This Can't Be That Hard

I started my photography business when my two kids were young, and in many ways, the business felt like having a third child. Just like having young kids, having a young business can feel pretty chaotic, and in both scenarios, when you're in it, it can be hard to believe you'll ever escape the chaos. But the chaos can and does end.

Today I want to talk about a major but un-talked-about milestone in the "life" of a young business: achieving stability. I'm covering what it takes to get there, and why you should use it to set your goals and priorities in those all-important early years.

Links: 

• Revenue on Repeat

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

Brene Brown (who - I'm certain - needs no introduction), says:

"I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment."

There's no more potent marketing juice than a prospective client who feels connected to you. If someone is randomly Googling around to find a photographer and reaches out to you and three others to compare pricing, you've got a far bigger hill to climb to book them than you would with the person who's been following you and reading your emails for months, thinking "I just KNOW we'd be friends in real life."

But how do we connect with strangers on the internet? How do we intentionally cultivate that sense of belonging among our readers/ followers without being manipulative?

If we go back to Brene's quote above, how do we make people feel seen, heard and valued?

How do we make them feel like they're in a judgment-free zone?

Generally, in the anonymous online world, the best way to do that is to show up honestly, which includes both the good and the bad. The trick is finding the balance... which is what this month's Consistency Club is all about.

• Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love.
• Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers.
• Leave a review!

Typically on this podcast, I deep dive on one topic per episode, sometimes with a guest and sometimes solo. But as we head into road trip season, I wanted to shake it up and give you something exciting and different to enjoy the next time you've got some extra time in the car (or on a walk or wherever else you listen to your podcasts)!

For today's show, I reached out to a handful of my favorite photography podcasters and asked them to share their #1 business tips - and the response was amazing! Seven incredible podcasters jumped in with their best knowledge bombs to make this episode one-of-a-kind. 

You'll hear about everything from finances to SEO, mindset to time management, and more... Even better, each of these tips come with a freebie you can download, so be sure to check the notes and grab each one! 

No matter where you are in your business, I'm confident you'll find something of value here today... including some new shows to add to your feed!

Links:

• Andrew's Freebie: How to Book More Portrait Clients  http://bookmoreportraits.com/
• Colie's Freebie: How to Optimize Your Offer https://coliejames.com/roadtrip
• Daniel's Freebie: Finance Focus Steps focusedphotographers.com/ff
• Lisa's Freebie: The Yearly Planner www.themilkyway.ca/yearlyplanner
• Natalie's Freebie: 8 Things To Grow Your Photography Business https://photobusinesshelp.com/8things
• Sabrina's Freebie: 9 Steps to Set Yourself up for Success www.sabrinagebhardt.com/blueprint
• Annemie's Freebie: The Guide to Phone Call Magic thiscantbethathard.com/roadtrip 

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

Want to increase your booking rate? Consider making it easier for your clients to say YES.

I know that seems like a simple answer to a big problem, but the truth is that far too often, we overcomplicate the sales process, and when customers experience too many speed bumps in that process, we lose clients. 

Today I want to dive into what those speed bumps look like, because they can be sneaky! We'll talk about the small but significant issues that might be creating friction for your potential clients, and how can you smooth the road as much as possible so you can increase the percentage of new inquiries who say "Yes!" 

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

Raise your hand if you'd like more publicity. 

I don’t know a single photographer who wouldn’t like a feature in a magazine or local news outlet to give them credibility and visibility. The million-dollar question is, how do you get yourself there?

PR coach Gloria Chou is back on the show today to give you some simple but effective ideas for pitching yourself to publications in your area that are actually desperately looking for quality stories to share about real people. 

Get your thinking cap on for this episode - it could just spark your next great idea. 

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

They say that time is money, but too many photographers take that far too literally, justifying their prices by pointing to how much time it requires (not to mention how much time it's taken them to learn their craft). 

I'm not saying time has no relationship with price, but the truth is that pricing art is much more complicated than - say - charging an hourly rate to clean someone's house or help them move. 

