00:15:35,990 --> 00:15:37,310
backwards, then go to the,

437
00:15:37,340 --> 00:15:39,110
oh, I'm interested in booking a session.

438
00:15:39,170 --> 00:15:39,440
All right.

439
00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:41,330
How do I want to onboard them?

440
00:15:41,330 --> 00:15:42,560
Is it a new form?

441
00:15:42,590 --> 00:15:43,190
I know for me,

442
00:15:43,190 --> 00:15:44,090
end up Sato,

443
00:15:44,450 --> 00:15:45,950
when they're ready to book,

444
00:15:45,950 --> 00:15:47,750
I have a client booking form,

445
00:15:47,750 --> 00:15:52,130
which like kicks off a new process in my CRM that

446
00:15:52,130 --> 00:15:52,940
then said,

447
00:15:52,940 --> 00:15:56,420
like gets their contract together and their invoice and all of

448
00:15:56,420 --> 00:15:57,020
that stuff.

449
00:15:57,080 --> 00:15:57,590
So yeah.

450
00:15:57,650 --> 00:15:59,840
So no matter how that inquiry process goes,

451
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:00,650
when they're ready,

452
00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:02,840
I can just send them a link to them,

453
00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:05,870
that kind of new process starting the booking one.

454
00:16:05,930 --> 00:16:07,520
And if I'm on the phone with them,

455
00:16:08,150 --> 00:16:10,610
I can just take their information and put it in myself

456
00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:11,390
in that form.

457
00:16:11,390 --> 00:16:13,120
So you don't have to send an email.

458
00:16:13,350 --> 00:16:15,650
It can be given on however customer service.

459
00:16:15,950 --> 00:16:17,480
Have you found kind of the same?

460
00:16:18,130 --> 00:16:18,850
Sure. I,

461
00:16:18,940 --> 00:16:21,160
I started with just a big brain dump that was circles

462
00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:24,010
and arrows and boxes and scribbling notes.

463
00:16:24,190 --> 00:16:26,680
And I just kind of spelled it out because doing it

464
00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:27,200
on paper,

465
00:16:27,220 --> 00:16:29,650
there didn't feel like the commitment to have to stick with

466
00:16:29,650 --> 00:16:32,860
that word flow and make big changes within<inaudible>.

467
00:16:33,370 --> 00:16:36,460
So I had that filled out and then I could start

468
00:16:36,460 --> 00:16:37,210
to build it back.

469
00:16:37,870 --> 00:16:40,330
The one thing I liked too was within that lead capture,

470
00:16:40,330 --> 00:16:42,520
you have those different options of how they want to be

471
00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:43,480
contacted. So,

472
00:16:44,140 --> 00:16:44,440
you know,

473
00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:46,060
if they don't want to talk on the phone right away,

474
00:16:46,060 --> 00:16:47,260
then it's a little bit different.

475
00:16:47,260 --> 00:16:48,100
I'm not going to call them.

476
00:16:48,100 --> 00:16:50,110
I'm going to send them more information through email.

477
00:16:50,620 --> 00:16:52,570
And it kind of sent me up a little bit easier

478
00:16:52,570 --> 00:16:55,180
knowing how they wanted to be approached as well.

479
00:16:55,690 --> 00:16:57,340
Hmm. A hundred percent.

480
00:16:57,610 --> 00:17:02,800
And especially with the rise of video options that we can

481
00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:05,440
cause really the reason we wanted to get them on the

482
00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:07,150
phone is to make a connection with us,

483
00:17:07,150 --> 00:17:10,990
but we can kind of see that connection a little bit

484
00:17:10,990 --> 00:17:12,460
in video and other ways.

485
00:17:12,550 --> 00:17:13,270
So we can,

486
00:17:13,330 --> 00:17:14,320
we don't have to get,

487
00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:16,090
I don't think it's as critical to get people on a

488
00:17:16,090 --> 00:17:17,530
phone now as it used to be.

489
00:17:17,620 --> 00:17:18,430
And I,

490
00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:19,240
I do the same.

491
00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:21,970
I ask them if they want to be contacted via phone

492
00:17:22,360 --> 00:17:23,230
or email,

493
00:17:23,470 --> 00:17:27,160
actually thinking I should probably even add text on there as

494
00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:27,850
an option.

