Do you find yourself getting nervous when it’s time to discuss pricing with potential clients? Maybe you automatically default to pitching your lowest package because you’re afraid of rejection, or perhaps you feel pushy when mentioning your higher-priced offerings. If you’ve ever felt like that overly aggressive salesperson who won’t take no for an answer, you’re not alone – and you’re probably not actually being salesy at all. In this episode, we’re diving deep into how to confidently sell your highest packages by focusing on value-building from the very first touchpoint, shifting your mindset from selling to serving, and communicating in your client’s language so they truly feel understood. We’ll explore why being genuine always wins and how the right approach makes selling your premium packages feel natural rather than forced. Listen to the episode below, or keep reading for a summary of what’s covered.
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The Two Common Camps Photographers Fall Into
Let me start by sharing something I see constantly after mentoring over 150 photographers – there are essentially two camps that photographers fall into when it comes to selling, and both are problematic for building a sustainable business.
The first camp is what I call the “underselling by default” group. This happens because it’s incredibly difficult to put a price point on your creativity and artistry. There’s a reason the term “starving artist” exists, and it’s why so many creatives struggle to be profitable and maintain sustainable businesses. As artists, photographers naturally undersell the worth and value behind their packages. You might go into a discovery call or respond to an inquiry already assuming that the couple probably isn’t going to work with you because of budget or pricing concerns. Maybe you’ve been ghosted frequently, or you’ve heard “we went with another photographer because of pricing” one too many times. This lack of confidence prevents you from selling your higher packages, even when you know that’s exactly the experience the couple would want or what would serve them best. So you end up underselling yourself and pitching the lowest option right away.
The second camp falls into the “fear of rejection” category. Maybe you’re pitching the lowest option because you desperately need a yes. You’re nervous that if you confidently say, “Hey, my 12-hour package is going to be the best one for your desires,” they might respond with, “Oh, we went with another photographer who offered us a lower package price.” Because of this fear of rejection, you naturally guide potential clients toward lower options in hopes of securing any booking at all.
Here’s the problem with both approaches: you’re actually doing your clients a disservice. If the best fit for their desires really is your highest package, why wouldn’t you guide them there confidently? You need to know how to do that effectively.
My Personal Journey from Budget Buyer to Confident Seller
Let me share a personal story about how I learned to sell my higher packages consistently. When I was a bride myself, we had a budget for our wedding – I think it was around $10,000 total. That had to cover everything: my dress, the photographer, catering, literally everything. We got married in 2020, so as you can imagine, COVID happened and it was… rough. The photographer we picked wasn’t even who we ended up working with, and my friend had to take our wedding photos using my own gear – which was definitely a wild experience.
Like many couples, I had to look for a photographer with the lowest package that still gave us the most value because photos were really important to me, but I had the budget I had to work with. I didn’t come from wealth, and I didn’t have a family willing to drop $50,000 or $100,000 on a wedding.
When I started my photography business, I was selling exactly the same way I had bought. I see this pattern repeat over and over with photographers. I assumed that most people would want the lowest package, so I downplayed my higher options. I didn’t really talk about them much. I knew I probably needed three packages – three options seemed like the right approach – and I had them, but I always expected that most couples would book the lower package because that’s what I had to do.
The Discovery Call That Changed Everything
Then one day, I had a discovery call that completely shifted my perspective. I had a couple who had seen my highest package because I’m very transparent with my pricing. By the time I got to the point in the discovery call where I asked, “What package are you leaning towards?” they simply said, “Yeah, we want your highest package. That’s the one we want.”
I remember feeling stunned – like, did they just say what I think they said? They had no questions about it. They literally saw it as the best fit and were ready to book in that moment. That discovery call really changed everything for me, and I know this same experience has happened for so many of my students too.
When you experience a client confidently booking your highest package – or your highest price point ever – it instills this new confidence that more people will do the same, especially if it’s really the option that serves them best. That one discovery call, that one booking, that one client I got to work with really helped me see that there are people who have larger budgets than I had. It sounds obvious now, but I just hadn’t seen it that way before.
Even knowing I was a newer photographer, I had this mindset of, “Well, there are so many other great photographers out there. Of course people are going to come to me, a newer photographer, and want my lowest package, because if they wanted to spend more money, they would just go to one of these more talented and experienced photographers.”
I’m sure everyone listening can relate to that feeling because comparison is so real in this industry. Yet when you specifically learn how to value-build from the very first touchpoint, shift from selling to serving, really speak your client’s language, and show up in a genuine way, you really can sell your highest packages without feeling salesy at all.
Value Building From the Very First Touchpoint
Let’s talk about value building from the very first touchpoint. When I say “very first touchpoint,” I don’t mean your inquiry response or your discovery call. Value building starts at the very first moment someone interacts with your brand.
