How to Run a Portrait Sales Session Over a Video Call

Not every photographer has a sales room, and not every client wants to drive across town to see their photos. A video call solves both. Done properly, it can work almost as well as sitting together on a sofa, and some clients prefer it because they're at home, looking at their actual walls.

The risk is that a video call turns into a slideshow with you talking over it. This guide covers how to avoid that.

Before the call

Book it like an appointment

Treat a video sales session as seriously as an in-person one. Book a specific time, around 60 minutes, when everyone who'll make the decision can join. If one partner is going to "look later," the decision will wait for them, and you'll spend the next week following up.

Get the wall photo first

Ask the client to send a photo of the wall they want to decorate, ideally at booking or during a pre-session consultation. Straight on, in daylight, with the width and height measured or an A4 sheet taped to the wall. You'll design on this during the call, so you need it a few days ahead, not halfway through.

Prepare a short edit

Cull to the images you'd be proud to see on a wall. For a family session, 25 to 40 is usually plenty. More than that and the call turns into an hour of "ooh, and that one."

Set up two or three wall art options on their wall photo in advance, based on what you discussed. You'll still design with them live, but you want a strong starting point ready.

Check your setup

• A laptop or desktop, not a phone. You need to share a screen large enough for them to see detail.
• A second screen if you have one. Share the screen showing the gallery and keep your notes and prices on the other.
• Headphones with a microphone. Video calls with laptop speakers pick up echo, and it's tiring for everyone.
• A test call. Share your screen with a friend once to check what the client will see, including whether colours look right.

Ask the client to join on the biggest screen they have. A TV or laptop is far better than a phone for seeing the images at a sensible size.

During the call

Start with a short slideshow

Open with your favourite images set to music, three to four minutes at most. Turn your own camera off and stay quiet. You want them reacting to the photos, not watching you watch them.

Shortlist together

Go back through the images and ask them to sort each one into yes, maybe or no. Keep it quick and don't argue with a no. You'll usually end up with 10 to 15 yeses, which is the pool you design from.

Design on their wall

This is the part that makes a remote session work. Put their wall photo on screen with a collection already on it, at true size. Then ask them which images they'd like to swap in.

Let them lead. Ask questions like "would you rather see the three of them together or the kids on their own?" and change the design as they talk. When they can see the piece hanging above their own sofa, at the real size, the conversation shifts from whether to buy to which version to buy.

If they're unsure between two sizes, show both on the wall one after the other. It usually takes seconds for them to choose, and it's often the bigger one.

Talk about price plainly

When they're happy with a design, name the price. If they mentioned a budget earlier, refer back to it. If the design is above it, offer the nearest option that fits rather than waiting for them to ask.

If you offer payment plans or Afterpay, mention it once at this point. Some clients will choose a larger piece when they can spread the cost.

Close the order on the call

The biggest mistake in remote sessions is ending the call with "have a think and let me know." The images are fresh, both decision makers are there, and they've just designed the wall themselves. That moment rarely comes back.

Instead, send the order or payment link while you're still talking, and stay on while they complete it. Something like:

I'll send that through to you now so it's locked in, and you can pay in the link. I'll stay on in case anything doesn't look right.

If they genuinely need more time, agree on a specific follow-up date before you hang up, and send them the gallery link so they can look again. A client who can open their own wall with the design on it later is far more likely to order than one trying to remember what they saw.

After the call

• Send a short thank-you with a summary of what they ordered and when to expect it.
• If they didn't order, follow up on the date you agreed. Not before, not three days after.
• Note what worked. If clients keep stalling at the same point, that's the step to fix next time.

Video call or in person?

Both work. In person still has the edge for clients who want to hold sample frames and feel paper. Video calls win when distance, young children or busy schedules make an appointment hard to arrange, and they have one advantage people don't expect: the client is sitting in the room they're decorating. They can look up from the screen at the actual wall.

Many photographers offer both, and let the client choose.

Where to start

1. Offer a video sales session as an option for your next booking.
2. Ask for the wall photo at least three days before the call.
3. Set up two or three designs on their wall before you start.
4. Send the order link during the call, not afterwards.

Portrait Reveal was built for exactly this kind of session. Share the gallery on screen, design collections on the client's own wall at true size, and send a private link so they can order and pay, including with Afterpay where eligible. US$14.99/month, 14 days free, no credit card. Comparing tools for remote and in-person sales? See our guide to IPS software, or Portrait Reveal vs ProSelect if you are weighing a desktop install against a browser.