I started Fast Food Fridays after taking a scroll through the SCU archives.  Seeing how much content has been generated on topics to help you build a stronger business over the last five years, it made sense to do something a little more concise.   

Knowing how so many of you are artists who hate to focus on the operational side of your business, I decided to break your business down into small doses of fixable challenges. Well, here we are with the sixth installment, hitting another easy to fix component of your business.
  
While your website is about what you sell, and your blog is about what's in your heart, with many of you it's hard to tell the difference, especially when it comes to the logistics of your website.  For example, why make it hard for people to contact you? If they love your work, then stop making them jump through hoops to get more information.

On the menu for today is your contact page. There's no such thing as giving people too much information when they're excited and want to reach you!

​I'm not against contact pages, just the limits so many of you put on them! Think about the last time you wanted to contact any company and how good it felt when you could communicate with a live body. Knowing that, then why limit contact to just a template form? We live in a robotic-default-choice world when it comes to communication, and here's a chance to put yourself ahead of most of your competitors.

I completely understand if you don't want to put an address down if you work out of your home, but give people a phone number to call and an email address, if they'd like to write to you directly.  Then, give them the third option of filling out an online response form.

If you're going to use a template form, then let's keep it short. Some of you have decided to sneak in a survey and ask for everything from "How did you hear about us?" to requests to fast for 12 hours before submitting a blood test! Yes, I'm exaggerating a little, but just use the contact form to make contact. Personally, I would keep the form as simple as possible and save more detailed questions once you talk with the client.

Years ago a good buddy of mine passed away unexpectedly, and a bunch of us took to the phones. One well-known professional photographer had moved, and we gave up trying to contact him before the funeral. There was no phone number on his site and no new address.  

Months later I saw him at a convention and mentioned how we couldn't find him because there was no number on his site. His response still blows me away,

                                            "I don't want people calling me! I haven't got time for phone calls!"

There's not one ounce of embellishment in this story. He really just wanted contact via email.  For the rest of you though, how great would it be to have your website so fantastic that your phone rang non-stop?  Give people a phone number and if you want to impress them even more, your cell number as well. Then give them your email address.

It's a straightforward lesson to remember and one that your grandmother probably taught you years ago - treat people the way you'd like to be treated. It's so easy to be accessible!

Intro by Skip Cohen

My good buddy Scott Bourne wrote this for the launch of SCU four years ago. Reading through it this morning, it couldn't be more valid. Although a piece of Scott's approach in this post is more commercial/fine art in nature, the foundation for pricing is the same. I wish I could get every photographer to read this, regardless of their specialty.

It's time for so many of you to stop waiting for the "Profit Fairy" to sprinkle her magic dust on your business. The truth is, improving profitability is relatively easy, but you have to take the time to think it through, starting with your goals.

Pricing is the "Achille's Heel" for so many of you. You price things based on what you think they're worth without any regard to your actual costs. To paraphrase something Sal Cincotta once said,
                
                                                   "Nothing can screw up your business more than bad pricing!"

And here's one more gem from an industry leader. Denis Reggie made this comment in a workshop at least twenty years ago, and I never forgot it:

                        "Don't price your work on what you can afford. It was years before I could afford myself!"

It's a new year and in 2017 let's get your business on the right track and start paying attention to pricing and your bottom line. Your top line (gross sales) is meaningless because it's not how much you make, but how much you keep. And, unless your goal is to become a formal 501c3 non-profit, making money isn't something to be ashamed about.

This is the first business day of the new year, and for many of you, it's still part of the holiday weekend. Take the time to think about your business and the importance of profitability. Let's get you out of macaroni & cheese every night and into a steak now and then!

By Scott Bourne

Pricing photography is the second hardest thing you will ever do as a professional photographer. (Finding the right clients is the first hardest.) It’s very easy to make mistakes when pricing and once they’re made, it’s hard to recover from them. So start out right.

One disclaimer: Not every pricing method works for every photographer. Much depends on the current state of the market and the genre (i.e., wedding, commercial, fine art, food, etc.) I’ll try to stick to some universal ideas in these posts.

Start at the Beginning: You can’t effectively price your work until you understand what it is you’re selling.

You are not selling square inches of paper for the cost of printing them. For some reason, the first element that seems to enter some photographers’ minds when making a pricing decision is the size of the print. This “brick wall” has cost many photographers money. The most important thing to keep in mind is the value of your work, not the size of the print. You build this value by evaluating ALL the factors that go into making a salable image.

So what are you selling? How about your creativity and unique ability to capture something that others do not see? Anyone can buy a camera, but can they capture the image exactly the way you do? How about the time you have invested in training for the moment when you captured the image? That time needs to be taken into consideration. Your mechanic, doctor, accountant, and lawyer all get paid for the time they spend doing the work. Shouldn’t you be paid too? You also have to consider the level of your present technical ability. The casual amateur should not be able to get the most out of the same equipment as an experienced professional. And speaking of equipment, you must also take into consideration the value of your gear. So, as you are deciding how to price your work, make sure you take into account and charge for your logistical skills, experience, time and your ability to translate your client’s desires into a visual statement.

Know what you’re selling before you try to sell it. This will help you avoid many mistakes later.

