Why You Should Sell Services Like A Fine Dining Restaurant Sells A Meal

“$38 for a bit of fish on bread? It’d cost me $4.50 to cook that at home!”

With respect, sir – you’re missing the point.

But it’s OK — there are very few patrons who make these types of complaints when they visit fine dining restaurants.

That’s because the restaurant has already done such a good job of nurturing the customer relationship that customers are prepared – often eager – to pay the high menu prices. 

Why? Because they are paying for an experience.

As creative business owners, what can we learn from this?

We need to show customers the true value of what they’re getting when they book our services. And that means learning how to write copy that let’s you:

Sell the experience, not the service.

 

How restaurants sell more than just the meal

Let’s linger on this example for a second (also because I’m starting to salivate at the thought of an anchovy and orange remoulade on toasted ciabatta…I wonder if Michelin-starred places are on Uber Eats…would I then be missing the point?!).

If you sit down at a high-end restaurant think that all you’re getting is a meal, as in food that will fill you up – an experience you can get at McDonald’s and have change from a ten-dollar bill –  then you are understandably going to feel ripped off.

So the restaurant needs to communicate that yes, while the total sum of ingredients for your meal for two is probably around $40 and your bill is closer to $400 –  the remaining 90% is paying for the utility bills, the rent, the collective years of experience from the kitchen team, the sourcing of the finest, freshest ingredients, the marketing that gets this message to you, etc…

…but wait – that’s all just part of business costs, right?

Bingo.

However, knowing that the restaurant will be putting this much emphasis on excellence builds a unique experience that is SO MUCH LONGER than the two hours spent sitting at the table.

A couple is paying $400 for:

✅ The weeks of excitement leading up to the event

✅ The checking and re-checking of the online menu in anticipation of their daily changing specials

✅ The social stalking of the restaurant’s Insta where the chef posts videos of flambéed pears and seared scallops

✅ The giddiness with which you tell your friends about the booking

✅ The excuse to wear a glamorous outfit that’s fit for the occasion

✅ The courteous welcome from the staff, the red carpet treatment throughout and the knowing smiles from other tables as you all sit down to enjoy this special treat

✅ The fun at signing the check — people will enjoy paying no matter what the amount, as long as they feel as if they are getting good value

✅ The joy of posting droolworthy photos the next day

When you add it all up, this $400 experience spans dozens of hours and incorporates several different forms of pleasure in addition to the actual eating of delicious food.

All in all, if the restaurant does its job – $400 is a bargain (albeit one you probably shouldn’t scoop up every day).

 

 

How to sell an experience rather than a service

And now back to creative biz owners.

Let’s take the example of a wedding photographer.

The gentleman who was choking on his wallet at the thought of the overpriced starter a few moments ago may have similar hesitations about your rates.

“$10,000 for you to show up at my wedding for 10 hours? A grand an hour?! I’m gonna pay my cousin 500 bucks and give her free access to the buffet and we’ll get decent shots from her DSLR!”

Once again, sir — with respect, you’re missing the point.

If you’re an experienced wedding photographer then your couples are paying for the years of experience, the thousands of dollars you’ve sunk into equipment, the travelling to locations to scope out the best times for the best shots, the educational courses you’ve paid for, etc.

Hold on. That sounds suspiciously like business costs.

Yep, right again.

However, knowing that you have invested in all of this means that their experience will be so much longer than the 10 hours for which you’re present during their wedding.

They’re really paying for:

✅ The comfort of knowing that an experienced professional is in charge of their shots

✅ The calls and meet-ups during which you will hype them up and/or reassure them that everything is going to be fine spectacular

✅ Access to a local expert that they can ask for tips and advice

✅ Drawing on your experience in shooting similar events (clocking potential problems on the horizon, troubleshooting, etc.)

✅ Hitting you up for recommendations of other quality wedding vendors

✅ Peeking your Insta and galleries to imagine how their wedding will be look

✅ Telling friends that their wedding is being shot by a prestigious photog with a sizzling industry rep

✅ Sharing all of your incredible content on socials

✅ Showing friends and family their wedding album, while leafing through it on their own time and time again

✅ Developing a relationship with a trusted photographer who they can call on for maternity, family and other milestones that they want to be documented

Add up the time they spend in fun anticipation of the event then factor in the time saved on not trawling through the internet searching for all of the expert advice that you can deliver and that $10K price tag is looking more and more reasonable. 

In fact, it’s looking irresistible.

 

How to write copy that sells an experience

But how do we communicate this experience via our copy? Let’s break it down:

How to write experienced-focused website copy

Here’s where you can show clients what the experience of working with you is like AND how confident you are in your services.

• Describe your journey as a photographer up to this point, why you choose certain styles and how it differs from your competition.

• Tell them what vibe you bring (fly-on-the-wall, new bestie or somewhere in between) so they know what to expect throughout the experience before they even hop on that first Zoom call. 

• Talk about your services with passion – explain why you shoot in your chosen style in a way that displays how confident you are in the shots that you deliver. 

• Sprinkle little testimonials from previous clients that focus on your personality and the experience you deliver throughout your pages.

 

How to write experienced-focused blog copy

This is where you can display your expertise and local knowledge.

Your blog is the ideal place to showcase all of the things that make you a fantastic investment.

• Create insider guides to your local area that will be a huge help to any couple planning a wedding (these are also dynamite for SEO).

• Recommend local vendors and explain why you love their work, showing that you have a community to draw on in order to enhance their experience.

• Spotlight previous weddings and explain the story behind the gallery photos and why certain ones matter so much to the couple (e.g. a silly pose on the dance floor, a certain smile during the vows).

 

How to write experienced-focused social copy

This is the place to show how much you care and how you bond with your couples.

• When you post pictures and videos from a wedding, make sure your captions are full of your favourite, funny and love-filled moments that show that your journey with the couple goes way beyond that one shot.

• Write in a more informal, casual style (if that’s your vibe!) that entertains the reader and hints at the energy you’ll bring throughout the experience.

 

 

How to write experienced-focused email copy

This is where you can bond with clients to develop a unique personal connection AND show how excited you are for this experience.

Just because you’re chatting about finer details and timelines doesn’t mean you can’t have a ton of fun together! The key to experience-focused email copy is to personalise, personalise, PERSONALISE. 

• Make a list of all of the details you’ve learned about them during their onboarding and don’t be afraid to peek at their socials to get a better feel for their personalities.

• Write fresh copy (or edit the hell out of boilerplate messages) to include in-jokes, references to stuff you’ve chatted about (does one partner like a favourite beer? Did they have a fave holiday from which they wanna recreate a pose?) and make them feel as if they are chatting to a friend who’s got their back no matter what.

• And remember to show how PUMPED you are to shoot their wedding! Excitement is contagious. Make them happy by, well, being happy.

 

When a couple is debating whether to hire your services, a photographer who has taken the time to develop a personal connection and demonstrate why they would be over the moon to shoot their wedding will stand out from those who simply copy and paste standard messaging templates…

…and when they remember the whole experience of working with you, it won’t just be the day of the event – it’ll be all the giggles and ‘aw’ moments that they’ve enjoyed throughout your communication. 

This is why your copy has to communicate the experience of hiring you, over simply talking about tangible deliverables.

And as for the surly chap who’s complaining about high fees and thinking he can get it much cheaper elsewhere?

Honestly, he’s never going to be your client anyway. He’ll be at home, eating sardines on toast and flicking through selfies. And that’s fine, no judgement here.

But the couples who are on the fence about choosing you over a slightly cheaper alternative? These are the ones you can convince with experience-focused copy. 

Reservations open at 8pm. Let’s fill those seats!