Busting 4 Myths About Senior Rep Programs
It is no secret that I believe a senior rep program is a game changer for any photographer looking to break into the high school senior photography business. But figuring out how to price your program so it’s actually profitable (and not to mention FUN for the students involved) may be causing you to second-guess whether a rep program is really the best way to work with more high school seniors this year. Today I’m going to debunk some of the myths surrounding senior rep programs so you can see why senior rep programs are the single best method for breaking into, and growing within, the senior photography niche!
Myth 1: Reps join for free
The truth is, a senior rep team member gets exclusive access to added value — not reduced payment.
Group shoots, venue rentals, and your valuable time are certainly not free — so your program shouldn’t be either! A successful senior rep team that provides a great experience for your ambassadors AND brings in new, qualified senior leads to book out your calendar does not have to operate at a loss.
Knowing how to price your senior rep program doesn’t have to be complicated, either. In my course Rep It! I teach two simplified pricing & package models to follow for a profitable and effective program: Simple & Tiered.
Once you choose your model & apply your simplified package pricing, you can list your price on your application or share it confidently during your info meeting.
Then, you’ll reap the booked-out benefits of a healthy senior rep program without losing money in the process.
Myth 2: Each rep must refer at least one person
A common complaint I hear from other photographers about senior model teams is that the team members just “don’t do anything” or that it just “doesn’t work.”
After 6 consecutive years of running an effective senior rep program at JenRenPro, I’ve learned that there’s been a miscommunication in the photography world about what exactly senior reps are expected to do as a member of the program.
In reality, the best way to get a rep’s friends to book their senior photos with you is not to just expect the rep to do all the heavy lifting. It’s to work alongside your rep: they participate, you promote.
It’s not unlike the way the kicker on the football team works with the holder. The rep is the kicker — he or she is excited to be on the team, proud to wear the uniform, and ready to take center stage on the field for his or her chance to score in front of the crowd. You are the holder — you’re essential to the field-goal, and the kicker isn’t going to be able to succeed without you setting up the ball just right.
Use this mentality when you’re posting stories from your team events, sending graphics for your team to share, and designing branded gifts or merchandise.
Once you adopt a “what’s-in-it-for-them” mentality, any marketing effort you make will result in having more qualified leads checking out your senior photography services.
Myth 3: There can only be one Rep program in my area
Do these thoughts ever creep into your mind?
“The market is saturated!”
“There’s a popular program from a popular photographer in my area already!”
“I just moved here and don’t know anyone!”
There can be a hundred programs in an area, but there’s only one you. That’s why I tell photographers to build a STANDOUT program based on your journey, their generation, and creative separation.
Incorporating YOU into your program is the easiest and most powerful way to attract the right students onto your team.
The next time you sit down to design your annual rep team schedule for the year ahead, think about how to create photoshoot concepts, merchandise, & community give-back that makes your program naturally unlike any other.
Once you do this, you’ll not only feel more aligned and at-home with your team (your “people”), but you’ll also find it easier to attract not just MORE applicants, but the RIGHT applicants.
Myth 4: The bigger the better
In reality, it only takes serving one student to help you break into the local senior photography market.
There’s a term I use in Rep It! called the “Rep Ramp” which refers to the 3-step process to breaking into and growing within the senior photography niche in your area. Establish in year one, grow in year two, and refine in year three.
It only takes one domino to start the fall. Your first representative might be a lot easier to recruit than you think — in your establishing year, having even one representative (whether a booked client or an actual team member) means you get secondary access to his or her friends, family, peers and teammates IF the client experience is word-of-mouth worthy.
When you’re looking to break into senior photography, start small with 1-3 reps. Pair a great client experience for them with the right marketing coverage, and you’ll find yourself with senior rep applications pouring in months before it’s time to recruit the next class’ team.
My biggest piece of advice for someone hesitant to start a senior rep program
Many photographers, myself included, begin photography as a creative outlet, hobby, or project. It’s one of those unique careers which are artistic and sensitive in nature, but yet, desperately requires business skills like accounting, customer service, and marketing in order to thrive.
We’re notorious for obsessing over presets, camera gear, and shoot locations, but we actually should be more concerned with entrepreneurship, sales skills, and mindset.
Someone who believes that “there can only be one program in my area” or that “the market is too saturated” has a bright, neon sign pointing back to themselves that says “I’m not sold on me yet.”
Don’t let fear drive the decision-making in your business. You get to decide how far, deep, wide, and high you want to take your photography business for you and your family. Get sold on you, first!
Are you ready to learn everything you need to know about running a standout senior rep program? My course Rep It! is the all-in-one marketing roadmap for senior photographers.
Click here to learn more about the program and how to join!