Pricing Economics: In order to price something well, you must know the economics. Here are some key things to keep in mind:

A) Overhead
B) Profit margin
C) The market you are serving

Calculating your overhead requires that you consider all the costs that are associated with being a professional photographer.  This includes:

A) Equipment depreciation
B) Insurance
C) Rent
D) Licenses
E) Legal fees
F) Accounting fees
G) Payroll fees
H) Salaries
U) Taxes
J) Utilities
K) Production
L) Repairs
M) Printing
N) Postage
O) Office supplies
P) Subscriptions
Q) Professional dues
R) Advertising/marketing
S) Transportation/shipping
T) Travel

Calculating your profit may be a bit easier. You consider your cost of doing business by allowing for a percentage of your overhead to be applied to the cost of each job. From there, mark up your price to include a standard profit margin. This can be based on any number you want but a good starting point is to double the cost of your product (100 percent profit margin).

Now you also need to adjust this figure based on the market type you are serving. Is the image being used in a small or large market? Will thousands of people see it or just a few? What is the perceived value to the client? How does the client plan to use your image? Who is your competition and what choices does your client have besides you for this type of image? Are there 50 photographers in the mix or only two or three? Consider these factors to calculate your fee.

When you sell or license an image, it is likely that you will have to negotiate the price with a savvy photo buyer. Knowing how to negotiate can save you time, money and help you close profitable deals. Remember that negotiating is just problem solving. Both parties have something they need to accomplish and the negotiation makes it happen.

You must not take ANY of the issues that arise during a negotiation personally. The buyer is supposed to try to get the best deal that he or she can. That’s their job. Your job is the same.

The essential steps in the negotiating process are: establish rapport, gather information, do research, ask questions, and let the buyer do most of the talking. In any negotiation, the person who listens most is likely to gain more. In any negotiation, it’s always very important that you do more listening than talking. Otherwise, you will miss important clues, both physical and verbal, that will help you resolve the deal.

Before quoting a price, you must try to educate the client and build the value of the image you are selling. Make sure that the client understands the effort, time and expense you invested to make this image. If the image is truly one-of-a-kind or was made at personal risk, those factors translate directly into the value of what you have for sale.

Try to encourage the client to place an opening bid. If the buyer is the first one to name a price, I believe you will be rewarded with a higher fee. A good way to open the negotiation process is to ask a question like, “What’s the most you would be willing to pay to use my image or purchase my print?” If you are forced to begin the negotiation process by offering a figure, an alternative is to begin with a number that is twice your standard price plus 10 percent. Once this figure is given, you can work down from there.

But remember, if you give a number first, you run the risk of quoting a price that is much lower than the buyer was willing to pay, and you’ll never know what figure they were willing to pay. So, let your clients do the talking. Then, you should listen, take notes, and preferably wait for them to tell you what they can afford.

If the client has pricing objections, be sure to return to the rapport building and value enhancement stages outlined above. Usually, a price objection really means that there is another piece of information you have not uncovered.  It is likely that there is something else you have not offered that the client really wants or needs. This is why it’s crucial to listen more than you talk and ask plenty of questions to uncover hidden needs.

Once you have taken all the necessary steps, be sure to ask for the order. A surprising number of photographic sales don’t happen simply because the seller has forgotten to ask for the sale.

(NOTE: Negotiating with magazines is not possible unless you are a famous photographer with images that are in great demand. When you approach magazines, understand that you will only get paid their standard rates.)

by Skip Cohen

I wrote a post on a similar topic several years ago, but I've meet so many artists online recently and I'm amazed at the different perceptions they have of their business. With the first quarter trade show and convention season just around the corner, I'll be meeting more in person and I know I'll continue to be surprised at the different levels of enthusiam with each artist I meet.
 
I found a terrific quote a few years ago that Martina Navratilova is given credit for:

 "The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs.
The chicken is involved; the pig is committed!"

Running across that quote recently, it got me thinking about our industry, because we've got too many people who are involved, rather than committed.  Photography is an art form, not just in the capture and creation of the final image, but in the relationship each artist has with their clients and the passion for the craft.

An involved photographer gets the job done, has a goal to at best be average and spends too much time looking at the revenue stream.

Committed photographers can't stop thinking about their images. While they're obviously concerned about revenue, they're more concerned about creating an experience for each client. They're looking for ways to give back to the community. Their hearts skip a beat when they download images from a portrait sitting, commercial shoot or an event. They spend more time listening to their clients than they do talking to them.
 
If you're a regular reader here at SCU you're more than likely committed, rather than just involved. However, odds are you know somebody who's on the fence between involvement and commitment. So here are eight questions to help you define the difference and maybe share to help them better define their goals.

1. Are you excited when you meet a new client? Do you find yourself thinking about the images you're going to capture and create in advance, seeing them through your "mind's eye"?
2. If you're photographing a wedding for example, do you find yourself rushing to download images and watch the way the story unfolds?
3. When you think about the people who you admire most, are many of them other photographers?
4. Do you find yourself sad when leaving a photographic convention or workshop? At the same time are you loaded with energy to apply some of the new things you've learned? Do you stay in touch with people you've met at previous photographic events?
   
5. Do you spend most mornings excited about the day ahead versus wishing you could just stay in bed for the day?
6. Do you feel naked when there's not a camera on your shoulder, in your pocket or in your car?
7. When you look at a stunning image do you find yourself wondering how it was created and then working to find out more?
8. Do you find yourself angry when you see images that were made my photographers who you know simply said to themselves, "That's good enough."

