Take & Talk Pics

I Love Yes

I would have rather had the long title of "The day I met and photographed actor Colin Farrell" but that felt a bit long for a title. After all I'm not Panic At The Disco where I could get away with such lengthy titles. Even though I decided to write and record about how much I love yes the real story is the how behind my meeting a famous Hollywood actor and one of my favorite actors for that matter. Now I could go on and plot out the story of Yes Man for you Photo World and tell you why Yes can be so powerful, but I would be ruining a great movie for you (great may be a bit much but I did enjoy that one) and you wouldn't believe that is really how it works. To be honest I only Love Yes when it works out for me. You may recall I had once said I Love No. Both Yes and No can be powerful and helpful to a career it is just a matter of when and how. It usually leads to one thing in the end anyway... Any guesses where I am going with this?

Education! That's right Photo World I passionately believe in education and I don't think I will ever think otherwise. As in the words of the great John Michael Montgomery "Life's a dance you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. Don't worry about what you don't know. Life's a dance you learn as you go."

Happy Shooting!

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Even Sell

Ahh... Finally... The long awaited Even Sell. Back from when this all started I spoke of over selling then I moved to under selling and to be honest that is where most discussions stop. Is it taboo to speak of even selling or as I like to call it in this episode "niche selling"? I guess most people side step that portion of the discussion because when successful selling takes place it isn't worth talking about. The only incredibly major problem I have with that is WHY NOT? Why do so many blogs and podcasts avoid subject matter that revolves around the correct way of doing something. Niche selling is the most fun and has the least pressure involved but no one really talks about it. There is this horrible misconception that selling is a game or a trick and out have to accidentally get your clients to go along with it. Real even selling or niche selling doesn't work like that. It is all based on getting the right customer in front of you so by the time you are selling they are already 90% committed to the idea. Let your marketing "sell" for you, let your portfolio "sell" for you, have the social media "sell" for you, are we getting the idea here Photo World? Create a selling funnel that leads to you making the sale. This way most of the time when you attempt to sell to someone it is to a "someone" who is already susceptible to your specific sale.

Happy Shooting!

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Distraction Kills

Distraction will kill your business. Wake up every day with three goals and attack them.

Some examples of how big or small the goals can be:

• Take care of all the emails I have before 12 noon.
• Return all the calls I have between 1pm-3pm.
• Work on X number of photos for X amount of time.
• Social media posts once a day for the next seven days.

There is something about music in the background that just works. I have tried putting on Netflix with a show I know well and then minimizing the window so I can just get to work and before I know it I find myself wanting to just sit and watch. I love the internet and Google especially, but for some reason I have so many questions that must have an answer and before I know it, the only question I had was: “Where are the latest funny cat videos?”

Even our work can be a distraction! What if there was a way to consolidate the work we did in a more careful structure so we don’t have wasted time in between each task needing to be done. This goes back to having a system in place. A 30 minute timer so you can be FOCUSed in on one task and then move swiftly to the next. There are few who can maintain the endurance of just working countless hours on the same task over and over. However, society and our upbringing tell us this is exactly what we need to do to make it in our “careers”. I have a whole other episode to talk about that subject but for now just know that we can keep FOCUS and we can sidestep distraction so our business can be the living breathing machine it has to be. Get those systems in place and your mind in place. I for one enjoy focus or study music to keep my mind in the right place while I work.

Happy Shooting!

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All Wrong

When everything goes wrong you have to keep strong. It’s not an easy task learning how to be professional. Time, practice, failure, education, trial, and error is what makes a professional a professional. For some it is an accelerated process and for others it is a life long journey. I know I still have trouble being professional all the time. Now I need to clear up a couple things first…

• I’m not talking about “A professional” in the industry of photography
• I’m not talking about someone who is an authority in their craft
• I’m not talking about how your income is 51% or more obtained by your business
• I’m not talking about the way you dress
• I’m not talking about the car you drive

I am talking about your attitude. What happens when you have a decision to make, such as, blow up over a mishap or keep your cool and work the problem? Sticking to your guns when it come to your pricing or caving to book the job. I guess this has been on my mind because of one day where everything went wrong… However, I had to make some decisions about how to handle all of it. This is one of those, “I can’t believe this story is real”, kind of tales. So join me on one of the worst days in my career.

