Top 10 Most Viewed Posts For 2011

Good Morning Everybody,

With all the rushing around yesterday (Thursday) I forgot to see if this post went up. Soooo…. how about we get it up today. –David

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As you know the first day from a big is always the busiest and that sure is true around here today.  Like I mentioned yesterday, we are “pedal to the medal” doing the last major push for my BIG convention in two weeks [link].

In spite of the craziness around here, I was up early this morning and reviewed ALL 520 posts from last year to see which posts were the most popular.  I really like putting these Top 10 lists together because it really shows me what our DPT readers enjoy the most.

Technique Tuesdays are always a big favorite but in looking over all last year’s posts, it looks like most folks really like the Business Day Thursday posts too.

Originally I was looking at the most commented posts of the year, but curiously enough, not many of our DPT readers spend much time commenting.  I still haven’t quite figured that out.  You would think with about 8,000 daily viewers a few more would leave a comment or two – I feel so unloved ;~)  Actually I think it comes down to the fact that we just have a lot of very quiet readers that just like absorbing the content – and that’s a good thing too.

So, that being said, let’s get right to today’s Top Ten list.

Top 10 Most Viewed Posts For 2011

1. 5 Flash/Camera Techniques To Improve Your Lighting [link]

2. A Huge Success! Digital Design, Now Easier Than Ever [link]

3. The Most Important Tool In Your Gear Bag [link]

4. 5 Of My All Time Favorite Wedding Images–Exposed At Last! [link]

5. Uncle Harry and Cousin Mary - Get Out Of My Way! [link]

6. You've got to come Back With the Shot [link]

7. Business Day Thursday: Engage With The Engaged [link]

8. Business Day Thursday: Make Yourself Famous Fast! [link]

9. After The Wedding: Sales flow/Workflow Part 7 – 10 Steps To Getting The Order Out The Door [link]

10. Business Day Thursday: Selling The Wendy’s Way [link]

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  I really hope you enjoy the read and re-reads – lot’s of good stuff there.  I’ve got to get back to my PhotoPro Expo plans so have a good one and I’ll see you on Monday.

Adios, David

Business Day Thursday: Maybe it's Time To Chose Your Customers Instead of Them Choosing You

Good Morning Everybody,

I have to tell you, a few unexpected personal commitments have me really “underwater” time-wise this week.  I’ve been putting in 16-18 hour days just to keep up, hence the crazy posting schedule. I’m just swamped and it doesn’t let up till Monday.

Don’t worry, nothing bad is going on – we’re all fine, but my time is not my own for the next few days.  That said let me leave you with one of my favorite posts from a while back.  You be be crazy busy to, but if you get a chance to read it, I think you’ll enjoy it.  Here we go.

Maybe it's Time To Chose Your Customers Instead of Them Choosing You

Sounds like strange advice doesn't it?  But you know, in this day and age, it something we should all consider.  So many people  are looking for the cheapest deal available.  Too many photographers are out there accommodating too many of those clients.

Where does all this lead?  I remember clearly the words of advice I was offered when I attended my first meeting of our local Tri-State Professional Photographers Association back in 1979.  I was definitely the new kid on the block and was looking for any kind of business advice I could get.

Some Of The Best Business Advice I Ever Received!

I walked into that meeting with my legs wobbling with nervousness as I walked in to meet all the "Big Gun" Cincinnati photographers.  Fortunately for me, one of the first photographers I bumped into was Craig Elbe, a big boisterous, dare I say opinionated, character of a guy who gave me the best piece of advice for my budding business.

Craig sees me come into the meeting and as I pass him, he calls out to me saying, "Hey buddy, you're new here aren't you?  What kind of photographer are you?  Don't tell me you're another wedding photographer, we got too many of them in his town already."

Well, those remarks were NOT setting me at ease at all at my first professional photographers meeting.  He then went on to give me the best advice I have ever received when it comes to business building - and, it is still as fresh in my mind now as it was when Craig said it to me.

He comes close to me and starts poking his finger into my chest saying, "Let me tell you this, kid.  If you do a cheap wedding, they'll recommend their cheap friends. Shoot expensive weddings and they'll recommend their rich friends."  You know I took that advice to heart and started to do just that.

My Second Best Piece Of Business Advice

In fact in my business lectures, my second business lesson to all the attendees is this.  “Get to know the people doing business with the people YOU want to business with and work on creating authentic relationships with them.”  Uhmmm... authentic business relationships - sounds like the subject of another blog post down the road.  Anyway, I took Craig's advice years ago and it has served me well.