Okay, there it is, my top eight, but there are so many more. Feel free to add to my list via the comment section below and I'll do an extension of this post with your additions.

Most important of all, being committed is about unstoppable passion! There's little else you can see yourself doing.  While it's directed to the topic of relationships, I found a quote that really hits home and being a photographer is about a relationship with your craft.

My good buddy Scott Bourne wrote this post for me several years ago on my first blog. I shared it again, exactly three years ago today.  With PPE kicking off this week it's a great topic and the timing couldn't be better to share this with you.  Whether you're headed to PPE, IUSA in January, WPPI in February, ShutterFest in April or any local or state show, networking is a key reason to attend every possible conference.

by Scott Bourne

Building a strong network is critical to your growth and the success of your business. Unfortunately, over and over again I see so many photographers making the same mistakes at every trade show, convention or workshop. Here are five of the most common ones for you to hopefully take note and stay away from.

1. Be prepared. I mean really prepared. Bring business cards (yes I know it's basic but I admit that once or twice I forgot mine so you might too.) Make sure you're properly groomed. Bugs in your teeth won't win you many friends. Dress appropriately.

2. Don't interrupt. If someone you want to meet  or network with is talking with someone else, you won't make a very good impression if you bulldog your way to the front of the line. Wait your turn.

3. Don't talk too much about yourself. Don't brag. Don't profile. Don't strut. Be humble. I know it's hard to be humble when you're as great as you are, but try. Listen to what other people think. Let them finish their thoughts. Ask follow up questions to show that you are interested and listening.

4. Don't be shy. If you want to network, you can't do it from the back of the room. You have to be willing to put yourself out there. Go for it.

5. Don't monopolize your new friends' time. Networking is simple. You introduce yourself. You listen to what your new friend has to say. You exchange cards. You figure out if there's anything you can do to help your new friend. You make an action plan to follow up with each other and you move on. Everyone at a networking event is looking for a chance to make new contacts. Let them. Take your turn and move along.

Networking can be very valuable. Skip and I have built entire businesses and careers around networking. Get off on the right foot and avoid these mistakes. You'll be better off for it.

Illustration Credit: © ova - Fotolia.com

Intro by Skip Cohen
 
There's been a lot written about pricing for professional photographers, but this post out of the SCU Archives by good buddy Scott Bourne is still one of the best because he hits on more than just the normal pricing considerations for portrait and wedding artists. 

I decided to share it today because it's a new year and if you don't get your pricing right, you'll never make it beyond mac 'n cheese for dinner in 2016!

Last week I got into a discussion with a well-respected photographer at IUSA, and our guess was over 90% of the attendees at the convention won't know if they made money last year until after they've met with their accountants between now and April 15. Even if we're a little high in our estimate, it's a challenge that's so easily changed if you just take the time to analyze ALL of your costs.

So, let's start the year out right and check out Scott's suggestions. There's also a great post by Bryan Caporicci from last year that hits on more ideas as you set your prices for the new year. Bryan even built a "what to charge" calculator on the sproutingphotographer.com website to help you in the process. The link is in his guest post.

You've got to pay attention to ALL of your costs. There are so many of you who forget to consider all the different things you've done to set up your business and then keep it going!

​By Scott Bourne

Pricing photography is the second hardest thing you will ever do as a professional photographer. (Finding the right clients is the first hardest.) It’s very easy to make mistakes when pricing and once they’re made, it’s hard to recover from them. So start out right.

One disclaimer: Not every pricing method works for every photographer. Much depends on the current state of the market and the genre (i.e., wedding, commercial, fine art, food, etc.) I’ll try to stick to some universal ideas in this post.

Start at the Beginning

You can’t effectively price your work until you understand what it is you’re selling.

You are not selling square inches of paper for the cost of printing them. For some reason, the first element that seems to enter some photographers’ minds when making a pricing decision is the size of the print. This “brick wall” has cost many photographers money. The most important thing to keep in mind is the value of your work, not the size of the print. You build this value by evaluating ALL the factors that go into making a salable image.

So what are you selling? How about your creativity and unique ability to capture something others do not see? Anyone can buy a camera, but can they capture the image exactly the way you do? How about the time you have invested in training for the moment when you captured the image? That time needs to be taken into consideration. Your mechanic, doctor, accountant, and lawyer all get paid for the time they spend doing the work. Shouldn’t you be paid too? You also have to consider the level of your present technical ability. The casual amateur should not be able to get the most out of the same equipment as an experienced professional.

And, speaking of equipment, you must also take into consideration the value of your gear. So, as you are deciding how to price your work, make sure you take into account and charge for your logistical skills, experience, time and your ability to translate your client’s desires into a visual statement. Know what you’re selling before you try to sell it. This will help you avoid many mistakes later.

Pricing Economics

In order to price something well, you must know the economics. Here are some key things to keep in mind:

A) Overhead
B) Profit margin
C) The market you are serving

Calculating your overhead requires that you consider all the costs associated with being a professional photographer.  These includes:

A) Equipment depreciation
B) Insurance
C) Rent
D) Licenses
E) Legal fees
F) Accounting fees
G) Payroll fees
H) Salaries
U) Taxes
J) Utilities
K) Production
L) Repairs
M) Printing
N) Postage
O) Office supplies
P) Subscriptions
Q) Professional dues
R) Advertising/marketing
S) Transportation/shipping
T) Travel

Calculating your profit may be a bit easier. You consider your cost of doing business by allowing for a percentage of your overhead to be applied to the cost of each job. From there, mark up your price to include a standard profit margin. This can be based on any number you want but a good starting point is to double the cost of your product (100 percent profit margin).

