Archive for Business
What to do about copycat photographers
Posted by: | Comments“Got Milk?” How many copycat versions of this clever slogan have you seen? You are not alone in feeling copied. It happens in the big time too.
I think in every town there is a studio that is a leader, many that follow, and some that flat out copy.
It may help you to think about why do others copy you? As I found with a Google search, copying is everywhere. There were quite a few forums where this was a popular subject.
Every creative person experiences are being copied. I am sure you have heard that copying is the highest form of a compliment. But that is hardly comforting I know.
One blogger’s advice was “simmer quietly and rage internally.” The Country Baker on Etsy says: “I have often had others ride my coat tails. I figure when they do that, they are ‘eating my dust’!”
We all have seen and heard many horror stories. You will hear of everything from a “photographer” using other photographer’s images on their website and claiming them as their own (which is against federal law) to basically copying someone’s style by using the same props, poses, and locations.
You might also experience professional jealousy. When I won Master Photographer of the Year in the state of Iowa, of course someone questioned if I broke a rule. Competitive people hate to be beat.
Honestly, what can you do? All you can do is work on changing your own perspective of the problem and move on.
Is what you are creating truly novel? Or are you emulating others as well?
The sad truth is that some people just can’t be happy for one another. Competition or other people’s success brings out the worst in the worst of them.
Concentrate on your business as well as your creativity. A savvy business person will long out perform an insecure copycat.
How to answer the question, “How much is it?”
Posted by: | CommentsThere are more choices for finding a photographer these days so help your callers out. Help them get through the uncomfortable moments of opening a conversation they may not know how to do.
Last week I shared an experience I had as being a new customer myself that helped me understand what it must be like for a new person calling a studio for the first time. You can read that here:
http://barbgordonphotocoach.com/business/customer/five-tips-for-understanding-your-new-prospects
Even though they may start with the question of how much you charge, it is not necessarily the question they are really asking.
The salesman in the horse feed booth at the fair could have helped me out by asking some fact finding questions to get me talking. Since I did not know how to start shopping for new horse feed, I needed some help but I was unable to verbalize that at the time.
The salesman could have asked me questions like:
- What kind of horses do you have?
- How many do you have?
- Are they varied in ages and jobs that they do? As there are different feeds based on the amount of physical energy they exert.
- What are you currently feeding them and how is that working?
All of these conversation starters would have been more helpful to me.
So as a photographer your conversation starter questions for a new prospect can be very similar. But first, ask permission not to answer their question right away with a statement like: “I would be happy to answer that question [about pricing] for you. Before I do, may I ask you a few questions first to get an idea of what you are looking for?”
- How many people are in your family?
- What are the ages of your children?
- Do you have a family hobby? Something that we could use to tell a story about you as a group?
- Do you have a location or style in mind?
- Where are you going to display your portrait? (This question also sets you up for planting seeds of a wall portrait sale.)
All of this discussion delays the “how much is it” question. You have time to build some rapport and get to know your prospects needs without focusing on the cost first. They will quickly find out how much you care about them too. You will also get the information you need to more accurately answer their pricing question, which, as you are discovering, really isn’t the real question anyway.
In order to get the prospect to move from a being caller to an actual booking, I offer a consultation in the studio. This is a low pressure invitation for more information so they may discover that I am indeed the photographer for them. At the consultation we look at images, discuss clothing options, and pricing. Personally, if someone does not want to invest an hour of their time to take this step, they are not a good customer for me and I let them go.
© 2012 Barb Gordon Photo Coach | Gordon Photography & Gallery, Inc.
Five Tips for Understanding your New Prospects
Posted by: | CommentsIt can be very difficult to see our business from the customer’s perspective. After all, we know our business so well we take so much for granted. Or maybe, you are new to business and are still struggling with some of the common problems.
This past weekend I had an experience that might help you see your customers from their perspective. And once you see your customers from a fresh perspective, your frustrations with challenges can melt away.
This particular challenge is how do your first time callers feel and what might we do better to convert them into a customer?
