why i switched to sprout studio

At the end of 2017, I made the decision to switch to Sprout Studio, a CRM for photographers. I tried and used the other CRMs out there (Honey Book, 17Hats, Tave, Dusabo, Studio Ninja). While they were pretty good CRMs in their own right, they no longer served me and I began to scale my business, diving more into metrics, and I also needed to reduce my software subscriptions - they add up!

The decision came after a lot of research, and I’m so glad I made the switch to Sprout Studio. If you’re a photographer or studio owner looking for a photographer-friendly CRM, keep reading.

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN TRYING SPROUT STUDIO, CLICK HERE TO GET A FREE TRIAL + 20% OFF

TOP FEATURES I USE IN SPROUT STUDIO

• REPORTS
  I always understood the importance of tracking numbers because metrics are essential to know how your business is performing. Before Sprout Studio, I spent a lot of time manually pulling metrics. So, when I tell you the analytics and reporting abilities of Sprout Studio have changed my business…I MEAN IT!
  
  Sprout Studio prioritizes pulling metrics that allow you as the business owner to make better decisions. I needed to understand things like what packages sell the best and where my leads were coming from, without having to Zap or manually pull data. This software does the analysis for you.
  
  Sprout Studio pulls metrics on:

  • Sales Analysis

  • Booking Trends

  • Financial Reports

  My favorite reports are the ‘Booking Trends’ and ‘Sales Analysis’ reports because these reports break down your top 5 products/services/packages, as well as how much you’ve made from each. This gives me insight into which sessions are selling the most and which sessions get more inquiries. This allows me to know what session types to show off more on social media.

• GALLERY DELIVERY
  Pixieset and ShootProof were my go-tos for gallery delivery for many years. Sprout Studio has a similar built-in gallery delivery feature as Pixieset. Through it, clients can view their gallery, mark their favorites, order products, and download digital copies. You can create templates or individually design each gallery cover image to better reflect your brand and each service the session was for. There’s even reporting on views, reminder emails you can send out, and abandoned cart emails all in one place.
  
  The biggest benefit is that it’s all rolled into your cost, so there’s no need for a CRM + Gallery software. This can save you a few hundred dollars a year.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
Simplifying the appointment and booking process is a shared goal of both platforms. They enable you to set up online calendars, showcase availability, and allow clients to book appointments conveniently. These features can help eliminate the back-and-forth of scheduling and make it easier for clients to engage with your services.

I particularly love the gallery reminders, because they have ones to remind your clients they marked photos as their favorites but haven’t submitted them. I use this for when clients select the images they would like retouched. Once you choose which reminder you want, Virtual Assistant just runs in the background. You don’t need to add it to a workflow or think about it again. Sprout Studio does it all for you.

how does sprout studio stack up to other crms?

SPROUT STUDIO PRICING

As far as pricing goes, Sprout Studio is more expensive than some of the other CRMs if you want unlimited access to all of the features. It starts at $19.00/month and has plans up to $69.00/month. But you also have to remember, you’re cutting out unnecessary software like Pixieset/ShootProof for online galleries. Sprout Studio even has a fully functional email marketing platform attached, so you can eliminate MailChimp, ConstantContact, or whatever email marketing platform you use. With all that it actually ends up saving you money and keeps things all in one place.

SUBSCRIPTIONS SPROUT STUDIO REPLACES

• CRM

• Email Marketing Platform

• Gallery Delivery Software

• Album Proofing Software

If you’re interested in trying Sprout Studio, click here to get a free trial plus 20% off. If you’re looking for a more powerful CRM or to reduce software, you should definitely look into Sprout Studio.

Switching from your old CRM can be scary, so if you need assistance in setting up Sprout Studio I would be more than happy to walk you through to set up Sprout Studio. Click here if you are interested.