As a photographer and business owner, it can be so difficult to see a past client, friend, or even family member working with another photographer. In today’s episode, I’m here to remind you how incredible you are in the way you’re showing up for your business, even if every single opportunity doesn’t come your way. My hope is that our conversation today will leave you feeling empowered, validated, and truly grateful for all of your clients – past, current and future.Â
On Quianna Marie Weekly, we’re chatting about business growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating wins of all sizes through the lens of a photographer at heart. Sprinkled throughout stories and interviews with past clients, photographers and other business owners this podcast is designed to help you step into your purpose and to truly create a life you’re proud of, a life worth photographing and sharing.
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Review the Show Notes:
Client Guilt, Fear, Or Shame Around Using Another Photographer (2:57)
Your Clients Are Your Clients For A Reason (7:56)
Sending You A Big Hug (9:14)
Review the Transcript:
Welcome to Quianna Marie weekly, a podcast for creatives who love to celebrate wins big or small by dancing in the kitchen photographers who are excited to serve their clients and friends who are ready to chase really, really big dreams. You can find all of the resources mentioned in this episode at quiannamarie.com/podcast. Join me as I share weekly motivation, chat about growing pains, finding genuine connections and celebrating your wins through the lens of a photographer at heart. Come join me for a dance party. Ready? Love though.
Hey, welcome to another episode, I am really excited about this conversation. It has been on my heart for a while. And honestly, I’ve really had a hard time coming up with the exact words or the way to express this while still feeling very grateful and thankful and come across. Like I said, like from a heart centered conversation instead of dwelling on anything or making anybody feel bad. In fact, this is why we have to have this conversation. Okay. So if you’re confused what I have going on right now let’s just dive into this conversation, I will be chatting today about what to do, when you see either a current client, a past client, an old high school friend, or maybe even a family member, book, a different photographer, we see it, and especially in this season, this time of year, we’re going to see fall family photos, we’re going to see Christmas cards popping in. And they may even be mailed to us, right? I mean, these are our family and friends and our extended neighbors and then people in our circle.
So they may be using different photographers. And so I just want to kind of just send this reminder, because we feel it, right, as a photographer, or any business owner, really, when someone uses someone else’s services, maybe it’s a direct competitor, or maybe it is an actual friend of yours. But you see them vote with someone else. It stings. And it hurts, it does feel like a gut punch. But I’m here to remind you, and I really wanted to have this conversation today, to just shed a little bit of light on that, validate it, understand that those feelings are real, it’s we take things so incredibly personal. But I also want it to be a conversation that you leave feeling empowered. And like I said, grateful for these opportunities, and maybe some ways that we can help. I don’t want to say prevent this in the future. But ways that you can have the confidence to know that you are providing an excellent service, you are completely serving with a heart centered business. And sometimes we just don’t win them all.
So I really want to share with you a quick story to kind of share a different perspective of someone working with a different photographer. Okay, so I’m going to just switch this up and go super incognito here and actually name a different business name, not because I’m trying to throw shade or start any drama, but I really feel it’s important to share this conversation. So you at least can relate to it. And we can all learn from it. Okay. So I actually had the opportunity to photograph a landscaping company. And this was literally over five years ago. And I had been in contact with this girl that she was she was a business owner. And it was her husband who was doing all the work. But she was in charge of the marketing and kind of like the back end stuff. And so we had actually gone to high school together. And so she reached out to me for photos. And you know me, I go big, go big or go home. And so I came in with all this fun content stuff.
And remember, this was like five years ago. So this was before these whole big huge branding shoots and Small Business Content stuff was really a thing. But I went full out and I encouraged her to allow me to photograph multiple different backyards for their landscaping company. I even did a really fun photo shoot in the backyard where there was like drinks like I had like a bring. I brought a whole tray of really cute cocktails. I made sure that she included her family and a couple of neighbors to literally photograph kids splashing in the yard.
Remember, I really wanted to capture the essence of that investment of working with their landscape team. I didn’t want to just photograph the different types of grass they could pick out for the fake turf. I didn’t want to just photograph the different pavers, the different options like that, like yes, that was included in her photography collection. But I came in with so much power right I really wanted to kind of build out that lifestyle with images for them to use. So after the shoot, they loved the picture.
hers, she was just blown away by it, it was not only the highest quality that they have seen, but they were just so enamored with the level of like, extra like guacamole extra that I took into this photoshoot. So let’s just say months pass, honestly, I forget exactly how long it was, but some time passed, and it was ready for her to book a new photo shoot. And she approached me, this is my friend, I’ve known for a while. And she explained, you know, Ki, we absolutely loved working with you.
