by Skip Cohen
 
Two more great podcasts in the pipeline, thanks to Platypod and Photofocus. And both are with guests who offer outstanding insight to help you through the challenges you're dealing with right now. Take the time to click on the two banners below, grab a cup of coffee and then just kick back and listen!

Levi Sim:  In 2009 I launched a summer program called Skip's Summer School. Levi Sim was one of the attendees and was just getting started in his career. Over the years, he's become one of the most recognized personalities in photography. He's an ambassador of goodwill and support for the professional photographic community. Over the last ten years, he's the guy with the bow tie and brown fedora at any convention. He's a photographer, writer, educator, podcaster and has spent most of his career in imaging, asking other photographers and manufacturers, "How can I help?"

A few months ago, Levi made a considerable change in his career - staying with his love for imaging, he joined Utah State University as their lead photographer. So working for a full-time employee is a significant change from freelance. In this new podcast, Levi shared a lot of great insight into the challenges and benefits of giving up being a freelance artist and moving into the academic world.

Here are few of the topics we talked about in this podcast:

• The importance of being helpful and having a thick skin as you build your photography business
• The other elements of running a business besides taking photos
• How Levi is using Platypod’s Ultra Twin Pack
• The most important lessons Levi has learned over his career
• The role of relationship building
• Advice for photographers just getting started

Click on any of Levi's images above to listen to the podcast!​

The Beyond Technique podcast is brought to you thanks to Platypod. They've got some incredible savings going on right now, but only while supplies last. For example, there are only twenty of the Ultra Essentials Kits left for holiday savings. Click on any of the holiday bundles below for more information.

A BIG thanks to the team at Photofocus.com for their never-ending support of the photographic community. Check out all of their podcasts and an incredible archive of great content growing more and more every day! Just click on the banner below and check out one of the very best resources for photographic information!

by Skip Cohen

Beyond Technique is a podcast that's meant to be just a little different than our regular "Mind Your Own Business" show. While each episode highlights another guest's work, my co-host and I have had some great conversations about everything that happens beyond the technique of capturing an image or building a business.

Chamira Young and I have hosted over one hundred podcasts since our first one together in March 2017. With each guest, I've been delighted at their insight and willingness to share so many different aspects of their journey. And equally impressive is their passion for the industry and helping other artists stay focused at a time through the pandemic when fixed focus is often close to impossible.

​Stuck thinking of a creative holiday gift idea for the photographer in your life? Platypod's Holiday Specials are going on right now, but only while supplies last. Click on the banner above to meet the entire product line, and check out the limited-time holiday savings.

And if you haven't visited the Platypod website, take a scroll through the blog and Instagram pages. Artists from around the world are sharing their creativity every day.

A big thanks to Photofocus for always sharing great content to help photographers grow their technology, marketing, and business skills.  Photofocus also hosts some of the very best podcasts in photography! They're just a click away.
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by Skip Cohen
​
It's Sunday morning, and I'm definitely not in my usual mode of being off the topic of photography.  

The pandemic has changed everything in our lives and not for the better. But it's also created some unique leadership opportunities in creativity and support to your clients and community. I know it's been an ugly year for virtually every business, but I also know there are ideas out there to help you get back on track and jumpstart your business.

ClickCon Nation kicks off today with an all-star cast, but more important than the educators/speakers is the timing and the topics. For example, I'm doing a program at 10:15 CST called "My Business Has Disappeared, Now What?" In one hour, I'm going to pack in 2-3 hours of material - one after another of things photographers can be doing RIGHT NOW to capture the seasonality in business. 

​And check out the company I'm with below.

The program is FREE - all you have to do is download the ClickCon Nation app, and you're in. I know this doesn't apply to everybody, but there are too many of you who have been crying the blues over the decline in business and not doing anything about it.

Remember that line of "God helps those who help themselves?"  Well, regardless of what you believe spiritually, there's so much help in this industry. But you've got to make the first move - open your mind and join us!

Wishing everybody a day filled with ideas and opportunities to be a leader in creativity and business. The year isn't over yet. As I've written so many times in the last nine months - hunkering down is about your health - NOT about your business.

by Skip Cohen

​For over a year, I shared a series of business and marketing tips called "Fast Food Friday." The concept started as short, easy to implement ideas, and grew into some great building blocks for success as a photographer and small business owner.

Well, as much as the pandemic has changed so many things in our lives, the key ingredients to building brand awareness haven't changed. You still need to get your name out there, and even more important, we're into fourth-quarter seasonality, and people still need help capturing and sharing their memories!

Remember why I started this series - to give you ideas to build a stronger business, no matter what the challenges were! Most of you are right-brain creative types with too little focus on growing your business. Many of you don't think of yourselves as small business owners. Even if you're working for another studio, imaging is a career choice that lends itself to freelance assignments, and you're ALWAYS building your brand.

