Welcome to The Wedding CEO Podcast, where we discuss all things marketing, sales, and scaling, so you can become the CEO of your life and business. I'm Alora Rachelle, and I've been a wedding photographer for over a decade, and now I'm sharing all of my secrets so you can stop sacrificing your time and make more money like a CEO.
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Welcome to the Wedding CEO Podcast on another episode and today we're going to be diving into why custom is the new. luxury for the wedding industry. So lately my students have been getting a ton of wins. Just in January alone my students had collectively submitted 55, 544 just for the month of January.
On the topic of January and there is this new information that there's going to be 2. 4 million weddings for 2024 and so I'm very interested to seeing how this is going to play out whether It's going to be 2025 weddings or it's going to be people booking in 2024 for 2024. Regardless, I think this episode is going to be helpful because it's a common misconception in the wedding industry to only offer pricing guides without flexibility.
A lot of photographers complain about the fact that clients are picking apart their packages or saying they're too expensive or ghosting them. My take on this is you're not customizing it. Think about it. Like this. I'm gonna break it down into a story. So, put yourself in your couple's shoes.
Let's say you go into a store, and you say exactly what you're looking for, and they give you something else. Or they say, hey, actually, this is all we have. You're just gonna have to settle for this. Is that okay? What do you do? Do you buy it and feel resentful, or do you leave and not purchase? Either way, you're not satisfied or happy.
So this is what you do to your couples when you send them a pricing guide and say, Hey, this is what I have. Make a selection book with me. Okay, bye. And that's why inside the wedding CEO, we teach custom proposals. We just ask our couples what they want. We build a customized package based on their needs, and they end up paying more than their estimated budget.
It's that simple, and it's that easy. I know. You're probably asking, okay, but "Why go through all this trouble? This seems like a lot." Because custom is the new luxury. I will spend more money if something is personalized and custom to me. I will spend more money if I feel like I'm being seen, heard, and taken care of.
Your clients are the exact same way. A wedding day is an intimate, special, usually once in a lifetime opportunity, and they want to make sure that they're choosing the best of the best, they're getting everything that they want, they're already putting deposits and retainers on a bunch of things they probably don't want and things that they do want.
So why in the world, for their wedding photography, that's going to capture this day that's supposed to last a lifetime? Would they not want a customized experience with you so that they can get exactly it is that they want? So this is going to be your quick and snappy episode. Stop giving them pricing guides and saying, "Hey, this is what I have. Pick one of these and don't take anything out of it because I don't do that. And book me. Okay, bye." And then exchange that with something custom that makes them feel like you're listening and you're going to be the perfect fit for them. You're going to give them everything they need and nothing they don't.
That is the whole point of customized proposals, and it doesn't have to be anything fancy. I know a lot of people, they overthink it, and they end up doing nothing. Don't overthink it. We have a proven process. I actually give you a Canva template guide. And all you have to do is just add in your own packages, add in your own offerings, and then drag your images in there, and you're good to go.
That's it. I already done the work for you. We walk you through every single page step by step so you don't have to worry about what to say, how to say it, and how to present it. And every single time, you guys. I've already had four wins. This day alone today. Where my students were like, "Yeah, I submitted a customized proposal." Their budget was like 4k, and they ended up spending 57, 58, 52, okay?
This works. You want to know why? Because custom is the new luxury, you're going to spend more money on something that is exactly what you're asking for. Inside The Wedding CEO, we give you everything. We also give you the sales call map that teaches you exactly how to sell it piece by piece, moment by moment.
And we're also going to be doing, I'm so excited, in a couple of months, we're going to be doing an online sales school where we're going to practice overcoming objections. With students in real life, and it's going to be so much fun, and I can't wait to see how that is going to unfold. So, all that to say, don't forget to sign up for my free masterclass, February 22nd at 12 pm EST. I'm hosting a free class called, How to Make 100k with Half of Your Weekends Free. And I'm going to show you exactly how we help our students go from ghosted to booked while raising their rates and consistently booking their highest package.
Sign up for the masterclass, link in the show notes.
I'll see you inside.
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Wait, don't go yet. If you loved today's episode, I would love if you took five seconds to leave a rating and a five star review. If you do send me a DM so I can give you a virtual hug and of course a shout out. Now, if you're ready to grow your photography business, I invite you to join the waitlist for The Wedding CEO.
The Wedding CEO is my signature program for wedding photographers who are ready to make 100k with half of their weekends free. You're ready to finally book higher ticket weddings. You can spend your time freely, whether it's creating more income strings, being present with family and friends or just working less like a CEO is supposed. Join the wait list for when we open the doors on February 22nd, 2024.
If you've seen my Instagram, then you'll know we have students making five figure months, launching their dream brands, doubling their prices, taking vacations, and more. Which are lifetime skills that you can take with you even if you decide to leave the industry.
Link in the show notes. I'll see you inside.