Here’s a recent experience I had that might be a good example for you to get an idea how a prospect might feel. I was at a large horse fair trying to learn more about what feed to use for my horses. (I have only had horses three years and still find feeding them properly is complicated.)
I stopped at a booth that I thought would be the answer. I found myself tongue tied at how to start the conversation. (This is where a good salesperson or representative could have been a great help.) I was so unsure what to ask first that I almost left the booth.
Tip one: some prospects will not try very hard to get information.
The real question in my heart that I could not verbalize was, “How do I find out about horse feeding options and more importantly, is this the right feed for my horses?”
That is when it hit me! So that’s how our prospects might feel when they call our studios! They do not know how to say, “how do I select a photographer and are you the right photographer for me?”
So naturally our prospects start with “how much does it cost?” This question right out of the shoot makes most of us cringe. Most of us are unprepared on how to handle this smoothly.
We all know that cost is really irreverent when it is a product we want or need (within reason of course). Look at all the money you spend on your hobby. Answering the question of cost does not have to be the first topic addressed.
Tip two: help your prospect get the information they really need.
I was not going to start the process of learning about horse feed by asking the price first. Not only is that not my mindset, it would not tell me what I really needed to know. Your customers could be the same way.
So I, the introvert, struggled and felt weird until the other man in the booth, the nutritionist, took over the conversation from the untrained salesman who did not know how to interact with new people.
Tip three: learn how to interact with new people especially if they are more introverted and need a little help expressing themselves. Be careful who you put on the phone when new prospects call for information. An untrained person can loose many sales for you.
Once the nutritionist was helping me, things went great. He was friendly, an expert, and only looked at me while he talked. He did not try to get to the next person in the booth until he felt that I was completely done and understood on his product.
Tip four: pay attention to your prospect and listen carefully. You will have plenty of time to make suggestions and influence the sale later.
It made more sense for me to purchase feed in my local area. The nutritionist made sure I knew where to go and what type of feed I needed to get. He gave me his card in case I had any additional questions.
Tip five: be helpful and invite them to continue the conversation later if necessary.
So, next we need to talk about how you specifically apply this experience to your studio. We’ll talk about that next week, come join me. Meanwhile, I encourage you to pay closer attention to interactions you have while you shop and see what you can learn.
(c) 2012 Barb Gordon Photo Coach
I am on Pinterest
Posted by: | CommentsI made a board on my Pinterest for all of you subscribers! What is it? Pinterest is a visual social networking format connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.
Organize and share things you love like bulletin boards. You can browse pinboards created by other people to get inspiration and ideas about all kinds of things like wedding planning, decorating, and recommended reading.
To get started you simply request an invite with your email address from Pinterest or a current user can invite you. Luckily for me, Melissa was on-line and got me started fast.
There is a free getting started guide I found at http://www.hubspot.com/how-to-use-pinterest-for-business/ Download this before you sign up, it has some great tips.
Then you can go to www.Pinterest.com to set up your account. It is easy.
At any time Barb Gordon Photo Coach subscribers can now pin your favorite images you have taken to my board. Here is the link:
http://pinterest.com/barbgordonia/barb-gordon-photo-coach-subscribers/
I am excited to see what you have been doing. Remember, the image you “pin” must already be on the web, so take a look at your blog and see what you have there. But before you pin: There is also some concern about copyright and image use agreements with Pinterest.
I for one find all the legal jargon hard to understand with use agreements. So I did not think too much about it until I found the following links articles that got me a bit concerned. You might want to be get more informed yourself so here are the links to get your research started:
http://www.businessinsider.com/pinterest-copyright-issues-lawyer-2012-2
and
and
In the article “How to use Pinterest without breaking the law” on the Wall Street Journal blog located at http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/03/13/dont-get-stuck-by-pinterest-lawyers-warn/?mod=wsj_share_twitter Jonathan Pink, a California-based intellectual property lawyer with Bryan Cave LLP told the Law Blog, “if you are going to play it conservative and safe, you should never pin an image on Pinterest for which you don’t own the copyright interest or for which you have not obtained a license from the copyright owner.”