With or without Covid - it's not who YOU know, but WHO knows you! Here's a list to help you keep your name out there in the spotlight. Your goal is top-of-mind awareness so anytime somebody is thinking about photography, your name comes up first.
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• Stay in touch with your past clients: I love an idea Steven Gotz shared at the beginning of the pandemic. Here's the link. In summary, he took portraits of clients and pulled the color, converted them to line-art, and sent them to clients with young children as coloring book pages. It's a brilliant way to help lift the spirits of your clients and, at the same time, remind them you're there.
• Community Involvement: People like buying products/services from companies they perceive as giving back. What's great about being involved in your community is it can start at any time. And it doesn't have to include a camera in your hands. The pandemic and health distancing has changed many events, but every community has challenges in getting the word out, especially on fundraisers. Use your blog and help them spread the word - be an ambassador!
• Own Your Zip Code: Draw a circle around where you're based and start knocking on doors! Wear a mask and respect physical distancing. Introduce yourself to the other businesses in the community...and IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR SPECIALTY IS! My favorite example is a wedding photographer walking into a real estate office. Once you've introduced yourself, all you need to say is, "My specialty is wedding photography, but I've got an incredible network. If you ever need any help with anything photo-related, give me a call. If I can't help you directly, I'm sure I know somebody who can."  
• Use Your Blog: Your website is about what you sell, and your blog is about what's in your heart. Post at least twice a week, same days, same times. Share stories/ideas relatable to your readership. Remember, you're building a community. Talk about the diversity of your skill set. Share tips on photography, especially posing, lighting, and composition. Help your clients get through the limitations of the holidays and needing to still hunker-down.
• Teach a Class: Just about all of you, unless you started yesterday, have enough expertise to help the community raise the bar on better photographs, even if they're only shooting with a cell phone. Share tips on composition, lighting, fill flash, posing, exposure, and storytelling. For most of you, your target audience is "Mom," so help make her a better photographer. And here's a new topic - teach a class on using Zoom, Skype, etc. Everyone is dealing with more interaction online, but so few consumers know what they're doing and spend their time sharing poorly lit nostril shots on their phones.
• Partnerships: You don't have to fly solo all the time! Look for opportunities to cross-promote with other vendors. A postcard mailer, for example, with two other partners, brings your cost down to a third. Best of all, all three partners become ambassadors for each other. And during the pandemic and holiday time, here's your chance to cross-promote on discounts and each other's products as gift ideas.
• Social Media: In the portrait/social categories of photography, that means being primarily involved on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. But remember, there are no erasers on the Internet. Stay relevant to your audience. Don't engage trolls! And stay focused on your passion for people and your art. You know how to hold focus on your subjects with your camera - so maintain focus on your audience's needs. Use Facebook's birthday and anniversary features to keep track of key dates with your clients. The pandemic hasn't slowed anything down in social media.
• Pick up the Phone: When in doubt, call a past client. You don't need to be selling anything. The call's purpose is to let them know you're thinking about them and just want to know how everybody is. My suggestion is to make at least two calls a day to past clients. This is purely social, but all about keeping in touch.
• Show Your Work: Years ago, Bambi Cantrell displayed her images in a local Starbucks. Helen Yancy, a past president of PPA, started out showing her work in a local diner. Offer to decorate your doctor's office. Think about it - almost every doctor's office is the same - BORING! Let's get some good photographs on the wall, and all you're asking is to leave a stack of your business cards on the magazine table. 
• Put Together a Networking Luncheon/Event: You don't have to meet for lunch physically. In fact, I was invited to a happy hour cocktail party recently of a board I'm active on here in Sarasota. It was all done on Zoom. Lori Nordstrom talked about this early on in the pandemic when she was getting together with a group of businesswomen in the community on Zoom. You're getting together to talk about the business, trends, and anything that comes up. 
• Career Day at ANY School: If we've learned nothing else from the toy manufacturers - the way to get to Mom and Dad is through their kids. Every school needs help with special programming, and most of them are dealing with online education. Offer to do a career day presentation online and talk about what it's like being a photographer. Don't be boring and just talk - show photographs, special techniques, and things they can do with their cell phones!  Here's your chance to make online education more fun.
• Build a Community Calendar: Everyone is always looking for new blog content. So, keep a calendar on your blog of upcoming community events, mostly non-profit fundraisers. And with each event, you personally attend, share the story with a paragraph or two and photographs. It's a great way to build up your reputation as a supporter of the community and be more recognized.
• Join Community Groups: From PPA affiliates to photography guilds to organizations like Kiwanis, Exchange Club, Rotary, and business networking groups, be involved. You're building a network of relationships and right now getting together online is the next best thing to being there!

