REPLAY - Ep. 015 - The Key to Client Inquiries with Kim Hartz

08/20/22 • 39 min

As you might have heard by now, the Hair of the Dog Summit is coming back from Sept.13-15. But in the meantime, I thought it would be really fun to replay some of the podcast episodes of some of our Summit speakers.
In this replay, we bring you another incredible episode! This time from one of our regular coaches inside the Academy, Kim Hartz of Kim Hartz Photography.
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015 - One soft, squishy golden retriever pup was all it took for Kim Hartz to abandon a promising career start as a food and general portrait photographer. Fast-forward ten years and Kim not only specializes in pets, but she's also the educator behind the much-loved Pet Photography EDU, a technical course nested within the Hair of the Dog Academy.

In today's episode, Kim joins me to talk about client inquiries, branding, and how to reliably turn leads into sales.

What To Listen For:

The $18,000 mistake Kim made when first starting her business
The value in having a sounding board outside the photography industry
Why you should require a phone number from every new lead
A common error pet photographers make in thinking about their target market

According to gazillionaire Jeff Bezos, "Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room." Kim's advice in this episode might not lead to Bezos-style bucks, but it will help ensure that your every client interaction reinforces the positive branding message you need to make it big!

Resources From This Episode:

JOIN THE PARTY:

Join our free pet photography community
More pet photography resources here
Connect on Insta
Ready to get serious about your pet photography? Join us inside Hair of the Dog Academy!
Check out my gear and my favorite books.
Grab my book! Pet and Horse Photography for Everybody

In today's episode, Kim joins me to talk about client inquiries, branding, and how to reliably turn leads into sales.

What To Listen For:

The $18,000 mistake Kim made when first starting her business
The value in having a sounding board outside the photography industry
Why you should require a phone number from every new lead
A common error pet photographers make in thinking about their target market

Resources From This Episode:

JOIN THE PARTY:

Join our free pet photography community
More pet photography resources here
Connect on Insta
Ready to get serious about your pet photography? Join us inside Hair of the Dog Academy!
Check out my gear and my favorite books.
Grab my book! Pet and Horse Photography for Everybody

Previous Episode

REPLAY - Ep. 149 - Getting to 6-figures with Kristen Murray

As you might have heard by now, the Hair of the Dog Summit is coming back from Sept.13-15. But in the meantime, I thought it would be really fun to replay some of the podcast episodes of some of our Summit speakers.
Kristen Murray is one of them and she's been on the podcast two times. Listen to the most recent one again in this replay episode!

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149 - Longtime listeners might remember a June 2020 interview with Kristen Murray, celebrating giving her two weeks' notice to be a full-time pet photographer. Two years later, I caught back up with Kristen to see how things are going.

The short answer? Things are awesome! Last year she hit six figures, making more and working less than back in her 9-to-5 life. Find out how in this week's episode!

What To Listen For:

How Kristen reached a critical mass of awareness in her market
The problem she had converting inquiries—and how she solved it
How two unique offerings keep her calendar filled year-round
The bold move Kristen made with her website
What the future has in store for Kristen Murray Photography

Whether you're hoping to shift to full-time or happy shooting on the side—or you're already a full-time photographer—you'll benefit from Kristen's experience and experiments with her business.
Resources from this episode

Episode 19: Leaving 9 to 5, with Kristen Murray
Kristen Murray Photography
Kristen Murray on Instagram
Kristen's Facebook photography page
Squarespace 101 (included with Academy membership)
Hair of the Dog Academy
Free Hair of the Dog Community
Hair of the Dog Summit (Sept.13-15)

JOIN THE PARTY:

Join our free pet photography community
More pet photography resources here
Connect on Insta
Ready to get serious about your pet photography? Join us inside Hair of the Dog Academy!
Check out my gear and my favorite books.
Grab my book! Pet and Horse Photography for Everybody

Next Episode

REPLAY - Ep. 17 - Location Scouting Secrets with Charlotte Reeves

017 - If you've been in the pet photography world for any length of time, you're no doubt familiar with the amazing Charlotte Reeves, an award-winning dog photographer and educator based in sunny Brisbane, Australia.

A master of working with natural light, Charlotte joins me in this week's episode to talk about choosing session locations, making the most out of them, and why we'll all want to move to Queensland after listening to this episode. (Kidding! You won't need to, cause you'll learn to uncover amazing locations right in your own backyard.)

What To Listen For:

How where you live affects your shooting style
Tips for discovering awesome new photography locations in your market
The importance of a location guide in helping clients understand what to expect
How much variety you need in a location, and how to make the most of what's there
An exercise to stretch your creative muscles and work on shooting more variety

Charlotte's fantastic Working with Natural Light foundation course is available for Hair of the Dog listeners at half price! Use the code HODpodcast to save yourself fifty bucks, and learn the fundamentals of light that will elevate your work and guide your session flow.