As creatives, we are often just that…CREATIVE!! But we often times struggle with the business side of running a business!! And we all know that in order to grow, we must be equally good at the operational side of the business and at the creative side of the business!! Listen, all the dreaming, location scouting, golden light seeking work doesn’t matter if we can’t grow and sustain the nuts and bolts of an awesome client experience that includes professional management software.
Honeybook truly changed the course of my business! It’s is a business management platform that allows creative entrepreneurs to digitize their contracts, payments, and create a more professional client experience.
Photography businesses…actually, I take that back, all businesses need a workflow management tool. If you are a service based business, you need to manage your projects and clients. And Honeybook did just that for me!
I began my business without a system in place and as my business grew and evolved, I saw huge value in figuring out how to effectively manage it all. I could not do what I do now and manage the amount of clients and the large scope of projects that I take on now without a system in place.
I will say that I used a different company’s software before I switched over to Honeybook. I never could wrap my head around the workflow…like it just didn’t make sense to me. I am a very linear thinker and like a workflow that works in similar way. First this, then this….it’s all connected. My first system felt disjointed and there wasn’t a sense of FLOW!!
Hence my transition to Honeybook. As soon as I saw the software last year, I knew I had to have it! It has very clean, simple lines and an aesthetic that exudes professionalism. In fact, I once had a small business client that said she booked me for her business photo shoot because of how professional my communication was in appearance.
I liken the immediate draw to the Honeybook system like a Mac user vs. a PC user. To be honest, PC’s make my head hurt! I’ve been a Mac user for so long that it is intuitive and going back to a windows framework messes me up a little!! hahahaha The same is true for the workflow process with Honeybook…it just makes sense to my brain!!!! It is very intuitive and pretty self explanatory.
So let me share with you the features that I love most about Honeybook:
1) Projects:
Each photography inquiry begins a project in the Pipeline. I can put in names, contact info, etc. Then under each project falls all client emails, brochures (I’ll explain more later), contracts, and payment. Can I get an AMEN!?!?! It’s like a digital file folder!
2) Brochures:
These are what I send for initial inquiries. They list out my services and options. This is instant verification if I can meet the needs of what they are looking for, especially for price point.
3) Proposals:
This is where the client chooses which service they’d like and can pay for through the invoicing system!!
3) Agreements:
These are the contracts. I took the template that Honeybook provided and tweaked it a little for my needs. Everything is e-signed and done! Contracts are a must in your business!!!
4) Invoicing:
Honeybook can process my payments through their invoicing system! It’s great because I can set up payment plans, deposits, balances…and it’s all customizable and documented!! No more filing papers and looking to see who has paid or who owes a balance.
5) Tech support:
When I hired my AMAZING assistant Jen, I handed Honeybook over to her because she is in charge of client booking and my calendar. She was able to quickly learn the software and workflow…she did in a few days what it took me weeks to learn!!! Truly that’s how intuitive it is. But I will say that anytime we have run into a glitch or have a question or even a suggestion as to how they could make it better…Jen simply hops on a chat with them and we get immediate responses. I swear she’s on a first name basis with the tech team now!!! She has brilliant ideas as to how they can make things better and definitely shares that with them. And they often times say “Wow! We never thought of that…great idea, let’s see what we can do!” I mean seriously, what company takes the time to do that…much less look at how they can make a suggested hack really happen!!
The perks…no more file folders, no more searching through Facebook messages, texts, emails looking for important client info, no more missing pieces…IT’S ALL IN HONEYBOOK!!!!! Amen!
I share all about how I set up my account and workflow in my mentoring sessions with other photographers and I thought a blog post was certainly necessary so that I could share an AMAZING discount code with you if you are thinking about creating your own Honeybook account!!
Grab this 20% off discount code for your first month or year of HoneyBook, and go check them out!!
Let me know what you think!!
Blessings,
Corry
How Honeybook Transformed My Client Experience
Charlotte Staton, Charlotte Staton Design
"A personal branding photoshoot with Corry was the best decision I have ever made for my growing business."
Julia Sampsel, The Simplified House
"The images from my branding shoot turned out beautifully and have made building my website and online presence so much easier."
Linda St. Amant, Sprinkled Designs
"To anyone thinking of booking with Corry, don't think twice! She truly understands how to make your business shine via photography."
Kimberly Turner, Frosted Cakery
"I knew having professional photos for my business was important, but I didn’t know how huge the impact would actually be! Highly recommend!"
Christy Grifaldo, Grifaldo Properties
"You can't help but smile and laugh the whole time you're shooting with Corry, making it so easy to work with her."
