EPISODE #120

Guest: Kathryn Langsford

Owner of Photos by Kathryn
Vancouver, Canada
photosbykathryn.com

DATE: August 1, 2024

Why your leads aren’t converting and what to do about it.

Have you ever been on a call with a prospective client, the convo is flowing, they sound excited and then, the dreaded words, “Ummmm, let me talk to my husband and I’ll call you back?” (Which means you’ll never hear from them again.)

Maybe you’ve hacked the Facebook funnel/charitable auctions/marketing game and leads are pouring in but no one, and I mean, no one is ACTUALLY booking.

I don’t know about you, but when I spend time to make a connection and then the prospect doesn’t book, it hurts my feelings and makes me feel like a failure.

It makes me go to dark places in my head like, “Ok this is it–it’s finally happened, I’m never going to work again.”

If this sounds at all familiar, then this episode is a must-listen for you. 

I’m thrilled to kick off Season 5 of The ReWork Podcast with my dear friend and powerhouse photographer, Kathryn Langsford. Kathryn had a challenging start to 2024 and found herself unable to convert the leads that were coming into the business.

Friends! Kathryn has been in business for almost 25 years, she KNOWS how to do this. So what was going wrong, and how did she fix it? 

In our conversation, we cover the 5 Most Common Mistakes That Prevent Leads from Becoming Clients, and what you can do to fix it, like, right NOW. 

We’ll be looking at the errors we all make when talking to prospective clients:

• Procrastination
• Too Much Info, Too Fast
• Too Little Info, Too Late
• Not Really Listening

and 

• Jumping to the Wrong Conclusions

You know by now that we’ll give you the real inside scoop on the mistakes we make and how we’ve fixed them, in real life, with real clients in our own studios. 

>>>> In addition, I have a FREE resource just for our ReWork listeners, that you can grab here: The ReWork Guide to Converting Leads Into Clients.<<<<<<< 

Join us as we tackle these common pitfalls and help equip you with strategies to turn more leads into great clients right now.

Let’s do it!

In this episode, you will learn the five most common mistakes preventing conversion:

• Procrastination: Respond as soon as possible; act quickly while the potential customer is engaged!
• Too Much, Too Fast: Avoid overwhelming with too much information early on. Guide them through the stages.
• Assuming Too Little, Too Late: It’s crucial to provide necessary information and avoid moving too quickly.
• Not Listening: Pay attention to underlying needs and pain points, and carefully interpret hesitancy and questions about pricing.
• Jumping to Conclusions: Don’t assume everyone wants your services. Wait for explicit interest.

Here’s a glance at this episode:

• [1:14] – Season 5 starts by addressing how to convert leads into clients.
• [4:05] – The episode covers five mistakes that prevent converting leads into clients.
• [5:04] – The first mistake, procrastination prevents conversion; reach out immediately to stay in the client’s stream of thought!
• [6:50] – Respond promptly to leads by screenshotting their info and sending it to the client coordinator.
• [9:01] – The second mistake is sharing too much information too soon.
• [10:29] – Don’t overwhelm clients with excessive details; provide just enough info to advance through stages.
• [12:59] – The third mistake is assuming clients know industry jargon or updates.
• [14:15] – Kathryn advises educating clients by discussing their needs, starting with the desired outcome.
• [16:00] – Share information at the right time, and guide clients on envisioning artwork.
• [18:43] – The fourth common mistake made is not properly listening to clients’ needs.
• [20:27] – Reassure clients building or remodeling by showing flexible portrait display options and addressing their concerns.
• [22:48] – ATJ advises us to reassure clients about artwork fitting any home and coordinating with their designer.
• [24:41] – Avoid overlooking red flags when feeling desperate for business.
• [26:53] – The fifth and final mistake discussed is jumping to conclusions about clients’ needs.
• [27:59] – You can’t predict who’ll value and invest in photography; value all clients as ideal clients.
• [29:42] – High income doesn’t guarantee value for portraits; focus on conveying the true value and vision of the experience.
• [32:34] – Don’t assume that former clients can’t invest now; understand their current needs.
• [34:49] – Clients’ needs evolve, sometimes over years; don’t judge based on past interactions.
• [36:21] – ATJ recaps the five common mistakes discussed.
• [38:27] – Mistakes are learning opportunities; even professionals with decades of experience can make them.

Click here to listen!

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We’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions and ideas! 

Links and Resources:
Download a Transcript
The ReWork Guide to Converting Leads Into Clients

Kathryn Langsford
Website | Instagram

Do The ReWork
Website | Instagram

Allison Tyler Jones
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn