Welcome to Grab Shots - Just like grab shots in photography these will be just as random. It's a series of random thoughts about the photographic industry, people in general, business and life. I'm going to keep them short and do my best to "plant a few seeds". See what you think of this first one...
It’s okay to day dream – in fact , great day dreams give you a chance to really do something since you remember them and are still awake. Allow yourself the time to just kick back and dream a few "what ifs?" "You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it." Neil Gaiman "Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night". Edgar Allan Poe
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by Skip Cohen While I hate "selling" in a blog - I guess there are some of you who will suggest that's what I'm about to do. Actually there's a great quote from yesterday's post on just this topic: "Selling to people through social media is like going to a party, meeting somebody for the first time, and then saying, ‘Hey, do you want to buy this Tupperware?’” Pat Flynn So, I'm taking a risk, but those of you who either know me or know my reputation also know how much I believe in education. I've been asked why the cost of this year and last year's summer program is more expensive than the original Skip's Summer School? It's an easy answer - It's about quality in education. The original program was classroom style lectures designed for 300+ people. We sat in a ballroom and listened to a lot of incredible presentations, one after another, but it was all one way communication. A speaker came in, did a two hour program and was finished. Last year and this year's program has a serious hands-on element and we've promised no class will exceed 20 photographers. That also means the instructors are teaching for two full days, plus participating in other programs and being accessible to all the attendees. Why 20 in a class? Because any more than that and you lose the quality of the experience. This is about helping you to become a better photographer and business person and it won't happen in crowded programs where you don't get quality time with the instructor. I know the economy is tough and keeping up with technology and consumer trends even tougher, but these summer programs aren't just about helping you grow your skill set, but giving you a community that can become a resource for you in the future. There are a lot of free programs out there and webinars, videos and blog posts. I'm a fan of most of them, but you can't learn to be a great photographer without good solid hands-on training and a great network. We're working hard to give you both. Plus, there are some great ways to make this year's program more affordable... Alumni Discount: If you've been to a previous Skip's Summer School you qualify for the Alumni program and can save $100. Save Me a Seat allows you to essentially put the program on layaway - paying the majority of the cost 60 days after the workshop - not due until October 1. Just announced - Panasonic's LUMIX team and Photodex are helping make this year's program with Suzette Allen, Hybrid 101, even more affordable with a $200 instant savings plus a year of ProShow Web Premium ($150 value). Here's your chance to be a leader in new technology instead of a follower later on. Each of these offers are unique to SCU. They cannot be combined, but offer you an opportunity to get quality education and an incredible experience. Summer Session is virtually guaranteed to give you a solid return on your investment - the investment in a stronger skill set! $200 Credit from Venice Album: Last but not least, every attendee receives a $200 credit at Venice Album on any order of $400 or more good until the end of the year - this is exclusive to SCU and it's profit that goes directly to your bottom line. This year's program is going to be amazing and the last one we're doing in this unique format, but there's one more thing that comes along with a program like this - my team's support to help you THRIVE, not just survive. This isn't a program that just happens and then everybody disappears - we're here to help you all year long and if you don't believe me ask a few people in the Skip's Summer School group on Facebook. Looking forward to seeing you in Chicago...and if you've still got questions just send me an email, skip@mei500.com. Over the past two weeks I've written eight posts in the One Step at a Time series - each one covers another aspect to help you build a stronger business model. I'm going to step away from the series this morning and give you a chance to let it all sink in. However, I'm not stepping away from the most critical component of a successful business, trust. I’ve written about trust a few times in the past, but just for a second, think about what it means to be a professional photographer. With the exception of the medical community, I can’t think of any other profession that involves such a profound level of trust with an outside “vendor”. Think about the fact that you really are an “outside vendor”, a contractor. As a professional photographer you’re invited into people’s homes. You’ve had very serious conversations with your clients to understand how they perceive themselves and in turn how their portrait or event should best be captured. On the family side of life, you’ve been introduced to their children, families and asked to attend family functions. You’ve met the grandparents and the out of town relatives. You’ve even been asked for suggestions on what they should wear, including their hair, makeup etc. You know their birthdays, anniversaries, likes, dislikes, hobbies – you might even know their food allergies. “To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” G. MacDonald I've heard great photographers, especially on the wedding side of the business, describe the roles they've played as artists, friends, consultants, psychologists, actors, producers, therapists, designers, decorators, even "amateur clergy" and the list goes on and on. You're looking for clients to give you their most valuable commodity, their trust. If you’ve made the leap to calling yourself a professional photographer then here’s what every client deserves. Every client deserves...
