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!
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.
What are you doing to make this year better than than the last? Happy Tuesday!
DESIGN BY TONIC SITE SHOP
© ABBY GRACE PHOTOGRAPHY 2024
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It looks awesome lady! Congrats on pushing through and putting in the hard work- totally worth it!
Awesome Abby! I also just created a client lounge and I must say it’s definitely a step up from a plain old pdf.
Love it, Abby!! It’s beautiful! Maybe one day I’ll finally make one too 🙂
Oh my gosh! This is a genius idea!!! 🙂 You go!
You are continually improving your business and I admire that you want to make each wedding the best experience possible! You are awesome!
Looks fab. We love having a pricing website, clients love it and it is easy to update!
You never cease to amaze me, you go girl!
Looking good Abby! That’s a great quote you chose too, if I do say so myself 🙂
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 🙂