495
00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,820
And at least I could text them then and let them

496
00:17:30,820 --> 00:17:31,570
know, Hey,

497
00:17:31,570 --> 00:17:33,940
I sent you more information on email.

498
00:17:33,970 --> 00:17:36,610
Like here's something really easy or it could even be text

499
00:17:36,610 --> 00:17:39,970
a link that goes to a page on your website that

500
00:17:39,970 --> 00:17:41,980
has kind of their inquiry information.

501
00:17:42,430 --> 00:17:44,020
Cool. All right.

502
00:17:44,020 --> 00:17:44,470
Mental note.

503
00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:45,880
Now there goes my afternoon too.

504
00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:49,740
That's all right.

505
00:17:49,740 --> 00:17:50,070
So yeah,

506
00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:52,710
so that works really well for if you are guys are

507
00:17:52,710 --> 00:17:53,610
in business already.

508
00:17:53,610 --> 00:17:54,420
And you know,

509
00:17:54,420 --> 00:17:57,240
one of the other things too is I think a lot

510
00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:01,110
of people feel like when they are going to move towards

511
00:18:01,170 --> 00:18:02,190
a software like this,

512
00:18:02,190 --> 00:18:05,070
that they have to set up every single automation,

513
00:18:05,070 --> 00:18:09,300
like all this automation right out of the gate and really

514
00:18:09,870 --> 00:18:10,680
correct me if I'm wrong,

515
00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,440
but you can basically do it all manually at first.

516
00:18:13,620 --> 00:18:16,650
And then like slowly add one automation here and one,

517
00:18:16,770 --> 00:18:18,120
add one automation here.

518
00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:21,180
And then I would imagine you would feel much more secure

519
00:18:21,210 --> 00:18:25,740
knowing that your processes working and knowing exactly like kind of

520
00:18:25,740 --> 00:18:28,050
where the hang ups are and working through that.

521
00:18:29,210 --> 00:18:32,090
And I've changed my workflows as time has gone on and

522
00:18:32,090 --> 00:18:35,450
I've seen what I like and what's been working or where

523
00:18:35,450 --> 00:18:36,890
I'm kind of having little gaps,

524
00:18:37,250 --> 00:18:38,480
the workflow that I love too,

525
00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:40,100
has a lot of approves.

526
00:18:40,100 --> 00:18:42,590
So I might not want to send something right away if

527
00:18:42,590 --> 00:18:45,800
I'm waiting to hear back or it doesn't apply to that

528
00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:47,120
person, I just want to prove it.

529
00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,350
And so I don't feel like I'm super stressed about missing

530
00:18:51,350 --> 00:18:54,320
a staff or sending something to someone that they didn't need.

531
00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:56,300
Yeah, absolutely.

532
00:18:56,690 --> 00:18:57,890
That works out really well.

533
00:18:58,310 --> 00:19:01,250
What about for people that maybe are just getting started?

534
00:19:01,310 --> 00:19:05,330
Like how do they begin to start to get a handle

535
00:19:05,330 --> 00:19:06,050
on this workflow?

536
00:19:06,050 --> 00:19:08,300
Like what are the most important pieces that they should focus

537
00:19:08,300 --> 00:19:09,050
on in your opinion?

538
00:19:09,950 --> 00:19:12,230
Definitely your inquiry process,

539
00:19:12,260 --> 00:19:13,970
getting that lead capture form set up,

540
00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,490
just so that any leads that are coming in are going

541
00:19:16,490 --> 00:19:17,390
into them Sato,

542
00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,460
because now they're just in there.

543
00:19:19,460 --> 00:19:22,400
And as you start to build that workflow for that onboarding

544
00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,560
process, they're already in there.

545
00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,040
And so you've got the basic information down,

546
00:19:27,050 --> 00:19:28,400
you have their contact info,

547
00:19:28,970 --> 00:19:30,530
what type of session they're looking for.

548
00:19:30,530 --> 00:19:34,550
So I would spend time getting that lead capture form set

549
00:19:34,550 --> 00:19:37,820
up first and just making sure that that's working,

550
00:19:37,820 --> 00:19:39,440
because if it's not working then your leads,

551
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:40,970
aren't going to be coming in and they're not going to

552
00:19:40,970 --> 00:19:41,600
hear from you.