If you decide to proceed, make sure you go to http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/ to download the “follow buttons” to add to your website pages.
Don’t Panic over Government Notices
Posted by: | CommentsDo you panic when you get those menacing letters in the mail from a government agency or ones that look like they are from somewhere official? Normally I do. If you are like me, you start to get sweaty and think you are in big trouble. With many years of experience, I have seen a few of these and have learned to ask more questions.
(Remember, my business is in Iowa, so this may not apply to where you are located but I am sure something similar might.)
I recently got a “Notice of Assessment”. This official and scary document was charging me a few hundred dollars in taxes.
In the section of the letter called “What should you do” they gave me some options of actions I could take. None of them looked good or correct to me!
I checked the date. It occurred to me that what if I simply forgot to file that month? No option for “make sure you filed that month” was given in the scary letter. But I checked and that is exactly what happened. I forgot to file.
When I called the Department of Revenue to make sure that by filing for that month I was caught up and did not have to pay the assessment tax and penalty I was told that I was correct. I asked why the option of simply making sure that I filed was not listed on the “what you should do list”. She joked (but I think she meant it) “that is because they are hoping you will pay anyway”.
I also double checked with my accountant. He confirmed that I was okay and he told me a client he had once was incorrectly charged thousands and they just paid it before checking. They had a hard time getting this money back.
Every experience I have ever had in calling for help, have proved that the people are very nice and helpful. But the bottom line of my advice is: read these letters carefully and get help before you panic and pay them. And…get a good accountant.
The Business of Photography
Posted by: | CommentsExciting, challenging, new, variety, creative, and fun are words I think of describing the world of photography. Your photography business can be anything you want to make it.
The photography business is similar to other industries in regard to business operating procedures. You must market, promote, and advertise your services.
You make sales, record your transactions, pay sales tax, pay income tax, pay overhead, be properly insured, train and pay staff, pay yourself, and other expenses.
What makes the photography business different, besides the fun factor, from other industries is that there is no licensing, no unions, and no special regulations. Doctors, hair stylists, and teachers, for example, have to be licensed, photographers do not.
At the bare minimum you do need a sales tax permit and a business trade name registered. But in general there are no other regulations to become a photographer. Be sure to check your local zoning laws.
I would also encourage you to research proper insurance for the type of work you do, the equipment you have, and for the location your rent or own.
Although there are terrific photography colleges, many photographers in business do not have a photography, art, or business degree. This is not a requirement but having the proper credentials will support your expert status.
If you are new to the photography business, my free report- Making Photography More Than a Hobby: Planning for Success Before You Take the Leap is a great place to start. There are many things for you to consider and do before you open your doors to customers.
It depends on your perspective if you think licensing photographers is a good idea or not. It is very easy to saturate the market with photographers when there is no licensing or testing required. Many full time professional photographers making their entire livelihood on providing photography services are feeling the pinch of the number of photographers that came onto the scene especially as digital photography was developed.
A great thing about the business of photography is how flexible the business model can be. You may choose to work strictly on location, have a studio in your home (if zoning laws permit), set up a retail location, or do a combination. You can even change from one form to another as your budget, personal preference, and customer base grows.
I like the flexibility of operating my studio the hours I please. Not all industries, like retail stores, have this luxury.
If you like change, the photography business is ever changing. In addition to improvements in technology, each photography assignment is different.
A photographer wanting to create a successful business should learn as much about business as possible. You can create pretty pictures all day long but if you can not write a business plan, market your services, or manage your money you will not stay in business for long.
Use accounting software and create a budget or spending plan. It is quite easy to go overboard on purchasing props, backgrounds, and other fun stuff. Be careful to know how much you can afford your overhead and other expenses to be. You will also want an accountant you can rely on at tax time even if you learn to handle monthly and quarterly tax filings.
As a professional photographer you would also make sure that all of the products and services you use are of the best quality.