But I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to work with this other blank photographer, because she saw your images. And she reached out to me and bawled, she cried that we did not use her. She was coming after us, like, how could you do this to me? Like, did I do anything wrong? What’s wrong with my photos? Why did you go with a different photographer. And basically, my friend was just explaining that she was basically given the third degree and just grilled by this other photographer. And so she was looking at me in tears and choked up thinking, and she was explaining to me, like, I really want to work with you.
But let me just work with this one girl again, I’m gonna give her another shot. It’s only fair. And she was just, she was just a really sweetheart, like, this is a friend. Like I said, I danced with her in school, we went to middle school together in high school, like, we had a friendship. So I took no offense to it.
And she felt safe to tell me that. So the reason why I’m explaining this to you, and I want to share this whole story is because I knew I knew that I like put my foot down. And I literally wrote in my journal, and I totally embodied the fact that I never, ever want any of my clients, any of my friends or my family to ever feel guilty or ashamed or afraid that they use a different photographer. Because the feeling that that other photographer gave my friend literally made me want to barf.
I never, ever, ever. Sorry for that visual if you’re listening. But like, I never want anyone to feel that way. So I took that, and I ran with it. And as I continue to build my business, I’m like I said, I never want anyone ever to feel that way. Even today, I have friends that reach out to me, whether they’re in the clothing boutique industry, or they’re realtors, or I even have friends that have approached me that I have done organizing photos for like they run organizing and pull businesses like that, like, they’ll reach out to me, and they’ll be honest. And they’ll say, hey, Ki, another photographer reached out to me, I just want you to know that I’m not cheating on you. I’m doing air quotes over here. I’m not cheating on you. But I just want you to know that I am working with someone else. So if you see those photos come up, just just know that we’re, you’re that you’re our favorite, right. And so they tell me that. And so I always respond, I say thank you so much for letting me know, like, please don’t ever feel like you have to do that. But I do appreciate that.
So thank you, right. So these people are already reaching out to me. But I just want to share just a little bit of gratitude and a reminder to you that your clients are your clients for a reason, we have the opportunity to work with them and love on them. And so it’s so important to go above and beyond, treat them with respect, deliver beyond what their expectations were. And if they choose someone else, it’s okay, like you’re going to survive. In fact, I think it’s healthy for other family members and friends and even your past clients to work with other people. I mean, think of it this way, if it’s still kind of stinging and still kind of like, like, it just doesn’t feel right.
I want you to think of a young mom and pop family that opens up a pizza restaurant, right? Okay, like, do you think they would literally survive or be able to wake up every morning knowing that their neighbors and their friends and family ordered pizza from different locations all the time, like that would suck? Like, I mean, like, I’m sorry, like, obviously, if I was a pizza shop, I’d want everybody to, you know, purchase from me and to work for me. But that’s just impossible, right?
Like you can expect your friends and your past clients to always order pizza or sushi from the same location, right? So it’s important and it’s healthy to mix things up. But anyway, I just wanted to share that reminder for you and just send you a big hug that if you do see past clients popping up and working with other photographers, I want you to just take a deep breath. And don’t do this passive like, you know, just like the photo and just be like, Oh, I saw that like, Hey, what’s going on? Right? Like, I challenge you to truly be happy for them and remind yourself like, hey, you know what, I may not have been able to photograph them. But at least they’re getting family photos done.
Look at how beautiful their outfits are. Look at how fun they’re how much fun they’re having like, this is what we should be thinking about instead of feeling like something is taking away from us. Right? So this is just your little check in
That little update as we roll into the holidays, I just want to remind you that you are doing everything right, you’re showing up, you are putting the best foot forward, you’re marketing your business, well, you have an incredible offer, and your work speaks for itself. And I just want to send you like I said before, I want to send you a big hug, we’re gonna get through this season.
It’s just a reminder that not every opportunity is for us, right? So be so incredibly grateful for the clients that you do have, show up and shine, make those those experiences so memorable that they absolutely have to work with you again. And if it doesn’t happen, it’s okay.
Okay, so I hope you have a beautiful day and keep shining. I cannot wait to see your work. Please make sure you’re tagging me in all of your fun content stuff I would love to cheer you on. And as always, I am always always asking for reviews. So if you find yourself always looking forward to these Monday conversations, or if you have any little tidbits or fun facts that you’re applying to your business and you see growth or you see fun things moving the needle, please let me know. I’d be so grateful for your review. Hope you have a beautiful day. Keep dancing baby.
That’s a wrap on another episode of Quianna Marie weekly. Thank you so much for your listenership and support. You can find the resources and show notes for this episode and more at quiannamarie.com/podcast. I’d be honored if you’d show your support by leaving a review and rating on your favorite podcast app. Until next time, keep on dancing.
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