Selling or Licensing Images

Now you also need to adjust this figure based on the market type you are serving. Is the image being used in a small or large market? Will thousands of people see it or just a few? What is the perceived value to the client? How does the client plan to use your image? Who is your competition and what choices does your client have besides you for this type of image? Are there 50 photographers in the mix or only two or three? Consider these factors to calculate your fee.

When you sell or license an image, it is likely you will have to negotiate the price with a savvy photo buyer. Knowing how to negotiate can save you time, money and help you close profitable deals. Remember that negotiating is just problem solving. Both parties have something they need to accomplish and the negotiation makes it happen.

You must not take ANY of the issues that arise during a negotiation personally. The buyer is supposed to try to get the best deal that he or she can. That’s their job. Your job is the same.

The essential steps in the negotiating process are: establish rapport, gather information, do research, ask questions, and let the buyer do most of the talking. In any negotiation, the person who listens most is likely to gain more. In any negotiation, it’s always very important that you do more listening than talking. Otherwise, you will miss important clues, both physical and verbal, that will help you resolve the deal.

Before quoting a price, you must try to educate the client and build the value of the image you are selling. Make sure that the client understands the effort, time and expense you invested to make this image. If the image is truly one-of-a-kind or was made at personal risk, those factors translate directly into the value of what you have for sale.

Try to encourage the client to place an opening bid. If the buyer is the first one to name a price, I believe you will be rewarded with a higher fee. A good way to open the negotiation process is to ask a question like, “What’s the most you would be willing to pay to use my image or purchase my print?” If you are forced to begin the negotiation process by offering a figure, an alternative is to begin with a number that is twice your standard price plus 10 percent. Once this figure is given, you can work down from there.

But remember that if you give a number first, you run the risk of quoting a price that is much lower than the buyer was willing to pay, and you’ll never know what figure they were willing to pay. So, let your clients do the talking. Then, you should listen, take notes, and preferably wait for them to tell you what they can afford.

If the client has pricing objections, be sure to return to the rapport building and value enhancement stages outlined above. Usually, a price objection really means that there is another piece of information you have not uncovered.  It is likely that there is something else you have not offered that the client really wants or needs. This is why it’s crucial to listen more than you talk and ask plenty of questions to uncover hidden needs.

Once you have taken all the necessary steps, be sure to ask for the order. A surprising number of photographic sales don’t happen simply because the seller has forgotten to ask for the sale.

(NOTE: Negotiating with magazines is not possible unless you are a famous photographer with images that are in great demand. When you approach magazines, understand that you will only get paid their standard rates.)

This is one of those posts where I wish I could always follow my own suggestions. I know I've written about some of this in the past, but a few things happened over this past week that make we want to write about it again.

I recognize that sometimes it's simply tough to do.  Of all the lessons I’ve learned in my career, this is one of the toughest one to stay on course. Here's the scenario:

You've just been shot at in a comment, a post or an email. Whether it was in a public forum or private, makes no difference. You're upset and the initial reaction we all have is to react and fire back. The problem is, our response is too often based on anger rather than logic.

When I’m in the heat of battle over an issue with anybody over anything, passion takes over.  I get caught making statements that are emotional and less than relevant to whatever the issue is.  I’ll read whatever it is I’ve written out loud, then if she’s home, I’ll read it back to my wife. Her comment is always the same, “Don’t bomb!”

That always sends me back to the drawing board to rewrite it, be more specific and stick with the topic, the issues on a factual basis and leave the emotion out. Often, just writing the initial response is enough therapy to just walk away and not bother to even respond. I've also found, when the battle is in a public forum, friends often step in and do a better job in responding than I could ever do.

Here are some points to think about the next time you’re in the heat of battle:

• Whatever you’re writing don’t send it until you’ve slept on it for a night!

• Don’t use boldface or caps to make a point and definitely leave out multiple exclamation points.  Writing a sentence and ending it with a string of exclamation points is the same as flipping somebody the bird!!!!! (see what I mean?)

• Could you get your point across better with a phone call or in person?  Email is a horrible way to communicate over a hot issue and I’ve learned that the hard way.
  

• Share your thoughts with another family member or friend who’s not involved in the skirmish.  They can be objective when you’re not.

• Stay away from battles in public forums. You can’t take it back when you’ve already published it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc.  I used this quote last week, "There are no erasers on the Internet!"
  

Last but not least – don’t sweat the small stuff, because most of the time it’s ALL small stuff.

Wishing everybody a wonderful weekend. As always, take the time to hug somebody special in your life.

This morning, working together with Sprouting Photographer, we're launching a new concept in podcast education called Weekend Wisdom. In each episode we're going to drill down on just one topic with an expert from our industry - no sidebar discussions, just a focus on one single helpful topic in marketing, business and special projects.

In this first episode the topic is self-publishing with Don Komarechka. Every photographer has a dream to some day publish their own book and today, because of technology, everybody has access to the right tools. But, as Don points out, there's a lot that goes into the planning, editing, production and finally, delivery.

