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Business Breakthroughs for Photographers: Part XV

5/12/2025

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"Do not listen with the intent to reply, but with the intent to understand."
Anonymous
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by Skip Cohen

I started this series with the hope that these ideas would help you break through the marketing chaos. Think about all the noise in our lives and how much we ignore before a business finally gets our attention. This is the fifteenth chapter in the series, and it's so appropriate for the potential sales activity in the market, especially this time of year.

Part of the excitement of seasonality is that it opens the door for new clients. However, converting a potential client into a loyal customer takes skills beyond the quality of your work, pricing, and diversity of your skills. Success is about relationship building, and a key component is truly listening to your clients.

One of the top complaints of new couples after the wedding is that often; the photographer doesn't meet their mindset with the finished photographs, video, and album. And the reason most often relates to listening skills. So, here are a few suggestions:

  • You've got two ears and one mouth - listen twice as much as you talk! The original quote is modified from a Greek philosopher, Epictetus, who died almost two thousand years ago. Learning to listen is hardly a new topic! 
  • Ask questions with more than one purpose. For example, Bambi Cantrell talks about asking the bride who made her gown. The answer gives her an idea of what she's spending and her style - more contemporary or traditional.
  • Build the relationship. We live in a texting and email world, and I often feel the art of conversation has been lost. Ask the couple how they met. Encourage them to share some of the funny experiences they've had together. Find out what they love about each other, their families, and their friends.
  • Show them samples of your work. I'm always surprised when I hear about a photographer who doesn't have sample albums to share. All it takes is a call to your lab to make a duplicate album from a previous wedding or two. A great album isn't just about the images but the way the story is told. Are you a good storyteller?
  • Whenever possible, do an engagement session. While it provides additional value to your pricing, the real benefit is getting to know the couple. A good engagement shoot helps establish your credibility so that on the wedding day, you're a recognized friend during a time when "logic doesn't reign as king!"​

Your strongest marketing tools, which I've written about before, are building trust and relationships. This applies to every specialty within photography, including commercial, boudoir, family, children, maternity, and the list goes on and on. It all starts with your listening skills!

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Mother's Day 2025 - A Short Look Back

5/11/2025

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"Mother's hold their children's hands for awhile, but their hearts forever!
Anonymous

by Skip Cohen

​There's something that happens as you get older, and holidays like Mother's Day come up on the calendar long after your mother has passed away. We lost my mother in 2013 after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer's. The older I get, the more I appreciate things I learned from my her and the more I cherish Mom's humor, her incredible style, and love for my Dad and our family. There are so many memories.

Mother's Day is no longer sad. It's not so much about missing her, but a time that's more of a tribute. It's a long walk down Memory Lane, and looking back with plenty of smiles and a whole lot of love.
 
Mom lost the battle with Alzheimer's, but even near the end, she still had moments when everything came together. I remember getting over to hospice early one morning by myself, two days before she passed away. I walked in and said, "Hey, Mom, you look great today!"  Her response was, "Why shouldn't I?"

Sheila and I are blessed living in Florida, and it's all thanks to Mom. In October 2011, Sheila could take early retirement from her job, and I could go anywhere I had a computer. My Dad was 89 and needed help. So, for the first time since I graduated high school, I was able to live close to my folks. It's become one of the very best decisions we've ever made.

And while Alzheimer's took Mom from us, she became the stimulus and foundation for projects I'm working on today. Working with the Memory Care Clinic, we recently held the first Memory Care Pioneers get-together. We had 120 people in attendance. The core group of attendees were Alzheimer's patients on the new infusion treatments, and they were there with their caregivers to celebrate HOPE. "Hope" is a word that's never been in the Alzheimer's vocabulary. (I wrote about the event in early April--here's the link.)

To all of you Moms out there who inspire all of us, Happy Mother's Day and thank you for your service. And to my own Mother...I miss you, Mom. We talk about you all the time. I think about you most often when I'm cooking, and over the years, Sheila's heard story after story of things I learned from you—even the tough lessons. Knowing how much you loved a view of the water, any water, you're in our hearts any time we're near the ocean.

Wishing all of you a terrific day ahead. Send your Mom a virtual hug if she's outside your house, and if she's with you right now, cherish her presence. Then, go for one of those good old eleven-second hugs I always write about.

​Happy Mother's Day!
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Seasonality in Professional Photography: Time to Wake Up!

5/9/2025

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by Skip Cohen

​It's been a crazy week regarding special projects, eating up the clock, and finding time to post. It was so busy that I even missed my favorite day of the week...Throwback Thursday. I'm writing today as a reminder that we're down to the wire, and if you missed doing anything for the first "race in the trifecta," Mother's Day in the US this weekend, you've still got graduation and Father's Day over the next five weeks!  

Too many of you still consider active marketing something you only need to do when business is slow. You procrastinate and wait for your ship to come in, but when it does, you find yourself at the airport! I'm here to remind you that it's time to wake up and aggressively go after Spring Seasonality!
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I use a lot of Adobe Stock photography, especially when trying to illustrate a point. So, I went to my download library and pulled four favorites from the archives.  Each image makes a point.

If you missed promoting your services and products for Mother's Day, crank up the volume and aggressively target family/graduate portraiture and Dad's for Father's Day. Based on the clock ticking down, I'd go after Father's Day, which is five weeks away. 

Think about it—most dads are missing an updated family portrait. Even more apparent is the target buyer—it's MOM! Women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire a professional photographer in the portrait/social category. Plus, for most families with young children, Mom makes the choice regarding "What should we get Dad for Father's Day?"