Illustration Credit: © kreizihorse - Fotolia.com
by Skip Cohen Copyright Jeff Henshaw. All Rights Reserved. Here's one more reason why I love the Internet and social media... I'm the biggest photographer's groupie in the industry. I love what you guys do and I've written about it before. I am NOT a professional photographer, even though I know more than I let on. Having been president of Hasselblad and Rangefinder Magazine/WPPI I've had some of the finest photographers in the world as teachers, but my personal passion is the marketing side of the industry. The Internet gives me a chance to follow the trends in photography. I follow dozens of blogs, forums and we probably share some of the same icons. But the best part of social media comes with actually calling and talking with some of the photographers whose posts I'm reading. Yesterday a post in the Newbie Professional Photographers forum caught my eye and I love what Jeff Henshaw wrote. I don't know a single thing about what started it, but I've seen so many forums that lost their momentum because of the "thin skins" he mentioned. I immediately called him to see if he was okay with me lifting his post. Here's what Jeff wrote and for anybody who has a problem with a little adult language, try not to be offended... An unsolicited OPINION on the "people are being mean" vein there seems to be going through this page... If there is one thing in "business" that gets you damn near nowhere, it is thin skin... As someone who loves photography, I cannot get behind the idea of a group of people who are out to seek out critiques only to be outraged when they receive a response/opinion/judgement that tells them that they shit the bed. As someone who has taken far more sh*tty pictures than great ones, I'll tell you what.... the opinions offered that I actually considered/valued were often the opinion of my wife who knew me best and knew that the pictures I was taking were shit. How about we all take ourselves a little less seriously, value our work a little more seriously and as a result have a better documented experience of this crazy shared experience we all live out called life? ... Jeff Henshaw Jeff is based in Massachusetts and I love his comment about "value your work a little more seriously". I loved the shot on the left from one of his galleries and enjoyed his attitude even more. He's not an experienced veteran, but he's got the passion and is working to build his business. The truth is, put your work out there for critique, take it all with a grain of salt, accept that everyone has their opinion and accept that some people just need to be trolls. Work to create images that leave people speechless. Make your work habit-forming and never compromise on the quality of any image. In the end remember what my good buddy, Dean Collins, used to say. All the critique in the world doesn't matter if your client liked the image. Why? Because... "Beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder!" by Scott Bourne
(While these mistakes also encompass other areas of the professional photography business, at their core, they are marketing mistakes. See if you are making any of these mistakes and what you can do to correct them.) 1. Don't think about selling your image to the masses. Think about selling to people who live in your own zip code. Trying to start out like you're Ansel Adams with big gallery sales all across the country isn't going to happen. Just own your own zip code and don't worry about your images going viral. 2. Don't spend money on a studio, lights, camera gear, backgrounds, etc. until you actually have a customer. You can rent all the stuff you need to do a shoot. In fact, the big shots mostly rent everything when they are shooting big jobs. Why should you aim to be any different? 3. Don't focus on launching until you can sell. Focus on sales. Spend your time selling. Learn everything you can about the sales process. Read every sales book you can get your hands on. Expect to spend way, way more time selling than shooting. If you're doing it the other way around you're going to end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard. 4. Don't worry about a business plan if you don't have a superb portfolio. Develop a killer portfolio before you worry about building a business plan. Make sure you have honed your craft. Make sure you know what you are doing. Don't worry about the big plan. Worry about being a great photographer with a great portfolio where every single image rocks your world. 5. Don't think you can run a photo business just because you are a great photographer. You need to be good at all the things that go with running a business, or get help doing those things. You need to have good bookkeeping, inventory control, accounting, legal, marketing, branding and sales on board before you even think about entering photography as a business. 6. Don't run your business with a negative mind. Too many photographers spend their time and money trying to build a wall around their photo business. Don't write 100 page contracts. Don't treat your customers or prospects as if they are out to cheat you. Just have a good attitude and move ahead. 7. Don't fake it until you make it. If you can't carry your weight, you'll ruin your reputation. So if a client says "can you do aerial photography?" and you've never even been in an airplane, don't say yes. You may want to partner with someone who can do that, you may want to refer the prospect to someone else, but don't claim you can do it if you can't because you will suffer from a bad reputation with that prospect and all their friends for all time. Photo Credit: © bluedesign - Fotolia.com I love Sunday mornings because it's the one time I allow myself to simply be random. I keep reading comments from photographers, both new and more seasoned, who keep chasing "success" as if it was something defined by one particular action. Success is something that simply evolves. The secret is hard work, consistency and patience and everyone's definition is different. So, I went looking for quotes that better hit what I think the definition at least should be. If you love doing something, then like Nike's slogan, "Just do it". That couldn't be more simple and of all people Bob Dylan said it best: "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do." Wishing all of you an outstanding close to the weekend. Hug your family and friends and just kick back and enjoy the day. Work will still be waiting for you tomorrow morning! For me, if you've got a smile on your face you're a success! ...and if you don't know who Bob Dylan is, please don't tell me! It ain't easy getting old! LOL I'm not sure if this is a heavy topic or one of those that's so light it almost sounds trite, but happiness is on my mind this morning...
It's so important for you to really love what you’re doing. That doesn’t mean every job has to make you smile all the time, but all of us do share the passion for the craft, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog. So, regardless of where you are in your career, it’s important to have a plan. You don’t have to spend hours writing it all out, just take some time and day dream a little. Think about what it is you love to work on most and then set some goals on how to get there and do more of it. For me, when I launched the new company over four years ago, I knew I loved to write and loved the marketing side of photography. I also knew I loved working with photographers. I wanted to develop tools to help more photographers realize their true potential. That's why we built Skip's Summer School and then had it evolve into this site, SCU and the August program. We've still got some openings in our classes this year. I know there's a lot to choose from out there, but if you follow the buzz, year after year people have described the program as life-changing. We designed it so it would give people an opportunity to expand their skill set, leave with ideas on how to increase revenue, and recharge their battery before the fourth quarter. Summer Session is going to be pretty remarkable - not because of anything I did, but because of the quality of the faculty involved and so many of you need to be there. It's hard to not let the challenges in technology, the economy and consumer trends beat you up now and then. We all feel it. Even your most favorite icons have days when they wake up and can't seem to focus. That's when they recognize the need to step back and work on a special project, walk away from the business for a day or two and take a break. They've learned to follow their hearts. And, great photography is all about heart. Whatever you’re feeling comes out in your images and even the expressions on your subjects. You can't create images that pull at people's heart strings if you're heart isn't in it. You don’t get those natural fun expressions if you’re screaming “1-2-3 Smile” and then thinking “Thank God that’s over!” Photography is from the heart, about the heart and your images need to grab the hearts of the people who look at them! “A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.” Ansel Adams Illustration Credit: © Marek - Fotolia.com Making sure your website is working the way it should and showing great images is critical, but how about another significant area that makes for an effective website? “About Us” or “About Me” is just about the most abused category on most of your websites, no matter what your specialty. Here’s where you have a chance to create something amazing, yet over and over again, photographers miss the opportunity. They’ll waste the space talking about their accolades. They'll talk about their gear. They waste the most valuable piece of real estate on their site talking about how they got started in photography. That would be totally relevant, IF you were doing a presentation to a thousand professional photographers at a convention. It would also be perfect if your target audience was aspiring professional professional photographers. I'm assuming your target is primarily consumers, so.... This is a wake-up call...your clients don't care how you got started!!! What they do care about is why you're a photographer. They want to hear how much you love to capture memories. They want to know why you love doing what you do so well, because they need to know they can trust you. They're looking for a chance to look into your heart. Yeah, that sounds pretty sappy, but think about who you are and what you’re expecting people to do. This is all about trust! You’re asking a potential client to trust you to be their eyes for the day at a wedding, for a family portrait, for a children’s shoot, either with a Day In The Life