Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Ryan Welch of www.ryan-welch.co.uk and www.freedomedits.com started photographing weddings at just 17 years old and was shooting 200 weddings a year when he was 24.

He's since grown a successful team and if you check his website, you'll see a staff of 16 who shoot stills, video, edit, design and manage the studio.

In addition to his wedding photography business, he started Freedom Edits to help other photographers get through their culling and editing.

Looking around online, I don't see a ton of marketing or advertising but I do see plenty of great reviews.

Based in the UK, where I continually hear how tough the market is, I was looking forward to learning how Ryan seemingly cracked the market and is doing so well! From the outside, it looks like the secret is growing a team and focussing on your enquiries to book weddings.

Here’s some more of what we cover in the interview:

• Is the UK the toughest wedding photography market in the world?
• What are photographers doing wrong when they see a slump in their business?
• How 90% of Ryan's bookings are coming from referrals
• Why run Facebook Ads only at the beginning of the year?
• Why couples book Ryan's photography business for their wedding
• How Ryan managed to start building a team early on
• Was it difficult to earn a client's trust at the age of 17?
• How Ryan managed to create a buzz when starting out
• How and when Ryan realized he wants to get serious with his photography business
• Was Ryan's plan to build a business he could sell or build a profitable business for himself?
• Does Ryan regret his photography business name?
• The importance of having the right brand name for your business
• How clients access Ryan's wedding photography price list
• The need to immediately call clients following an inquiry
• How to build the initial relationship with prospective clients
• The initial client calls
• Running an office on a trust basis for people to thrive
• The goal of the initial ‘sales call'
• Sending an informative email based on the outcome of the initial call
• Why Ryan's sales process involves constant follow up
• How Ryan manages his associate photographers
• Why Ryan doesn't assign photographers, not until three months before the wedding date
• Photographers assigned to shoot weddings won't matter to clients who are invested in your business brand
• Dealing with couples who try to cut you out by directly hiring your associate shooters
• How Ryan pays vendors back, who refer his business
• Requesting vendors to tag your business when sharing on social media
• Using Airtable for automation
• Ryan's photography business turnover/revenue
• Dealing with the UK's VAT threshold
• Why Ryan started Freedom Edits despite his million-dollar business
• What is Freedom Edits and who is it for?

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this interview – the full length and more revealing version where you hear the absolute best tips and advice from every guest.

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

If you can just position yourself somewhere in the market and create that demand for the product or service that you're offering, there's enough weddings out there for everyone. – Ryan Welch

Plus special member-only interviews.

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. There are also FB live video tutorials, role-play interviews and special live interviews happening in the group. You will not find more friendly, more motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Joining a Mastermind Group (encouraged by Andrew) has been incredibly valuable and fun, I look forward to connecting with my group members every week. Jina Zheng, Premium Member and Melbourne Children photographer.

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Ryan shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below, let me know what your takeaways were, what you plan to implement in your business as a result of what you heard in today's episode.

Wedding photography is 90% about making people just relax in front of your camera. As soon as you can do that, you can get great images. – Ryan Welch

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Ryan or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

Each week I check for any new iTunes reviews and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes is the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and ultimately a better show.

If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast and email me your keywords or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has made a difference to you and your photography business.

Special offer for Freedom Edits

First Order… Absolutely Free!

Reference code “PhotoBizX Podcast” on the inquiry form.

Terms and Conditions do apply: The ‘Free Order' is for new customers only. Redeemable off editing services only, not culling. Your ‘free order’ cannot exceed 750 basic edit images.

November Sales are Happening NOW!

The Black Friday weekend is coming up at the end of the month and there will be sales galore bombarding our inboxes.

In an attempt to make life easier for you and me, I'm releasing the PhotoBizX membership special now.

This will only apply to you if you are on the $20 per month membership plan.

12-month Premium Membership – 40% off

You can save 40% on a 12 Month PhotoBizX Premium membership for USD$120!

The best price you'll ever see for the membership… ever.