  • Direct Mail:​ More active than ever, snail mail is back with a vengeance. Think about how much email you toss, never even bothering to take a look at what it was. A well-designed postcard, especially if you bring in 1-2 additional partners, is cost-efficient and expands your reach...and it gets through the noise better than social media.
  • Social Media: I'm a fan of direct mail, but you have to weave a web around your target, and reaching Mom, who's usually active in social media needs to recognize your presence. Facebook is a great resource for reaching moms, but you have to be selective and find the forums where moms hang out.
  • Cross-promotions: Look for partnerships in your community to cross-promote and share the cost of direct mail and social media. For example, how about a partnership between a sporting goods store and a photographer or a restaurant or event venue and a photographer? 
  • Regular Promotions: Years ago, children's photographer Vicki Taufer used to do an annual calendar with a different portrait theme every month. As a working pro today, regardless of your specialty, there's no excuse not to put together a new promotion for at least each quarter of the year. Each one doesn't have to be a show-stopper, but it does have to be strong enough to get the attention of your target audience.

​Here's the bottom line today - This year has enormous potential, even in these bizarre times, and you're in a service minimally impacted by tariffs and politics. Don't miss the opportunity to finish the year feeling like the two kids below!
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Business Breakthroughs for Photographers: Part XIV

5/5/2025

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“Give them quality. That’s the best kind of advertising” 
 Milton Hershey
by Skip Cohen

Ever think about the impression you make when a potential client walks through the door...of your website?

A future client wandering through cyberspace is like shopping for your mother's birthday present. You know you need to get her something, but you don't know what. The solution is to wander through the stores in the mall looking for ideas. So many of you don't realize your website is one of those stores.

In the United States, an estimated 273 million people, or about 80.4% of the population, shop online.This number is projected to increase to almost 289.91 million by 2027. (Google A.I.) 

When people come to your site, are they walking through Nordstroms, where everything is easy to find and nicely displayed, or is your site the equivalent of Macy's the day after Christmas? Your website needs to be an experience and have a look and feel that connects with the shopper.

Fine-Tuning Your Website
​Make it a Great "Shopping" Experience

Here are some suggestions to help you beef up your website:
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  • Make your site easy to navigate! Don't bury important information where people can't find it. 
  • Show things in logical order. Hook your client on your images first, then the "about" section, then information and how to contact you, etc.
  • Don't overload them with images!  You don't need hundreds of photographs, but you do need to show only your very best work. 
  • Be consistent with the look and feel of your site and your blog--even though they serve two different purposes, you still need continuity in the design and feel of both. And for those of you in the portrait/social specialties, your target audience is female, and most of the time, "Mom." I've seen both male and female photographers go overboard with too much of a high-tech look.
  • Let your site show your personality.
  • Don't bury clients in policies that might scare them away. For example, your policies on deposits and refunds should be discussed in the contract. They don't belong on your website.
  • Stay away from hard-to-read, artsy-fartsy fonts. 
  • Be careful with reverse-type. Reverse-type is fine, but if it's a page, you hope your client will download and print, then make it black type on a white background. The average client has a $59 printer at best, and trying to print an all-black page with white type is going to leave them with nothing more than a soggy sheet of paper!
  • Keep it short where you do have text and proofread everything you put on your site. Plus, read it out loud several times and have a friend or family member check it over as well. Ask them to tell you what you just wrote to make sure it's being understood. Check out grammarly.com to raise the bar on everything you put in print.
  • Be careful what you show in pricing. Not everybody agrees with me on this one - I don't think photographers should show their prices. I like having a statement like, "Wedding coverage starting at ___________," or "Portrait sessions starting at ______________," but just listing your prices doesn't begin to give you a chance to sell yourself and what makes you the best choice.
  • There's no such thing as too much contact information. Most importantly, give people a phone number and email address. Many of you use email response templates, which are an excellent addition, but they don't help if you take too long to answer!​

As you review your site, remember that it is about the products and services you sell, while your blog is about what's in your heart. Having them both show the right appeal and compelling content is what creates two of my favorite original Internet marketing words: "sticky pages." Your goal is to create a site so sticky that people don't want to leave and share it with all their friends. Make yourself habit-forming and always exceed expectations.
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Estrangement and Looking Forward

5/4/2025

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by Skip Cohen

Sunday Morning Reflections is never about business. It's often my time to get personal or, at the very least, write about something hopefully relevant outside of anyone's career path. This morning, being estranged from my kids is on my mind—not about the sadness or pain over the years, but about learning to simply accept it. 

There's that old line about life not being a dress rehearsal. Something interesting happens as you get older—you simply try your best to waste less and less time. So, I recently took one more shot at trying to break through the walls and had no choice but to accept the response when the effort had no results.

With Sheila's help, we've built a great life. There's no time for regrets, looking back, or "shoulding" on myself. One of Sheila's favorite expressions is "Don't "should" on yourself", and it accomplishes nothing to sit and throw a pity party for yours truly.

My life is full of some pretty amazing people and friends who have become family. Blood isn't always thicker than water, but I'm a work in progress doing my best to walk the talk. The serenity prayer comes to mind, and it's so appropriate.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I remember my Dad appreciating this when he was dealing with Mom's Alzheimer's. He'd look for those moments of joy when Mom would come out from behind the clouds and hang onto them for all those days when she'd disappear.

From Sheila and wonderful friends to two pups and projects I'm involved in that make a difference, I feel blessed. Do I wish things were different with my kids? Absolutely, but I can't change how they feel or what they believe.

The bottom line is simply that I'm not the first to ever be estranged from family members and certainly won't be the last. I'm not making light of the challenge; I'm only accepting that until forgiveness is a two-way street, I can choose sadness or take the time to appreciate everything that's right in my life.

"A major issue with estrangement is that it really is a two-fold forgiveness journey. It's never just one side's fault … so there's an absolute necessity to forgive oneself for all and any parental failures, and it's also necessary to totally forgive the offspring for all and any nasty experiences of being cancelled, ghosted, e-blanked, ignored, rejected, avoided at Christmas and Father's Day, the toxicity, angst, and all the other painful words that come to mind." Roger Macdonald Andrew

Wishing everybody a day ahead filled with things that make your heart soar. If you're dealing with estrangement, don't let the sadness hold you back from looking forward. Maintaining hope and optimism is never a fool's errand until it pushes whatever makes you happy back into the shadows. This is where those eleven-second hugs come into play with the people who love and support you the most.

Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world.
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Industry Icons: When They Were Seniors - Round V

5/1/2025

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There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time.
Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless.

Milan Kundera

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.

Henry Ford

by Skip Cohen

​Knowing just about all of these "grads" like I do, it's obvious that we've all been focused on continuing to learn and create our entire lives. I chose those two quotes above because they say so much about everyone, the quest to keep learning, and in turn becoming ageless!

Well, it's May and we're into graduation season. What better way to celebrate than sharing senior shots from some of the most respected artists and educators in imaging? What a kick it's been as the SCU archives grow to forty-nine seniors captured in the "way-back machine."

From the top left: Glen Clark, Michael Taylor, Rick Ferro, Kristi Wolverton (college), Steve Rosenbaum, Dave Doeppel, Jennifer Rutledge, Rick Friedman, Scott Kelby, and Eddie Tapp.

If you missed any of the last four posts in the series, they're all below. If a few more industry icons come through, I might have enough for one more post next week. And, if you want to send me yours, just do it through an IM on Facebook, or to my email.

​In the meantime, enjoy the walk down Memory Lane...
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From top left: Gary Box, Chuck Arlund, Michele Celentano, Vanelli, David Beckam, Kevin Gilligan, Gustavo Fernandez, Bruce Hudson, Joe Buissink, Dawn Davis, Joy Vertz, Judy Host, Matt Meiers, Bryan Caporicci, Melanie Anderson.
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From top left: Vicki Taufer, Fran Reisner, Bruce Berg, Nick Vedros, Bambi Cantrell, Yervant, Seth Resnick, George Varanakis.
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From top left: Sarah Petty, Cate Scaglione, Sherry Hagerman, Helen Yancy, Bob Coates, Bert Behnke, Dane Sanders, Jesse Feyereisen.
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From top left: Ralph Romaguera, Bobbi Lane, Skip Cohen, Cindy Harter Sims, Roberto Valenzuela, Kenny Kim, Brent Watkins, Lori Nordstrom

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Marketing to seniors continues to be big business, but to be successful, it also requires a different skill set from when so many of us were seniors. A great senior session is about connecting with the subject, capturing their personality, and combining it with maximum creativity. If you're interested in the senior market, the first thing you need to do is ensure you've got the skill set, not just with your camera. You also need great communication skills and the ability to build a relationship with your subject.

Remember, for many seniors, this may be their first time working with a professional photographer. They're as nervous about getting a portrait done as they are in dealing with some of their 
own self-esteem issues. That means your listening and conversational skills must be as good as your understanding of exposure, composition, and lighting!

Marathon Press is an SCU sponsor, but my relationship with them grew out of respect for everything they do for the industry. It's a friendship that's gone on for over thirty years, going to be back to the first book I co-authored with Don Blair. Through the end of this month, they've got a special on foil treatment of grad cards. Click on either banner for more information.

Meanwhile, congratulations to the class of 2025 and all the outstanding artists pushing the creative envelope in capturing their personalities!

Happy Throwback Thursday!

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Click for more info
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Business Breakthroughs for Photographers: Part XIII

4/30/2025

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Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. 
Henry Ford 
by Skip Cohen

I started the SCU blog in 2013 with one goal in mind: helping artists build a stronger business. Over the years, usually in late winter, I've done several different series to help photographers break through the chaos and noise to reach their target audience.

This current series, Business Breakthroughs, started at the end of January. I've covered so many key topics, but today's is one of my favorites because it sets the stage for so many artists to stop acting like lone wolves! Partnerships are the answer to so many challenges in growing your business, brand, and recognition in your community.

​Stop thinking you have to always fly solo with every great idea!
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This is one of those topics that requires no explanation - so, like a cookbook, let's go right to each component!
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  • Direct Mail is as strong as ever, especially when you consider how much email we NEVER read. Snail mail can still get you through the noise and be noticed. I've shared this concept before - design an over-sized postcard and bring in two other partners. For example, a wedding photographer, a florist, and a limo company - each get 1/3 of the card and share the cost for the mailer and postage. A boudoir photographer could partner with a lingerie shop and makeup artist or spa. But here are the real benefits - all three partners get the advantage of each other's reach; each partner becomes an ambassador for all three entities, and your cost is reduced by 1/3 of what it would be if you were a solo act! (Note: Need help designing your mailer? Call Marathon Press!)
  • Sharing Gear: I'm not talking about your day-in-day-out camera gear, but the more exotic things you need to grow your business. A large format printer, exotic lens or lighting equipment are all high ticket items - why not split the cost and share the use with a colleague?
  • Studio/Office Space: There's nothing wrong with working out of your home. In fact, with fifty percent of professional photographers being part-time, most of them have a home office. However, depending on your goals, especially for a studio, partnerships with other photographers might get you to the space you need much faster. Again, sharing the costs gets you a level of business development that might be years away from you being able to support on your own.
  • Exhibit/Gallery Space: My good buddy Kevin A. Gilligan is a member of the South Bay Artists Collective in Hermosa Beach, CA. Twenty different artists share the space, exhibit time and the costs with some incredible benefits: They inspire each other's creativity; they share expenses; they get increased exposure through each other's exhibits; they motivate each other, and they benefit from everyone's network! 
  • Community Events: A few years back, I shared a guest post by Bruce Berg, the Lane County Children's Contest. It's been going on for over forty years with three competing photographers launching a children's photo contest during the first quarter of each year - the slow season! And Bruce was very open about the revenue the contest brought in at a time when most markets experience the slowest income of the year.