Don did an amazing job self-publishing his book, Sky Crystals - Unraveling the Mysteries of Snowflakes. Don couldn't be more frank about the challenges he faced along the two year journey from concept to the shipment of the first book last December.
 
A big thanks to SproutingPhotographer.com for a concept in education to help you keep raising the bar on not only your business, but the reality of your dreams.  Just click on the banner below and you'll have access to not only the podcast, but links to Don's site, notes from this show itself and all of Sprouting Photographers' outstanding content.

 "Know your competition, but don't copy it."
Guy Kawasaki

That quote from Guy got me thinking about the way I see so many of you competing. While I've written about the topic several times, it seems, just like in lighting, there are multiple ways to talk about the same subject. Then, I went looking for an image to tie in with this post to make the point and the five photographers above just cracked me up...especially the woman holding the 4x5...LOL. However, it makes the point about the way some of you chase the business, trying to be everywhere your competitors are, instead of working to better define your own space.
 
So many photographers fail to take the time to really get to know their competition, especially when they first get started.  For example, if you were opening a new studio, wouldn’t you want to know how many other photographers there were in the area?  Wouldn’t it be important to know what they sell, so that you could position your own skill set and products in the strongest possible way?

You need to know what your competitors do best and where their weak spots are, giving you the ability to reinforce your own skill set, products and services.  And, when you market yourself stay away from negative selling – all you need to do is focus on your strengths, which you’re already hopefully working to make stronger than your competition.

To take it one step further, it’s important to know your competitors, because at some point you’re going to be fully booked and you’ll have to turn down a possible client.  By knowing your competitors and identifying those photographers whose quality and integrity you hold in high regard, you now have an interesting ally, as well as a competitor.  Instead of saying, “Sorry, I’m booked” you can say, “Sorry I’m booked, but I have an associate whose work you’ll love who might be available!”

Don’t be afraid to refer a client to another photographer. Cross-promoting each other is a terrific way to build your business.  In fact, don’t be afraid to share the cost of marketing with another photographer.  Working together you can provide twice the stimulus to your market at half the cost.

I love this quote from Jay Leno a few years back:

"Bill Maher and I are on against each other, and we're friends. He can do my show any time he wants, and I've done Politically Incorrect several times. There's no reason to think competition has to be adversarial."

One of the things I love about this industry and social media is the fact that everything is always changing.  As a result we have access to some pretty amazing people who appear in our social media circles.

On Trolls: While I realize it's almost impossible to really fix the problem, my post about Trolls at least made me feel better. It brought out a lot of comments and if nothing else, maybe we got a few people to think it through a little better. In the GoingPro Forum on Facebook, Adam Messer posted the most eloquent comment I've ever read on the topic...

"I feel the best way to kill a troll is to not feed them. A troll's mentality is to bait someone and then try to barrage them with insults, typically using a various assortment of logical fallacies. Insults and sarcasm are some of the weakest and inflammatory types of communication people learn at an early age. Unfortunately, this type of behavior stems from a lack of maturity, jealousy, and low-self esteem issues. I have noticed that some trolls exhibit a sociopath-like attitude, trying to prove intellectual prowess over an unsuspecting victim. It is easy to destroy, but only true creators ever build. Trolls build houses on sand, only to be swept away by the tide of influence."

On Marketing: Michele Celentano was our guest on Mind Your Own Business and did an amazing job of getting us all to think about the value of what we do. Out of this conversation came what might be one of the best marketing ideas yet to help you establish more value for your work with clients who only want the files...Just frame a CD or jump drive! While I'd love to take credit for the idea, it's 100% Michele's - I just executed it.
 

Guest Posts: In just the last week two outstanding photographers have shared images giving some of you a lot to think about when it comes to beefing up your skill set. Brian Marcus' images show outstanding skills, although a few of you questioned a baby portrait in the mix of wedding images. That was entirely my doing because first, I loved the shot and second, it made a point about diversity, but I should have explained it better.

Here's the point: If you did a great job on the wedding, then why wouldn't you want to be there when the first child was born? Why wouldn't you keep building the relationship with the family to cover all of their photographic needs?


Vanessa Joy's images featuring 19 groomsmen is the perfect reminder for every wedding photographer to practice group posing as much as possible. Vanessa never said it wasn't stressful - but she knew what she had to do and taking us through the process should give a few of you a more ideas on how to build out your groups in the future.

A Reminder: If there's a specific topic you need more help with, the SCU archives are loaded with a wide variety, but that doesn't mean we've covered everything you'd like to read. Give me a shout in the comment box or email me at skip@mei500.com with your wishlist. I'll do my best to get you a post with the information you need. Consider it the SCU version of the old Burger King commercial...We're doing our best to help you "Have it your way!"

I have a subscription to a magazine called Bottom Line. Reading it the other night there was an article for small business owners by Dan Sullivan of StrategicCoach.com.  He had a terrific list of ideas to help grow your business. One that hit home, after talking with so many of you over the years, was under the subtitle of "Manager Your Calendar Like An Entertainer".

He broke it out with the need to schedule your days into one of three categories...

Free Days: Days that are totally free...zero business on these days. No email, business calls and no guilt. As he wrote:

                                      "You're not slaking off - you're giving your mind the downtime it requires."