Craig Elbe has long since passed away, but when he was alive, I counted him as one of my friends in the Cincinnati photographic community.  Consider Craig's advice as you grow your own business too.

More Good Advice

Along those same lines, I found this related article over at Seth Godin's site entitled, "Choose Your Customers, Choose Your Future." [link] He basically says the same thing. Here is a quick excerpt from his very brief post:

"Sell to angry cheapskates and your business will reflect that. On the other hand, when you find great customers, they will eagerly co-create with you. They will engage and invent and spread the word."  Sounds to me like he's paraphrased Craig Elbe's words 30 years later.

Give it some thought - you business may just take a turn to a brand new, unexpected, brighter future.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today, I’ve got another 14 hour day today and need to get moving right away. Don’t let the holiday rush get you down.  Give someone a hug if you think they can use it.  Keep smiling and hum a Christmas tune or two – stay happy ;~)

Have a great day and I’ll hope to see you again tomorrow.

- David

Business Day Thursday: Ramp Up Your Customer Service With Expedited Delivery

Good Morning Everybody,

I can't believe our travels to San Jose Del Cabo wrap up in just two more days :~( It's been a great trip but, like they say, there's no place like home. We sort of been removed from the holiday rush while in Mexico, and I can't believe we have only 7 days till Christmas after we touchdown on Saturday evening.

And then, YIKES, it's right back into the swing of things. "No "problemo", it will still be fun to jump right into the season's festivities, listen to the holiday music, and connect with families.

And speaking of the holiday rush, I've got a quick tip for you today that may just ease the craziness of your studio's holiday deliver schedule.  Here we go.

Ramp Up Your Customer Service With Expedited Delivery

Any photography studio owner knows that this is simply the busiest time of the year.  Clients want everything in time for the holidays. And, you can't blame them, you would too, right? The problem also arises that not only do you have a huge volume of orders to complete, you also have to get them delivered to your clients!

Let The Insanity Begin!

I know what you're thinking, "What's the big deal? Just set an appointment for the clients to come in and pick up their orders." You know, that might work for a very small studio without much to deliver.  But I can remember when we had stacks of albums, extra photographs, framed portraits, etc. still to deliver during that week before Christmas.

The on time delivery issues were further exacerbated by the fact that our clients were super busy too and could not find a time in their schedules that synced with our studio schedule. Nor did we want to work 24/7 to get everything delivered on our client's schedule.  We had families too - we wanted to enjoy the holidays as well.  I still remember those awful early years when the client came first, yes, even before families DURING CHRISTMAS!!!

Hell No! I’m Not Taking It Anymore! (just like the line in the movie, Network)

I was not in a good place back then in the early days of my business and was determined to put a stop to the insanity.  The first change we made was to establish a Christmas cut off date that allowed us to guarantee for us, at least, that we would be able to deliver everything at least one week before Christmas.  This may sound crazy, but it brought sanity back into my life and put my family first where they should be, especially during the holiday season.

OK, that solved a BIG part of the problem, but I was still faced with getting the large physical volume of orders delivered to our clients during the time before Christmas.  The solution was right before my eyes - the clients didn't need to come to my studio to pick up their orders, we just needed to get the order in their hands in time for Christmas.

DAZNOTE: I have to admit, part of my problem was the fact that I wanted to personally deliver every order.  I still do, BTW.  But, with the Christmas rush, I had to make a few exceptions.

Here’s Comes The Sun – and Our Solution

Here is what we started to do.  Back in the earlier days of my business, I set up an account with a local delivery service.  The cost to deliver a package across town sighing an eight hour time frame was about $20 as I recall.  Granted, I could have shipped it UPS and save quite a bit of money.  But, I just didn't want the client's expensive wedding albums bouncing around the UPS delivery system and arrive damaged to the client.  

Using the local delivery service solved any potential problems of items arriving damaged because everything was "hand-delivered"  from our door to our client's door. This personal service touch also made us appear very customer service oriented to all our clients receiving the personally delivered orders. Heck, it was great customer service!

The bottom line was this.  Our delivery costs increased slightly during that short stretch before the holidays, but our clients certainly appreciated the personal touch and we got our lives back - a very nice trade!

DAZNOTE:  We eventually replaced the delivery service with some of my team members’ high school and home-from-college sons and daughters, filling in as our delivery drivers.  They were happy to get the extra cash and we were able to save a few more bucks on the expenses.

You know, I am so glad I learned to take control of my business early on and not have it "beat me to death" during the holidays. We found the solutions and have finessed them over the years and have made them work very effectively every year since. I sure hope a few of my insights can help you save the holiday season for you and your families. May your holidays be fun, exciting, and joyous as we get closer to Christmas.  

