Freedom Focus Photography

The Thoughts Behind the $6,300 Model Calls

• Nicole Begley

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336 - Last week, we shared Shelbi Lee's step-by-step model call strategy that generated $6,300 in one month. 

This week we're going deeper — into the thoughts she was thinking that made the whole thing work. Because the right system without the right mindset will get you nowhere.

What to Listen For 

  • The single most important thought Shelbi had before she started
  • Why confidence in your process creates clarity in your decisions
  • How one question she asked herself unlocked the whole system
  • The thought beneath "I have questions that do the heavy lifting for me"
  • Why being blunt about pricing is actually a belief statement
  • What she was really saying when she called her form invaluable
  • The mindset behind deleting unqualified leads without looking back
  • Why "people who want me are excited and going to spend" is the most powerful thought in this episode
  • How certainty in your language signals certainty to your clients
  • Why strategy plus belief is the combination that actually produces results

The strategy was last week. The belief is this week. You need both. Tune in and start paying attention to the thoughts running underneath your own process.

Join us inside of Elevate: https://flourishacademy.mykajabi.com/elevate

Explore Shelbi’s Website: https://shelbinicoleimagery.com/

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Nicole Begley (00:00)
Welcome back to the Freedom Focus Photography Podcast. Today's episode is a follow up to last week's episode.

Lee story of how she managed to book three model calls that resulted in $6,300 worth of sales and sharing her exact process for making that happen, well, hit pause.

Go back and listen to that last week and then come back here. What we're talking about today is Heather is going to dig in to the parts that she loves the best, that mindset. What was Shelbi thinking as she went through this process? What thoughts could have gotten in the way? How did she override those thoughts? How did she make this happen? Listen, you guys, thoughts are important, is important. We need them both. And in this episode

We're gonna dive into the thoughts that made that strategy possible. Stay tuned.

Nicole Begley (00:59)
I'm Nicole Begley, a zoological animal trainer turned pet and family photographer. Back in 2010, I embarked on my own adventure in photography, transforming a bootstrapping startup into a thriving six-figure business by 2012. Since then, my mission has been to empower photographers like you, sharing the knowledge and strategies that have helped me help thousands of photographers build their own profitable businesses. I believe that achieving $2,000 $3,000 sales is your fastest route to six-figure businesses.

that any technically proficient photographer can consistently hit four figure sales. And no matter if you want photography to be your full-time passion or a part-time pursuit, profitability is possible. If you're a portrait photographer aspiring to craft a business that aligns perfectly with the life you envision, then you're in exactly the right place. With over 350,000 downloads, welcome to the Freedom Focus Photography Podcast.

Nicole Begley (01:59)
One of the core tenants of Elevate and what sets us apart is that we offer the strategy and the mindset required for success. We give you the approach, the action plan, and we help you develop and nurture the thoughts that will make these strategies work. It's a combination of these two things, strategy and thoughts that make us different. I call it cognitive optimization. And last week,

I shared Shelbi's exact step-by-step strategy for creating profitable model calls. And this week, I want to highlight the thoughts that she is thinking that guarantee her success. Because a strategy without belief will not work. I have her exact step-by-step process in front of me. And what I've done is gone through it and I've highlighted

her supporting thoughts to share with you today. Because her system, it might not work for you, but her thoughts, they work for everyone. I find it very interesting that the first thought I pulled out of her post is probably the most important. She said, I feel confident in where this process is taking me. In other words, she believes it's going to work.

And if you believe that something is going to work, then you will get results. Another way to say this is I know what I'm doing. I believe that this will work out. I am confident in the results that I am pursuing, whatever works for you. She just said, I feel confident in where this is taking me. And next, I pulled out a really good question that she asked herself. So she was listening to Jess Wasik talk about her book,

project applicants and how she structured it. And Shelbi asked herself, I think she probably at first got really curious and then she said, why can't I use a similar process for regular model calls? Now this is important, especially when you're in a program like Elevate, because you are going to hear a lot of different approaches to different ways to get clients for example, or structure your pricing.

but you could have this thought in the back of your mind that's like, or this question, how could I make this work for me? So I think that was very, very useful for her. Next, she talked about making decisions on what you want the model call to look like. And as I went through her post, I saw a lot of places where it was simply a decision point. And because she had confidence with what she was creating, she also created

clarity for herself, her decisions became easier and I just picked up on this language that was like, this is the way it's going to be. I have decided this, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. So there's undercurrent of a decision process. Another thought I picked up, well, she shared that she said it's super important that you don't over deliver, making it difficult for them to walk away. So this was a decision point with a thought that she was thinking,

I am going to make it difficult for them to walk away. That's a brilliant thought to have. And then she went into the form that she created, the application form, and she said, I have a handful of questions that do the heavy lifting for me. And you might think, well, that's just a very basic statement. No, I disagree there. What she is saying is I have decided what is important and I am going to structure my form so that

Those things are covered for me. So essentially she just decided to make it easier for herself, which is another decision. And then she said, Shelbi Nicole imagery specializes in artwork focused experiences and does not offer digital files as a cheap or standalone option, period. Now this isn't so much a thought as it is a decision.

on how she is going to run her business and then making it clear to the people who are reading this form.

