The portraits on Luigi Crespo’s web page portfolio (www.luigicrespo.com), are absolutely beautiful. They look spontaneous and sparkle with personality and joy.
But years ago, when I went to him to get my portrait taken, I was a tad reluctant. (Ok. I must be honest here to protect my authenticity. I was a quivering mess at the thought of a photo session: a sobbing-in-my-bed, hiccupping my distress, stomach threatening to upchuck breakfast, quivering mess.) I was convinced I’d wasted my money. Convinced I couldn’t get a decent photo. Convinced a colonoscopy would be more fun and useful.)
You might call me cynical. Photo phobic. Someone who’d been fooled by beautiful photos on a cheapo department store photo website (all those cute little babies!).
And you’d be right.
In short, Crespo had a high bar to win me over. He cleared it with ease. And along the way he taught me five lessons on winning (and keeping) a customer’s trust.
- Mirror the Emotion You Want Your Customer to Feel
The minute I walked into Crespo’s studio, I knew I was in good hands. He was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and casual slacks. His entire vibe was “this is a relaxed, calm and fun activity.” Boom! My anxiety went down.
- Validate Your Customer’s Feelings
“I’m really nervous,” were practically the first words out of my mouth. Crespo did not say “No need to be nervous,” “You’re in good hands,” or even “Just smile and everything will be fine.”
Instead, he said, “Almost no one likes to get her picture taken.” I felt that he understood my trepidation rather than minimizing or even ridiculing my feelings. I felt myself relax a tiny bit more.
- Demonstrate Your Competence
Crespo proved that the photos on his website weren’t flukes. He gave me three insider tips for taking better photos. They were simple. They made sense. And they worked. By now I’d follow him anywhere.
- Practice Transparency
Throughout the shoot he told me what would happen next and why. For example, when I selected my favorite outfit (out of three), he explained, “We’ll shoot this one last when you’ll be at your most relaxed.” He also told me when and how he was adjusting the lights and why I needed to move. Knowing the steps and his reasoning made the process less scary.
- Give Your Customer Control
Every time I changed outfits, Crespo called me over to the computer. Together we reviewed the photos, discussing what worked and what I wanted to change. He made it clear that while he was the technical expert, it was my vision.
So, which of these techniques are you using with your customers? Tell me in the comments below.