The bottom line? Stop thinking you have to do everything alone. Your greatest marketing tool involves relationship building. Strategic partnerships are one of the very best, most efficient, and effective ways for you to grow your business! And you're still early enough in the year to design some spectacular cross-promotions with 2-3 partners to make 2025 one of your very best years yet!
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A Photography Book That Belongs on Your Bookshelf

4/29/2025

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by Skip Cohen

It's time for everyone to get to know Tom Alvarez. Tom's a good buddy who has a passion for the craft that's pretty spectacular. He's an artist, photographer, educator, writer, great Dad, husband, and a good friend. We first met a few months before Covid hit. At the time, Tom was teaching photography at the Imagine School in Northport, Florida, and we had started talking online. 

He was passionate about exposing his students to as much as he could in the world of imaging, even though most of them had never held a real camera and were shooting with their phones. Thanks to a few industry friends, I was able to secure a dozen discontinued point-and-shoot cameras. Well, the pandemic hit, and I was never able to fulfill my offer to speak to his kids about a future in imaging. 

The best part of this industry isn't about imaging but the friendships that come from everyone's love for the craft. Even though he was no longer teaching, the friendship continued, and we'd get together for lunch a few times a year. He called me one day a year or so ago and asked my opinion about a book about backgrounds.

Being an author is not a new role for Tom. His diversity as an artist covers a long list of skills, including his first book, How to Create Action, Fantasy, and Adventure Comics, almost 30 years ago. While so many people want to write their own book, it takes not only understanding the topic but also discipline and, no pun intended, FOCUS.
 
We're all familiar with the concept of "behind the scenes" (BTS). The BTS of any image is literally the background, and less obvious is the original vision of the artist.  The image might start with the subject, but the power of an artist's concept depends on the background. The impact of the final image is often entirely dependent on the background, including what kind of backdrop, lighting, composition, and depth of field have been chosen.  Your background is the foundation of your BTS. It's the not-so-secret ingredient that sets the mood in any image.
 
If a picture really is worth a thousand words, then your choice of background sets the mood for at least the first few "chapters." A simple change in the background completely changes everything about the subject and what we feel when we view an image.

Last month, Tom's dream of a book about backgrounds became a reality. It's now available on Amazon.  Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro and need a few refresher reminders, it's a book with wide appeal. Just click on the cover shot to the right. Tom's statement in his conclusion says it all:

With over thirty years of photography and teaching under my belt, I have always aspired to help others improve their art, and that has led me to the creation of this book. If any of my readers simply move thier angle just a small amount to get a better "shot," well, then I have done my job as a photography instructor.

Meet my buddy, Tom Alvarez!

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Putting More "Life in Your Years"

4/27/2025

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It's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. 
Abraham Lincoln
PictureMe, Duncan and Bob - a truly great friendship
by Skip Cohen

Sunday Morning Reflections are ALWAYS off the topic of business and marketing. However, the same thing happens almost every Sunday morning: I sit down at my computer, rarely knowing what I'm going to write about, and then, like a lightbulb going off over the head of a cartoon character, something relevant hits me.

That quote above took me on a trip of reflection. I can't deny I've seen a change in my energy level as I get older. I creak for ten minutes when I wake up in the morning, but nothing changes in my outlook for the day ahead..."the life in my years." Life just keeps getting better, as I do my best to take time to smell the roses. Life is pretty remarkable, from things Sheila and I do together to time with the pups, working in the butterfly garden, to time with new neighbors or old friends.

While my energy level is slowing down a little, my smile time is going up. My appreciation for close friends, keeping in touch, and feeling at peace is always on the rise. Even Facebook, which most of us have a love-hate relationship with, is proving better and better as a tool for keeping in touch with friends on the other side of the world. 

Life is simply what you make it, and while I've heard that expression hundreds of times, it's so true. We all know too many "Chicken Littles" who are so preoccupied that the sky is falling they miss the pure joy of everything around them. 

Here's my point—stop procrastinating your life away! If there's something you miss doing, someone you miss talking to, or some place you haven't been to in a long time, MAKE A CHANGE! Life is too short to have regrets.

A few days before my good buddy Duncan MacNab passed away, he said, I've got no regrets because I did it all. Everyone who knew Duncan knows how much he treasured life, his family, and his friends. He lived life to the fullest.

If you're waking up every day feeling like something is missing, take some time, kick back, chill, and think through what you need. What will it take to make you smile more every morning?

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.
Paul Valéry
Wishing everybody a day ahead that's filled with smiles, peace and the ability to focus on getting more life into your years. Go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs I always write about with those people you cherish the most. What do you need to make your dreams reality?

Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world.
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Industry Icons: When They Were Seniors - Round IV

4/24/2025

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We didn't realize we were making memories.
We just knew we were having fun.

Anon
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by Skip Cohen

​Throwback Thursday is my favorite day of the week, and between my archives and new material, I'm jumping into the time machine for one more round of well-respected professional photographers when they were seniors. Not everyone had access to their formal senior headshot, but all the images are from that time in everyone's life when they were launched into adulthood.

From top left: Gary Box, Chuck Arlund, Michele Celentano, Vanelli, David Beckham, Kevin Gilligan, Gustavo Fernandez, Bruce Hudson, Joe Buissink, Dawn Davis, Joy Vertz, Judy Host, Matt Meiers, Bryan Caporicci, Melanie Anderson.

In last week's post I included both my senior headshot with my Mom's. Here's mine with my Dad's, thirty years apart. At the time, hand-coloring was the rage.

Senior photography continues to be one of the fastest-growing specialties and has never slowed down in terms of popularity and recognition. It's a special time in everyone's life, and that awkward time as we all headed into independence. Yet, we were still very much tied to our families and homes, but ggraduation has always been a celebration.

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Senior photography today is much more focused on storytelling and different presentations of their images. For example, I'm using the shot from Marathon Press again to show just one aspect of what's available today, grad cards. There was no such thing as grad cards years ago. The wallet-size shots in the packages our parents bought were the most popular. That's what we all shared. 