Too many of you think there's nothing you can do to build your brand until the pandemic is history. It's not going away tomorrow, but the new norm doesn't need to leave you helpless. Relationship building is your most vital marketing tool - so, set up a time every week to be building your foundation of awareness - beyond your skill set.

Tony Corbell, one of the most recognized photographers in the industry, once told a story about when he first got started. "I might not have been the best photographer in town, but I was determined to be the nicest!" Tony's never strayed from that practice!

​And where's Tony today? Because travel for all of us is limited, he's online and spending just as much time teaching and supporting his audience as he always has - but in cyberspace!

by Skip Cohen
 
In all my years in this industry, I've never seen a more difficult time for photographers to maintain a business. At the same time, I've never seen/heard so many remarkable stories about artists taking a leadership role in their communities. These are business owners, fighting to rebuild what the pandemic has taken away.

This Sunday, five of us share ideas and ways to expand your skill set and work to get things started on the way back. But we can't help if you're not there with us! 

My program, "My Business Has Disappeared! Now What?" is about opportunities to rebuild your business and stand out from your competition. This program changes and grows every week, as I hear more great ideas to share from artists around the world who simply refuse to give up! I'll be sharing dozens of ideas to help you rebuild and jumpstart your business. I've got one hour to fill your head with new ideas, and even a few old ones. So, it'll be fast-paced right from the start.

Click on the banner above to connect to the complete schedule of events. Then to attend for FREE, just download the 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐂𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐩 from your app store, log in and create your password.  

​Don't let complacency get the best of you! Join us on Sunday to recharge your battery and get your business back on track for a strong fourth quarter in 2020!

by Skip Cohen

"Mind Your Own Business" is all about introducing you to the diversity of some of the most respected artists and educators in professional imaging. Since starting the series over six years ago, each guest has shared insight into their journey with continuous support to help photographers raise the bar on their skill set and develop a stronger brand and successful business.

My good pal Shiv Verma is in the MYOB spotlight and joined Chamira Young and me for a conversation about his career, projects for downtime, staying optimistic, and the future of imaging. Shiv's an artist, educator, writer, and a good friend to so many photographers in the industry.

Although we've known each other for many years, we started to get quality time together thanks to his role as a LUMIX Ambassador. (Note: All of Shiv's images we pulled for this post from were all captured with LUMIX cameras.) Later, I got to know him even better though Platypod. He's been a vital contributor to so many different ideas and new products over the years, including the upcoming Platyball.

Two of my favorite conventions before the pandemic were IUSA and WPPI. Working with Shiv in the booth, and then getting time together over dinner at the end of each day gave us a chance to cover a lot of ground with so many different topics and interests.

Check out more of Shiv's work with a visit to his Instagram page, his website, and past SCU blog posts.

Part of the fun of following Shiv is the diversity of his work - from critters and night skies to a model at a conference and fine art, you'll never be disappointed in what he's sharing or where he's traveling!

As always - thanks go to the Photofocus Team for their support of this podcast. Check out their content; whether it's new product info, "how-to" posts, or educational information to help you become a better artist, they never slow down in the quality of what they share.

by Skip Cohen

The "Mind Your Own Business" podcast is all about sharing ideas, developing a solid skill set, and running a successful business in imaging. Although our opening and closing questions are always the same about how the guest got started in this business along with advice to photographers just starting, everything else is unscripted and unrehearsed. Each photographer has shared an incredible level of information about their journey to date.

Nicole Begley joined us on this recent podcast, and she continued the pattern of sharing great insight and information about pet photography. I met Nicole for the first time three years ago when she taught a pet photography workshop here in the Sarasota area. Her passion for the craft, together with being an educator and working hard to help artists expand their skill set, is remarkable to observe live, first hand.

The hierarchy of why people hire a professional photographer, based on a Kodak survey years back, goes brides, babies, and pets. I don't believe that's changed at all in over twenty years since the information was released. That means there's an incredible opportunity for photographers to diversify and include pets in your repertoire. And the ranking has moved a lot, because of so many weddings being cancelled or postponed.

While the official surveys don't all agree, the rough estimate is that 80% of American households have a dog or cat. That boils down to approximately 80 million dogs and 60 million cats. And if you want to argue with me about those numbers, you're missing the point. We love our pets. Through the pandemic of the last almost nine months, dog and cat owners have repeatedly talked about the family's furry members evolving into emotional support animals!
 
Now take it all one step further, pet owners love photographs of there dogs and cats, which is why they're ranked at the top of the Kodak survey I referenced earlier. Nicole Begley is all about helping artists raise the bar on their skill set when it comes to photographing pets, especially dogs. Check out her "Hair of the Dog Academy," and visit her website to view more of  her incredible work!

