If you’re a wedding photographer, you don’t need to be in business very long before a prospective client comes back to you with something like this: “I have an old friend who wants to get into wedding photography and has agreed to photograph my wedding for a great price…
What can we say to this? Is there anything we can do to win this client back? Or is the sale lost forever? Worse still, can we rescue this client from the possible dangers of working with a non-professional?
I believe the best solution to this issue is to be proactive and deal with it before it happens. This can be achieved through the process of educating our prospects about the reasons why it’s a good idea to hire a professional rather than a friend, family member etc.
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Sales & Marketing
professional photography, selling, wedding photography
In order for us to remain in business as professional photographers, we need paying clients. Convincing prospects to turn themselves into paying clients is where most of us experience difficulties, and we feel forced to become salespeople.
I’ll be honest; I used to hate the idea of being a salesman of any kind. Unfortunately, my thinking had been colored by incorrect stereotypes of the “typical” salesperson, and I saw it as a black art involving trickery, manipulation and dubious integrity.
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Sales & Marketing
professional photography, selling
As mentioned in a previous post, fear (in its many forms) is probably the number one thing holding many of us photographers back from success in their business. Few people are completely immune to its effects, but there are ways to combat it and keep our fears in perspective.
Think about your favorite successful entrepreneur for a moment. Mine happens to be Sir Richard Branson, but you can pick whomever you like. Imagine them facing the challenges they’ve had to overcome in order to be successful…
Now, do you think that person has ever experienced feelings of fear in their business ventures?
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Personal Zen
encouragement, professional photographer, professional photography, success
Except for those in the Southern hemisphere, most of us are in the grip of a cold snap that’s setting records in some areas and causing major disruption everywhere.
While the snow can be photogenic from a landscape perspective, this isn’t just a minor inconvenience for us photographers, especially those who create portraits on location – for many it’s brought business to an apparent standstill.
But, within every disadvantage is the seed of an equal or greater benefit…
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Personal Zen
planning, professional photographer, time management
The biggest enemy you face in achieving the success you deserve in your photography businesses is “Fear”.
It comes in many guises and can strike even the most experienced, and it can be so powerful that it can mean the difference between life and death for our business:
- Fear of losing clients because our prices are too high…
- Fear of creating inferior work…
- Fear of facing client objections or complaints…
- Fear of an idea that seems good but may not work…
- Fear of appearing foolish …
- Fear of closing the sale…
- Fear of dealing with people…
- Fear of dealing with children…
- Fear of messing up someone’s wedding…
- Fear of setting goals that we might not achieve…
- Fear of a failed marketing campaign…
The list is endless…
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Personal Zen
professional photographer, professional photography, success
How do we measure success? As far as I know there’s no ruler or gauge that we can use to measure it. Do we wake up one day and suddenly find ourselves successful?
Are there varying degrees of success? If so, where’s the point at which a higher degree of failure becomes a lesser degree of success?
Perhaps this is a “half-full” versus “half-empty” type of question.
Some people might measure their success by the amount of money in the bank, others by the achievement of awards or the attainment of goals. Others count themselves successful if they’re living life on their own terms.
Is being successful the same as being happy or content?
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Photography Business Ideas
goals, professional photographer, success
It’s a new year, a new decade in fact, so perhaps we should start out with a new attitude – a mindset designed to win. Let’s forget all the negativity and depression that came to a head in 2009, and start afresh with a new outlook.
Think of your favorite successful brand for a moment.
They probably have a CEO, numerous vice-presidents, departmental managers and front-line workers.
Photographers, on the other hand, are usually one-man bands – we have to do everything from opening up shop, managing the accounts and cleaning the bathrooms.
Often, that’s the root of most of our problems…
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Photography Business Ideas
professional photographer, professional photography, success, time management
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