​Marathon has 75 different Grad Card Design Collections.​ I grabbed the screen shot below to share a small taste of the variety of what you have to choose from. And, their free gold foil on 5x7 cards is going on until May 31.

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Click on any sample above to view the entire collection.
Marketing to seniors, if done right, can be an incredibly rewarding part of your business. But don't underestimate the skills required to be successful. It requires a different skill set than when so many of us were seniors.

You need great communication skills. Success today is all about relationship-building, connecting with the subject, capturing their personality, and combining it with maximum creativity. Sure, understanding lighting, posing, and composition is a necessity, but telling the story of a senior today is such a strong part of imaging. It's well beyond just knowing when to click the shutter.

Meanwhile, congrats to the class of 2025, and a BIG thanks to everyone who's been sending me their senior shots, regardless of how far back they go!

​Happy Throwback Thursday!
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A Hump Day Message: Making Self-Care a Priority

4/23/2025

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Never forget how to take care of yourself because others won't forget how to use you.
Unknown
by Skip Cohen

​It's Hump Day, and I try it keep it relatively light, but depending on your state of mind, today's topic could be just a quiet reminder or a critical point to help you focus.

Now and then, I share a point from Lou Mitchell's book, Mastering Positive Thinking. A few days ago, he shared the quote above and then went on to write:

Self-care is not a luxury but a necessity. In a world where demands and expectations are constant, and burnout is one of the most prevalent illnesses, it's easy to prioritize others' needs over our own. However, neglecting self-care can leave us vulnerable to being taken advantage of, as people often remember how to use our strengths and resources for their benefit. Learning to say no to preserve yourself is key.

The world is nuts right now. From pissing off Mother Nature to the economy to the political arena, we're flooded with fake news from all sides. On any given day, most of us are fighting off some level of anxiety over the future. With the exception of the weather report, we don't know what to believe. 

At the same time, it's so easy to forget about self-care and help friends and worthy causes, putting our own needs on the back burner. I'm not suggesting anybody become selfish, but being just a little self-centered isn't a bad thing. Caregivers for family members with Alzheimer's learn early on that they can't take care of their loved one if they're not taking care of themselves first. It's no different than a flight attendant speech reminding you that if you're flying with a child, put on your oxygen mask before putting on your kid's.

Lou Mitchell went on to write: Are you taking adequate care of yourself, or are you constantly catering to others' needs? What boundaries can you set to ensure you prioritize your well-being? How can you integrate self-care practices into your daily routine to maintain a healthy balance?

And there's my point - you need to set some boundaries. For me, one area that needs my attention is what I read. I've stopped scrolling through all the bullshit on Facebook. There's one post after another that's fake news, and it's from all sides, as more and more people think their opinion is the only one. Sheila and I have even developed our own technique for watching the news - we pre-record and can get through Lester Holt and David Muir, both 30-minute news broadcasts, in less than 15 minutes!

This doesn't mean we accept the craziness in the world; it's just that our own sanity comes before allowing us to get upset over reports that are yet to be proven true! So, whether it's more sleep, exercise, eating better, setting boundaries on input to your life, or just taking time to smell the roses - you know how to hold focus with you camera, but what about YOU?

Wishing everybody a day when you can focus on what you need most!

​Happy Hump Day!
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"Someday" is NOT a Day of the Week!*

4/21/2025

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by Skip Cohen

We're into Spring seasonality, but there are still too many of you who instead of taking action to build your business, are waiting for the sales or marketing fairy to come in and sprinkle success dust on your career! The result is endless procrastination, and soon it'll be too late to have any serious positive impact...so, STOP PROCRASTINATING!

Since starting this blog in 2013, I've done several series of posts to help small business owners, primarily photographers/videographers, build a stronger business. This current series, Business Breakthroughs, started at the end of January. There have been twelve different topics. From ending procrastination to keeping negative people out of your life, and everything in between, I've covered so many significant challenges you face.

The biggest challenge for every business is breaking through the noise—the chaos in your target audience's lives that distracts them from recognizing the importance of your role in the community. Many of you forget your value as a magician, helping people capture intangible moments and turning them into memories that last a lifetime!

Below are twelve links to past Business Breakthroughs. Spring seasonality is on your doorstep, with Mother's Day, prom season, graduation, and Father's Day all coming up over the next two months. All along the way, there will be opportunities for you to grow your business and increase revenue...but I can only help with ideas. 

You're the only one who can build your business and turn 2025 into one of your most successful years as an artist. Each banner below links to the original article. Think about where you need to fine-tune and then attack the challenge.

I have a few more topics to share, but if you're stuck and need more help, you know where to find me!

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*Quote by Janet Dailey
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Brothers, Butterflies and a Peaceful Sunday Morning

4/20/2025

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by Skip Cohen

As we added more plants to our butterfly garden yesterday, I knew exactly what I wanted to share this morning. Remember, on Sundays, I always jump the tracks and wander miles away from business and marketing topics. It's my time to get a little more personal.

We've all had to deal with loss; whether it's family or friends, it's all part of life. Twenty-eight years ago, my wife lost two brothers in a car accident. Thirty days later, she lost another brother in a road rage incident in Chandler, Arizona. When we built the butterfly garden eight years ago, three monoliths were added to the water feature. It occurred to me that it was a perfect memorial to her three brothers. They were all killed before I came into the family, but that doesn't change feeling like I knew and loved them, thanks to Sheila's stories.

Almost three years ago, she lost another brother, and last fall, "Uncle" Randy, her last living brother, died of a brain aneurysm. She went off in search of a fitting addition to the garden and found it at Toscano, a sculpture manufacturer. Adding the two boys completed the garden, but nature had one more surprise for us. 