Preparation Days: He called them "Buffer Days" and they were for meetings, organizing various projects and essentially the behind the scenes stuff you need to run a business.

Focus Days: These are the days that are all about performance and focus exclusively on what makes money! All distractions are put aside - no interruptions, just concentration on things you need to do to earn a living.

A few of you are already rolling eyes thinking this is just too simplistic, but the more I think about it, the more I love the concept. In trying to write yesterday's post, I took three phone calls, answered a couple of emails and had at least two IM conversations with photographers on Facebook.  We all pride ourselves on multitasking, but we really are becoming masters of mediocrity!  So, the concept of dedicating yourself to a schedule, but still allowing ample time to slow down now and relax makes so much sense.

It's a great topic to think about over this long weekend! I'll let you know how it's working out as soon as I'm finished with some scheduled  "almost" free days over this holiday weekend!

The other day I wrote a post about pricing, one of the biggest challenges for new and seasoned photographers alike. No matter what your pricing strategy, you still have to close the sale. It's a difficult process for so many artists.

What good is working so hard to create the greatest images of your career if you can't close the sale?  "No Sale" is just about the worst news a photographer wants to hear when working to do just the opposite.

In the three videos below, Sal Cincotta, Lori Nordstrom and Taylor Cincotta all hit on various aspects of selling. In all honesty, it's not rocket science, but so many photographers lack the confidence when it comes to making sure the consumer understands the value of what they're purchasing.

"Price is what you pay...Value is what you get!"
Warren Buffet

One of the biggest challenges for photographers, which I see over and over again, is the artist's failure to establish value. There's no such thing as just a picture, because if you've done your job, a picture is a frozen moment in time, a memory and great pictures really are worth a thousand words. Even a wedding album isn't a book of images, but the first family heirloom of a brand new family!

Sal's program is part of Creative Live's educational series, while Lori Nordstrom's and Taylor Cincotta's are part of Shutter Magazine. Both Creative Live and Shutter Magazine need to be on your radar and under each video you've got access to both.

Click for access to the Sal Cincotta's full Creative Live program.

Click to sign up for your FREE Subscription to Shutter Magazine

Click to sign up for your FREE Subscription to Shutter Magazine

Normally you'd expect the challenge with pricing to be the biggest issue with photographers who are just starting out. Unfortunately, it comes up with almost as many seasoned veterans when they're about to do something new or thinking about raising their prices.

The idea to do a post on the topic is all thanks to a few new members of the GoingPro group. The question on pricing repeatedly comes up, so it's a great time to keep everybody focused on a topic so seriously related to revenue/income. It's even more important when you consider we're heading into the seasonality of the fourth quarter and opportunities to better support your profitability.

It starts with the very first easy to understand challenge - consideration for everything it took for you to become a professional photographer.  It kills me when I hear new photographers excited, because they can get an 8x10 from their lab that's relatively inexpensive. Then they get excited about what they think is a big profit margin, putting it out there at $24.95!  Sadly here's a sampling of everything they forgot to include in the cost of that print:

And last on the list, let's not forget about the value of your time. I remember years ago Bambi Cantrell talking about the value of her time to give up her weekend with her family to photograph a wedding. All of you pay a serious price for your passion to be an artist, especially when it comes to being a wedding photographer.

I don't want to spend a lot more time talking about pricing when there are three terrific resources out there already. Just click on any one of the three banners below and you've got access to Bryan Caporicci's guest post a few months ago, Sal Cincotta's video on pricing, and David Ziser's explanation from his blog, Digital Pro Talk.

I know I've written about this before, but in virtually every aspect of your business as an artist the key is consistency.

Let's look at social media...There are thousands of you who have blogs today and even more of you on Facebook and Twitter. If it’s just a hobby you can stop reading now. However, if it’s part of your livelihood and meant to be one of your marketing tools, if you’re not consistent then you’re wasting your time!

You need to post at least twice a week and ideally 3-5 times is even better. Having a blog and only posting when there's a full moon serves absolutely no purpose, except to get people wondering if you're really in business. You’ve also got to Tweet several times a day for people to know who you are.

You won’t build brand recognition putting up a post here and there. Building traffic is about consistency and you’ve got to be out there all the time.  I'm always surprised at the number of blogs I read that just aren't kept up to date and many of them by some of the best photographers in our industry.

Facebook is the same. You’ve got to be involved to build traffic. You’ve got to be making a contribution for people to remember you’re out there.

Post and tweet regularly or just step away from social media until you can put in a little dedicated time. It can be an incredible marketing tool for your business, but you'll only get out of it what you put in.  Remember, even with consistency, quantity doesn't trump quality - you've still got to stay focused on topics your target audience wants to hear about.

Consistency is such an important part of being a professional photographer. Just remember it extends to everything you do, including your quality, great customer service and in this case maintaining a presence.  Make it a point to "hit" the social media button in your day, first thing every morning. Try and develop a routine for both contributing to your own pages and reading other posts from people you enjoy. Pretty soon it'll be second nature.

Earlier this week I tweeted the above quote and it wound up getting a great response. It's become one of my favorites, because so many of you have great ideas. You're building your business and absolutely on the "right track", but then something happens. You start to question what you're doing, stall and lose your momentum. Then you procrastinate and it becomes even harder to build up speed again. In the mean time, you take a step backwards and start listening to people who doubted your dreams in the first place. There's always somebody waiting to say "I told you so!"

