Peter: What's going on, everyone? It's Peter Byram, and today we have one of our members of the Next Level photography training program, Mike Martin of M Martin Productions. Mike, introduce yourself and tell everyone about you, your business and how long you've been doing this.

Mike: What's going on, guys? I'm Mike. I've owned my business for about seven years, and I've been shooting for about 16. I'm a destination wedding photographer based near Philadelphia, and I travel all over the United States. I just got back from Hawaii, where I shot a very successful wedding.

Peter: Let's go back to before we started working together. What were you doing to generate leads and book weddings?

Mike: Basically word of mouth, and WeddingWire. I'd been with them for about three years and was unsatisfied, because I'd get spam and messages from people who didn't really want to book. I'd spend probably an hour on the phone with a couple explaining why they should pick me as their photographer, my background and everything. I also put ads in wedding books and at venues, and that really didn't work out. That stuff isn't good nowadays, because people are online all the time. They don't want to pick something up and read it. They'd rather see it on their phone or computer.

Peter: You told me about getting into some of those wedding books. What was it like trying to get business that way?

Mike: I didn't get business from that. It's pretty much a waste of money. I'd rather keep it in my pocket. If I'm not making any money off it, what's the point? WeddingWire is a great piece of software, but it's not really connecting you with a specific bride. You're fighting with other photographers. It's all competition. It depends on the work you show, but it's not like what we're doing now. They pretty much feed you to the wolves, and couples are looking for one thing and one thing only: the best price.

Peter: A lot of price shopping.

Peter: What was the problem you were really trying to solve in your business?

Mike: Getting more leads. I was getting maybe five leads a month, sometimes a little more or less depending on the month, and maybe booking one out of five. You'd talk to a bride, and she'd be price shopping. You'd reach back out, and she'd say she found someone cheaper, and that's it. I wanted more leads and more business, and to book more destination weddings so I could travel and do what I love. That just wasn't cutting it.

Peter: So you wanted to grow and do more destination weddings, but the way you were going about it wasn't getting you there.

Mike: I was honestly booking more from word of mouth, while I was putting my own money into the other stuff. It's good that people want to recommend me, but there's only so much people can recommend.

Peter: How did you first hear about me?

Mike: I think it was through Facebook. Just a simple "What's up?" conversation. Then we had an awesome phone conversation last summer and hit it off. It was more personable, not a standard sales call from someone random. It was a one-on-one conversation.

Peter: What piqued your interest in working together?

Mike: You were concentrating on my work and were professional about wanting to know my business, my needs and my wants. You also wanted to know I wasn't playing games, that I was really going to put the work in, so you weren't wasting your time. You could tell I was a hustler and an entrepreneur who wanted to make these moves as soon as possible. You said, "When do you want to start?" and I said, "Now. Let's do it." I knew right away you weren't fake and that you cared about what I wanted to do.

Peter: We first connected at the end of summer 2019 and officially started working together in December, right before the holidays. What was that process like?

Mike: It was simple and straightforward. You showed me the ropes on how to put the ads together, and it was a building process, like putting a puzzle together. It came together in about two or three weeks. We'd hoped to launch before Christmas, but everyone was busy, so we launched in January. Now it's March, and I just looked. I have 421 leads, in about five or six weeks. Not everyone's going to book. That would be insane. But I've booked 10 solid weddings, and a lot of the others are on hold or don't have a date yet and want to book with me. You weed out the good and the bad and pick which ones to focus your time on. You start building relationships with these couples. They write about what they want and about their lives at home, and you build on that. You gain their respect in that first conversation, and they start trusting you.

Peter: You were saying these leads are totally different from WeddingWire. Why?

Mike: Because I don't have to spend an hour on the phone. If I do, it's for a good reason. I don't have to explain who I am and what I do. It's pretty much self-explanatory when they click that link and sign up.

They're already doing research, following my Facebook and Instagram and looking at my website. Everything's laid out for them. If you have a good platform and good work to show, that's 50% of your business right there. The other 50% is you: how you present and market yourself, and how you talk with couples on the phone. They want to hear who you are, and your work already shows for itself. So you don't have to sell your work. You've got to sell yourself.

Peter: Looking at the stats, over about the last six weeks, we've spent $600 on your ads and generated 421 leads. That's about $1.40 per lead. And you've booked 10 weddings, about $35K.

Mike: In about six weeks.

Peter: How many people are you talking with who are close to booking?