Buy the best equipment you can afford and learn how to use the manual settings for professional results. A serious photographer creates images using depth of field and shutter speed in addition to seeing and recording light accurately.
Use quality vendors to produce your products. I would insist that you use a professional color lab for the printing of your images. Do not print images on your own printer or go to a cheap big box store for printing and call yourself a professional. Printing lasting images with the correct color profiles is a huge part of the process.
Use a real digital artist not a computer program for your retouching and enhancements. A good digital artist knows where to stop for a natural look. Most clients do not want to be over retouched like a fashion model.
You can increase your sales by offering quality framing and matting services. You already have the customer in your studio, so these additional sales are not going to cost you any more money in marketing. My Photographer’s Complete Framing Guide will show you how, if you are interested in getting started in a matter of weeks, for less than a hundred dollars in tools and supplies.
I would also suggest evaluating how you spend your time. It is easy to waste time or spend too much time on tasks like e-mail or Facebook for example. Track your time and see where it goes. Find out how much time you spend on everything from being on the phone, to cleaning your restroom, to how long you chat when a customer picks up their order.
Find out what are the most profitable jobs in the studio you do yourself. You will find that you make the most money when you are photographing, selling, or marketing. This is where your time is best spent. For the other jobs like cleaning, order assembly, making back ups, and other routine activities consider hiring or contracting someone at an hourly rate. With someone handling the minimum wage activities you can work on generating more income with active income producing activities.
Don’t assume you are getting the most out of your product offerings. Test your packages, sessions, and other products you offer for maximum profitability.
One example from my portrait studio is the difference in the final sales results from the orders I have gotten from my “Deluxe” vs. my “Elite” sessions. I found that the “Elite” session, that is twice the price, takes three times longer, and has some material costs does not produce any larger of a portrait sale than the “Deluxe” session. I thought I was doing great, until I tested this and found that it was not more profitable.
I also tested some different collage products. I showed different sizes, styles, and a different number of photographs in each one. I was surprised to find that people were willing to spend more on one product than others. So I was able to simplify and eliminate some of the not so profitable ones.
When you pay attention to the business of photography you can remain a photographer with a business.
© 2012 Barb Gordon Photo Coach
Action Steps to Sell Photography Confidently
Posted by: | CommentsThe past couple of weeks we have talked about your attitude toward money that affects your ability to sell your work. Here are some action steps that might help you improve your profits.
Do not discount or renegotiate your prices when pressured.
Study your business. Know all of your expenses, overhead, and goals. With accurate information you will be able to arrive at prices you know are correct for your studio. You do not have to justify your prices to your customers but you will have confidence behind the numbers and will less likely to feel pressured.
Selling is a numbers game. Ask any good marketing person and you will learn that a postcard mailing, for example, has a typical response rate of three percent. By tracking each step of your process and looking at the results, you can develop a formula for success. You might also find that 20% of your clients account for 80% of your income, so spoil those clients and keep them!
Write a sales script. One way to overcome your own hang ups or programs about money and sales is to write out scripts that are the message you really need to say. We all get ideas, or programs, about money and sales as we grow up. If your parents had issues, you may carry those issues on or behave in the extreme opposite. Well, these programs that might say “that art is too expensive,” “you are not worth it,” or “you can not afford it” need reprogrammed. Writing a sales script is a good way to prepare yourself for discussions about money and prices.
I found once I wrote out responses, or scripts, to difficult questions or unreasonable requests, the questions and requests stopped coming.
Practice with clients you are more comfortable with. If something is scary, who wants to start with strangers?
This is a great strategy I use when I am making any kind of change. For example, when I wanted to start having clients sign an agreement that they had place an order and will pay for it, I simply said to them, “thank you, I know you would not break this contract, but it helps me practice and build my confidence for when I have someone new that I am unsure of here.” There is no reason you can’t say this to everyone indefinitely either, no one will know who is who.