553
00:19:42,260 --> 00:19:43,610
And that's a big,

554
00:19:43,670 --> 00:19:44,960
bad broken part to have.

555
00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:46,730
So start there.

556
00:19:46,730 --> 00:19:47,360
And then,

557
00:19:47,540 --> 00:19:48,170
like you said,

558
00:19:48,170 --> 00:19:49,400
just kind of work backwards.

559
00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,470
Like once they've booked you,

560
00:19:51,470 --> 00:19:52,940
like, what do you want to happen?

561
00:19:52,940 --> 00:19:54,440
How are they getting to booking you?

562
00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,350
It will make sense as you start to build backwards from

563
00:19:57,350 --> 00:19:58,520
there. Yeah.

564
00:19:58,640 --> 00:19:59,780
Yeah. Those are great points.

565
00:19:59,780 --> 00:20:02,990
Just one of the other things that I think is really

566
00:20:02,990 --> 00:20:04,730
important to kind of sit down,

567
00:20:04,730 --> 00:20:08,090
we always tend to look at our workflow through our eyes.

568
00:20:08,210 --> 00:20:09,320
And I think it's really,

569
00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,440
really important once you start to build out your workflow or

570
00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:13,310
if your workflows,

571
00:20:13,310 --> 00:20:13,520
you know,

572
00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:15,920
whether you're new or been doing this for 20 years,

573
00:20:15,950 --> 00:20:16,610
I think it's poor.

574
00:20:16,610 --> 00:20:19,160
And every once in a while to sit down and really

575
00:20:19,190 --> 00:20:22,730
try to go through your process from your client's perspective,

576
00:20:22,790 --> 00:20:25,160
to see what potential holes there are,

577
00:20:25,220 --> 00:20:29,840
are grab a photographer friend of yours or a regular friend

578
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:30,650
of yours and just say,

579
00:20:30,650 --> 00:20:31,850
Hey, do me a favor.

580
00:20:31,850 --> 00:20:33,110
Will you go through this process?

581
00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,210
And let me know if you're confused anywhere,

582
00:20:35,540 --> 00:20:39,290
because that way you can kind of really make sure that

583
00:20:39,290 --> 00:20:40,610
you are covering all your bases.

584
00:20:40,610 --> 00:20:44,300
Because one of the hardest things I think is we know

585
00:20:44,330 --> 00:20:45,650
we know what the next step is.

586
00:20:45,650 --> 00:20:51,250
We're so close to everything that we often don't realize what's

587
00:20:51,250 --> 00:20:56,470
missing. So a potential client has no idea like where we

588
00:20:56,500 --> 00:20:57,280
say, of course,

589
00:20:57,280 --> 00:20:59,590
we're going to have a pre-session consultation and we're going to

590
00:20:59,590 --> 00:21:02,520
discuss where we're going to be in this or that they

591
00:21:02,530 --> 00:21:03,250
have no idea.

592
00:21:03,250 --> 00:21:04,150
And they just,

593
00:21:04,150 --> 00:21:05,440
all of a sudden know that,

594
00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:10,090
okay, I just paid you and signed a contract and what

595
00:21:10,770 --> 00:21:13,690
what's next or my sessions next Saturday.

596
00:21:13,690 --> 00:21:14,650
But I haven't heard from them.

597
00:21:14,650 --> 00:21:16,150
Do I need to take a leash?

598
00:21:16,180 --> 00:21:16,600
Do I need to,

599
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:17,590
what do I need to take?

600
00:21:17,590 --> 00:21:18,970
Do I need to get my dog groomed?

601
00:21:18,970 --> 00:21:20,260
Like, what do I need to do?

602
00:21:20,530 --> 00:21:24,970
So really looking at it from that and making sure your

603
00:21:24,970 --> 00:21:29,290
client knows what's expected at every step and letting them know.

604
00:21:29,290 --> 00:21:31,870
I know my personal role is any time I have any

605
00:21:31,870 --> 00:21:33,100
interaction with a client,

606
00:21:33,130 --> 00:21:36,190
I let them know what the next step is when they'll

607
00:21:36,310 --> 00:21:38,980
expect to hear from me is that they are welcome to

608
00:21:38,980 --> 00:21:40,060
contact me at any time.