As always, a BIG thanks to the team at Photofocus.com for their support in hosting the "Mind Your Own Business" podcast. Check out all of their podcasts - you'll never be disappointed in the guests appearing on the various shows.

by Skip Cohen

​We're in the middle of a pandemic, and with so much downtime, I'm trying to understand how I missed several posts of the "Mind Your Own Business." Over the last six years, we've shared a new podcast every month, thanks to my co-host Chamira Young and the team at Photofocus.com.  

So, I'm playing catch up on podcasts, but this isn't like the expiration date on a carton of milk! Kay Eskridge joined us on this past podcast, and her insight into the industry's challenges was remarkable. She shared so many great ideas, and knowing Kay for as many years as I have, it was a fun conversation.
 
Kay is all about relationship building. In fact, you can see it in her images - relaxed smiles, comfortable poses, and subjects who enjoy working with Kay and trust her to exceed their expectations. From the Boardroom to maternity, kids, families, couples, seniors, and pets - it wasn't easy for me to pick out my favorites. Click on any image below, and you'll link to Kay's website, and you'll see what I mean. She shares an incredible body of work. Every image demonstrates her commitment to her clients as well as the craft. She's one of the most diverse artists in the industry, and I'm not sure there's anything Kay can't photograph!

I've written it so many times before:  The best part of this industry is all about the friendships that come out of everyone's love for the craft. Kay and I have worked together on different projects and have been friends for easily twenty years, and it's true what they say about time - it flies when you're having a good time!

A big thanks to Photofocus for their support in making "Mind Your Own Business," a podcast that needs to be on your radar!

 by Skip Cohen

​If there was ever a promotion with perfect timing on a necessity this holiday season, it's Marathon's BOGO on holiday cards that just launched! 

Here's why this is more important for your business than ever before:

For the last eight months, everyone's world has been at a virtual standstill. You've been hunkered down, business disappeared, and has just recently started to pick up, and keeping in touch with clients for many of you has been limited. That makes this holiday season especially crucial for revenue, as well as for your clients. Everyone is dealing with the same challenges, regardless of what their business might be. 

You've got an opportunity to meet the needs of your clients NOW. And while it might seem early to think about it, the timing is actually just right.

Here's your chance to start planting the seeds of ideas for holiday cards, and the importance of staying in touch with family and friends. It's a great product to offer your clients, but don't forget your own needs for your business.

If ever there was a holiday season where photography can play a significant role, 2020 is the year. And with Marathon's BOGO, you're cutting your cost in half and helping to increase the revenue stream.

Just click on the banner for more information. Don't miss the opportunity to help your customers connect with family and friends over this year's holiday season.

by Skip Cohen
 
The pandemic has changed just about everything in business today, especially in imaging. But it's also opened up some new revenue streams, thanks to technology (Bay Photo), and new products.

I just recently hung the two 30x30 Performance EXT Metal prints outside on the back of the house. The other print had been out in the bright sun and rain for three years, and while it might have shown fading under the microscope, to the naked eye, it was still stunning. (Note: It's been recently replaced. It survived everything but the power wash guy who not only knocked it off the wall, but later rolled over it with his equipment.) The two additional prints, captured by Jonny Yoshinaga with a drone when he and Suzette Allen were here last year, are special reminders of a great friendship. 

Performance EXT Metal is specially engineered for extended life in the elements! Perfect for use as outdoor art, photography, signage, and display, Performance EXT Metal will last 2-3 years in direct sunlight without noticeable fading. 

Think about your client base and how many people would appreciate prints outside their home. Everyone is hunkered down with limited travel but maximum time at home - looking at the same walls! Now take the concept of photographs outdoors one step further - how many restaurants have outdoor seating, but nothing on display?
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There's an entirely new revenue stream waiting to be tapped into. In each of your communities, you've got subjects to feature in photographs, whether it's scenes around the community, the restaurant's favorite dishes, or the staff - the list goes on and on. And, we're entering the seasonality of the fourth quarter. The need for creativity in gift-giving this year is going to be at an all time high.

by Skip Cohen
 
Every month for the last six years, "Mind Your Own Business" has shared a new podcast featuring leading artists in the imaging industry. In March of 2017, Chamira joined me as co-host, and what an incredible trip it continues to be. Her style and interviewing skills are part of what make these podcasts so much fun to do.

Rosh Sillars joined us on this podcast just a couple of months back. He shared a lot of terrific insight into the challenges of building his business and a career in photography. As a photographer, Rosh focuses mostly on people, food, and architecture. But as a leader in the industry, he's all about inspiration and helping us think beyond the skill set to capture and produce beautiful images.

​Rosh's blog is jam-packed with excellent content to help photographers stand out from the crowd. The pandemic has changed everything in business today. It's also created opportunities for entrepreneurs to separate themselves from their competitors and display a unique service level and support to build stronger brand awareness in the community.

Rosh needs to be on your radar. Click on the banner below to visit his blog and the gateway to the world of Rosh! And a BIG thanks to the Photofocus.com team who's helped make "Mind Your Own Business" a great podcast, month after month for all these years.