Remain calm. It is easy to get emotional whether it is excited or scared. Keep your cool and act as if you get huge orders every day. Stay optimistic as your thoughts and body language can give you away and influence the outcome of the sale.
Set a sales goal and assume you will make it. Again, your assumptions can influence the outcome. If you remain optimistic you will do much better than starting out negative and with no idea what the sale should be.
If you are anything like me, it is easy to be overwhelmed. You want to do it all and you want to do it well. The advice I go back to again and again is to start with one. Pick the most important step that will make the most positive difference the fasted and start with that. As time allows, go to the next.
How to Sell Photography Starting with Your Attitude about Money
Posted by: | CommentsMost photographers wear all of the hats in their business and the position of sales person is one of the critical ones. You can create all of the beautiful images in the world but you will starve if you can not sell them.
Find ways to not to let your preferences or assumptions get in the way. Here are a few ideas to consider.
Be aware that everyone has their own money personality. Do not assume other people respond like you do. Some people are driven to hold onto money for security. Some people are spenders, some are savers. Others are risk takers and some do not really think about money at all. (A great book: First Comes Love Then Comes Money http://www.amazon.com/First-Comes-Love-Then-Money/dp/0061649910 )
Don’t take it personal. When you work for yourself, especially if it is for the first time, it is a personal undertaking. I was fortunate to work for many retail companies and photography studios before I started my own business. Working for a successful studio with substantial pricing helped desensitize me to pricing sensitivities. It helped me see those prices as normal, correct, and valid. When I started my own studio the prices felt right, I did not have to get comfortable with them. Try and take yourself out of the numbers.
Do not assume what someone is willing to spend. If someone really appreciates your work they might even save up or use a credit card to be able to use your services. A family that is losing a member or has lost a member may be more willing to invest in portraits than a family that has never considered a tragedy striking.
Do not assume what someone is able to spend. Have you been ignored in a fancy store if you are dressed down? I sure have. You are not alone if you have ever misjudged someone’s ability to spend money. Sometimes the most unlikely person will surprise you with a substantial order. Have you ever read the book The Millionaire Next Door? The insight it provides about who people with money really are is good business information.
Remember that not all people are going to be good clients. Sure we believe that everyone needs a family portrait but we certainly do not want to deal with all people and the headaches they bring. It is okay to pre-quality customers to find the right ones for you.
Next week we will discuss some action steps you can take.
Does Poverty Consciousness affect your Sales?
Posted by: | CommentsI like the way poverty conscious is described in an article, “Ending Poverty Consciousness” by Jeanie Marshall, of Marshall House Personal Development.
“By ‘poverty consciousness’ I mean the set of attitudes and beliefs and feelings and values associated with material lack or fear of material lack. Poverty consciousness equals a belief in limitation, and almost always includes fear.
Poverty consciousness is not directly related to the amount of money you have. Rather, it’s the relationship to that money or to material possessions. If you worry about not having enough money, you’re in poverty consciousness. If you believe there is not enough for everyone in the world, you operate from poverty consciousness.
You can live in conditions of poverty without necessarily living in poverty consciousness, which is a state of mind and heart. The amount of money or other material possessions is a matter of fact. Your relationship to that amount is a matter of thoughts and feelings.”
Your attitude and your staff’s attitude about money will affect your sales. If you are uncomfortable with the prices you charge or don’t feel worthy, you will not be able to charge what you are truly worth.
I have been in many situations where people put their poverty consciousness onto me and it is a big turn off. I have been ready and willing to spend money on something important to me only to have the salesperson say something like, “oh, that one is so much, maybe you would prefer this one.” Talking themselves right out of a sale.
As a photographer, you will be selling your photographs. You must find ways to not to let your preferences or assumptions get in the way. We will talk about that next week.
(Credit information for the above quoted paragraphs: © 1995, 2007 Marshall House, http://www.mhmail.com. Jeanie Marshall, a Personal Development Coach specializing in deep transformation and personal success, writes extensively on subjects related to personal development and empowerment. She assists professional coaches and consultants to write their knowledge, wisdom, and experiences.)