NOTE: If you are on the $20 per month plan – make use of this offer and I'll refund your $20 November payment. You'll need to let me know your PayPal email address for me to do this for you.

Members already on this plan from previous years, no need for you to do anything, you automatically stay on this deal. 

Here's the link: https://photobizx.com/yesplease

Any questions, feel free to email me – [email protected] or post inside the members FB Group.

Also on Special – The Facebook Ads Course

Save a bunch on the FB Ads Course here: https://photobizx.com/fbadblackfriday and get access for only $97.  More details on this course and how effective it continues to be by following the link above.

The Facebook Ads course is the easiest way to generate more leads, bookings and sales – super fast – no matter the wedding or portrait genre you focus on. The testimonials continue to pour in…

Hi Andrew, Had some awesome results from our call out for young families so far. Will email to you. Just made an extra $3000 this week from our first 2 clients. WooHoo! Regards Danette

If you've been looking for a simple, systematic way to make Facebook ads work for you, this is it and you'll never see it at a better price: Get access to the Facebook Ads Course for USD$97 now.

The Online Sales Course is also on special!

Struggling to maximise your online sales or just need an alternative to IPS, this course will show you the easiest way to generate fantastic sales online. And it's on special for Members, right now: https://photobizx.com/online-sales-masterclass-special

Since releasing this course to PBX members, we've steadily been adding content to the course as requests from users arose. Now, you'll also find a complete set of swipe copy to use in ALL your client correspondence, sample galleries, real price lists and a growing Q&A chapter.

Hey hey hey Andrew and Nick, …. I must admit this course has been the best I have purchased BY A MILE…. I can't thank you enough for putting it the way you have. Even though I am just starting I was in procrastination mode most of the time… but after this it will change.

The content of course, Nick's website and how easy to understand. Its a game changer. This course is like RED BULL for my photog business startup. You truely have give me the push and WINGS TO FLY  – Praveen Shankam

The course has been put together by family and portrait photographer Nick Peel who is averaging $1000 sales – all online.

Yes, the big industry push is towards IPS but there are a bunch of reasons you might need to utilise online selling. That's why I saw such value in putting this together with Nick.

In the course you'll learn:

• how to set up your pricing to lead client naturally to your top package every time
• what to include in your online gallery
• how to set up your gallery and pricing to make it easy for you and clients (video tutorial)
• which shots you need to best sell your top package following every shoot
• what kind of locations will give you the best chance at selling your top package
• why you should never sell individual images
• how to introduce urgency into your pricing which encourages sales
• email and text swipe copy to use in your business
• why you shouldn't use sneak peeks with online sales
• and as they say… Lots more

The course is aimed at portrait photographers, in particular, family photographers but there is a section for shooting couples and engagement sessions and selling online to these clients.

The course is on special for only USD$47.

As usual, there's a money-back guarantee – if you're not happy for whatever reason, let me know and I'll refund you. No questions.

Nick and I have worked hard on this and we're both proud of the result and think it fills a need for any photographer who for whatever reason can't or doesn't want to do IPS.

If that's you and you want the best chance of making great online sales following every session, this strategy will do that for you. It's proven and it works.

Click the link to get access now: https://photobizx.com/online-sales-course-special

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Ryan Welch Website

Ryan Welch on Instagram

Ryan Welch on Facebook

Freedom Edits

Freedom Edits on Instagram

Freedom Edits on Facebook

PhotoBizX 12 Month membership Special – save 40%!

Save 50% on the Online Sales Masterclass

Get 50% off the Facebook Ads Course for Photographers

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening and thanks to Ryan for coming on and sharing his thoughts and ideas on how to create a super successful photography business by creating a brand, hiring the best staff and photographers and focussing on client customer service.

Speed and that level of customer service is very important to us. And that is probably one of the only things that I will not compromise on. – Ryan Welch

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

Thanks and speak soon
Andrew

.fusion-button.button-4 {border-radius:2px;}CLICK HERE to Download – “How To Book More PORTRAITS Than You Ever Thought Possible”

The post 336: Ryan Welch – Growing a team and focussing on your enquiries to book weddings appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.