The worst of it was when my head started rushing through all the old memories of those big incidents Where I had to decide quickly, act appropriately, and make things work even though they weren’t supposed to. Lessor professional would let the problem win and walk away because the going got tough. Trust me I want to that too, but there is something inside saying: “you can get through this.”

A small declaimer for today’s episode:

The day I had recorded this episode was the same day where my first story I tell had happened. I also had a breakdown and put off recording until it was very late at night (1am). I sound like the emotions were fresh because they were. I sound tired in my voice because I was. I got through the episode because I am a professional and Photo World, you deserve the best I can offer… even when I am not at my best. Thank you for keeping me going.

Happy Shooting!

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Ah-Ha Moment

“If you treat this business as a business you will get paid as a business. If you treat it as a hobby you will be paid as a hobby.”

I pulled this quote from a book I have been reading called Gameplan. It is a great quote and it refers to the idea that you get out of things what you put into them. I have interviewed many photographers who have suggested testing the waters and doing photography on the side without jumping in head first with the hopes that you can build a sustainable business. However, many new photographers or small businesses in general have a tough time making that transition from side-preneur to entrepreneur or part time to full time. It didn’t really hit home for me until recently when a bride told me something that changed my perspective. Not only my perspective of the day but my perspective of the wedding photography industry as a whole, and the way I will approach it moving forward. It was eye opening and gave me sight into the difference in effort from one photographer to the next and how that effort is reflected in the market they will work within. Listen to the episode to find out what she told me and how this ah-ha moment has given new life to my own wedding photography business. More importantly how it can breathe new life into your business regardless of your current focus or level.

Happy Shooting!

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Make Lemonade

When life gives you lemons make Lemonade… I say: When life gives you nothing make Lemonade.

We have three currencies and each one effects the others.

• Time
• Knowledge
• Money

Just a few examples on how I had to make more from an otherwise inopportune situation. More often than not I find knowledge is one of the easiest of the currencies to acquire but more often one of the easiest to miss. These examples, as explained in the episode, are proof of that very phenomenon.

1. Wedding with bad weather and an unflattering location.
2. Photo Studio with nowhere to grow.
3. Photo classes that seemingly had little to no value for me. However, I was able to find the opportunity within. I couldn’t learn anything new with photography itself but I could learn plenty about how I would instruct if I were in that role.

Photo World do you a story or example of a time when you felt there was very little or even nothing available for you in a given situation but made it work anyway? Share it with us on Twitter with #HeyPhotoWorld or write it on the Facebook Page.

Happy Shooting!

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Fail Quitting

True failure exists only when we stop trying. An entrepreneur never gives up. Therefore, their “failures” are only learning moments and steps toward growth. (Fail vs Quit is very different) Did you want to be a fireman or police officer while growing up? Maybe a doctor or a lawyer… Did you not become that because you failed or because you stopped trying?

So a simple google search had yield me several results and a somewhat poor consistency of information. I searched for what percentage of small businesses fail and then I searched what percentage of businesses succeed. I figured if I could look up some information from both attitude perspectives (negative as well as positive) I would be left with a set of numbers that explained this idea from two sides. I had no idea what I would really find. From, let’s say, more trusted names I pulled information and gathered it into two groups and I am left here laughing at the results. I don’t trust much of what I read online even if the source seems credible I am a little weary.

The reality is the information out there is all based on the worst restrictions and qualifications. Unemployment is only based on the last 3 months. If someone is unemployed for more than 3 months it is viewed as a deliberate choice and no longer qualifies for the “hard numbers”. It is the same story here. These sources are all speaking about different time frames as well as different scales of businesses.

Happy Shooting!

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Undersell

Photo World I have been on the "How To Sell" kick for a while now and I wanted to break down yet another approach. How, Why, and When to Undersell. I know, you hear undersell and think: "Why would I do that successfully?" or "How would that be a good strategy?" First off listen to the episode, I clear up a lot in a short amount of time. Secondly, open up to the idea that there is always a possible success in every approach. That being said I will say building a business with an undersell strategy is a slow rise to a stable business model. I will also add this can be one of the best ways to learning business and building a strong foundation to build from.

On a base level, Undersell is when you sell something at a lower cost than your competitors. I dive into the idea of competitors as well. I don't like the idea that we are all to be competing against one another. I don't see the value of being hung up on what others are doing when we should just be doing what is best for our businesses.

