During wedding season (roughly April-November), it becomes increasingly easy to make excuses for myself. “How can I possibly think about revamping my client experience when I have 437 other things to do right now?” So all of the non-urgent tasks get pushed to the “off-season,” making this the time where I really have to sort through “what works, what definitely DOESN’T work, and how can I make what I’m already doing BETTER?”

Around December of 2011, I approached my sweet friend Wendy of Weswen Design about creating a pricing guide for me. Up until that point, I’d been typing out my basic package with pricing every time I received an email inquiring about my availability – it was inefficient and unpolished, and if I wanted a reputation as a professional, I needed to change the way I was presenting myself during one of the first interactions with potential clients. So Wendy and I got to work creating a guide with all of my pricing information, chock-full of beautiful design elements, my images and accompanying text. I LOVED it, and still do!

Abby Grace Photography pricing guide

As the year went on, the guide needed updates- my new website + brand launched in July 2012, the images needed switching out, and bits of text needed tweaking here and there. Because Wendy built guide with InDesign, a program I don’t own, I couldn’t make the updates myself, and I didn’t want to bother Wendy every time I needed to tweak the spacing on something. Then I saw that my friends Jen & Ashley had mentioned something about their “client lounge”- a +Site within their ShowIt website that served as a hub for their wedding pricing information! I knew I wanted something similar, but after a few tear-inducing attempts to create one of my own, I gave up and put it on my “eventually” list.

Was my old pricing guide efficient? Did it get the job done? Yes. I could have continued one using it for the next couple of years if I needed to. But I wanted to make it BETTER. Yesterday I finally sat down and forced myself to try one more time, and whaddya know? I did it! Something that’d been haunting my to-do list for 3-4 months, something I’d been putting off because I wasn’t looking forward to it, it only ended up taking two-three hours of my time.

It is SO easy to rest in what’s working enough to “get by,” but I don’t want to just get by. I want to grow, to THRIVE, to constantly be pushing forward. 2012 was a great year for me- I more than doubled the number of weddings I shot in 2011, I left my desk job, and the level of work grew leaps and bounds. But you know what? I don’t want to rest on those laurels- I want 2013 to be bigger, bolder and BETTER.

http://www.weswendesign.com/

What are you doing to make this year better than than the last? Happy Tuesday!

Finding the time to make it BETTER

February 19, 2013

  1. It looks awesome lady! Congrats on pushing through and putting in the hard work- totally worth it!

  2. Abbey says:

    Awesome Abby! I also just created a client lounge and I must say it’s definitely a step up from a plain old pdf.

  3. Sabrina says:

    Love it, Abby!! It’s beautiful! Maybe one day I’ll finally make one too 🙂

  4. Oh my gosh! This is a genius idea!!! 🙂 You go!

  5. Jean says:

    You are continually improving your business and I admire that you want to make each wedding the best experience possible! You are awesome!

  6. Kristin says:

    Looks fab. We love having a pricing website, clients love it and it is easy to update!

  7. Dad says:

    You never cease to amaze me, you go girl!

  8. Clarisse says:

    Looking good Abby! That’s a great quote you chose too, if I do say so myself 🙂

  9. Eryn Kesler says:

    dearest Abby, is there any way I could convince you to email me a link to your client lounge for inspiration?

    Also, so you send it to anyone who inquires? How does that work. I’ve been thinking about a printed guide, but this is easier to update, and also more economical 🙂

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