This is very important - to take leisure time. Pace is the essence.
Without stopping entirely and doing nothing at all for great periods, you're gonna lose everything...great pauses between highs, where you do nothing at all.
​You just lay on a bed and stare at the ceiling.
This is very, very important...just to do nothing at all. 
Charles Bukowski

 by Skip Cohen

Even being hunkered down for the last six months, it's hard for me to believe it's Labor Day weekend. The last six months have been tough on everybody, and I'm going to make a suggestion that will be considered by some to be a waste of a blog post...take the weekend off!

Most of you have seen a dramatic drop in business, with an almost constant level of stress trying to think of how to rebuild and get things back on track. My suggestion is - take a break from it all. Use the next three days to clear your head; spend time with your family; chill - in other words - make it a slug weekend!

Sheila introduced me to the concept years ago, and it works. Sometimes you need to walk away from everything and simply relax - be a slug. The pandemic challenges aren't going away, but you need to be fresh to find the creativity necessary to get back on track.

Two nights ago, I needed a break. I had forgotten about the crystal focus ball I bought a year ago. So, I headed to the beach with a LUMIX G9, the 14-140mm lens, and a Platypod. Lying on the beach and watching the sun go down, I realized just how much I needed to step away from work. 

Take this weekend to wipe the slate clean. Spend as much time as you can finding things to laugh about, and come back on Tuesday ready to fire up ideas for the fall seasonality and the holidays. The pandemic isn't going away as quickly as any of us would like, but that doesn't change the importance of clients who still have memories to capture, kids growing up, and families in need of a new portrait. 

Chill over the weekend - join Sheila and me for a slug weekend and come back fired up on Tuesday morning. This is a time when wasting time couldn't be more valuable to help you get your head back in the game and energize.

Wishing everybody a safe and healthy Labor Day weekend!  

​Intro by Skip Cohen

Sadly, that image above is the equivalent of the attention too many photographers put into the final packaging of the products they deliver to their clients. Okay, maybe it's a little extreme, but it hopefully will help make my point!
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It's Marketing Monday, although EVERY day in your business should be about marketing. And, while the pandemic has changed many things in our lives, the need to continue to market yourself has never slowed down.

Yesterday I did a run to "Total Wine" - we were low on two pandemic survival necessities, tequila, and vodka! (Actually, neither of us are big drinkers, but we were out of both.) I was blown away by the packaging of one of our favorites, Milagro.

The color combination of black and silver suggests high perceived value with both men and women. Black and gold, also repeatedly score high in packaging tests. The package itself, along with the bottle design, is eye-catching and contemporary. And the story about Milagro is printed on both sides of the box.

That got me thinking about professional packaging in photography, which I've written a lot about over the years. Even though business for most of you is down, the importance of your final presentation hasn't diminished. It's probably more important and noticeable than ever before.

Whether you're giving a client access to images online or physically delivering an album or prints - don't underestimate the value of professional packaging!

A few years back, ​I found the post below in Marathon's blog archives, and the timing couldn't be better to share it again. We're coming up to the fourth quarter, which will still represent the busiest time in seasonality for photography...even with the pandemic. 

As you start to send out orders for the 2020 holiday season, remember the impact professional packaging can have on each shipment's perceived value. And don't think of packaging as just for your hard products, but the artwork involved in online deliveries as well.

Every order is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your professionalism. Use professional packaging and elevate the perceived quality of your products. If you don't send them out with an elevated level of respect, nobody else will do it for you!

​How important is the packaging in which you deliver portraits and other photographic products to your clients? When you consider the majority of photographic purchases are either initiated or entirely controlled by women clients, then the answer is clear: Packaging plays a huge role in enhancing your studio’s brand! Smart marketers know that women are influenced by packaging that pays attention to these key elements:

Color
Research shows that color palette preferences of women are decidedly different from those of men, and the psychology of color—how it influences moods and feelings—is something that every marketer should take into consideration when developing key branding pieces such as business cards, websites, brochures, marketing cards, and packaging.

Shape
Women are known to be attracted to packaging that has appealing physical profiles, such as shape and size. These two elements are sometimes key to the functionality of the packaging, which has a definite impact on women consumers; women typically are concerned about how products can be safely and easily transported.

Novelty
Who doesn’t like to unwrap a package? Women certainly do, so when packaging has pleasingly interactive qualities, such as luxurious ribbon, artfully designed bellybands, deluxe tissue, and eye-catching stickers, each item adds a layer of anticipation to the process of receiving the photographic product.

Detail
The fact that attention to detail is important to women, the addition of decorative bag tags, bellybands, ribbons, and even charms, elevates product value in the mind of sophisticated consumers.

