When premium becomes luxury

What to do after the contract is signed

Hello! I hope you had a really fun 4th of July weekend and no matter how busy it was for you work-wise that you got to do some fun summer things. I feel like I packed an entire summer vacation into the one weekend - boating, beach days, BBQs, went for a hike, slept in the air conditioning, read a couple of books, took some outdoor showers. I did a lot, it was great!

At some point over the weekend, I noticed that I had a nice Instagram DM from one of you asking if it’s OK to have a premium-style booking process, followed by a luxury-style service.

(Housekeeping note here - it is completely fine to DM me on IG, but I am not there very often. I don’t look at Instagram every day! So for faster answers, always feel free to reply to this email in your inbox, or hit the “message” button at the end of this post to DM me here. Also, asking your questions in the post comments helps everyone!)

The answer is YES, and also that it’s really smart. This ties into another conversation that came up on the Freeda chat boards after my live chat with Anja, which was basically about how to do B2B sales if you’re providing a luxury service to the eventual client (like if you’re a photographer, and your service is luxury, but you’re effectively selling to, and alongside, a planner before you get to the client).

I firmly believe that in an industry like ours, where the client has generally never interacted with the service we provide (and they don’t really know what they are looking for or what to expect from a service perspective), we have to meet them in a place that feels frictionless.

Further, if you are typically not the creative partner that gets brought on to the project first, and you are usually hired by a planner (looking at you photographers, video teams, florists, hair & makeup artists etc), you have to know who it is that you’re selling to. Is it really the client, or is it actually the planner?

What feels like luxury in the sales process to the client is different than what will feel like luxury in the sales process to the planner.

There’s a *a lot* we could cover here, so we will circle back to this topic, because I think it’s really important! (Like: how do I vet my clients when there’s a planner controlling the flow of communication?!) But today, what I’d like to do is continue our luxury vs premium audit process because I think the key to providing a luxury service when your booking process is built to more of a premium/ultra premium standard is in your onboarding.

So this week, we’re going to look at the second phase of the client journey - onboarding - and explore where premium and luxury diverge here, and how you can intentionally shape that experience to feel elevated, personal, and frictionless.

Because here’s the thing:

If your inquiry and booking process is designed to feel efficient and approachable (think: premium/ultra premium), your onboarding is the moment to start creating a luxury environment.

This is especially true if you’re in a B2B flow, like when a planner is referring you and your client is effectively saying “yes” without a lot of preamble. Your onboarding is often the first time they experience you directly, and it sets the tone for everything that follows.

Finally, your onboarding is where you can begin shifting the dynamic from service provider to trusted guide, a cornerstone of luxury positioning.

Below, I’ve created a detailed audit guide showing exactly how premium and luxury onboarding diverge, with clear examples of both approaches. I’ve also included a guided reflection exercise to help you pinpoint where you stand and decide if any changes are right for you.

Step 2: How Premium becomes Luxury, right after contract

Onboarding & Early Planning: Premium vs. Luxury

Below is a guide to help you evaluate how your onboarding experience shows up on the spectrum from premium to luxury.

1. Welcome & Orientation

Premium:

• Clear, organized confirmation email.

• Contract and invoice handled promptly.

• Possibly an onboarding form or checklist.

Luxury: