The Importance of Leading an Image Reveal

When you are communicating with your clients, are you presenting yourself as the expert and guiding them through the experience or do you find that clients have taken charge?

It is important for photographers to not only establish themselves as an expert for potential clients but also lead them through your experience from the initial inquiry to the image reveal and beyond.

Let’s rewind for one quick second, if you read the words image reveal and had no idea what that meant, that is okay! An image reveal is when you as the photographer present your client’s gallery of images to them for the first time as they select the portraits they wish to purchase from you. This in person sales (IPS) method can be used as a traditional in person meeting at your studio, coffee shop, clients house etc. or you can perform your image reveal on Zoom as well!

If you are not currently offering reveals to your clients and would like to learn more about how you can get started, make sure you visit our educational community Master Your Mind & Money where I help photographers understand how to operate and maintain a profitable portrait business!

Okay, now that we have defined what an image reveal is, let’s talk about why it is so important that you, the expert, leads the image reveal and provides professional insight as you lead your clients through picking out images and designing artwork.

But why is it so important that you are the leader of this meeting? I will tell you!

#1) Your Clients WANT Your Help

Imagine hiring an interior designer for your dream home and having them hand you 65 different curtains, take a step back and say nothing. That is what it is like for your clients when they see a gallery of images and artwork options for the first time without any context or guidance.

Instead of emailing an online gallery to your clients or showing a slideshow of beautiful images and a huge price sheet with different products, finishes and sizing, you can step in to help. Your clients want your help. They hired you because you are the expert in your field and you can help make decisions on artwork that will work for their home as well as the best images for wall groupings or albums.

Your clients value what you have to say when you have presented yourself as their expert and are leading their image reveal with confidence to make the experience simple and fun. So make suggestions on what frame goes with their living room wall, explain why a canvas would compliment the current décor over a metal and show your clients why they hired you to decorate their home with your artwork.

#2) It Is YOUR Job To Guide Them

This one is simple, you were hired to provide your clients with portraits they can cherish for years to come, not to show up, click a button and leave. It is your job from the start to prepare your clients to invest in artwork for their home with the images you create.

Communicating every step of the way and understanding what your clients want, making suggestions on how you can make it better and explaining what sizes, colors and textures fit a home better than others is what they have hired you to do. When you allow your clients to take the lead or worse, nobody knows what to say, you will quickly discover a variety of problems moving forward resulting in a poor client experience and little to no purchased artwork.

#3) Prevent Overwhelm

Finally, when you take the lead in an image reveal and are making genuine suggestions to your clients, you have prevented any overwhelming thoughts for your clients. You have to remember, you are the expert in what you do and while you understand how small a 16×24 piece of wall art looks, your clients have absolutely no idea.

Making suggestions, showing visual examples on walls, and giving clear guidance in selecting what your clients do with their images takes the stress out of the equation. Understanding what sizes, colors and textures complement different homes and sharing that knowledge rather than handing over a huge list of options will also prevent an overwhelmed client.

If you find that you are constantly navigating unhappy clients during or after a reveal with the same questions or concerns, it may be time to take out a piece of paper, write down your process from start to finish and see where you may be lacking in taking the lead for your clients.

Just remember, you are the expert in your field and your clients look to you for guidance from day one.

Did you find this blog helpful for your portrait business but want to gain deeper insight into building a photography blog and the many other resources you can use to market to potential clients? We have a few incredible resources available for photographers at every level to help build their portrait business game and make money doing it!