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We're heading to Costco to get all of our Help-Portrait images printed and picking up a few additional frames.  We want the images to look great when we deliver them tomorrow.  Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you for a short post tomorrow.

Adios everybody,  David

Hickory Farms Does It, Omaha Steaks Does It, How About You?

Good Morning Everybody,

Ahhhhhhh...... we made it to the very beautiful surrounds of San Jose del Cabo arriving late yesterday afternoon around 4:00 p.m. Getting back to this part of the world reminded me of just how much we needed a break.

I'll still be doing my morning check-in's with my team back at the studio, working on PhotoPro Expo 2012, and getting the blog up on a daily basis. But being down here among the beautiful blue skies and white puffy clouds, the magnificent sunsets, and the perfect mid-80’s temperature is guaranteed to make the job easier.

That said, let's get on with today's post.

Hickory Farms Does It, Omaha Steaks Does It, How About You?

I'm smiling as I write this post today. This is the time of the year we should all be in the seasonal rush after all our for holiday promos and promotions. Yet, here I am in Cabo taking it kind of easy;~)

In all seriousness, this is about the busiest time of the year for photo studios most anywhere in the world. I've blogged many times here just how hectic things can be this time during the holiday rush. But with good planning and efficient production systems in place it's always been clear sailing for us over these many past years. I hope for you too.

What I want to do today is give you a couple ideas that just might "goose" your profits a bit more during this holiday season. Hey, better profits are not a bad thing – we all have to payoff credit card bills in January, right ;~)

At this time of the year it can be nearly impossible to get a portrait session scheduled, photographed, retouched, and delivered in time for Hanukkah or Christmas.  This is where the gift certificate promo has worked for many studios. In the past, it's exactly what we did.  We would carefully package our gift certificates in a beautiful, rich looking presentation for our client - it looked awesome!  In fact, you can re-read my post on the subject right here.

But then, I got thinking how much more we could improve on that concept. Why not "up the ante" with our holiday promotions and do what the BIG BOYS do during the holiday season - offer a gift catalog to all our past, present, and potential clients.  Many of us are deluged in our mail box with holiday brochures. What do you see when you look at those brochures? We see a vast array of products covering all price ranges offered for purchase just in time for holiday delivery. Why shouldn't we photographers do exactly the same thing?

Your brochure does not need to be "crazy" big like the ones we receive in the mail.  It may be just a single page offering maybe 5 product/service bundles specially priced for the holidays.

Let me give you a few examples:

1. Give The Gift Of Your Family For The Holidays:

This bundle would include a family portrait session and three framed 8x10 photographs.  This bundle would be targeted for grandparents, godparents, or any special relatives. This bundle has lots of "heart tug" appeal as really is a thoughtful gift. I would also include a special offer to the client for a beautiful wall portrait they could hang in their home or, an offer on a family portrait album that would look great on their coffee table.  This special offer extends the sales potential far beyond the original offer.

2. Babylicious Baby Portraits:

Most everyone knows of someone who just had a baby or has very young babies in the family. This bundle could include the portrait session along with a treasure box containing, for example, 12 black and white images matted and ready to display on a small stand - one image per month for the baby's first year.  Once again, there are lots of addition possibilities to extend the sale.

3. Will You Marry Me: 

We all know the holidays are the most popular time of year for couples to become engaged.  Why not offer your clients the opportunity to gift a beautiful photography session to the romantic couple in love.  Right after the announced engagement, the couple is not yet even thinking of photographs. So why not get a head start on booking their wedding by having your clients gift them their first photography session?

These are just a few ideas to get you started.  You can see that with a little thought, the possibilities are endless.  More importantly, it let's you feature you products and services at the height of the buying season and maybe bring in more business for the new year.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  The sun is shining bright and the ocean breezes are feeling good.  I hear them calling me to join the day ;~)  Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you tomorrow.

Adios, -David

“Business Day Thursday: Selling The Appropriate Size Wedding Coverage”

Good Morning Everybody,

I sure hope everyone is planning to have a great day today.  I have to smile – we just returned from several weeks of traveling and we are right back at it in the middle the holiday rush at my studio. LaDawn came up to me the other day and asked me if I wanted the good news of the bad news. I looked at her questioningly and wondered what she meant by that.