Happy Shooting!

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Interesting vs Interested

Photo World, as we build our small businesses into a successful careers we come to many cross roads. Sometimes we get caught up learning and lose our focus when we should have been earning. Other times our social media falls by the way side and we seem to forget there is an audience there. It could just be difficult to maintain a positive habit like keeping up on a blog or it could be tough to stop a bad habit like staying up too late. In today’s episode I want to highlight another strategy for our selling techniques and hopefully offer you the chance to grow based on being honest with your business, as well as, yourself. There is a 100% chance you are not doing one of the following 6 things for your business and you need each of the 6 to achieve the goals of today’s topic.

1. Not updating your portfolio – You must update your portfolio. Every time you have an image that is worthy of your portfolio you need to set that aside for when you do make the changes to your website. At least then you do not need to search for the photographs you wish to showcase.
2. Not aiming to increase your skill set – Staying the same may be easier to do for a week, a month, or maybe a year, but eventually your being the same will fall in comparison to those around you who kept current.
3. Only working your niche – I am all about having a niche, a focused area within your business to give you the path to success. However, growth happens when you set yourself outside of your comfort level and approach what it is you do from a new angle.
4. You are learning digitally – The web is a great resource, heck you are having one pumped into your ears as I speak. Action is the real learning… a YouTube video can only teach you so much.
5. You say no – There are many gray areas in this business life… Should I try it because it is something different even though there is little or no pay? Maybe I should be assisting even when I feel confident in that skill already? Try saying yes every once in a while you never know who you could meet or what you could learn.
6. Unwilling to risk – It is scary when we foresee risk within a situation and many people can’t see past that. Fear is only the negative outlook on excitement… you never know what may be worth the fear.

I am telling you these six points because I have already fallen victim to each of them time and time again. Years of failure have caught up with me and I know that the other end of the spectrum is the only reason to work as hard as I can. I have found often, both success and failure come with the same amount of work leading up to them. The ending is just a result of the work being put in. With today’s topic and keeping up on selling to your clients: “Focus on being interesting but more so focus on your potential clients being interested.” – A recent transition for me was my old web site last updated in 2013 vs my new web site updated in March of 2016. My skill set had changed and improved but my selling was based on an old ability. Hard to be paid properly when the clients think they are working with a past version of yourself.

Keep up everything, at least in small increments, to maintain increased interest over time.

Happy Shooting!

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Follow-Up

Photo World, it is time for one of those episodes where I break down one simple thought and blow it up to show you that this “one simple tool” can be the game changer for your photography business. It isn’t a big secret nor is it hard to find sufficient evidence backing up my shared opinion. I say “shared opinion” because there are many sales specialists who agree. Furthermore, many business experts and entrepreneurs have done studies on the subject or at the very least expressed weighted opinions in favor of the idea. So what is this big tag line I want to investigate?

Well before I get there I have a small quiz for you to take. There are no right or wrong answers but there should be a theme. Just take a minute and jot down your honest answer to these 7 questions.

1. How many times a week do possible customers contact you? (Try for an average number)
2. What is your first reaction to the customer reaching out? (What do you do first?)
3. How fast do you respond to the potential customer?
4. When do you consider them a customer? (Vs. an inquiry or possible customer)
5. Do you do anything unique when first contact is made?
6. Do you know where the customer found you?
7. How many times do you follow up with your customer/business contacts? (Business contact could be a possible customer or a possible network colleague)

Like I said, there are no right or wrong answers here and everyone will have a slightly different response. However, I want to unveil the big secret and bring special attention to that last question… again, how many times do you follow up with your customer/business contacts? The point of highlighting question 7 was to get your head in the right frame of mind because: “The fortune is in the follow-up!” If you let a possible customer reach out to you and then you drop the ball on connecting with them, well I have news for you, their search continued and you are far behind. If you connect with them and find something meaningful to say, that could be a long list of examples, but let’s say “something” interesting; then the connection grows deeper. If you don’t think of them as a customer until money has changed hands, then you are going to have a tough time making any of it. If you can’t track where your customers are coming from, then your marketing is being done inefficiently and is a threat to your success. If you don’t follow up and follow up and follow up, then you have fallen down.

Here are few numbers I found really interesting!

Happy Shooting!

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