A thoughtful approach to designing and selling albums from Pennsylvania-based Angelique, of our support team. - Ed. There seem to be two primary approaches to album sales, three if you include not bothering (let's not go there). The first approach, popular recently, is Pre-Design. Design the be-all, end-all of albums before your clients even see their images and you'll make a fortune! How could they possibly say no to a 60 side gorgeous 10x18 Duo masterpiece once they see it? Well…because what you included in their contact was a 10x10 flush mount album with 20 sides. That hardly seems fair. It certainly works for some, but it definitely won't work for all. What if your clients are like me? They just helped to pay for this huge party, and they are coming home from their honeymoon, hoping to start saving for a someday-house and someday-baby. The last thing I wanted was another bill related to my wedding. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying up-selling is bad. I have that house and that baby now. Ask my husband – I am the QUEEN of up-selling. I just think there are better, different ways to approach it. When it comes to brides, there are a few tried and true rules I've come to stand by. Instead of Pre-Design, I love the Album Consult! 1. Be honest. If your most basic package includes a 10x10 album, show that 10x10 album. If you are only including 20 sides, show a 20 side album. I don't know who can fit an entire wedding into a good looking 20 side book, though. I've designed a lot of albums and I think the smallest I can be happy with is 26. Don't offer something completely unreasonable. If you have no intention of giving your client something smaller than 30 sides, then that should be your smallest product. 2. Only offer amazing product. Have multiple samples in your studio or meeting place. If you want your client to upgrade, they need to see some choice (we call this approach Good Better Best). Show them the 30 side 10x10 album. And show them a 10x14 vertical 30-side matted album. Then show them a 50-side 10x18 horizontal Duo. Make an impact. Each of these samples should showcase a completely different wedding. Match the style of the book to the wedding. If your couple doesn't identify with the couple in your one and only sample, they'll be less likely to book. If they end up identifying with the couple in the 10x18 Duo, not only will they book, but I bet they won't get your smallest package. 3. People don't like surprises that cost money. My favorite way of designing an album is to meet with the couple after the wedding, but before the design. You now know how the wedding looks. You can offer upgrade options based on their images. Don't sell a vertical album to a couple with amazing wide landscape shots. You won't be able to focus on those key shots as effectively. Make the meeting about them and their book. Not about what you want their final bill to be. 4. Use our Sales Kit. Be sure to have a sales kit so that your couples can touch and feel the different cover and page options. They can see the actual colors of the mats. They can see the size of the cover options. You don't buy a car without test driving do you? Having your couple see these options ahead of time can save a lot of hassle down the line. The rest of your process could easily be done online via Workspace until album delivery. 5. Set a budget. Let your couples set a budget, and DO NOT GO OVER IT! Album design takes time, and designing to a specific number of pages doesn't always work. You could make it work… but sometime you just need that ONE. EXTRA. SPREAD. Respect your clients! Ask if they are open to you adding extra pages, or a fancier cover. Otherwise you will design the album that is best for them, and stay within their cost limits. Surprise them with the gorgeous book you've designed, not with the amount that it cost them. Cheers, Angelique