We recently had one of my favorite clients visiting the studio about a month ago to place her order for her son's wedding album. This was a beautiful three-day event that we photographed in Phoenix, AZ. She asked if she could get both albums by Christmas – one from the rehearsal dinner and the second from the wedding itself – and I said, "No problem".  We had plenty of time even with our travels, to get the album designed,  color corrected, printed, and bound.

Let The Christmas Rush Begin!

Then this past Saturday I met with the bride and groom via a GoToMeeting  appointment.  We got together to finalize their album selections. When the dust settled it looked like it's going to be a large single volume set for the rehearsal dinner and Sunday brunch  and an exciting two volume set of their beautiful wedding celebration. 

Now back to LaDawn's remark about the good news or the bad news. I'm smiling as I'm typing this  because  I remember her answer. She offered the good news first.  Yes, the client confirmed the order everything is good to go.

Then the “bad” news - the mother of the groom wants to present these three albums to the bride and groom as a Christmas present. That meant that we had to quickly get over 500 images into post production.  That would entail designing three designer wedding albums, color correction and image enhancement,  printing of all the album pages, and shipping to our bookbinder in time for them to have them returned to us for our holiday delivery – WITH ONLY 6 WEEKS TILL CHRISTMAS!

But, you do what you have to do, don’t you?  And you do it not just for your best clients but for all your clients.  LaDawn, Jennifer, and I sat down and put a plan together so that we can make the delivery for the holidays. With all three of us working on the project, we’re about 40% complete at this time. With everyone keeping their “nose to the grindstone” I know we'll be able to make our clients very,very happy this Christmas. 

I've off for an early appointment at nine o'clock. It is going to take me the rest of the day  so let’s we get right on with today's post. Here we go.

“Business Day Thursday: Selling The Appropriate Size Wedding Coverage”

A long time ago I was lucky enough to attend  a program given by my good friend Chuck Lewis, one of the best sales trainers in our profession. I remember in Chuck's program that he had mentioned how many photographers make a big mistake when it comes to selling wall portraits.  He emphasized that too many photographers  are just there to take the order from their clients. Most photographers today are simply happy to get any orders they can  from their clients ;~)  Anyway, I remember being a new, struggling photographer at the time and I felt pretty much the same way. The client calls, you booked the portrait session, you make up the proofs for the client, and they tell you what they want to order. Wrong!

The point I want to make is this.  Most photographers  are simply “order takers” instead of being “order makers”.  I've mentioned it previously many times at DigitalProTalk.com, that I'm a huge student  of the sales process. Thankfully my training started  early  with those early Chuck Lewis seminar’s.

Size Matters!

I still remember Chuck pointing out that the size of a portrait  should be consistent with the size of the wall space upon which it would be hung. That simple rule of thumb was that the size of the portrait should cover at least half the wall space where it will be hanging. The concept translates something like this.  Take a tape measure and measure the width of the space of the wall where the photograph will be hanging. If that space is, say for example 72 inches, then the size of the photograph with should be at least  36 inches on the long side.

It is actually better visually if it's even slightly larger than that.  In this 72 inch scenario I would be recommending to my client a 40 inch print  in a 3 inch frame. That would mean that my framed photograph would measure  46 inches with frame on it’s long side. We are, of course, assuming this is a horizontal hanging photograph. The 40 inch print with the 3” frame around it  would cover about 63% of the wall space. Aesthetically, it would be a perfect fit for the wall.

This Lesson Works For Weddings Too

The lesson I learned was this. If there is an “appropriate sized” print for a certain size wall,  why couldn't there be an appropriate sized wedding coverage for the size of the wedding? That got me thinking. I needed to change how I was offering my wedding photography coverages to my clients.

Now I also learned something else about sales from another sales seminar I attended. I learned that when we need to offer our wedding coverages to our clients the way Wendy's sold hamburgers.  Wendy's Hamburgers, as you know, sells the single, the double, and a triple. I quickly redesigned our wedding coverages to list five specific levels based on  hours of coverage and number of images in the final album.

It’s All About The Levels Of Coverage

Level I was the best coverage I offered my clients. 100 photographs beautifully bound and presented in a handcrafted leather album. Level II was the second best coverage I could offer my clients. It included 75 photographs and a slightly less expensive album  but still with no restrictions on the time I would spend on the event. Level III included 50 photographs bound in a more traditional and less expensive synthetic leather album.  I know this will date me but think Naugahyde (from the now extinct Naugas).  It was at this level we limit our time to six hours. Level IV included 35 photographs, again in the synthetic leather album cover with the time of the coverage now limited to four hours.  Level V included 2 hour coverage and 20 smaller photographs bound again synthetic leather album.

