We recently connected with Sara Alepin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today. f you needed to find a key partner or facility – how did you find them, what was the process of striking a deal like and what would you do differently knowing what you know now?

In 2011, I was teaching high school Photography with a “summer job” as a photographer and was injured at work. Sadly, the injury prevented me from returning to the classroom.

The most obvious move was to go full-time as a photographer. But, I knew I was going to need other photographers on my team, given my injury. I also knew I wanted other photographers I could refer clients out to when I knew I couldn’t physically handle the job.

I started attending networking events to build strategic partnerships. And, it was really challenging.

Networking events seemed stodgy; you know the kind – either people were there to talk about themselves, they were only interested in collecting as many business cards as possible to add to their newsletter, or they were operating from a competitive mindset. I was running into a lot of, “Oh you’re a photographer? I’m a photographer,” and then getting iced out of the circle.

I searched for something different and, even as an extrovert, was often discouraged by the whole process.

I learned that finding the right networking organization that aligns with your goals and values is paramount. Find a place where people are there to support one another, not ask themselves, “What can this person do for me?”

Find a place where you feel at home and where people care about seeing you succeed!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m an international photographer, primarily capturing weddings, and host of The Wedding Dish podcast.

I think the most fun part of both is that I really get to know the people I’m working with. Understanding their stories, their passions, and even the challenges they’ve faced – I get to tell those stories either through the podcast or through photographs.

Everyone has a unique story, and I love being able to share those stories with the world.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I started my business, I had this fear of being too “salesy”. To the point where I didn’t even want to talk about my business. I’d get on sales calls and not feel comfortable telling potential clients which package I thought was right for them. I’d want to sell them into a lower package, with fewer hours or less [insert something] because I assumed they’d balk at my prices.

Here’s the thing about weddings: clients haven’t done this before, generally speaking. So, helping them navigate what is the right fit for them is one of the best client-care tools in your kit.

My coach, Melissa McFarlane at Creative Successful Entrepreneurs, told me for years that “selling is service.” It took a long time to set in – too long if you ask me.

It may be scary to talk about money or pricing, but if you truly have someone’s best interest in your heart, they will appreciate it.

And, if you’re out of their price range, make sure you have a list of other people in your field who fit the bill. Because, sometimes the best client care is referring out to the right fit.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Reach out! I love to hear from my former clients!

Here’s the thing about photography: I may spend eight hours with my clients on their wedding day, but I spend somewhere around 40 hours editing those photographs before delivering them. So, for me, I spend a LOT more time with these incredible humans than most people probably realize. And, I take on the clients I work with because they’re amazing.

I want to know when they’re buying a house, or get a new job, or have kids (if they choose that path)… Whatever they’re doing, I just love to know about it! I want to see them happy; I want to see them accomplish all of their goals! And, they chose me as their photographer for a reason – so, they want to hear from me, too!

And, because I stay in touch, more often than not, I’m capturing the proposal, the wedding, the maternity session, the newborn session, and then the annual family sessions.

I just photographed the family holiday session of a wedding I captured in 2012. They’ve been living in another state for years and just relocated back to the DC area, so they immediately reached out.

Stay connected.

Contact Info:

• Website: photosfromtheharty.com // theweddingdishpodcast.com
• Instagram: @photosfromhart // @theweddingdishpodcast
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhotosFromTheHarty // https://www.facebook.com/theweddingdishpodcast
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraalepin/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAszuqhHsoNtQzJ_fIWHj8w

Image Credits
Photos from the Harty