That's "Randy" lying down in the back. For the last two weeks, we've had monarch butterflies throughout the backyard, all attracted to the Stuckeys-like big buffet of a few dozen milkweed plants. While the caterpillars continue to feast, it's a never-ending cycle of finding a new chrysalis almost every day. Last night, Sheila spotted a new one hanging from "Randy's" ear.

The garden isn't as lush as it will be in a few more weeks, but it's lush with memories, love, and peace. I found an appropriate plaque online that says it all:
Those we love don't go away. They walk beside us every day.
​Unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed, and always dear.
Having a garden like this has become a true labor of love for both of us. It's far more than just about butterflies; it's about turning the challenges of life we both share into something filled with color and beauty. And while the only brother-in-law I ever knew was Randy, it doesn't change my love for the energy of their spirits, thanks to photographs and Sheila's stories. As each new flower blooms, it's another visual tribute.

Wishing everybody a Happy Easter and a day filled with peace, love and new memories to add to your stash to cherish in the future. It's a day for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs I always write about, and in the process of a long hug, think about how much richer your life is thanks to the person you've got your arms around!

Happy Sunday...or Monday on the other side of the world.
Butterflies are nature’s angels. They remind us what a gift it is to be alive.
Robyn Nola
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A Photography Workshop That Should NOT be Missed!

4/18/2025

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May the stars whisper dreams into your heart and ignite your soul with the fire of possibility.
Unknown
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by Skip Cohen

Every now and then, a workshop comes along that should be on everyone's bucket list. Night sky photography in Sedona with Bob Coates should be on yours!

Bob and I have been friends for over twenty years. That friendship came out of my incredible respect for his skill set and creativity as an artist. Plus, I've learned so much just hanging out with him! We're both passionate about imaging, but Bob's love for education and helping photographers raise the bar on their skills is the "gold standard" in photography. 

... Sedona's clear skies and stunning landscapes make it one of the best places in the U.S. to capture the Milky Way in all its glory. Bob takes full advantage of the region's natural beauty, guiding participants through the process of shooting the stars, moon, and galaxies above.

In these workshops, Bob shares a wealth of knowledge about the technical side of night photography—how to capture long exposures, properly set up a camera for star trails, and fine-tune your settings to get the best results. He teaches about composition, how to use foreground elements like the iconic red rocks of Sedona to create a sense of depth, and how to work with lighting to enhance your shots. Once you've captured your images processing files is covered in depth.

Trust me - you'll never be disappointed in a program with Bob. It won't just be a trip under the night skies but an adventure you'll never forget. 
​

Check out the short video below, then click on any image in today's post for more information. ​

Images copyright Bob Coates. All rights reserved.
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Industry Icons...When They Were Seniors: Round 3

4/17/2025

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by Skip Cohen

It's my favorite day of the week, Throwback Thursday. Jumping into the time machine, here's one more round of well-respected industry leaders returning to their high school days or shortly after. And I still have a few more to share in the weeks ahead. Not everyone had access to their formal senior headshot, but that doesn't take away the fun of sharing these old images.

From the top left, Vicki Taufer, Fran Reisner, Bruce Berg, Nick Vedros, Bambi Cantrell, Yervant Zanazanian, Seth Resnick and George Varanakis. I've also got a BIG apology for mixing up Ralph Romaguera and Eddie Tapp in a previous post. That's Ralph on the left and Eddie on the right.

Besides the fun of looking back at what friends looked like so many years ago, the collection of images from these past posts shows the changes in trends, not just from black & white to color, but often in posing. Today's senior photographers are capturing not just a headshot but the subject's personality, often shooting several different styles/settings, ranging from the more conservative shot that "Mom" wants to capture to the hobbies and interests of the subject. 

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Ralph Romaguera, Eddie Tapp, and I are all close to the same age. Senior shots back then were usually done in a studio or the school, in black and white, with guys in white shirts, ties, and jackets and girls in nice blouses or sweaters, but nothing that captured anybody's personality. The pictures were delivered in one package with an 8x10, 5x7s, and a bunch of wallet-size photographs, which we all shared with each other.

For years, nothing really changed in the style of posing or lighting from when my mother was a senior! That's me and Mom, twenty-three years apart, and looking at a page from her yearbook, it could easily be swapped with a page in mine!

Today's seniors have photographs that tell their stories and different presentations. For example, Marathon Press is in one of its busiest seasons of the year right now with grad cards. There was no such thing as grad cards years ago. Graduating was still a big deal as we headed toward the next phase of our lives and adulthood, but we didn't have access to the technology that seniors have today.

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Click to learn more about Marathon's program for Seniors

​​Yes, Marathon is a sponsor of SCU, but I shared the screenshot from their website because it demonstrates the incredible difference between what's available to seniors today and what was available to seniors so many years ago.

Marketing to seniors is big business, but to be successful, it also requires a different skill set from when so many of us were seniors. A great senior session is about connecting with the subject, capturing their personality, and combining it with maximum creativity. 
If you're interested in the senior market, the first thing you need to do is ensure you've got the skill set, not just with your camera. You also need great communication skills and the ability to build a relationship with your subject.

Remember, for many seniors, this may be their first time working with a professional photographer. They're as nervous about getting a portrait done as they are in dealing with some of their own self-esteem issues. That means your listening and conversational skills must be as good as your understanding of exposure, composition, and lighting!

Meanwhile, congratulations to the class of 2025 and all the outstanding artists pushing the creative envelope in capturing their personalities!

Happy Throwback Thursday!
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Nothing Beats Quality Time with Great Friends

4/15/2025

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Be grateful for those who make us happy!
Marcel Proust
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by Skip Cohen

It's just a light post for an uneventful Tuesday, but it's still a thought worth sharing. I often start each day wandering through a book of great quotes, and the one above struck me as so appropriate this morning.

I missed writing a Sunday Morning Reflections post last weekend, not because I couldn't come up with a topic, but because we had company, and I didn't want to spend time in my office at the computer.