Now for all intents and purposes I've never really changed my offerings over all these many years. This is allowed me to sell consistently from year to year as well.  Here's the approach I take. If, in my conversation with the client, I find they’re planning one of the largest wedding events in the city for their particular weekend, there is no way I'm going to offer them a Level III coverage for that huge event.  I think it's important to let those clients planning  the big, over-the-top events, understand that they need your biggest, best, and most complete coverage. There's no reason why they should even consider Level II or smaller!

If our clients are planning a less formal affair I let them know that Level II coverages are just perfect for them and is our most popular coverage.  I also mention that Level III with its 50 photographs and 6 hour time limitation is really the appropriate size coverage for smaller events, say for example a second marriage.  It still captures the excitement, colors, and nuances of the day of an event where, say, the number of guests are between 80 and 100 guests. Level IV, being only four hours long, would be reserved for the very small wedding  maybe on a Sunday afternoon  at the client's home. The guest count would fall between 35 – 50 people.  Level V, which by the way, I hardly ever sell even to this day, is reserved for very small event of about 20 to 25 people  celebrating say a birthday or an anniversary at a nice restaurant in town.

Sell The Right Size Coverage For The Right Size Event!

It's not about the client looking at our menu of choices and just landing on one based on budget considerations.  It's more about us steering our clients to the level of coverage that is appropriate for the size of the event that they’re planning. The bottom line is this - I want to sell my top-level coverage to my clients who are planning the biggest events of the year. Most clients aren't planning events that large so my most popular Level II coverage will easily fill the bill.  Levels three, four, and five coverages are adequate for smaller events and should only be reserved for clients, not on the more limited budget, but for clients planning  the smaller, more intimate events.

Just so we are clear - most often Level IV and Level V are add-on coverages to the larger Level I or II coverages. These work perfect for three day events, where I’m also photographing the Rehearsal Dinner and/or the Sunday Brunch.

I think this approach to selling makes much more sense than the alternative.  I know that when I'm making a significant purchase, I always rely on the salesperson's recommendations. It's our job as good sales/business people to make trusted recommendations to our clients. Why in the world would I want someone planning a Level I event to book a Level III or Level IV coverage? 

The consequence of that happening only has negative results for me. When I deliver this undersized album to the clients who had the big  event, viewers of that album may wonder why the coverage was not more complete.  The client themselves are not going to omit that they were playing their wedding photography “on the cheap” photographically speaking.  So the natural conclusion for the album viewer to draw is that I didn't do a very good job photographing that event.

Make The Right Sales Move – Get The Right Results

That's why it's important for us to steer our clients towards the appropriate size coverages for the type of event that they’re planning. It's also up to us to have our clients know that they've made the right choice selecting the appropriate size coverage for their event. That's basically what sales is all about.  Finding out what the customer wants and then helping them get it.

I hope this post was helpful for you today because, as I said, there are way too many “order takers” in most professions, including wedding photography. It's much more exciting and profitable for you, and your client, if you become an “order maker” –  a trusted partner in their wedding plans for the day upon whom they rely to help them make the best choices.

So,  think about how you need to align your coverages on your price list. Is it time for you to rethink your product offerings?  Is it time for you to start thinking about sales differently?  Is it time for you to set aside your “order taking” status  and move up the “order making” status?

Food for thought –

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Hey gang,  that's it for me today. How about I plan to see everybody tomorrow. Remember,  it's a big day here DigitalProTalk this Friday. With today's two posts I blogged  2998 entries to my DigitalProTalk blog.  With tomorrow’s post I'll be logging #2999  and the big one, 3000! I hope you will join me for the grand event!

Have a great rest of the day  and I'll plan to see everybody tomorrow.

Until then  – David

Quick Hit Monday: $50 From B&H; Animoto BIG Promo; Help-Portrait 2011; & Are Your Sure You Want To Be A Wedding Photographer?

Good Afternoon Everybody,

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We wrapped our business in Sedona on Friday and had a nice relaxing day off on Saturday. We got quite a nice weather surprise Saturday morning as we awoke. It turns out that they broadcasted snow coming in Friday night so we awoke Saturday morning it was a beautiful sight from our balcony to see the snowcapped mountains in the distance – very unusual for that time of year. 

With it getting this close to the holidays, a little snow certainly puts you in the mood to pull out Christmas decorations ;~)

We made it back home safe and sound late last evening, just in time to order pizza and watched the Steelers/Ravens game on Sunday night football. After our three-week odyssey it was certainly good to get back home. I thought we would be coming home to rain and snow but we've got great weather around here for the next few days to – another nice weather surprise.

