In this episode, we are privileged to hear from Hildi Todrin, the talented photographer behind Crane Song Photography in Connecticut. Hildi is absolute proof that nice girls not only finish first but can thrive in building and running their own successful portrait studios. Though soft-spoken, she has the qualities of a great businesswoman, and with her love of learning and helping others, she has become a cherished member of our MindShift Community. Throughout our conversation, Hildi shares what she has learned and applied to her business, particularly from the Art of Selling Art course. We explore how she has integrated these concepts into her pricing strategies, which has left her with newfound pride in her business.

As we discuss, Hildi explains the importance of transparency and upfront communication. You’ll hear her ah-ha moments, her tips on selling albums in a new way, and how she was able to confidently step into the role of being a trusted advisor to her clients. Although her business has been successful for many years, Hildi is passionate about learning ways to improve. She took the pieces that resonated with her and they have not only enhanced her experience as a photographer and business owner, but has made the experience for her clients even better. She says it best when she says, “Finding the right-fit client is magical.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The value of education at different points in your journey
• How to be up front and transparent with your clients
• How to find pride in your pricing

Here’s a glance at this episode:

• [3:08] – Hildi loves education and learning new things. There’s a lot available but certain things will resonate with you at different times in your career.
• [4:33] – Words matter. Be transparent and up front early on.
• [6:29] – When you are proud of your pricing, that is a level of confidence in yourself but also in your clients.
• [8:33] – When clients come in and don’t value the price of your work, that’s okay. The things they value may be different.
• [10:58] – Listen to your clients. They should be up front with you as well about what they want to buy. This will help you find right-fit clients.
• [13:47] – Don’t try to convince a client to spend more money. Outline everything during the consultation and hold clients accountable during the session.
• [15:20] – Hildi lists some of the changes she’s made to her business practice that has improved the experience for both her and her clients.
• [21:27] – Having pride in your prices also establishes yourself as an expert.
• [23:58] – Allison’s goal as an educator has been for photographers to take the things she does and try them on for size to become a better version of the photographer they are.
• [26:12] – Hildi shares how she has incorporated candy bars and dog treats from Team Woofgang into her business model.
• [27:29] – This piece of community building is important to Hildi.
• [28:46] – Hildi would rather sell fewer albums at her current price point than more in the previous style.
• [31:18] – When we first start out, we are just so happy that anyone would pay us for something we love to do.

Links and Resources:
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Team Woofgang
Vision Art

Hildi Todrin
Website | Instagram

Do The ReWork
Website | Instagram

Allison Tyler Jones
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn