Is your workflow working for you or against you, or not at all? And do you even have a workflow? DON’T WORRY if you don’t, this post is made for you. And also if you do, this post is also for you because I’m giving you an inside peek at a workflow outline.

Yes my workflow outline, what it looks like, and what you NEED in order to not only book the client, but to deliver them a killer client experience while doing so

Photographer Workflow Ideas

If you feel like you either don’t have a solid workflow set in place or you are looking to improve yours, you’re in the right place. But before we dive into the breakdown of what a workflow should entail, let’s talk about what a workflow NEEDS in order to be impactful.

Immediate satisfaction to prevent buyers remorse

The last thing you want is to have someone feel after they’ve made a big and emotional investment with you is – buyer’s remorse. Give them a reason to reassure them as to why this was the best decision they could have made and why you were the right choice for them.

Now, many people think that is just giving gifts to their clients.. which definitely can be part of it. But that isn’t the only thing that is going to deliver a good client experience and satisfaction to your clients – especially if their love language isn’t gifts.

There’s SO much that goes into the initial inquiry process with workflow and connecting with your clients that people don’t even realize. But one little aspect of what you want to do is give them immediate satisfaction so they don’t have buyers remorse.

Giving them the exact information they are needing at the exact time they’re needing it

I know I’ve said this before on my podcast, but you guys.. the power this has when it’s actually done right! People hear that and think “Oh yeah I’m doing that” but in reality, they’re not.

Many people think that including as much information in their welcome guide as possible is the best way to “over deliver” to their clients. But honestly, I think that does the opposite.

I think it waters down the important information that they need at that specific time of what they’re needing. Which is why it’s way more powerful to deliver them the information and educate them on the things they need at that specific time.

Sending things before they have to ask

You obviously want to be 1-2 steps ahead of your clients before they have to ask for things. But you also don’t want to be TOO far ahead of them where it overwhelms them thinking they’re forgetting something or not on top of it.

A mistake I see is photographers thinking they need to be so far ahead of their clients trying to be proactive, when that is actually hurting their clients experience. It is leaving the clients feeling like they’re forgetting something or that you’re asking for too much.

There is truly an art to this and having a workflow that is helpful and compelling and not overwhelming or watered down is important. I’ve personally condensed my workflow down so much over the years going from having 30 steps to cutting that in half because I’ve been able to cut out the fluff and be more efficient with it.

What a quality workflow includes

Now that we’ve established a couple important things to think about with your workflow, let’s dive into what my workflow has.

First off, there are many moving parts to my workflow and different aspects to it. Such as all of my email templates, questionnaires, guides, tasks, links, the exact times things are being sent out, what triggers those to be automatically sent, etc.

I personally like to have a base for all my templates that way if they get sent it’s totally fine, but I’m also all about customization. I want to make it special and custom to them. That is why having a base is so convenient though, because it doesn’t take much to go in and edit your changes quickly whether that be on my computer or on the go on my phone with the Honeybook app.

Okay, so here is the breakdown of what my workflow looks like.

I have 4 phases:

1. on-boarding
2. nurturing
3. prep + delivery
4. and off-boarding

The on-boarding phase

This happens immediately after the initial inquiry/booking phase, which is a whole other ball game and beast in itself, but we’re going to be looking at the workflow after a client has already booked with me.

The on-boarding phase includes 3 emails and 2 tasks that welcome them in, provide them all the resources they need at that specific time in the process with me. They get information to set up an engagement session, an email with a guide that provides them information on how to prep for their engagement session.

It also includes what to wear, location ideas, etc. and a questionnaire that best helps me prep for their session and get to know them. It also then includes tasks that prompt me to order their welcome gift and get their engagement session scheduled in the calendar.

All of these things happen within the first couple days after booking. This also helps with preventing buyers remorse because we are setting up a tangible thing with getting the engagement session scheduled. I’m providing resources for them that help prep them.

Setting up tasks means the gift will be ordered and delivered to them ASAP as well. That in very short is a quick rundown of what the onboarding process looks like.

Nurture sequence phase

And this is where the fun emails get set up to nurture them throughout their entire experience. I don’t just book them and they don’t hear from me until a month before their wedding.

The nurture sequence is broken down into 6 emails that nurture, provide education, and prep my clients to have the best day they can without feeling too overwhelmed. I provide them with resources they may need at that specific time in their planning process, and help make their lives easier.

And not only just make their lives easier, but also help create and form them into my ideal clients. I help to expand their minds on what they can do on their wedding day and how they can make it un-traditional and add in aspects they didn’t think were possible.

I want to be clear that I’m not changing who they are, I’m just expanding their minds. Which for me personally, fits my ICA (ideal client avatar). I love to encourage my ideal clients to ditch all the wedding traditions and do whatever the heck they want.

That is why, before you do this step, you need to know with confidence who your ICA is. What do they value, and what do they want to hear. Then, provide this education in these nurture emails. Because mine may not look the exact same as yours – and they shouldn’t! 

You need to strive to be your own person, your own brand, and your own style. It’s no fun to be like everyone else. So dig deep on these and use these 6ish emails to educate, nurture, and prep your clients to provide them good resources and a good experience. And also to help form them into your ideal clients as well.

Prep + delivery phase

This is prepping them for their wedding day. This includes the emails, guides, questionnaires, and resources to prep + deliver a good experience to them.

This means sending out the pre-wedding email with the questionnaire and info both you and they will need to get ready for their day. As well as a final check-in email, tasks to check in, order gifts, and templates to send when delivering your photos all fall under this phase.

You want to make sure you’re asking the right questions and getting the right information. That way you don’t have to bother them after the wedding with anything. Also that you have all of the information you’ll need for their day. Then you can make it as customized to them as you can. That is what I like to do with my brand anyways.

When it comes time to deliver the photos, you should be timing it right with your delivery guide and questionnaire. This way you’re asking it at the most compelling time in their process. Therefore, you’ll get a more raving review vs if you sent it at a poor time.

Again, there’s truly an art to all of this. After a decade in the industry, I’ve finally got this down.

Off-boarding phase

Don’t sleep on this one. Sending people their photos and a place for them to give you a review is not a strong off-boarding process. People remember the way they left an experience just as much, if not more, than the way they were on-boarded.

It’s how people will remember you – so you want to make sure it’s strong. This includes 3 emails, a questionnaire, a guide, and a task. It’s all timed out at a time that is most compelling. Because remember, timing is everything when it comes to workflows.

So if you’re reading this and thinking to yourself, well I have a good initial inquiry workflow to get people booked, but haven’t really focused on any of this, then this is something you definitely should consider taking a closer look at. 

Because also remember that a good workflow and good client experience is way more than just sending a welcome gift and a guide when someone books with you. You need to nurture and serve them through EVERY SINGLE second of their journey with you.

And you think that sounds like a lot of work and energy to keep up with, it’s not! Well, it’s not when you have a streamlined automated system anyways!

Final thoughts

If you’re listening to this and thinking you need help with creating a workflow that will allow you more time back and deeper connection with your clients, that is exactly what the workflow I’ve created will do.

I offer 1:1 workflow workshops where we sit down and map out your entire workflow from beginning to end. I provide you with my exact plug + play email templates, the exact guides and questionnaires that I use. You will leave our time together having it all set up and ready to apply to your projects.

I only take on 2 of these sessions per month, so if this is something you want to do, click the link and get on my calendar for this month – I only have 1 more session open!

I really hope you loved this post and it helped open your eyes to what your workflow could look like. As well as the phases you should break yours down into and focus on.

I promise you, this alone will help elevate your client experience a little bit more which will result in happier clients, better photos, more referrals, raving reviews, higher demand, increased pricing, growing your team, and give you more time back. Yes, this one thing alone will help do all those things – they happened for me, my students, and I’m confident it will do the same for you as well!Be sure to check out more Gold Biz podcast episodes here!