So, let's break the trend...it's not a problem to slow down now and then and be a little more cautious and decisive. It's just bad when you stop believing in your dreams. I've heard a lot of suggestions over the years about goal setting and it's a Saturday morning and perfect to think about over the weekend. Here are just a few:

• Write down your goals, individually on separate pieces of paper and put them on the wall, a bulletin board, some place you can be reminded of the track you're on. Put them in your screen saver so you see them all the time.
  

• If a particular goal is something material, get a picture and frame it on your desk - another great screen saver.
  

• Share your goals with your network, but only the most inner circle, the people you're closest to.

• Read inspirational material, written by people you respect and trust.

• Step outside of photography and watch videos that are inspirational from artists in other specialties.

• Get involved in your photographic community and attend the monthly meetings of other professionals. Virtually every community has a group of artists meeting on a regular basis.
  

• Get involved in the business community and join networking groups of small business owners like yourself.

• Go to every convention you can be at - being with other photographers at an exciting convention will reinforce so many of your choices.
  

• Listen to podcasts with artists you respect and admire. Follow them on YouTube, their blogs and throughout social media.

Remember that being on the right "track" doesn't mean you can't change tracks and move in another direction altogether. The issue that Will Rogers shared with us, so many years ago, is to make sure you don't just sit there, indecisive, doing nothing. That's when you get hit run over!

I've written a lot over the years about proofreading. It's a challenge we all have - we're rushed, we're writing and too often moving too fast. With me, often I can read something 3-5 times and not catch a mistake. With many of you, you're trained as an artist, not an English teacher. So, many times there are mistakes in what you're writing that even if you read it out loud before publishing, you might not catch it.

Here's the point though...a mistake here and there isn't the worst thing you'll ever do. However, when what you've written can't be understood, you've got a challenge with the potential client who's reading what you wrote. Right off the bat you'll probably lose them. Nobody takes the time to ask for clarification.

• Read whatever you've written out loud before publishing.

• Pay attention to your spelling and run everything through Spell Check.

• Read out loud, to your spouse, assistant or a friend, what you're about to publish.
  

• Have your spouse, assistant or friend read what you wrote and verify they understand what you're trying to say.

• Remember that Spell Check won't catch the use of wrong words that have been spelled right as in "right" vs "write", "to, two and too", etc.

• Last, but certainly not least, hit the local high school and talk to an English teacher. There's nothing wrong in hiring a student who loves to write, part time to review things you're publishing.  I know it sounds like my own version of "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?" but a responsible high school student, who's passionate about writing, has all the skills you need and some great enthusiasm as well.
  

I had a laugh yesterday when I got an email with this heading:

Here's the scam the thieves are working...

You get an email from a reputable company you're involved with asking you to verify your account information. So far I've had them from American Express, Bank Americard and Apple. It's always the same scam asking me to click on the link and enter account information to verify changes that have been made to my account.

These thieves needed help with spelling. They had a challenge with "suppourt", although later in the same email they got it right, "support".

Here's the point, just slowing down a little can make you look and sound a whole lot smarter and avoid the challenge of losing a client's interest because they didn't understand what you wrote.

It's Friday and with the weekend coming up it seems like a great time to give you some quick links to lots of new things going on with the SCU site. Check them out over the weekend and stay tuned, there's some great new content coming from SCU's partners.

• SCU's new Home page: There's so much content every week on SCU. We wanted to make it easier for you to find the newest content and at the same time link to places that give you the most help. Checked it out yet?

• Profoto Friday: There are some amazing artists and projects featured on the Profoto Blog, but we want to make it more relevant to where we're hearing you need help. Each Friday SCU will be featuring a post from Profoto's archives that represents creativity with some good solid "how to" content.  Check out today's post with Aaron Conway Dancing with the D1. 

• SproutingPhotographer: There are some outstanding podcasts at Sprouting Photographer and working together with Bryan Caporicci and Rob Nowell, we want to make it even easier for you to connect. Now you've got both the SCU podcasts and Sprouting Photographer's with easy access in one location.

• GoingPro: Working together with 15 of the industry's leading educators, this new Facebook forum is dedicated to helping you find the answers you need to build a stronger business, including working on your technical skills. In just three weeks it's already loaded with great content and some terrific discussions about the challenges you face every day. Here's a forum to add to your current list with support from Tony Corbell, Lori Nordstrom, Roberto Valenzuela, Lori Nordstrom, Bryan Caporicci, Michael Corsentino, The Becker, Chris Fawkes, Kevin Kubota, Sandy Puc-Quiroz, Bob Coates, Michele Celentano, Jared Platt, Jen Rozenbaum and Erin Clark Zahradka.

• The Search for the Ultimate Story Video Contest: The second contest is well underway with some great submissions already. Video represents a huge potential market for photographers today. So, working together with good friends from Photodex, we've got three contests scheduled for 2014. In this second contest the theme is travel, adventure and landscape. Here's an opportunity for you to demonstrate your storytelling skills and at the same time have a shot at winning some outstanding prizes.

• Mind Your Own Business: Our fifth webcast is up and features Kevin Kubota. The topic is near and dear to all of our hearts - getting your business workflow organized and efficient. Working together with Photofocus.com we're working to bring some terrific content to help you build a build a stronger business.
  