609
00:21:40,660 --> 00:21:42,910
So those are kind of my,

610
00:21:43,090 --> 00:21:43,690
yeah, my,

611
00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:49,150
my kind of non-negotiable map to get through my workflow.

612
00:21:49,500 --> 00:21:52,920
Yeah. It Seems so obvious to us because we're so in

613
00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:53,400
our business,

614
00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:54,750
like we've built that workflow out.

615
00:21:54,750 --> 00:21:56,640
We know what is supposed to happen,

616
00:21:56,730 --> 00:21:58,200
but they don't end.

617
00:21:58,200 --> 00:21:59,430
They, people don't read.

618
00:21:59,430 --> 00:22:00,690
We want to think they do.

619
00:22:01,140 --> 00:22:02,190
They don't sit down and read.

620
00:22:02,190 --> 00:22:02,970
So it's okay.

621
00:22:02,970 --> 00:22:05,370
If I have to tell them something seven times it feels

622
00:22:05,370 --> 00:22:06,090
like a lot to me,

623
00:22:06,090 --> 00:22:07,530
but they might've cut it twice.

624
00:22:07,830 --> 00:22:10,150
So just be mindful that you're,

625
00:22:10,150 --> 00:22:14,100
you're making enough attempts to really the really important information,

626
00:22:14,190 --> 00:22:15,390
but not overwhelm them.

627
00:22:15,390 --> 00:22:17,940
Because one of the steps I did have to change in

628
00:22:17,940 --> 00:22:20,730
my workflow in terms of the time I was sending between

629
00:22:20,730 --> 00:22:22,980
emails is I had an older client tell me,

630
00:22:22,980 --> 00:22:25,650
like, basically I feel bombarded with emails.

631
00:22:25,650 --> 00:22:26,580
Like they couldn't keep up.

632
00:22:27,030 --> 00:22:28,200
So at that point,

633
00:22:28,620 --> 00:22:29,550
okay, red flag,

634
00:22:29,610 --> 00:22:31,740
I have to just step back a little and give a

635
00:22:31,740 --> 00:22:34,080
little bit more time in between emails,

636
00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:35,910
firing off and links being sent.

637
00:22:35,910 --> 00:22:37,920
Because if it's overwhelming one client,

638
00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:39,450
it'll probably overwhelm someone else.<inaudible>,

639
00:22:40,590 --> 00:22:44,100
that's a really good point because it's very generational too.

640
00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:45,510
Like someone that's a,

641
00:22:45,510 --> 00:22:45,840
you know,

642
00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,780
young professional maybe is like 32 wouldn't mind,

643
00:22:48,810 --> 00:22:51,600
necessarily all the emails they might prefer to be contacted that

644
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:53,490
way. But if you have an empty desk client,

645
00:22:53,490 --> 00:22:55,050
who's maybe 65,

646
00:22:55,530 --> 00:22:55,890
you know,

647
00:22:55,890 --> 00:22:58,860
they don't really check their email that often or want to

648
00:22:58,860 --> 00:22:59,850
get that many emails.

649
00:22:59,850 --> 00:23:00,690
So do you,

650
00:23:00,990 --> 00:23:05,100
do you have different workflows kind of based on your clients,

651
00:23:05,100 --> 00:23:08,160
do you kind of find out their preference and tweak how

652
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:10,320
you're getting that information to them based on their,

653
00:23:11,010 --> 00:23:13,200
Not particularly just in that inquiry phase,

654
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:14,730
if they want phone or email right now,

655
00:23:16,110 --> 00:23:17,640
I do send a lot of stuff digitally.

656
00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:18,750
I love PDFs.

657
00:23:18,750 --> 00:23:21,900
I love sending links because it's so convenient and easy and

658
00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:23,190
they can reference it whenever.

659
00:23:23,190 --> 00:23:26,700
But I also do a mail hold like a tangible client

660
00:23:26,700 --> 00:23:30,180
welcome package that has the things I absolutely want them not

661
00:23:30,180 --> 00:23:31,020
to miss in there.

662
00:23:31,020 --> 00:23:35,040
So their session guide their pricing preview about their room.

663
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,220
Mock-ups because if they're not going to look at it digitally,

664
00:23:38,250 --> 00:23:39,480
they're not going to see it.

