Kathryn tweeted Ian about his blog post on selling to men, saying her studio actually did better with guys than girls. He asked her if she'd mind sharing with us - Nigel Just like Johannes, I read Ian's comments the other day about selling to men with great interest, because of late, we've noticed a real trend in our business: Grooms seem to like us more than brides do! While that's actually mildly alarming in one way (we don't want brides NOT to like us!), it's also a good thing. It means we don't need to worry about the grooms seeming bored, terrified, or otherwise un-engaged with us and what we do. We now frequently find that a couple is meeting with us because when the groom looked at photographers, he liked us. When we stopped to think about the comments the guys had made to us, we realised there were a couple of key items that stood out... 1. Our web presence. Our wedding website is a 'blogsite' - in other words, our blog IS our site and portfolio. There are pros and cons of approaching it this way, and we know that, but we've found that the chronological approach (and the bite-sized nature) of a blog is a great way to present our work to guys. They can visit our site, and rather than look at something complicated or fancy, they can simply see pictures, and read stories. As much or as little as they like, but even from reading one post on the front page, they're confronted with not only a glimpse at what our work looks like, but an idea of who we are, who our clients are, and what the shooting experience is like. I think the idea of 'getting straight to the action' kind of appeals to guys. 2. The Checklist Effect. One thing I'm sure everyone in the wedding industry has realised is that brides these days are switched on, well-informed and armed to the hilt with ideas, questions and preconceptions. That's a good thing - it means that your clients know what they want, and gives you a better idea of whether you're the right person to give that to them. However, one thing I find unfortunate about it is that I meet a lot of brides for whom this means that the only thing they DON'T focus on is the images themselves (well, at least not until later when they see them!), because they can get caught up in a whirlwind of prices, packages, and details. I like to call this The Checklist Effect - that poor bride has read 10 lists in magazines telling her all the boxes her photographer needs to check to make sure her day is perfect. And she wants a perfect day - fair enough too! We've found that because men are (sometimes) perhaps a little more, uh, unencumbered with such details, they're able to simply say: "I like that picture".  Similarly, when looking at your albums, men typically will have less to go on. They haven't read about the options, they probably haven't seen that many other albums, and they're not necessarily bringing many expectations. When you hand them a Queensberry album, they just say: "Wow. That's cool." That's a good place to start from in gaining new clients or selling your products to men. So, I guess our approach to selling to men is pretty simple. We're up front, simple, straight to the facts, and we let our work, and the albums, stand on their own. Sound good, guys? Kathryn - Kathryn Wilson Photography, NZ