Emotion
Whenever a transaction results in an emotionally satisfying experience for the client, he or she becomes more likely to return for additional sessions and to refer clients to your business. Personalized packaging, such as the addition of a session image used as a bellyband closure or to adorn a shopping bag, is just the kind of gesture that creates a positive emotion which adds significantly to the success of the client’s experience with you.

Image
Artfully coordinated packaging materials support the kind of positive image building that defines and adds meaning to your business brand. Extending your innate creativity to creating packaging that attracts you ideal consumer is well worth your time.

As the holidays approach, there’s no better season to create imaginative packaging. By advertising that “all gift portraits include custom gift wrapping,” you’ll be adding value to your product, and you’ll be all set to conclude future sessions with style!

by Skip Cohen

There was a long window of time when talking on the phone seemed to be on its way to extinction. Everyone was texting and emailing. And as a consumer, if we called any major company, we were put through a barrage of defaults, often in menus that made little or no sense. You know the drill, "Please listen closely because your menu has changed. If you're calling about ______ press 1, and I always wanted to hear, "If you'd like to talk to somebody who cares, call another company!"​

Okay, maybe it wasn't always that bad, but the pandemic came along, and today, excellent communication skills are more critical than ever. We're a word of mouth industry, and personal contact with clients will be restricted for some time. That puts how you handle yourself over the phone at the top of the list of critical marketing tools.  

I remember when the phone company, "Ma Bell," used to do classes for business clients on phone etiquette. As I look back on it today, those classes were really about how to have a conversation - so, the same way you carry yourself with somebody face to face or (mask to mask today), is a foundation for how you communicate on the phone.

And it's all just as much about Customer Service as it is verbal communication. NOW is the perfect time to strengthen your communication skills with the phone.

• Answer calls quickly, and if they leave a voicemail, return the call as fast as possible. When a client does call, make sure your system is working right, so you get the call or at least the message quickly. Call them back promptly, especially with new business inquiries, because if you don't, one of your competitors will. Remember, it's 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, wait until you can. You've got two ears and one mouth - listen twice as much as you talk!
• No matter what bizarre things are going on in your day, smile when you're 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 phone for a conversation. When it comes to relationship building, talking directly to somebody is second only to an in-person conversation. I regularly answer emails with a phone call when it seems appropriate, and over and again, people are so appreciative of a fast response.
• 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 fan of texting, social media with 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.  
• It's about what you say and how to say it. I wrote about this in a previous post - 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 immediate change in attitude just because you've established 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 phone is one of your very best marketing tools. How you communicate is all under the umbrella of great Customer Service. Being a great communicator is just as important to build your business as meeting client expectations with the quality of your images!

by Skip Cohen

Last year ClickCon in Chicago kicked off its first conference and became the most successful launch of a new convention in the industry. Many factors were contributing to it being a great show, from the class selections, quality of the speakers, quality and enthusiasm of models and stylists to the involvement of the "Heart of ClickCon," the people involved in the planning.

This year we were all excited for the second show in their history when the pandemic hit. But nothing stops the Heart of ClickCon, and this weekend, ClickCon Nation kicks off a nine-month series of monthly classes and support for imaging artists. 

The next ClickCon LIVE Conference is scheduled for August of 2021, but here's the best part - as part of your registration, you've got nine months of online educational programs from which to choose. Click on the thumbnail below to check out this Sunday's programming.

Everyone has different needs these days, but there are several common denominators - the need to share ideas, grow our skill sets and understand how to deal with the new norm. ClickCon Nation has five different levels of involvement - each one designed to help artists get the support they need most.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to catching up with many of you in cyberspace and then LIVE in Chicago next August. Registration is just a click away on the banner below!

by Skip Cohen

When Chamira Young and I relaunched Beyond Technique last year, we wanted to focus on more than just capturing great images, or running a successful business in photography. Each guest has shared a lot of great insight, but the pandemic created a new challenge - artists have had to ramp up their usual marketing skills and find better ways to reach out to their communities.

Cindy Harter Sims joined us in this episode, and she's all about inspiration and especially relationship building. She's no stranger to the SCU spotlight and has repeatedly shared great content and the ideas she's implemented to secure her business. But with the pandemic, she did something unique - she reached out to her community and asked for help.

Relationship building over the years has been a significant building block to Cindy's business and her role within the industry. In fact, it's how I met her many years ago at a Skip's Summer School conference. Cindy doesn't collect business cards - she directly participates with and supports the people in her growing network.

Please take the time to listen to this podcast. Cindy held nothing back as she discussed her quest to keep her business alive and, at the same time, continue to give back to her community. She's busy, even doing newborn and infant photography, all while staying true to the rules of physical distancing and safety.

And click on any of the favorite images I grabbed from Cindy's website to visit her galleries!

Beyond Technique is brought to you by:
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Programs like Beyond Technique can't happen without great industry support. Platypod believes in education and helping artists find new perspectives, not only with their cameras but their overall skill sets in marketing and business too.