There's still a lot on my plate for these next few weeks but no more travels until the end of the month. LaDawn and I are looking forward to being home for a few weeks, getting ready for the holiday season. Wow, can you believe we’re that close to Christmas already!

I been collecting several things for our Quick Hit Monday post today and when I think I’m good to go, more things keep popping in my inbox. I've got lots of announcements and news flashes for you today so let’s get right to it.

“Make Your Lighting Exciting” Book Update & Chance To Win $50 B&H Gift Card:

Hey gang, I want to thank all of you for the many suggestions I’ve received about my upcoming lighting book.  Yes, I got the “go ahead” from Kelby Media to write my second book [link].

I did a little crowd sourcing and ask all of you to contribute your ideas/suggestions for the book as well. I also promised a $50 B&H gift card to the idea I liked the best. We have 28 great ideas posted so far! I’d like to keep this contest running for the next couple of weeks since we had such a great response on it so far. Check out my original post right here and post your suggestions in the comment section following that post.  You just may win the $50 B&H gift card.

Animoto Pro November Promo – 15 Months For The Price Of 12!

Hey gang, with all of our travels I haven't had a chance to tell you about Animoto's new November promotion. REMEMBER THIS CODE – DAVIDNOV.

I've been a big fan of Animoto going back to its early beta-test days. I think it's simply one of the best ways to promote your business if you are a photographer.  It’s also a great way to sizzle your client experience.

Animoto Pro is the tool top photographers have embraced to generate more visibility for their studios, bring new clients through the door, and increase sales. Turning your photography and video clips into custom HD videos in just minutes, Animoto Pro lets you spend more time doing what you love - shooting amazing photos.

They’ve got a great offer for my DigitalProTalk readers. Get 15 months for the price of 12 when you purchase one year of Animoto Pro by November 10! Just CLICK HERE use the secret code DAVIDNOV and you’re receive the best deal ever on Animoto Pro.

Just a quick footnote  – remember, my daughter Elizabeth works at Animoto and we want to keep her on the payroll ;~)

HELP–PORTRAIT Needs Your Help! 10 DEC 2011

I just received an e-mail from Jeremy Cowart, who if you don't know, began the Help-Portrait Project a few years ago. Last year LaDawn and I, along with Kent and Sarah Smith, participated in the project.  We set up in the poorest section of the barrio area of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and spent an afternoon photographing families who had never had a photograph taken. Here is a link to our story in Mexico last year.

It was an extremely rewarding experience and we plan to do it again this December. I’m asking all of our DigitalProTalk.com readers to help spread the word and participate in this year's Help –Portrait Project. It's scheduled for December 10, 2011.  And, again, I really want to encourage each of our readers took for explore the possibility of setting up your own Help-Portrait Project in your own city or community. DETAILS HERE!

Are Your Sure You Want To Be A wedding Photographer?

Uhmmm, Let Me Think About That #1

If you haven't seen this story on the Internet yet, you have to check it out [link]. It's one of those crazy stories that pops up every once in a while that really makes you wonder why anyone would want to be a wedding photographer.

This story is about an ex-groom who separated from his wife in 2008 with the divorce being completed 2 years ago. He wants to sue the wedding photographer who took their wedding photographs in, get this, 2003 because the photographer missed the bouquet toss and the final dance. How much does the ex-groom want from the photographer – $52,000! 

Oh, by the way, nobody even knows where the bride is at this point – she’s left the country!

Check out all the crazy details right here – you just won't believe it.

And even more CRAZY STORIES about CRAZY WEDDING LAWSUITWS right here – unbelievable but true!

Uhmmm, Let Me Think About That #2

Wedding photography sure has changed over the last four or five years. Now it looks like it's changing again – robotic wedding photographers! This was a very interesting video [link] that was posted by Microsoft's robotics division.

Skip through the first two thirds of it to actually see the robot in action. Yes, it's a robot that shoots party photographs – i.e. wedding reception candids. Heck, maybe we can even have the robot deliver the DVD on the spot. Or maybe we won't even have to show up to shoot the event. Ahhhh, the future of wedding photography :~)

But If You Really Do Want To Be A Wedding Photographer

Read this super informative piece on the subject entitled, “Getting Started as a Wedding Photographer'” [link].

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Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  It’s my first day back in the office and I’ve got to get back to  my real job. 

See ya’ tomorrow for another episode of Technique Tuesday.

Till then, David

Business Day Thursday: Are You Behind the Eight Ball? 3 Ways to Boost Holiday Profits.

