A few weeks ago one of my favorite wedding photography blogs, Windsor Collective, wrote about how they don’t chase leads. While I observe the same practice, it was interesting to read about it from someone else’s perspective. It got me thinking about how I would feel as a client if someone were chasing a lead with me, and I came up with two basic standpoints that I’ve experienced when it comes to sales pitches.

The Teavana approach: I don’t know if yall have ever been to a Teavana store (they sell tea…obviously), but it’s an experience I’ve come to dread. You walk in and if you even breathe in the direction of a particular item they sell, there’s an associate by your side in 0.3 seconds, detailing everything you could ever know about said product. No matter how awkwardly you nod your head and try to shuffle away, they don’t back off. And even if you pointedly say that you’re just looking, they’ll disappear and return with a pamphlet of even more useless information. It’s the same at every Teavana I’ve ever been to- they just won’t take “no” for an answer.

Then there’s the Anthropology approach: I walk in the front doors and am most likely greeted by an unassuming associate. After that? They leave me alone, answering questions if I have them, but otherwise letting the high-end environment and decor speak for itself. No one sidles up beside me while I’m looking at doorknobs to describe just all of the different ways you can employ their drawer pulls. They leave me be to explore and, if I want, leave without buying anything.

What’s the main difference between these two approaches? Teavana pushes their product on me, often making me so uncomfortable with the in-store experience that it embitters me toward visiting the shop again. Anthropolgy lets its products speak for itself, knowing that their merchandise is of a high-enough quality that if I want it, I’ll buy it, and if I don’t, I won’t.

How does this translate to wedding photography then? I receive an inquiry for pricing and availability, I respond with an enthusiastic email and my pricing guide, then I leave them to it. No follow-up emails when I haven’t heard from them to ask if they have any questions. I figure if there’s anything else a bride and groom want to know, they’ll ask. What if I was totally out of their price range or they really don’t like my overuse of exclamation points? Me sending a follow-up email will make them squeamish- they can either choose to ignore the email, or are forced to write back with some sort of awkward excuse or explanation, neither of which helps me. So instead, I let my work and my personality speak for itself, and figure that if they want to book me? They will. And if they don’t? I’m clearly not their perfect fit, which is totally ok.

That’s just how I do things- it doesn’t make it right or wrong, just what I’ve found works for me!

Happy Wednesday!