665
00:23:40,020 --> 00:23:40,980
Right. Right.

666
00:23:41,190 --> 00:23:41,910
Yeah. And that,

667
00:23:41,910 --> 00:23:43,830
I think builds so much value too.

668
00:23:43,830 --> 00:23:45,530
When you get something you in the mail.

669
00:23:45,530 --> 00:23:46,370
Cause how many times,

670
00:23:46,370 --> 00:23:48,050
what are we getting in the mail bills and junk mail

671
00:23:48,050 --> 00:23:48,740
usually. Right.

672
00:23:48,770 --> 00:23:52,160
So when you get something that's fun and you know,

673
00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:53,900
it's something you're excited for.

674
00:23:54,050 --> 00:23:57,500
Yeah. That adds to the client experience for sure.

675
00:23:57,770 --> 00:23:59,030
Oh, this has been so good.

676
00:23:59,090 --> 00:24:01,490
Any other words of advice,

677
00:24:01,490 --> 00:24:07,400
words of wisdom for pet photographers out there that are maybe

678
00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:10,580
feeling like they could use a little tune-up in the workflow.

679
00:24:10,780 --> 00:24:12,040
Yeah. Take your time.

680
00:24:12,310 --> 00:24:14,000
I am a little crazy and that I want it done

681
00:24:14,290 --> 00:24:15,700
all at once in one day,

682
00:24:15,700 --> 00:24:17,500
but space out,

683
00:24:18,220 --> 00:24:19,900
spell out what you actually need.

684
00:24:19,900 --> 00:24:22,240
And what's just kind of nice to have and what might

685
00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:23,500
be nice to have down the road.

686
00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:27,460
We get so inspired by other people's work flows and what's

687
00:24:27,460 --> 00:24:30,100
working, but we often forget where we're at in our stage

688
00:24:30,100 --> 00:24:32,980
of business and where we're eventually growing too.

689
00:24:33,370 --> 00:24:35,350
So it may not be necessary right now,

690
00:24:35,380 --> 00:24:37,330
but it's good to be inspired,

691
00:24:37,330 --> 00:24:39,760
but you have to just kind of stay on your own

692
00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:41,230
path. What's working.

693
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:42,220
If it's not broke,

694
00:24:42,220 --> 00:24:42,850
don't fix it.

695
00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:44,710
Yeah, absolutely.

696
00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:46,300
And I think too,

697
00:24:46,330 --> 00:24:50,380
to not feel overwhelmed or the pressure to all of a

698
00:24:50,380 --> 00:24:52,360
sudden, like come out of the gate,

699
00:24:52,420 --> 00:24:55,270
sending a thank you postcard and this and that.

700
00:24:55,270 --> 00:24:58,810
And like having all these extra bells and whistles.

701
00:24:58,870 --> 00:25:01,150
Yeah. That'd be great to build our business to the place

702
00:25:01,150 --> 00:25:02,650
where you have that printed,

703
00:25:02,950 --> 00:25:03,430
you know,

704
00:25:03,490 --> 00:25:06,850
client preparation guide that you're sending them an actually welcome guide

705
00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:07,690
in the mail.

706
00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,330
Do you have to have that while you're having your first

707
00:25:10,330 --> 00:25:11,200
couple of clients?

708
00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,000
No. It can be an email.

709
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:14,080
It can be a phone call.

710
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:15,370
It could be a text message.

711
00:25:15,990 --> 00:25:18,040
It can be anything.

712
00:25:18,250 --> 00:25:19,780
It doesn't have to be that.

713
00:25:19,780 --> 00:25:21,520
So I think that's the biggest,

714
00:25:21,610 --> 00:25:25,240
the biggest struggle I see people do is that they feel

715
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:26,440
like there's this.

716
00:25:26,470 --> 00:25:30,040
I have two level of all these bells and whistles that

717
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:31,510
if they're not doing that,

718
00:25:31,540 --> 00:25:34,000
they can't be taking clients yet.

719
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,810
They don't have the permission to be charging what they're worth

720
00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,140
to be able to be charging full prices unless they have

721
00:25:41,170 --> 00:25:43,780
all of these things spelled out and finished.

722
00:25:44,110 --> 00:25:45,580
And yeah,

723
00:25:45,730 --> 00:25:46,600
that's not true.

724
00:25:48,010 --> 00:25:50,740
You can add one little piece here and there as you

725
00:25:50,740 --> 00:25:52,180
go. So yeah,

726
00:25:52,210 --> 00:25:53,290
not don't get overwhelmed.

727
00:25:53,290 --> 00:25:56,770
And I think it causes a lot of people to just

728
00:25:56,770 --> 00:26:00,730
not start because they feel like they have to do all

729
00:26:00,730 --> 00:26:01,870
of these things first.

730
00:26:02,110 --> 00:26:02,530
Let's see.

731
00:26:02,530 --> 00:26:03,640
What would it be?

732
00:26:04,030 --> 00:26:06,280
If somebody came to me and said like,

733
00:26:06,370 --> 00:26:09,580
I what's the bare minimum that I need to have in

734
00:26:09,580 --> 00:26:11,200
place to take a client.

735
00:26:11,260 --> 00:26:14,740
I would say you need a way to talk to them

736
00:26:14,740 --> 00:26:16,120
for them to get in touch with you.

737
00:26:16,180 --> 00:26:20,800
You need a way to communicate with them,

738
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:22,210
whether that's phone or email,

739
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,610
once they get in touch with you and you need to

740
00:26:24,610 --> 00:26:26,260
have a session agreement,

741
00:26:26,260 --> 00:26:28,480
a way to take money and pricing set up.

742
00:26:28,540 --> 00:26:32,290
I think that's really all you absolutely need need.

743
00:26:32,290 --> 00:26:34,270
Cause the rest you can talk to them on the phone

744
00:26:34,270 --> 00:26:37,120
about what to expect everything else.

745
00:26:37,150 --> 00:26:39,280
And then you can have the session,

746
00:26:39,550 --> 00:26:41,290
have a in-person sales session,

747
00:26:41,530 --> 00:26:46,350
create some products and make some money and then reinvest it

748
00:26:46,350 --> 00:26:49,890
in your business and start adding some pieces on there.

749
00:26:49,890 --> 00:26:51,900
Anything else you think they need that I forgot?

750
00:26:52,130 --> 00:26:53,570
And that is what I started with.

751
00:26:53,570 --> 00:26:56,300
And it was a great experience then as it is now,

752
00:26:56,330 --> 00:26:57,860
it's just a different level.

753
00:26:58,190 --> 00:26:59,210
Everything worked fine.

754
00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:01,190
Even at the bare minimum basics,

755
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:03,710
I still got my information across.

756
00:27:03,710 --> 00:27:04,850
My plants are still happy.

757
00:27:04,850 --> 00:27:06,890
They still have great photos and I made money.

758
00:27:07,130 --> 00:27:08,480
Yeah. And they still,

759
00:27:08,510 --> 00:27:09,020
you know,

760
00:27:09,740 --> 00:27:10,580
when I was starting,

761
00:27:10,580 --> 00:27:11,600
I had,

762
00:27:11,900 --> 00:27:14,030
and I think you are pretty similar to like the,

763
00:27:14,030 --> 00:27:16,010
our, our averages were still,

764
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:16,910
you know,

765
00:27:17,090 --> 00:27:19,010
a four figure average.

766
00:27:19,070 --> 00:27:19,280
I mean,

767
00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:20,360
they grew as,

768
00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:21,680
as the business grew,

769
00:27:21,770 --> 00:27:25,190
but it was still a really good average because I think

770
00:27:25,190 --> 00:27:28,280
a lot of people feel like there's this unwritten rule that,

771
00:27:28,340 --> 00:27:28,900
oh, I,

772
00:27:28,900 --> 00:27:31,070
I don't have this all in place.

773
00:27:31,070 --> 00:27:32,420
It's not perfect yet.

774
00:27:32,420 --> 00:27:33,170
And spoiler alert,

775
00:27:33,170 --> 00:27:35,000
it's never perfect and it's never done,

776
00:27:35,780 --> 00:27:37,970
but they think since I don't have all of that,

777
00:27:37,970 --> 00:27:41,180
I can't possibly charge more.

778
00:27:41,180 --> 00:27:44,660
So I have to charge just like $200 for everything because

779
00:27:44,660 --> 00:27:45,620
I'm just getting started.