Good Morning Everybody,

This is a very busy day for us so I want to get today's post out the door pretty quickly.  Let's jump right into it.

After getting yesterday's post up, I was wondering what I would post for today's Business Day Thursday post. Yes, that happens a lot around here ;~) Anyway, my mind was on a lot of other things and I wasn't even thinking of what today's topic would be.

A minute or two later, I glanced at my watch for the time and realized that it was already November 2, 2011. With all of our travels, time really is flying by and I had lost track of just how close we were getting to the holidays.  My gosh, with Thanksgiving only 3 weeks away and Christmas right around the corner after that, it struck me that I was behind the eight ball.  It was time to get some plans in gear for the holiday season.

Business Day Thursday: Are You Behind The Eight Ball?

How many of the rest of you are in that same boat?  As a studio owner we need to plan well in advance of the Christmas holidays.  And that planning needs to be done on two fronts.  First, what type of Christmas promotions are you planning on running.  And secondly, is your production schedule in place to get all the orders out in time for the holidays?

I thought I would break this post into two parts.  Let's first discuss several kinds of promotions you need to be doing this time of year.  Why is this important? Because this is the time of year most folks will spend a substantial amount of their discretionary income.  That's a fact, economic downturn or not - it's the holiday season and people will spend more money now that any other part of the year.

Successful businesses are always part of the holiday action. And, if you see yourself as a successful studio operation, or at least heading in that direction, you need to be part of the action too.

So what kinds of holiday promotions can you run?  Here is a quick sampling that you might find helpful.

1. The Fall portrait promotion window is long since past but you have another opportunity waiting in the wings - the Thanksgiving Day portrait promotion.  What happens at Thanksgiving - families come together, many families from around the country come together to celebrate the holiday.  

This is a perfect opportunity to offer your Thanksgiving Day Portrait special.  Sessions will be photographed on Friday after Thanksgiving and throughout the weekend if the client desires.  You need to let your clients know now that need to get scheduled now for that very limited photographic window of opportunity.

2. How about a Merry Christmas Grandma and Grandpa promo?  Ok, what am I talking about?.  Young families always want to share the latest photographs of their small children with the grandparents.  But, how often do photographers target that market?  Most of us are wanting to promote the family portrait.  I'm suggesting that you divide and conquer and photograph at least part of the family.  And your best candidates are the kids.

My best suggestion is to reach out to some of your best clients with small kids, photograph them, and make them the poster kids for your Grandma/Grandpa promotion. There are all kinds of ways to bundle the images from the photography session.  You may include the portrait session, 2 - 8x10's and some wallets all showcased with a really nice holiday Matt treatment like you see above.

Don't miss the opportunity to offer mom and dad some beautiful wall decor of the kids too - I'm thinking multiple images hanging as a nice wall collage.  These smaller images with multiple photographs thus a wall wall collage are also a nice way to answer the objection to large wall portraits.  Wall collages require smaller images but when you combine five, six, seven images, the combo makes for a very compelling presentation for the most important people in mom and dad's life.

3.  This is also the perfect time of year to be contacting your past clients - all clients, portrait and wedding alike - about holiday cards.  You may already have some great images from a previous portrait session or a wedding that would be perfect for holiday cards.  Holiday cards are not a great profit center taken individually but when added up and taken as a whole can become a nice boast to the studio profits his time of the year.

Folks, these are just a quick suggestions and I've got a lot more.  But I bet you do too.  It's time you put on your studio promotion thinking cap and come up with several of your own.  The important thing to note is that NOW is the time to get started on these ideas.  You are kissing a wonderful opportunity good-bye if you procrastinate.

How successful do you want to be?  NOW is the time to be planning and doing your holiday promotions.  Are you still behind the eight ball or are you ready to kick things into high gear!

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We are out of the door early today so enjoy the post and I'll plan to see you tomorrow with an easy post to take you into the weekend.

Have a great one everybody!  -David

Business Day Thursday: "Custom Referrals To Reinforce Booking Results"

Good Morning Everybody,

We wrapped my Captured By The Light three city California tour last night in Rohnert Park, California. And what a great crowd of people we had in attendance.  They were enthusiastic, fun, and really seemed to love the program. My thanks to all who came up during our breaks and afterwards to thank us for coming to Rohnert Park. Rohnert Park will be definitely on our list of stops next time we tour the country.

Last night also wrapped my last speaking engagement for the year and LaDawn and I are looking forward to a little time off these next few weeks as we head into the holiday season. In fact, I was told I had to be off computer by noon today so we can head out and explore a little of wine country :~)  It's been a whirlwind three weeks and I think both of us are really looking forward to a few days off.