After working together for so many years and doing the Mind Your Own Business and Tamron Recipes podcasts, plus a few others, we finally got Chamira Young and Troy to Florida for a visit. Chamira and I did over 150 podcasts together, but we only met for ten minutes at WPPI many years ago. While we met one evening at ClickCon in Detroit last year for a short visit before the program I was doing, there was never any quality time.

Here's my point, starting with the quote above. There's that old quote by Brian Chalker: "People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime." Well, our friendship started with a reason, co-hosting a great podcast. It was always more than a season; now, it's evolved into a lifetime. And the four of us hanging out together for a long weekend was all about being happy and grateful for a remarkable friendship.

In an online world where we all "know" so many people in cyberspace, it's a great experience when you finally get quality time together...LIVE! Social media, even phone calls, and Facetime are great for getting to know people, but nothing beats face-to-face time together!

Do you have friends with whom you've missed spending quality time? While everyone says time flies when you're having a good time, the reality is that in good times or tough times, the clock never slows down. Make time for those special people who are in your life for a reason, season, or lifetime. 

​And to Chamira and Troy, thanks for making the trip and heading a few miles south of Detroit! It was a perfect weekend.

​What a kick! ​

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Business Breakthroughs for Photographers: Part XII

4/14/2025

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"Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice!"
Steve Jobs
by Skip Cohen

While this is a Marketing Monday post about the business of imaging, Steve Jobs's quote is good advice for just about everyone I know in today's opinionated, polarized political environment. However, I'm staying on point and sharing ideas related to being a photographer, videographer, and small business owner.

Photography is an art form that family members and friends often misunderstand. They don't understand your passion. They assume you're going to starve in the process. They may never have seen your work and question whether or not you're good enough. They don't understand why you can't just go out and get a "real job"!  Sound familiar?

On the old GoingPro podcasts, Scott Bourne and I talked a lot about surrounding yourself with people with positive attitudes. You need to block out the "Negators." It's not out of Greek mythology, but it should be.  Negators are people who are so unhappy in their own lives; their only joy in life is screwing with yours!

The result is most often serious damage to your self-confidence. So, here are a few suggestions to help you stay focused (pun intended) and give you a little reinforcement. You know how to focus your camera, but do you know how to hold the focus on your career path and your business?

  • Surround yourself with positive people. While developing more positivity, it all starts by toning down the Negators in your life. Sooner or later, the Negators will hopefully come around, but for now, those people who are throwing up the roadblocks need to be kept on the sidelines. The only thing they're contributing to your life is stress!
  • Look at old images. Go back and look at the images you captured early on in your career. It might have been a party you photographed, a landscape while on vacation, or maybe just a few shots of your kids. Now, compare them to where you are today. If you don't see a difference, you're in trouble, but most of you will see growth in the way you compose and expose today. As you get more experienced, there should be some serious changes seen in lighting, composition, depth of field, and your creativity.
  • Roberto Valenzuela suggested a terrific tool for practicing the craft on a GoingPro podcast many years ago. He suggested you go back to the last wedding you photographed and look at all the bad images.  "Look for what you missed and learn to understand why each image wasn't good!"
  • Enter some images in print competition. This is a personal favorite. Whether you enter prints or not, at least attend the judging at the next convention, where it's open to the public. Listen to what the judges are saying about each print. Use their suggestions as guidance for your own work.
  • Find yourself a supportive Facebook forum. There are so many groups within photography, and while you'll occasionally run across a troll who doesn't like the images you share, just remember, "Beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder!"
  • Join your local chapter or guild of professional photographers. Sooner or later, everyone shares the same frustrations. A local chapter of other artists becomes a support group and an essential part of your network. There's a lot of good comfort in knowing your peers share some of the same concerns and frustrations. 
  • Don't respond to trolls! When you do step out into the public forums and get shot at by a troll, don't let yourself get caught up in the battle. Don't respond. They hide behind the anonymity of their computer screens. Your silence is far more effective at driving them mad!

Most important of all...Listen to your heart. It sounds hokey, but you know what you feel inside. You know what your gut instinct is saying about your passion for being an artist. You know what's a good fit, but negativity will slow you down. 

It's April, and the "busy season" is about to start picking up everywhere, in spite of everyone's fear of the unknown with the cost of living and the economy. But here's another way to look at all the challenges we're dealing with today—creating special memories with family and friends has become even more important. Nobody can take away great memories, and as an imaging artist, your skills in helping people capture them is even more valuable today.

​You've got the best part of the year ahead of you. It's time to really dig into your journey. And if you need a little help from one of the industry's biggest cheerleaders - you know where to find me!
 “Even if you fall flat on your face, you’re still moving forward!” 
Victor Kiam


“If you wait for all the lights to be green, you’ll never get started on your journey!” 
​Zig Ziglar
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Is "Fun" Missing from Running Your Business?

4/11/2025

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When a flower doesn't bloom,
you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.

Alexander Den Heijer
by Skip Cohen

It's Friday, and I've gotten in the habit of keeping whatever I share relatively light. When I ran across the quote above a few minutes ago, I started thinking about how some of the artists I've worked with over the years are incredibly talented but can't seem to find that special level of passion that makes whatever they're working on fun.

Remember "fun?" It's one of those words that often gets lost under the stress of running a business combined with outside challenges like the economy, politics, taxes, etc. As I've written before, you can't create images that tug at people's heartstrings if your own heart isn't in it.

So, if you're feeling a little down before you even start the day, take a little time off. Walk away from your business, whether it's just for an hour or a day or two. Think back to the vision you had of being a professional photographer. What's missing from that original dream? Do you need to expand your skill set? Do you need to bring in a partner/partners? Are you hitting the right demographics for your marketing and promotion? The list of questions can go on and on until you hit that "ah-ha" moment, where it all starts to make sense.  