If you haven't visited the Platypod website, take a scroll through the blog and Instagram pages. Artists from around the world are sharing their creativity every day.

And if you're stuck with ideas to expand your own creativity, wander into the Platypod store.  You'll find some unique kits like the new Ultra Essentials Kit, now on sale. 
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A big thanks to Photofocus for always sharing great content to help photographers grow their technology, marketing, and business skills.  Photofocus also hosts some of the very best podcasts in photography! They're just a click away.

by Skip Cohen
 
I first shared this post as part of my Fast Food Friday series last year, but it's even more relevant today. The pandemic and social distancing have changed everything in business today. Now, more than ever, your website and blog are critical components of your business. Sadly, too many of you have websites that could put a rock to sleep!

I've done a lot of website reviews over the years, and so many of you miss an opportunity to make a great first expression. A visit to your website needs to be a great experience. Like shopping at Macy's vs. Nordstroms - you've got a choice to make in the experience you give visitors to your website!

In reviewing websites, photographers will often say to me, "I know it's out of date. I need to fix those images." Well, the days of procrastinating are over, and it's genuinely a you-snooze-you-lose scenario. Here are some ideas, most of them easy fixes and things you can do NOW!
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• Load Times: Don't just assume your website is loading the way you intend it. Check it on different browsers. The top four are still the same!
• Navigation: Is your site easy to scroll through, or do you need a team of miners to find the most important components and information?
• Mobile Compatible: Your website has to be accessible and easy to view on a phone as well as a computer. So, is it?
• Great Images: It's all about quality, not quantity! Stop showing images that anybody's Uncle Harry could capture. Every image you share, including your own headshot, should scream "PROFESSIONAL!" Stop filling up your galleries with average photos.
• Policies Don't Belong on Your Website: Too many of you have policies that would scare an IRS auditor. Save the policies on cancellations, refunds, etc. for the contract discussion and stop scaring people away before they fall in love with your work.
• Contact Pages: Give people a way to contact you directly! There's no excuse for not listing your phone number! And make your phone a dedicated line for your business.
• Respond Quickly: If you're still wading through traditional contact forms from potential clients, you might as well go back to the "bingo-cards" magazines used twenty years ago. Respond to people quickly. For example: Last week I did a search for roofers in the area. Within an hour, two of my three picks called me. The third called a week later - we'd already found a contractor!
• Continuity: Now and then, I review a website that looks like it was built by different contractors on a house. The home page has a distinct look, but the pages that follow don't seem to fit in. There's no excuse today for a website that's anything but upbeat and great looking! DIY has its limits, and while some of you, have the skillset, too many of you have been building things as you go along and need help.

While somebody will challenge me on this, you can't be in business today without a website. I also feel a blog is essential. Why? Because your site is about what you sell, and your blog is about what's in your heart. Both work together, much like advertising and publicity. Together a great website and blog can open doors, build trust, and help establish your reputation as a professional photographer.

But just like discussions on Facebook forums about what photographers wear when shooting a wedding, you've got to dress the part. You've got to dress for success! ​ Your website is the equivalent of a bricks and mortar store - make a visit, starting with your audience walking through the front door, that's memorable and a fun place to "shop."

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."
Steve Jobs

by Skip Cohen
 
There isn't a professional photographer on the planet who isn't struggling with what's become the new normal! Quarantines, social distancing, sheltering in place have all become a way of life, but out of chaos and the pandemic crisis have come some remarkable new extensions for business.

A month ago, I shared a short video of JP Elario at his computer doing FaceTime portraits. Channel 13 in Albany, NY, picked up the story, and I have to share it here. I wish there was a way to make every artist watch this short clip.

JP's part of a father/son business and Joe, his Dad, and I go back to my early Hasselblad days. They're both remarkable artists specializing in wedding and portraiture, and exceptional service is part of their signature. Keeping in line with their never-ending quest to meet their clients' needs, JP starting doing online headshots. 

​These are challenging times, but who knows what other new ideas will come out of the pandemic crisis?

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friend."
Walt Disney

by Skip Cohen

​The pandemic has changed everything in our lives, especially the way we communicate. On a fairly regular basis, many of you are appearing live on Zoom, Skype, and the list goes on and on. But, just like the rules in creating a great image for print competition, there are some definite rules you need to follow when meeting in cyberspace.  Your goal is to be just as professional in an online meeting as you would be in person at a conference or workshop.

And for those of you rolling your eyes, because you already know this stuff, just consider it a reminder. Like meeting with a new client, you've got a minimal amount of time to make a great impression. I'm not an expert in any of this stuff, but thanks to some great friends, I'm work in progress and there are a lot of you who could use a little help.