I just heard that Shutterfest is 80% booked and unlike any convention you've been to in the past, when it's full, that's it, nobody else is coming to the event.

In a post two weeks ago I wrote:

Remember the original Burger King slogan, “Have it your way?”  Well, Sal, Taylor and their team have taken education to a level where you can customize what you need and have it your way. You can pick the classes you need the most; experience hands-on shooting with friends; check out a model like you would a library book and practice a new technique you’ve learned at the convention; spend time with specific vendors you’d like to know better and most important of all, build your network.

It all starts by joining the ShutterFest group on Facebook. You’ll get to meet a lot of the people who will be at next April’s convention. You can plan your trip so that you get the most out of every minute you’re away. Most important of all, you’re going to get the most bang for your buck versus any of the big conventions. Why?  Because ShutterFest is big enough to get first class speakers and programming, but small enough for you to feel like you’re attending a boutique conference made just for you.

So many people from last year are still in touch with each other, because Sal and Taylor didn't just launch a boutique conference, but a community. I've watched the Shutterfest group work together and communicate on a regular basis following last April's program.

The bottom line is this new program has become one of the strongest networking and educational events in our industry. It's definitely going to sell out and it's only August. As I've written a few dozen times in the past, you can stand on the sidelines and watch the parade go by or you can be part of it!

Get yourself registered and join us in April. You snooze you lose! and this next program is destined to be one of the best yet!  See you in St. Louis!

This is definitely going to sound like an infomercial, but it’s a whole lot more. I want to make sure all of you know about an amazing program that's changing the way we look at education. Meet ShutterFest 2015.

I attended and taught three workshops at last April’s event and now I’m hooked, because it’s not just a mini-convention, it’s a community. ShutterFest is part of a trifecta built by Sal and Taylor Cincotta. The trifecta started with Shutter Magazine, now with over 90,000 subscribers. Then came Shutter Network, followed by ShutterFest.

Sal set out to create a different kind of convention and if anything I should be jealous, because it’s what I was trying to do in a smaller way with Skip’s Summer School, when it first started.  The truth is, I can’t be jealous, because Sal, thanks to an amazing crew, is providing an incredible opportunity to raise the bar in education and it’s working.

Sal’s video is below. The original hotel block is already sold out, but just a few doors down they’ve already added another hotel. You’ve still got time to get your registration in for what’s going to again be the event of the year.

Remember the original Burger King slogan, “Have it your way?”  Well, Sal, Taylor and their team have taken education to a level where you can customize what you need and have it your way. You can pick the classes you need the most; experience hands-on shooting with friends; check out a model like you would a library book and practice a new technique you’ve learned at the convention; spend time with specific vendors you’d like to know better and most important of all, build your network.

It all starts by joining the ShutterFest group on Facebook. You’ll get to meet a lot of the people who will be at next April’s convention. You can plan your trip so that you get the most out of every minute you’re away. Most important of all, you’re going to get the most bang for your buck versus any of the big conventions. Why?  Because ShutterFest is big enough to get first class speakers and programming, but small enough for you to feel like you’re attending a boutique conference made just for you.

The clock’s ticking – don’t miss out on what’s going to be one of the very best programs for 2015…See you in St Louis!

Every day I go wandering through the Internet looking for great quotes we can all connect to. While it's something I tweet for my followers, the benefit of these quotes is just as much for me personally. Here's one I found this morning that should hit home with a lot of you.

So often I've heard new and seasoned pros alike, find a scapegoat to blame for a slow business, poor quality images, lack of recognition etc. How many of us know somebody who's said,

"If I only had a bigger studio..."

"I can't wait until I can afford that new lens..."

"I"m already working a full time job. I just don't have the time to build my business..."

"I wish I could attend that webcast, but I don't know what to do with the kids!"

"I can't afford a second phone line, but people are fine with an email address."

You get my point - if you know somebody who's constantly making excuses, feel free to pass this post on. It's time for everyone, including me now and then, to stop pointing the finger in any other direction but the person looking back at you each morning in the mirror.

And to those of you who use any one of the top five excuses above...

A bigger studio: Some of the best portraits I've ever had done were by good buddy Don Blair in a trade show booth. My own daughter's senior head shot was done by Tony Corbell in the Hasselblad warehouse. Two lights and a backdrop. A studio, be it bigger or smaller, isn't going to change business by itself!

New gear: A new lens won't make a difference. Vincent LaForet talked about it a few years ago in a program at Skip's Summer School. He didn't have a long lens when he started, so he moved in closer. Plus, if you really need a new lens, then look into renting one or get involved in building your network and maybe you'll find somebody who might share the cost with you or lend you theirs.

No time: There's always time to build a new business, but blaming your day job is just an excuse. I'm not saying it isn't tough to find the balance, but thousands of photographers do it every day. Remember, 50% of our industry is made up of part-time photographers.

Other obligations: This is one of my favorites, because you can always find something to do with the kids. It takes planning and it's like finding time to build your business.  Again, there are thousands of photographers who have figured it out.

Email only: People are not okay with just an email contact! Give people a way to talk to you directly and seriously, if you can't afford a phone line for just your business, you shouldn't be in this business!

This all started with a quote, but the bottom line is that you're the only one who can build your business. You're the only one who has to believe in yourself. Last on the list, you're the only one who can recognize when you need some help. You don't need to do everything yourself...except take responsibility!