HOW INVESTING IN A CRM SYSTEM CHANGED MY LIFE AND BUSINESS | BRAND PHOTOGRAPHER SAN FRANCISCO | PHOTOGRAPHY EDUCATION
I started my photography business in 2008 as a 22-year-old college grad, one year after LightRoom went live (I feel so old, ha!) and still several years before the massive tech boom we have all lived in for the last decade. At the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey as a lifestyle and brand photographer, CRM systems were not common for small businesses. For Clarity, CRM stands for client relationship management and is a technological platform from which you organize the backend of your business.
I created all of my systems and workflows manually for years. I took pride in my color-coded excel spreadsheets for managing inquiries, leads, finances, and more. I did a great job keeping up with my inbox and managing leads, onboarding, and clients. However, I spent SO much time doing admin tasks I fell behind in creative projects, editing, etc. (a topic for another time!). Additionally, I was taking time away from evolving my skillset as a top brand photographer in the Bay Area, which was my main goal. Before I invested the time and energy it took to transfer my business to a CRM; I was burning out annually and barely keeping up with my business growth.
Something had to give. Continuing to sacrifice my emotional well-being wasn’t an option. As CRM systems became more and more common, I was VERY hesitant. “I want my emails to feel personal, and only I can do that,” or “I want my clients to feel like all communication is tailored to them.” Well, guess what I learned once I transitioned to a robust CRM? All of those things can be true if you take the time to create flawless workflows and tailor your emails. The other factor is that CRM systems do much more than just client management!
My goal is to support you in making the shift and not waiting too long as I did! By the time I onboarded my business to Dubsado, I was getting hundreds of inquiries yearly and had a current client count of over 100. It became unmanageable, and I was so burned out.
TAKE A MOMENT TO ASK YOURSELF:
Are you still answering all of your lead emails personally?
Are you entering your appointments into your calendar manually?
Are you still playing back and forth with potential clients around when they can meet on the phone for a consultation call?
Are you still reminding your clients that they have an upcoming session and what to prepare for?
Do you still remind your clients to pay their retainers and balances?
Are you still sending out contracts, invoices & payment reminders manually?
FULL STOP!
If any of these apply to you, it's time to invest in a client management system immediately. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing all your company's relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. The goal is simple: Improve business relationships. Who doesn’t want that? A CRM system helps companies stay connected to customers, streamline processes, and improve profitability.
CRM software should help you streamline your processes to save time on admin work and spend more time doing what you love. AKA Create!!! Scroll down to see what a typical CRM offers and how it has helped me create healthy systems in my business and take back my time.
Are you feeling overwhelmed with your photography business and do not know where to start?
After months of research, I realized that I needed a consultant to help me get everything set up. Since I have two sides to my business, I needed a second pair of eyes on my canned emails, workflows, contracts and systems since they are such different types of clients. I use Dubsado and did a LOT of research prior to committing. I hired a systems specialist (Amy Gould) and it was the best money I’ve ever spent! Part of why it took me so long to make the shift is because I was terrified of yet another learning curve. Having a consultant walk me through the onboarding process meant that I had the support I needed and wasn’t googling every small detail! By the time I was completely transferred over to a CRM, I tracked my time through time blocks and started saving roughly 22 hours per week on admin and client management. I was mind blown, and so happy!!
If hiring a consultant is not in your budget right now, I have highlighted 3 CRM platforms below that have excellent customer service and tutorials. Regardless of which route you go, I want to show you how to streamline the process and take back your time!
Here are some of the key features that you should expect to see in a CRM regardless of business side. I have included valuable notes around how each feature benefits my branding and commercial photography business:
Lead Capture & Management
The ability to capture the data from new inquiries and trigger an inquiry response workflow. EPIC! When people email me or get in touch with me in a different way, I manually add them in as a new client. Easy peezy.Invoicing & Payments
Send invoices, accept payments through payment services such as Stripe or PayPal and keep track of outstanding balances. Prior to using a CRM system, I had a mediocre invoicing system. Now, everything is flawless. From client payment reminders to payouts to my business account. I literally do NOTHING after sending the initial invoice, my system takes care of ALL of it for me with personal emails that I wrote.Calendar Sync
Bookings get automatically added to your Google or iCalendar. No risk of double bookings. No risk of dropping a beat. We are all human - this has saved me!Email & Contract Templates
Save hours writing the same emails & contracts. Have all your templates saved and you only need to edit what’s relevant to your clients. For me, this is key!Workflows
Track the progress of each client workflow to make sure that you never miss a step. Automate regular check-in emails or set up reminders to let you know when important deadlines are coming up. I use workflows constantly. I have a sequence of canned emails that I tailor to my clients specific needs so there is a) no room for things to fall through the cracks and b) it is still an intimate and personal customer management approach :) I would not have it any other way.Questionnaires
Gather all of the information you need from your clients in questionnaires that you can refer back to at any time. I have questionnaires for all of my inquiries so that when we have our first call, I have all of the details.
Here are some additional CRM features that have changed my life! I’ve found these features to be crucial as a photographer:
Proposals & Quotes
I love how easy it is to create simple, beautiful proposals that link my packages with the invoicing system. This means that I can be asleep, and someone can book, pay and lock in a shoot without me doing a thing.
Customization options for branding
Kreate Photography is my wedding & lifestyle brand, and my other company is Katie Monroe Photography, where are dedicated to all things commercial & branding photography. It was very important for me to be able to brand contracts and invoices differently depending on the clientele and job. This was a unique feature that led me to investing in Dubsado.
Option to sync with email & calendar
I LOVE that my system integrates with my personal calendar. That way, I can schedule our self-care appointments and those times will not be “free” on the link to my calendar for client calls (and so many more perks).
Appointment scheduler
THIS IS MY FAVORITE FEATURE. Here is an example of my generic scheduler that lives in my iPhone notes for quick access. The amount of hours I have saved going back and forth scheduling calls is absolutely wild!
Integration with bookkeeping software
My accountant can compare QuickBooks with my records in Dubsado. This is a more co,plex topic as I believe finances should be separate, but it is a wonderful feature to track monthly income and set goals.
Automations
I automate all payment reminders. All consultation call reminders. All shoots. EVERYTHING.
Expenses tracking - I keep finances separate and love Dubsado as it integrates with Stripe and QuickBooks Online, financial management and outsourcing coming soon!
Client portal
Love. This. Feature. Have you ever had clients ask to resend their contract or payment receipts? Once they are a client in Dubsado, you can open their portal and everything lives in there (contracts, invoices, style guides, quesionairres, you name it).
Mobile
I love that there is a clean mobile interface. It allows me to stay on top of leads while on the go.
Email marketing capabilities - I also like to keep this separate, but think it is important to have a funnel for emails to go to your email marketing software.
Many of my students and peers have hesitated to invest in a CRM system because they believe doing things “the old-fashioned” way is more authentic. I thought the same thing! But the reality is, that's not true. When you invest in a CRM system, you tailor every last detail to your business and brand. The experience is empowering. It is an opportunity to streamline all of your modes of communication and backend systems. On top of that, you can brand everything from fonts and logos to colors and tones.
It’s like a full business refresh that leads to less stress, more time, beautiful proposals, contracts + invoices, and a better customer experience from start to finish.
Some sample CRMs for Creative are:
Dubsado (this is the system I use)
Honeybook
Hubspot
I am here for YOU. Please get in touch if you need a bit more guidance as you prepare to make one of the best decisions of your career!