Today we're talking about the nuances of pricing psychology as it relates to time: 

• How should the time a job takes impact the price of the job? 
• When does time add to the value of the service you provide?, and - most importantly -
• Is your own psychology about time and money keeping you from earning more in your business?

Links: 

• Check out Gloria's PR Secret's Masterclass

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

I got a message last month from a Consistency Club member who was feeling discouraged:

"I feel like I continue to ask for feedback, replies, input, a whisper of hello to know anyone's out there, and I get bupkis in return. Is that normal? Just putting out email after email and never getting any kind of response? It sounds like other people are getting all kinds of replies so maybe it's not normal."

And it occurred to me: I've been happily sharing the wins we've heard about, but maybe I should also share the marketing struggles.

Because yes: it is ABSOLUTELY normal to feel like you're shouting into the void. My email list for This Can't Be That Hard is close to 10K people with a 50% average open rate, but when I ask a question? MAYBE a few people reply. 

I know that can feel discouraging, but I encourage you to keep showing up because likes on IG and replies in your inbox - while nice - aren't the real reason for your marketing efforts... and not getting them doesn't mean your marketing is not working.

This month, we're going to walk you through making an offer to your audience, because ultimately, the whole reason for marketing is sales. I've got my fingers crossed for every one of you that even if your marketing feels futile, you get a solid win this month that puts fuel back in your tank.

• Watch the Simple Sales Masterclass where Annemie teaches the 6 steps to running a profitable, sustainable photography business you love.
• Join the TCBTH Facebook Group - a supportive, business-focused group for photographers.
• Leave a review!

Marketing your photography business can feel a lot like dating - you put yourself out there, write some cute content, and hope that the people you want to attract swipe right. On top of that, between algorithms, 3-second attention spans, and AI technology, it can feel darn near impossible to connect authentically with potential clients online. 

Brooke Jefferson is an expert at cutting through the noise and helping photographers connect with more of their ideal clients. Today she joins me to share some excellent advice on connecting with high-quality clients to grow your photography business. 

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

I'm sure you’ve heard the saying "perfection is the enemy of progress," and today I'm sharing a story about how that can play out in real life. 

Sometimes we get so stuck in our ways - or so attached to doing things a certain way - that we end up with blinders on, stifling our creativity and limiting ourselves in business. Today's story illustrates how freeing ourselves up to be less than perfect can actually make us better - at art, and in business.

If you need a little nudge to try out that idea you’ve been sitting on, this episode might be exactly what you need. 

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!

I spend a lot of time on this show highlighting other photographers' greatest successes, brilliant ideas, and ah-ha moments, but we all know that with the ups come the downs. 

But the downs don’t usually get a lot of audio time, right? Mostly because we’d all like to forget our worst moments... but when we're IN our worst moments, sometimes it's nice to know we're not alone!

This week, I've got a misery-loves-company-fueled show where I'm sharing one of my own horror stories, along with the biggest flops, failures, or freak-outs that some of my photographer friends were willing to share... and these do NOT disappoint!

This is a fun one - you’ll probably laugh out loud at least once, and there are lots of good lessons to be learned here - so enjoy! 

A Very Special Thanks to the following photographers for sharing these stories: 

@ashley_kaplan_photography
@brookebraggerphotography
@emmalaine Berry
@erinbrownphotos
@jayemcl
@jesskoehlerphoto
@jillcarmelphoto
@yellowroomphoto
@lindsaystephanyphoto
@meredithszinnerphotography
@rachelsimpsonweddings
@rosemcavoyphotography
@shalimar_b_photography

Resources:

• New to the podcast? Go to thiscantbethathard.com/welcome to get access to 3 of Annemie's best free resources.
• Join our community! We'd love to welcome you into our supportive, business-focused private Facebook group. Go to facebook.com/groups/thiscantbethathard to request access.
• Long-time listener? Leave a review!