Let's start with the obvious - lighting. You don't need much. Ironically, none of you would light a basic headshot with a flashlight, but when it comes to your online presence, you do nothing. Yet, all of you understand lighting - so put a little light on the subject - YOU! While I've got a couple of softboxes in my office, my preference is thanks to Litra. I've got two LitraTorch 2.0s on goosenecks on either side of my laptop, which has become my leading computer when I've got to be on camera. When I'm on the iMac, I use the softboxes.

Here are a few more suggestions to consider:

​1. Get a location without backlighting. When you've got something bright behind you, it fools the computer or your phone into thinking the scene is brighter than it really is. I have to remember myself to close the blinds in my office behind me.

2. Remove distractions: We don't all have the advantage of a movie set background. Often, I've forgotten turn the ceiling fan off in my office and have had people bothered by the distraction over my head.

3. Camera and your face on the same plane: Get your camera (computer or phone) on about the same plane as your face. Not only does it cut out chin and nostril shots, but it gives the audience your eye contact and more facial expression. When I'm using my phone, I have a Square Jellyfish adapter on a ball head with a Platypod Ultra. While there are plenty of phone holders out there, this little adapter gives my Platypod Ultra another useful application. 

4. Make eye contact. Remember when talking, if you want to make eye contact, looking at your screen won't do it...you've got to look at the camera.

5. Cut down on the background noise. Mute your microphone when not talking. It's especially bad in a group of more than 3-4 people.

6. Earbuds or a headset cut down on feedback.  

7. Consider a better microphone! The impact of the pandemic is here to stay for a long time. While we all wish there was a switch that could be flipped to end the crisis, it's not going to happen overnight. That means we're all going to be communicating differently for some time. My personal favorite is a Rode Podcast mic, but I also have a Yeti. Both are good, but the Rode seems to give my voice more clarity.

8. Smile more! It's a great tip from a photographer, author, and my good buddy, Larry Becker. He recently joined Chamira Young and me in a Mind Your Own Business podcast, which is now online. And check out his new book: Great on Camera. Written before the pandemic when we had no idea we were going to be on camera a lot more, Larry's approach couldn't be easier to follow, with great tips to raise the bar on your skill set as a podcaster, presenter and participant online.

And that brings me full circle to where I started. We're dealing with a new normal. While we all hope the good old days of just three months ago will come back, that doesn't change the need for looking good and professional online NOW. 
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From meetings with clients to edu-type presentations to meet-ups with other photographers, you're part of the imaging community. That means the expression "looking good" has a lot more meaning in cyberspace these days because it's often going to be all you have to start.

P.S. And if I missed any tips feel free to let me know and we'll do a post of add-ons!

by Skip Cohen

Like most of you, I'm tired of dealing with the pandemic. It's the topic everywhere. Even commercials on TV have changed to a social distancing theme. One company after another wants to assure us we're all in this together...but the reality not everybody is!

All of us as an industry might be in it together, but the number of stupid people on the planet seems to be growing. I had some fun this morning and Googled "stupid things done during the pandemic." I found a treasure chest of gems at buzzfeed.com.

They shared 19 stupid things people have done or said. Here are two more of my favorites:

I'm putting a few of my favorites below:
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• When it comes to raising the bar on your skill set in lighting, check out this video featuring Bobbi Lane and Tony Corbell. They went through some of their favorite images and the lighting involved in each one. If you want to go straight to Bobbi and Tony's images, they start around 21:00. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcQ8ocJ8wso
• Steven Gotz shared a brilliant idea about turning images into coloring-book pages for your clients with young children. I love this one because it hits almost every specialty. https://www.skipcohenuniversity.com/scu-blog/a-great-shelter-in-place-project-for-photographers
• Just released yesterday, check out the new Tamron Recipes with Erik Valind. The link to the first part of his series is below, but in the new podcast, he talks about how he's gone back to past clients and their images. He's licensing usage rights for his commercial work, and the need for images hasn't slowed down. https://www.skipcohenuniversity.com/scu-blog/tamron-recipes-photography-with-erik-valind
• Todd White, a LUMIX Ambassador, worked with the Project Graduation in his community and put together a program to photograph seniors in their prom attire. "Porch-traits" created an opportunity to help recognize this year's graduates. https://www.skipcohenuniversity.com/scu-blog/photography-spotlight-todd-white-and-porch-traits
• J.P. Elario is doing online portraits, and the idea is brilliant. His Dad Joe and partner in Elario Photography wrote: "New twist on J.P.'s Pop up Portraits & they're waiting in (virtual) line both U.S. & Canada ." https://www.skipcohenuniversity.com/scu-blog/downtime-motivators-theres-so-much-help-available

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With Father's Day and graduation still in the timeline, there are so many opportunities to start getting back a small piece of your business as a photographer. There's no question it won't be easy, and business has changed, but many of you just need an encouraging first step to getting back on track...and this is where we are, all in it together.