theme or a portrait session. With a commercial client, you want them to hire you because of the confidence they have for you to capture images of the concept or products near and dear to their hearts and livelihood. You’re asking a client to trust that your mindset and vision is the same as theirs! So, let’s take a good look at your opening statement in your About section. There needs to be a statement about who you are and what you bring to the party. Scott Bourne refers to it as his “artist’s statement” and every photographer needs to have one. I happen to love calling it an “artist statement” rather than “mission statement”. Mission statement is too much out of the 70’s and too corporate. Photography is definitely an art form and you’re an artist, so let’s give people something they can relate to. Make your statement from the heart! You want to convey both your passion and your ability to capture an event in a way that exceeds their vision. Scott Bourne's artist’s statement, has a few favorite sentences that to me convey what he’s all about: …”As a wildlife artist, my gift is to know how to “show up prepared” to interact with beauty that I do not control. I must learn to be at peace with my subject on their terms, not on mine. I struggle with finding the patience and the path. But when that struggle becomes the hardest, I remember my calling. I speak for the creatures which have no voice. Perhaps this is why the experience is so emotional for me.” Two other simple tips - do your about piece in the first person, because it's you talking to a visitor who just walked into your "store". Second, sign your statement with your signature or a facsimile. Make it personal, the same way artists sign their work. I’m convinced you can’t be in business today without a website, but how well that website works for you is entirely up to you. There may be lots of technology short cuts in building the infrastructure of the site itself, but there are absolutely no short cuts to convincing potential clients you’re the one they need to hire! I know this video has been all over the Internet. In fact, I have it up in another area of the site right now. It's Justin and Mary Marantz's about video. I'm not saying you need to have a video for your about section, but think about the message this conveys. It's considered one of the very best about pieces in wedding photography. One last point...
Your about section and your galleries are the two most important elements on your website. My personal favorite is to show galleries first, your about section next and then information and your contact page, but you've got a lot to think about with just this post today. We'll hit a few more website tips on Monday. Go and take a serious look at your about section - does it really convey what your clients want to hear? And if you want help organizing and restructuring your site, join us at Marketing Boot Camp on August 11 and then Summer Session for the next three days - I can promise you'll leave with a stronger message and a better identified target audience! Got questions? Just email me - I'll do my best to get back to everybody ASAP, skip@mei500.com. Illustration Credit: © HaywireMedia - Fotolia.com Just wishing everybody an outstanding 4th of July. For me, I'm attempting to do something I never do or at least don't do enough of...I'm taking the day off - no other post, except this one. No tweets except to wish everybody on Twitter a Happy 4th of July...and no posts on Facebook, except the same sentiment. If you're traveling, travel safe...if you're doing a traditional barbecue don't burn the burgers...if you're some place where it's hot - don't leave the potato salad or coleslaw in the sun...and don't drive if you've got a buzz from the beer, wine or margaritas! If you're outside the US and it's not a national holiday today, then just accept my sincerity in hoping it's a great day for you anyway. Most important of all hug your family, enjoy your friends and give yourself a pat on the back for having the right priorities today. "Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow." Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You For Sheila, me and my Dad who's coming over for a barbecue...we've had enough rain in Florida to easily find a rainbow to slide down! It's just a short post, thanks to the incompetence of customer service at USAirways. My post from two weeks ago, explains the challenge. USAirways called last week, I responded and then today came another call...
The rep that called had no idea what my compliant really was and had never read the blog post, even though I sent them the link. However, she did say, "I don't have time to read blog posts since I have so many customers that need my help." So, here are the key points to remember in your own customer care operations: 1. When you have a challenge respond quickly and have some solution ready to offer your customer. 2. At least read what customers send you, whether it's a letter, spray painted on the side of a building or carved into a tree! LOL 3. Before you contact a customer make sure you at least understand the complaint! One of the best explanations of great customer service I've ever read is from Gandhi: “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.” © IckeT - Fotolia.com |
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