Here's the bottom line - life is too short to treat today like a dress rehearsal for something bigger and better. You're the only one who can figure out what's going to make you smile and your heart sing. I know it sounds pretty sappy, but the future is up to you. Don't be afraid to get help from people in your network's core. Sometimes, all you need is a little outside help from a close friend, family member, or associate to see what's missing.

​Wishing everybody a terrific weekend ahead! And if I can help figure out how to put fun back in your business, you know where to find me!
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Industry Icons When They Were Seniors: A Second Round

4/10/2025

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A photograph is like a recipe - memory the finished dish.
–Carrie Latet
by Skip Cohen

It's my favorite day of the week for posting, and I almost missed it.

It's Throwback Thursday, and it's time for another batch of seniors. They're all industry icons, and there are lots more to share next week, too. It's a kick chasing these down. Most of these well-respected artists had no idea their future was going to take them behind the camera, not to mention becoming an influencer in imaging. 

Searching Google, the AI overview states: In 2025, the United States is projected to see a peak in high school graduates, with around 3.9 million students graduating. 

High school senior photography continues to be one of the fastest-growing segments in professional photography. It's so different from when I was a kid! First, there's color! Second, a senior session is more about capturing the subject's personality, not just a formal headshot. Third, because of social media, a senior headshot isn't just for the yearbook - senior shots are shared throughout social media, used on grad cards, and rarely just one pose is shared.

A big thanks to everyone who has sent me a throwback to when they were high school seniors or a year or two after that. 
​
It's fun turning back the clock!

Missed the last batch of industry seniors? Click here to the link!

Who's who? From top left: Sarah Petty, Cate Scaglione, Sherry Hagerman, Helen Yancy, Bob Coates, Bert Behnke, Dane Sanders and Jesse Feyereisen. 


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Business Breakthroughs for Photographers: Part XI

4/7/2025

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by Skip Cohen

I started this series to help photographers overcome the chaos that prevents them from making their businesses a greater success. While some of you may think paying attention to your phone style is outdated, replaced by texting and emails, it's anything but obsolete. The art of conversation is desperately needed more than ever in business today.​

How you handle yourself over the phone is at the top of the list of critical marketing tools. Even though email and texting drive the world, a live call is still one of the very best relationship-building techniques in business!

There was a time when "Ma Bell" used to teach classes on phone etiquette for business clients. I remember being sent to a workshop in my Customer Service days at Polaroid and thinking how stupid it was to suggest I didn't have the skill set to answer the phone. But it wasn't about answering the phone; it was about using the phone as a customer service tool.

At least once a week, I'm chasing a company to find an answer to a question. Comcast is one of the worst, but in all honesty, they're not alone. We live in a world of defaults and A.I. which rarely gets you to a live body.

Recently, it took me three transfers before I got the right department and an expert capable of answering my question at one of the most recognized companies in the world. Plus, my call was answered offshore, and only one of the four people I spoke with actually sounded sincere when empathizing with my complaint. By the time I got to the last person, I was so tired of being handed off. I was frustrated and rude, and it really wasn't the fault of the rep but the people who designed the response system of their company.
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As seasonality starts to pick up again with Easter, Passover, Mother's Day, graduation, and Father's Day on the very near horizon, this is the perfect time to brush up on your phone style and bring a stronger sense of professionalism to your phone skills. 
​

  • How's your overall system of communicating with your clients? Don't rely on a contact form on your website that clients fill out and then click "Send."  If a client is excited about your work, they want to talk to you, not fill out a form.  
  • Answer the call quickly, and if they leave a voicemail, return the call as fast as possible. When they do call, make sure your system is working right so you get the call or at least the message quickly. Make sure you call them back promptly because if you don't, one of your competitors will. It's only human nature to think something negative when you don't get a timely response.
  • Pay attention! Don't take or make calls when you're in the middle of chaos. We all multi-task, but the key to a great phone conversation is being dedicated to listening more than talking.  If you're in the middle of other things and can't give the person on the other end of the line dedicated time, then wait until you can.
  • No matter what bizarre things are happening in your day, smile when talking to people on the phone. This is all about being cheerful and having a great attitude. You can tell when somebody is smiling on the other end of the line. Getting a phone call from a client is an opportunity for you to show your personality.
  • Use your phone to play offense! With so many changes in the way we communicate today, it's becoming a lost art for people to use their phones for a conversation. When it comes to relationship building, talking directly to somebody is second only to a face-to-face conversation.
  • Be proactive! Look over your database of clients and use the phone to keep in touch with those people most special to you. I'm a huge fan of texting and social media, including Facebook and email, but calling somebody you know and have worked with is still at the top of the charts, and you don't have to be intrusive. The other day, I was on an IM with a good friend, and after typing a few lines, I just picked up the phone and called him...my opening line was, "It's great to catch up to you on Facebook, but we've been friends too long for an IM...how are you?" We were both busy, and it wasn't a long call, but so great to actually talk to him rather than type!
  • It's about what you say and how you say it. I wrote about this in a previous post, but when you have an upset customer, the best way to diffuse the situation is with a call that starts with, "I understand you're not happy with our service. Well, the buck stops here. What can I do to help?" You'll be amazed at the initial change in attitude just because you've established that you're there to listen, help, and resolve the challenge.
  • If you have staff answering calls, give them the authority to make decisions. Most of you are small businesses and don't have the luxury of a large staff, but you may have 1-2 people who handle Customer Service. Train them and give them the authority to make decisions and be problem-solvers. It's great when there's a challenge to handle it quickly rather than return calls and add time to the resolution process.
"The greatest technology in the world hasn't replaced the ultimate relationship building tool
between a customer and a business...the human touch!"

Shep Hyken
Looking for more great reminders on Customer Service overall? Check out Shep Hyken's blog. He's always sharing ideas on how to exceed client expectations!
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