And she went on to say, this form is invaluable. By the end, I've made it very clear this is not a standard shoot and burn experience and that they should expect artwork, not digital files. Allow me to paraphrase the thought that's running beneath the surface when she says this form is invaluable. What she is saying is I am a genius because I figured out a way to communicate

value of what I offer, what they should expect and what they should not expect. I am a genius. She might not, she probably wouldn't say this. She's a little more humble than me, but that's the truth. If I created something that's invaluable, it's because I know what I'm doing and I'm a genius. And when you think that way, guess what? You create things that are invaluable. It's brilliant. It's a brilliant strategy. She goes on to say,

Now I'm just blunt about it and they can go away if they don't like what I'm all about. Can you tell my patients with low quality leads has reached its limits? This is another decision point. I am choosing to be very direct and straightforward because I believe in me. I believe in my process and I believe in what I offer. So that's a decision plus a thought. Then she went on to explain her filter, how she selects people. She said,

From here, if they offer low quality short answers to the first two questions, they're out. If they select they haven't reviewed my pricing first, they're out. If they only select digital files in the checkbox, they're out. She actually went on for a few more statements and continued to say, they're out, they're out, they're out. Very clear decision done. Another decision she made was for the people that she has decided are out. She says, I delete their contact information from my CRM at that point.

because I don't feel like they are worth leaving on my email marketing list if they aren't a warm lead. I'm not even going to pursue it or just decide they're out. That's a decision point. Then she says, those that fit what I'm looking for get an email extending an invitation for a phone call to walk them through my process, answer any questions that they may have and proceed with planning and scheduling a session if they still want to move forward. And then this sentence is what I have highlighted.

They are usually so excited. People who want me are excited and they are going to spend. OK. I love this thought. You should write it down and read it to yourself. People who are excited about me are going to spend. And furthermore, they are excited about me. She has decided that the people she selects are excited to work with her and are going to spend.

Okay, wait, what? This is, I feel like I keep saying this, one of the most powerful thoughts that she is thinking. I know, I believe, I'm confident in the people I select. I believe they are excited. They are going to spend. And then guess what happens? You'll never guess. They actually spend. And then she says later on, this has worked beautifully. Yeah, no kidding. Because you're decisive and confident.

and you know that it's going to work beautifully. So it does. Next, she explains how she shares this on social media. And she said, I state in that post that an application is required for consideration. Comments and DMs won't cut it. This is another point where she is very decisive and she is very clearly communicating that to people. It is easy to have clear communication.

when the decision has been made and you are certain of it. If you are wavering or not sure, your language will be unclear and people will sense that and it's the opposite with her. She talks about her collections and how she has them positioned, but she said, as long as someone is vetted properly, it's going to be difficult not to make a healthy sale. And what's happening beneath the surface there

is she knows she is vetting people properly. So let me allow me to restate that sentence. I know these people are vetted properly. I know I will make a healthy sale. Those are her thoughts. Isn't this so interesting? I find this fascinating. This is one of my favorite things to do when I read posts or listen to stories on strategy calls, or people are just sharing about what's going on in their business.

I am a ninja at picking up the underlying thoughts that are either serving you, propelling you forward or holding you back. And when I read this post, I couldn't wait to share the strategy, of course, but I was equally, if not more excited to share the thoughts that Shelbi is having that are propelling her forward and leading to these bigger sales. So the first three clients she ran through this process

It was a total of $6,300 in revenue. This was a combination of her strategy, her approach, her decisiveness, and her thoughts. There's no question. It's very clear to me. It was very clear when I read her post what her thoughts were. If you are not sure why things aren't working in your business, I want to encourage you to join us inside of Elevate. And if you're already there,

then I want to encourage you to schedule a lifeline or talk to me on a strategy call. You don't even have to have a question. If you just tell me what's going on in your business, you share what's happening, it is my job to help you uncover the thoughts that you're thinking beneath the surface that are serving you or not. You can go to flourish.academy to learn more. The link directly to Elevate is always in the show notes. I hope that you found this useful.

I'll see you in the next episode.