That’s probably through your content, your marketing, your DMs, the verbiage on your Google ads, the photos you use in your Meta Facebook and Instagram ads – all of these first touchpoints create value building opportunities. When you have your brand positioned strategically, it makes selling your highest packages so much more natural and easy. It helps potential clients understand how your services will make them feel when you’re connecting to the emotions involved – how it’s going to take stress off their shoulders, how it gives them peace of mind that nothing will be missed, how it allows them to relive their day fully.
That’s the real value of what they’re buying. If they can see that value through those first touchpoints in your marketing funnel, it influences their decision to say, “Okay, I’ve considered her enough. I’m going to reach out and inquire.” That’s how you get to the point where you’ve built so much value even before you’ve chatted with them that they’re ready to book your highest package.
If you want to dive deeper into brand positioning, desire-based marketing, and value building, I absolutely recommend registering for my free workshop where I go really in-depth on these topics. It’s a great complement to this episode.
Selling Is Serving: The Essential Mindset Shift
The second key point is understanding that selling is serving. How do you sell your highest packages without being salesy? The crucial mindset shift is recognizing that selling is serving.
The way selling can feel more like serving is when you truly understand your potential clients’ desires and can guide them to the package that really makes the most sense for them. You’ll naturally be more confident as you talk about it – as you’re “selling” it – because you can relate it directly to their desires and what they’ve mentioned really wanting.
If you struggle with responding to inquiries in a way that makes it about them and their desires, or if you have trouble recommending packages confidently, there are resources that can help. For discovery calls specifically, I recommend listening to episode 49 of this podcast about leading a discovery call, and I also have a discovery call script available in my shop.
When you can ensure that you’re serving clients by selling them into the package that’s the best fit for the experience they’re dreaming of, you won’t feel salesy. You’ll speak much more confidently about that package being the one that will help them stress less on their wedding day, relive the entire story of their day, or capture all the different angles they’ve been hoping for.
This isn’t about being pushy or salesy – this is really about service, and you are in a customer service role. If you can shift your mindset about selling packages to truly serving the couple based on what’s the best fit for them and speaking confidently about that, it’s going to help you tremendously.
Likely, if you position your packages strategically, your lowest option isn’t going to be what most people want anyway. They’re usually going to opt for your middle package or higher option, especially if you’re using pricing and sales psychology effectively.
The Power of Being Genuine
The third essential element is being genuine. As I’ve mentioned, the goal is to serve clients into the package that’s the best fit for them. Sometimes that might not actually be your highest package. Even if it’s not the top one – even if it’s the middle package, or maybe it really is the lower one where you’re thinking, “Hey, I think we would be able to get everything you’re really desiring in this base package” – they’re going to trust you so much more.
That trust is really what allows you to book more confidently and easily. Going into discovery calls and inquiry responses, make sure you’re really listening. Active listening is a skill, and if you can do that while being very genuine in how you speak about your packages and what the best fit truly will be, they’re going to feel that authenticity.
If you’re just in it for the booking, potential clients are going to sense that too, and they’ll probably go in another direction.
Making It All Come Together
Remember that selling your highest package doesn’t have to feel awkward or pushy. When you’re building value from those very first touchpoints, shifting your mindset so that selling becomes serving, and really making sure you’re pointing people in the right direction for them, the process becomes natural.
If potential clients choose to go another direction because a different photographer had a different package offering, trust that was what was meant to be. The right clients who are really going to value your packages will find you if you’re doing all the foundational work properly.
This includes focusing on your brand positioning, portfolio building and creation, marketing effectively, building a website with a funnel that converts, pricing strategically while learning about sales in a genuine way, and creating a great client experience with solid organization and a beautiful booking process.
If you’re really mastering all those foundations of your business, potential clients are going to sense and understand your confidence, professionalism, and genuine care. Then selling your highest package is going to become easy – it’s going to become much more the norm for you rather than the exception.
Key Takeaways:
- Value building must start from the very first moment someone interacts with your brand, not just during inquiry responses or discovery calls
- Shift your mindset from “selling” to “serving” by focusing on what package truly fits your client’s desires and needs
- Being genuine and honest about package recommendations builds trust and makes clients more likely to book confidently
- Your highest package often IS the best fit for clients when you’ve positioned your offerings strategically
- Active listening during discovery calls helps you genuinely recommend the right package for each couple
What’s Covered in This Episode:
- The two common camps photographers fall into when selling (underselling by default and fear of rejection)
- How personal buying experiences can limit your selling confidence
- The discovery call that changed everything and built my confidence in selling higher packages
- How to build value from the very first brand touchpoint
- Why selling is actually serving when done correctly
- The importance of being genuine in package recommendations
- How mastering business foundations makes selling premium packages natural
Resources Mentioned:
- Free workshop – Booked + Valued
- Episode 49: How I Lead a Discovery Call as a Photographer
- Discovery call script
- Inquiry email templates
- Book It mentorship program
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