Mike: At least 200, I'd say. A lot of people aren't really in the planning process yet. Some don't have a date or are still figuring out their budget. Some aren't getting married until 2022. I have people for 2022 and 2023 who want to book. So it's about keeping up with them and not losing contact. Once you lose contact, they'll go a different direction, because people are busy with their personal lives and work, and now they have to plan a wedding too. As long as you spark interest and they see you constantly posting on social media, they'll think, "Oh, I remember him. We had an awesome conversation."

Peter: You keep nurturing those relationships.

Mike: It's like when you look at something on Amazon and click out. You keep seeing it on Facebook and Instagram, and it keeps reminding you.

Peter: You also booked four destination weddings from this, right?

Mike: Yes. I just got back from Hawaii, and that was from a referral. But from that, I already booked the next Hawaii trip, on Oahu. She saw the wedding I'd done there and the photos, and I introduced her to the bride I'd just shot, because she's an event planner. That sparked her interest, because I was helping her out. I also booked a last-minute trip to Aruba this year, a Cancun trip and two in the Redwoods.

Peter: So you're booking destination weddings all over the country, and in other countries, from this campaign. How has your life and business improved since we've been working together?

Mike: A lot. I was all over the map before I went full force with my business. I've had it for seven years, but I was also a photographer in another industry, not weddings, so I was working full-time and running my business full-time. I took the leap last year and went all in. That's another reason I signed up with you. I was on my own and full-time, and I had to take this to another level. It took a lot of stress off me. Now that I'm bringing in all these leads, I feel more comfortable about gaining more sales and more money for the future. My schedule is a lot better too. I add all my clients to my Google Calendar in time slots, so I don't have to remember to call this person or that person. When a lead comes in and I set up a consultation by email or text, I put it right in my calendar so I don't forget. It's a step-and-repeat process, and it makes everything a lot easier.

Peter: Having those systems in place. A lead comes in, you schedule a call, you book the consultation. What ultimately led you to pull the trigger and start working with me?

Mike: Knowing I'm working for myself. We're all entrepreneurs. We've got to hustle and make our numbers. We all have bills to pay, and we all want to travel and not have to worry. I want to live comfortably and enjoy life. And who doesn't want all these leads coming in? Now you can pick the good ones and build relationships. You're not only going to get their weddings. You're going to get callbacks for family sessions and portraits, and referrals. So you're paying for a lead, and then you get referrals off it for free.

Peter: Exactly. We spent $600 to get 421 leads in a matter of weeks, which is really unheard of for most people in this space. And it's not just the people booking today. It's the referrals and the relationships, and the people who book next year and recommend you. You're building your brand. What's been the most transformational part of the work we've done together?

Mike: The number of leads. I've never gotten this many leads in three months in my life. Before, I'd get maybe 15 leads in three months. Now I have over 400. And the satisfaction of not having to stress, and people recognizing my work and my social media. On the phone, I hear nothing but positive things about my work, and people saying they want to work with me. You'll still get people who say you're out of their price range, but you've got to stand your ground. You're making these images for your business. There's some leeway in your pricing here and there, but you have to pay yourself and your team, and you worked hard to get where you are. You don't want to step down.

Peter: What would you say to someone who wants to grow and generate leads consistently, but is on the fence about joining the program?

Mike: Don't wait. Just do it. If you wait in life, you're never going to know what's going to happen. These opportunities could go right past you. I waited a little bit too. Money doesn't always come easy. But if you're good at what you do, you'll make money. So take the lead and see what happens. Your business is going to take off as long as you put the work in. Get up every morning, put the time in, and space your time out between your work, your editing, your calls and your computer work. And make time for your personal life too.

Peter: Why would you recommend this program and working with me?

Mike: You're more personal. You're not a standard salesperson who just wants to take your money. You're good at what you do, and you give direction. You don't just lay it out there and expect us to do everything ourselves. I was going to put the work in, but you connect with people. You're not pushy, and you don't get mad when we don't do something right. You show us how to do it, because you want to see us succeed. If I could do it all over again, I would.

Peter: Anything else you want to add?

Mike: We're all in this together. We're all photographers. Back in the day, everyone was against each other, trying to make that dollar. But we all work with each other. So keep making amazing photos, work with each other and help each other out.

Peter: Mike, it's been a pleasure working with you and seeing your results, booking all these destination weddings and posting amazing photos on Instagram. I'm excited to see what's in store for you.

Mike: Thank you for being there for me, brother.

Peter: Absolutely. We'll talk soon.