With that said, let’s get right on with today’s post.  Here we go.

“Custom Referrals To Reinforce Booking Results"

In today's Business Day Thursday post I would like to share with you a business building strategy that we have been using in my studio for a number of years. Basically it revolves around how we interact with our vendor buddies, the florists, bakeries, wedding planners and consultants, hotel event planners, etc..

Word Of Mouth Referrals Are The Strongest!

Whenever I'm interviewing a prospective client I, of course, always ask how they had heard about us. Many times the referral comes from one of our vendor buddies with whom we've worked  many times in the past. This kind of referral is one of the strongest that you can receive. I truly believe that building word-of-mouth referrals is something you need to constantly work on to grow build a successful business.

The important thing to know is this; If you receive a word-of-mouth referral from a fellow vendor in your wedding community, please be sure to give them a call and thank them for that referral. It shows that you are appreciative of the kind words that they gave you.

Too many people don't say thank you often enough. The biggest thank you should be to the people who refer us.  Continue to let them know that you appreciate them and they will continue to refer you.

Let Your Vendor Buddies Know You Referred Them!

Now there's a part 2 of the process as well.  Whenever I'm meeting with a prospective client and things are looking like we will book the client, I always ask if they made arrangements with their florist, caterer, wedding venue, etc.  Many times that answer is no.

At that point in the conversation I am always ready to recommend one of my vendor buddies in our area. I might say something like this, “Have you guys got all the rest your wedding arrangements made?" The client may answer that they have everything settled except for their florist. At this point I'm going to recommend one of my favorite florists in the area which happens to be Ford-Ellington Florists. I explain to the bride and groom that we have worked together on some of the biggest wedding events in Cincinnati and in my opinion Kevin and his team do an outstanding job.

I also mentioned that my friend, Kevin, is a joy to work with and  just how much his clients love working with him and how much they love the finished result.

What I'm doing here is really giving Kevin a wonderful referral. So much so, that I really would like my prospective clients to book  Kevin for their wedding. I like working with Kevin. Kevin designs some of the most beautiful events in the city. And, when I get to photograph those rooms, I also have some wonderful sample images that I can display in my studio.

The bottom line of all this is that I want them to get fired up about my referral to my friend Kevin. I want them to know they can book Kevin with confidence and be assured a wonderful job.

After we wrap our appointment, I give them Kevin's contact information so that they can follow up with him to wrap their wedding day arrangements.  But, you’re not finished yet.

Now the the most important part. After the client leaves, be sure to give your vendor buddy a phone call and let them know that you were “singing their praises” to your prospective client. Let them know  a few details of the event and that you hope that they book the event too. And, I also let them know that I would really enjoy working with my vendor buddy if we're both on the same event.

So, now let's think of the benefit of that phone call to your vendor buddy. When your prospective client finally makes her appointment to visit with your vendor buddy, what is he or she going to do? He's/She’s going to do the same thing that you did – ask where the referral came from. When the client mentions that it was from your studio, your vendor buddy if he's anything like you should “wax enthusiastic” about your talent, your creativity, and your wonderful customer service - all things that give that client a reason to book you, if they have not yet completed that process, or to encourage and reinforce their decision if they have contracted you for their event.

Reinforcement Referrals

I call this reinforcement referrals. A client may enjoy the time they spend with you but is it is your referral to another vendor and their enthusiastic affirmation of your talents and your services

After I have made two or three referrals to my prospective clients, I am going to call those two or three vendor buddies and let them know that I am sending the client their way. If my prospective client visits all three of my referrals, I hopefully will get their reaffirmation of our wonderful photography and our great customer service from each of those referrals.

I like to call this cross pollination. Each one of us is constantly reaffirming the talents of the other and as the client makes it through our small inner circle of wedding vendors she's constantly reminded that everybody she is talking with has worked together and that each of the other vendors do an outstanding job in their respective professions.

Success in any business, particularly the wedding business is based upon the strength of the vendor relationships that you create over time. It's about building authentic relationships with your vendors so that they will continue to refer you and you them so that each of you can continue to grow in your business.

So, make it a point to work a few hours each week on building vendor relationships in your community. Facebooking and blogging are not the only way to build business. People want to hear about the other top vendors in the area. Work with those vendors, get to know them, and as those relationships build between you and your vendor buddies so will your business.
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Hey gang, that's it for me today - my time is up and it looks like it's shaping up to be a beautiful day. How about I see everybody same time, same place tomorrow morning for short Friday post.

Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you then.

Wine country, here we come! – David