780
00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:46,900
What she asked,

781
00:27:46,900 --> 00:27:51,740
could turn into a pricing conversation and yeah.

782
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:52,880
Yeah. You don't,

783
00:27:52,940 --> 00:27:56,210
you don't have to charge that little tiny bit just because

784
00:27:56,210 --> 00:27:56,690
you don't,

785
00:27:56,810 --> 00:27:59,330
you don't feel that it's worth,

786
00:27:59,510 --> 00:28:01,250
I don't know that your experience is worth.

787
00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:06,410
If you're creating beautiful images that people enjoy and you're responsive

788
00:28:07,130 --> 00:28:09,470
and giving them good service and telling them like,

789
00:28:09,470 --> 00:28:10,010
what's next,

790
00:28:10,010 --> 00:28:13,430
what's expected and delivering on time and exceeded expectations.

791
00:28:13,430 --> 00:28:15,320
It doesn't matter what workflow,

792
00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:16,820
bells and whistles you have on the backend.

793
00:28:17,150 --> 00:28:17,990
Yeah. Completely.

794
00:28:17,990 --> 00:28:18,290
I mean,

795
00:28:18,290 --> 00:28:20,960
they're just happy that you have captured beautiful photos of their

796
00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:24,350
cuts. So that alone is a great experience for them.

797
00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:29,120
All of this automation and integration is kind of just icing

798
00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:30,110
on the cake at that point.

799
00:28:30,650 --> 00:28:32,210
Yeah, absolutely.

800
00:28:32,330 --> 00:28:33,080
Oh man,

801
00:28:33,110 --> 00:28:37,910
Jessica, this conversation has been so good and you have some

802
00:28:37,910 --> 00:28:38,990
exciting news.

803
00:28:38,990 --> 00:28:42,170
Is it completely done your Sato?

804
00:28:42,290 --> 00:28:43,130
Are you working on it?

805
00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:48,980
I Am done with the pre-assessment exam and the certified Assata

806
00:28:48,980 --> 00:28:50,960
specialist test is in October.

807
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,950
So I am working towards studying really hard and hopefully that'll

808
00:28:54,950 --> 00:28:55,700
be done by.

809
00:28:55,700 --> 00:28:57,470
mid-October Awesome.

810
00:28:57,470 --> 00:29:00,140
So are you hoping that I'm putting you on the spot

811
00:29:00,140 --> 00:29:01,100
on the podcast here?

812
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:05,570
Are you hoping to be able to help other photographers with

813
00:29:05,570 --> 00:29:08,540
their<inaudible> set up workflow needs?

814
00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:09,830
Yeah, that's my goal.

815
00:29:09,830 --> 00:29:11,000
So I mean,

816
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:11,630
I can do it now,

817
00:29:11,660 --> 00:29:12,770
but just legitimizing.

818
00:29:12,770 --> 00:29:13,940
It feels a lot better.

819
00:29:13,940 --> 00:29:15,170
I like to have my goal.

820
00:29:15,190 --> 00:29:17,520
So that's been a big goal for the last year and

821
00:29:17,530 --> 00:29:18,920
when it opened in August,

822
00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:20,030
I hopped right in.

823
00:29:20,630 --> 00:29:21,860
Nice. That's awesome.

824
00:29:21,890 --> 00:29:24,110
Well, and in the meantime academy members,

825
00:29:24,140 --> 00:29:28,070
Jessica just created a new course in the academy of Sato

826
00:29:28,070 --> 00:29:28,340
one. Oh,

827
00:29:28,340 --> 00:29:30,620
one-on-one walks you through setting up Sato.

828
00:29:30,620 --> 00:29:32,540
You can really put it towards any CRM,

829
00:29:32,540 --> 00:29:32,990
but it's,

830
00:29:33,020 --> 00:29:37,310
it's specific to<inaudible> and with their platform of showing the examples,

831
00:29:37,310 --> 00:29:40,400
but it could work on any CRM and going through her

832
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:43,330
workflow and it's such a good course,

833
00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:46,270
breaks it down into just a really straightforward,

834
00:29:46,300 --> 00:29:47,860
easy to implement way.

