Peter: We're with Chelsea Black of Chelsea Black Photography, a member of the Next Level program. Chelsea, introduce yourself.

Chelsea: I've been taking pictures and running my business for 10 years, but it hasn't really been much of a business until this year. I have a lot of experience, but I hadn't had much financial growth. It's been a fun journey, and I've learned a ton. I'm finally feeling like I'm where I want to be.

Peter: How did you first come across me?

Chelsea: Randy, my husband, told me about you. He's the best, and he helps with a lot of the behind-the-scenes work. He met with you and said, "I think this is the one. I think this is what's going to help us." We'd taken some marketing classes, and nothing seemed to work. A local photographer even showed me his marketing course, but he was really salesy and pushy, and that's not my style. So when Randy found you, it was an easy decision.

Peter: What problem were you trying to solve?

Chelsea: We felt like we couldn't reach anybody. We couldn't figure out how to rank first on Google, how to run Facebook ads, or how to reach anyone organically. We weren't getting many referrals. And the people we did reach here in Utah were really thrifty and wanted to spend $300 for their entire wedding package, which you can't make money off. So the biggest thing was figuring out what market we wanted to reach and how to reach them.

Peter: What were you making back then?

Chelsea: In 2019, I think we made about $8,000, and it all went into more gear, thinking maybe better equipment would help. We were so desperate that we didn't feel we could do much else with that little bit of money. Then in 2020, COVID stopped almost everything. We had a couple of weddings before COVID, and I think we ended up with about $15,000 for the year.

Peter: And you were doing a lot of family sessions?

Chelsea: I couldn't book any weddings, but people were stuck at home and figured they might as well get a family photo. I did about 35 family sessions in a couple of months just to make something. Then in October, we found you.

Peter: You'd tried Facebook ads too, right?

Chelsea: We'd spent a few hundred dollars trying to get clients, but we didn't really know what we were doing.

Peter: It's like photography. There are levels of understanding and mastery. You were trying a lot of things, Google, networking, organic posting, some ads, and not seeing results.

Peter: Tell me about the dream you had for the business.

Chelsea: Security, mostly. We wanted to pay off our house and take our family on vacations. Randy's job takes care of everything we need, but it doesn't leave a lot extra. With $8,000 years, you can't do much. And there's security in knowing that if anything happened to Randy, I could help provide for the family. I've always wanted to travel. And the big goal, still, is to make enough that someday Randy could quit his job and we could do something great together.

Peter: You joined Next Level in September 2020. Then what happened?

Chelsea: We started with organic outreach, and I booked my first organic bride pretty quickly. I couldn't believe it was working. It was my first wedding over $1,800. It was a $3,700 wedding, and it was in Virginia, so I got to travel. That was around the end of October.

I hadn't even started my Facebook group yet. I was just reaching out to people: "I saw that you're engaged. That's amazing. How are things going with COVID?" It was really casual. Then I found a super cute bride who was interested in learning more. She said, "I saw that you're a photographer," because I'd changed my personal profile to say photographer and put up a profile picture holding a camera, like you said. That got my foot in the door. I was so scared of video calls back then, so it was a phone call. It went really well, and a couple of days later she told me she wanted to book. That was a huge motivator.

Peter: You weren't selling weddings for more than about $2,000 in Utah, and then you booked a wedding across the country for about $4,000. You don't have to stay in your region.

Peter: Do you remember one of the first coaching calls you came on?

Chelsea: I remember thinking, "What's the catch? How is this any different from everything else we've tried?" But we felt hope that you knew something we didn't. And honestly, what else could we lose? We weren't making anything, so it was worth the investment. I was most scared of the sales part.

Peter: You'd seen another client's interview, and you wanted a business doing over $100,000 a year and helping couples on their wedding day. On that first coaching call, you were so distraught.

Chelsea: I still feel raw about it, because that was our reality. We tried for nine years to get this business going, and we couldn't make it successful. We were making a tiny bit of money. We were ready to work hard and put in whatever it took. We just didn't know the right way to do it. I think it was the very first call I joined, and when you asked how it was going, I just bawled.

Chelsea: I was so scared of sales calls and video calls. It cracks me up now, because I love video calls. I was afraid of people seeing me look nervous or fumble my words. I was still following your scripts closely, and it was all so foreign. So I did phone calls at first, until I had my script down.

Peter: A couple of months in, you told me you'd done about 30 calls in a couple of weeks.

Chelsea: In those first weeks after we started Facebook ads, I think I did 70 calls in one month. Sometimes eight calls a day. Then I'd take Fridays off to catch up, because I was getting overwhelmed. But I was willing to put in the work. I was going to make this happen.

Peter: What was driving you?

Chelsea: Partly Randy. He scheduled the calls for me, kept me going throughout the day, and brought me snacks and treats between meetings while I typed up my notes. And I just wanted this so badly. Randy and I would say, "Wouldn't it be cool if we were one of those people being interviewed someday?" So we didn't hold back. It was really intense at the beginning. Since then, we've learned to recognize price shoppers, so we only do consultations with people who seem genuinely interested, not people who just want a free engagement session.

Peter: Tell us what your results have been.

Chelsea: Over the last six months, I've booked $100,000 in weddings. It's not all in my bank account yet, since couples are making payments and some weddings are later. We never thought that would be real. I hoped it would be, but it felt like something that happens to other people, not to me. Working hard and never giving up is how it happened.

Peter: You had this business for 10 years with a dream of traveling, making $100,000 and working with your husband. Six months after joining, you've booked $100,000. Congratulations.

Peter: And a lot of those weddings aren't in Utah, right?

Chelsea: I book most of my weddings out of state now. Only about 20% are in Utah. I have one in Tennessee, several in California and Idaho, one in Colorado and two in Arizona. Randy and I leave for Mexico in five days. It's my first time leaving the country, and it's for business. People are paying us to shoot their beach wedding and an elopement in Mexico, and I get to take Randy with me. I can't believe this is my life.

Chelsea: Randy is so great. He fills out all those tracking sheets you gave us. He keeps track of every consultation, every person who said no, and every booking. He's the reason I know we even hit this number. He also sends messages and gets people scheduled. I don't think I could do it all. I don't know how anyone does it on their own. He was sold before I was, and he's always been super supportive. I do all the consultations, and he does so much behind the scenes. I've also been training him in videography. We're offering video for 2022 weddings, so he'll have more experience by then. We've done a few styled shoots where I did photos and he did video. We love working together.

Peter: A husband and wife team doing photo and video is such a profitable model.

Chelsea: We've only been offering photo and booked $100,000 in six months, so once we offer video, hopefully we'll make a lot more. That first organic wedding in Virginia is what really kicked this off. It showed me it's possible to book things other than cheap Utah weddings.

Peter: For people listening, there's a correlation between the number of calls you do and the money you make.

Chelsea: Now I only do a couple of calls a day. If I want to make a little extra for the month, I'll do a few more. Not every call turns into a client, but I know how to do it if I need more.

Peter: What was it about our approach to sales that worked for you?

Chelsea: I've always loved giving value. Even before Next Level, I put together wedding styling guides for my brides and offered free wedding planning advice. Long before I was a photographer, I thought about being a wedding planner. I did cake decorating for a long time, then got into photography, mostly families, then weddings. I want couples to feel I'm more than a photographer, that I'm there for them on their wedding day for anything they need. I thrive on serving people, and I talk about that a lot on calls.

At the Virginia wedding, 25 minutes before the ceremony, the groom opened his bow tie, and it was a real bow tie you had to tie yourself. No one in the wedding party knew how, and neither did the moms. So I looked up a tutorial and tied the groom's and nine groomsmen's bow ties before the ceremony. That's the kind of photographer I want to be, and couples love that story.

You taught us to listen for keywords. A lot of brides say they're really close with their dad, so I bring up a first look with their dad, and they're won over, because I listened to what matters to them and tied it back. I say it a few times during the call: "We'll get that first look with your dad, and that special moment you'll treasure forever."

Peter: You make yourself indispensable. They think, "How could I go with anyone else? Chelsea gets me."

Chelsea: It didn't come naturally. Before Next Level, I'd never even done phone calls with my brides. Everything was text or email. In an email, you can write the message perfectly, but you can't listen to anyone. You only learn how many hours they need. Getting people on the phone has been a game changer. And they can feel how passionate I am about capturing their moments.

One thing I do differently: when I travel to a wedding, I offer unlimited hours. I'm already there, and I've dedicated my day to them, so why would I hold back? That wins over a lot of people. It means something to them that you're not there for four hours just to get paid. And if I hear they're close with their sister or mom, I tie them in: "I can picture this amazing moment with you and your mom as she does up the back of your dress, or your sister touching up your makeup before the ceremony." It puts a picture in their minds and makes it real.

Peter: The transformation I've seen in you is unreal. You were afraid of the phone and of sales, and now you're a pro.

Chelsea: It's really different from what I imagined sales would be. I pictured someone at your door trying to sell you something on the spot. That's how the other photographer did it: "I'm your photographer. I'll make it worth the money." That wasn't me. I'm not pushy. I want to be there for people and share the value I have to offer, so by the end of the call they feel I'm a good choice for them, not that I told them I am.

Chelsea: Remember early on when I said I could never charge $3,000 for a wedding? In Utah, I'd hear all the time, "Our budget for engagements, bridals and the wedding day is $500." In 2019, that's pretty much all I could get. I couldn't reach the people who were willing to pay more for more value. When I booked that first $3,000-plus wedding, I thought, "There are people out there who pay this much." It took me a while to believe my work was worth $3,000, because I'd been stuck in the cheaper wedding market for so long.

I started around $2,200, worked up to $2,700, and kept going. Last weekend, I shot the last wedding I'd booked back in 2019. They'd been making payments, and it was a $1,600 package. I looked it up and thought, "What was I thinking?" Now my cheapest package is about $3,600. The first time I said $3,200 out loud, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth, and people were booking it. Once people started booking, I realized there aren't just price shoppers out there. There are people who want to invest in something worthwhile.

Peter: What's been the most transformational thing since joining?

Chelsea: Not focusing on the nos, but hunting for the next yes. Now I don't even think about the nos. I take notes on our calls, and if I hear back a couple of days later that it's a no, I set it aside, because I have 40 others that could be yeses. Early on, I'd have 10 calls that were all nos, and I'd get so discouraged. And with sales, figure out what you're passionate about in weddings or photography, and tailor your pitch to share that value.

Peter: What would you say to someone on the fence about joining?

Chelsea: If you're ready to put in the work, you can do it. We decided early on that we'd put in whatever time and energy it took. Nothing you get $100,000 for is easy. If you're ready to make it a thriving business, this program is amazing. It's been life-changing.

Peter: And your advice for other members of the program?

Chelsea: Keep going, keep working hard, and keep track of everything. That's been a game changer for us: tracking your calls, who books and your revenue. It's really motivating to see the numbers. People who don't know how they're doing could probably be making more. Seeing your calendar fill up is one thing, but tracking your numbers is a big deal.

Peter: Hard work, being relentless and knowing your numbers always work. Thanks for hopping on, Chelsea. I can't wait to see what's next for you and Randy.

Chelsea: Thank you, Peter.