835
00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:51,400
So definitely check that out and academy doors open again on

836
00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:52,270
September 2nd,

837
00:29:52,390 --> 00:29:55,420
if you are not an academy member yet,

838
00:29:55,540 --> 00:29:57,640
and want to be jump on the waitlist hair of the

839
00:29:57,640 --> 00:30:00,220
dog academy.com/academy,

840
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,370
if you need some personalized help with your Divisadero,

841
00:30:03,700 --> 00:30:08,410
so reach out to Jessica and she can help you get

842
00:30:08,410 --> 00:30:09,280
that workflow.

843
00:30:09,340 --> 00:30:11,680
Beast tamed Jessica,

844
00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:15,070
where can they find you out on the interwebs Bark and

845
00:30:15,070 --> 00:30:16,540
goes to target.com?

846
00:30:16,660 --> 00:30:20,410
And I am on Instagram at bark N golden photography and

847
00:30:20,410 --> 00:30:21,400
on Facebook as well.

848
00:30:21,490 --> 00:30:22,600
Yeah. Perfect.

849
00:30:22,780 --> 00:30:25,080
Awesome. Thanks again for being with us here,

850
00:30:25,130 --> 00:30:29,410
Jessica, for diving into workflow and for creating the incredible DeSoto.

851
00:30:29,410 --> 00:30:30,120
One-on-one it?

852
00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:31,270
It's so good.

853
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:32,220
And yeah,

854
00:30:32,220 --> 00:30:35,050
I'm sure we'll have you back on the podcast again soon.

855
00:30:35,230 --> 00:30:36,160
Thank you so much.

856
00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:36,790
Thanks for being here.

857
00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:37,960
You're so welcome.

858
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:41,020
Thanks. If you enjoy this podcast episode,

859
00:30:41,020 --> 00:30:44,410
go ahead and take a screenshot of this episode on your

860
00:30:44,410 --> 00:30:47,680
phone and post it up there on your Instagram stories and

861
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:51,190
be sure to tag us at hair of the dog academy.

862
00:30:51,310 --> 00:30:54,850
And we would just love to see how you're listening and

863
00:30:54,850 --> 00:30:55,960
a full disclosure.

864
00:30:56,110 --> 00:30:59,530
Sometimes we just like to give away a little pet photographer

865
00:30:59,530 --> 00:31:03,370
swag in the form of hair of the dog t-shirts and

866
00:31:03,370 --> 00:31:05,950
sweatshirts. So what are you waiting for?

867
00:31:05,980 --> 00:31:09,100
Go ahead and share that screenshot of this episode.

868
00:31:09,340 --> 00:31:11,500
And don't forget to tag us at hair of the dog

869
00:31:11,500 --> 00:31:13,270
academy. And while you're there,

870
00:31:13,330 --> 00:31:15,580
maybe you want to jump on over to our account and

871
00:31:15,580 --> 00:31:18,550
see what we're up to on the gram would love to

872
00:31:18,550 --> 00:31:19,360
connect with you.

873
00:31:20,260 --> 00:31:22,540
Thanks for listening to the hair of the dog podcast.

874
00:31:22,540 --> 00:31:24,610
If you want to check out the show notes for access

875
00:31:24,610 --> 00:31:26,830
to any of the links that we shared in this episode,

876
00:31:27,100 --> 00:31:29,380
as well as any additional related resources,

877
00:31:29,650 --> 00:31:34,420
simply go to www.hairofthedogacademy.com/

878
00:31:34,420 --> 00:31:36,040
98. Once again,

879
00:31:36,070 --> 00:31:40,120
that's www.hairofthedogacademy.com

880
00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:42,160
and then the numbers nine and eight.

881
00:31:43,350 --> 00:31:46,320
Thanks for listening to this episode of hair of the dog

882
00:31:46,350 --> 00:31:48,780
podcast. If you enjoyed this show,

883
00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:50,550
please take a minute to leave a review.

884
00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:51,660
And while you're there,

885
00:31:51,750 --> 00:31:53,160
don't forget to subscribe.

886
00:31:53,190 --> 00:31:55,410
So you don't miss our upcoming episodes.

887
00:31:55,950 --> 00:31:56,670
One last thing,

888
00:31:57,060 --> 00:31:59,730
if you are ready to dive into more resources,

889
00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:05,370
head over to our website@wwwdothairofthedogacademy.com.

890
00:32:05,730 --> 00:32:08,940
Thanks for being a part of this pet photography community.