Stephen Zeller Photography Gets A Makeover

I have completely redesigned my website for Stephen Zeller Photography, including a new logo which I had mentioned about a week ago.  I wanted to do with a design that could be consistent with both my website and blog.  This was important to me for fluidity and consistency with the design and function of the site and provides a completely custom user experience.

I used WordPress for the back end, which is great because with the jquery slider on the home page and Lightbox in the portfolio pages my site is completely functional and viewable on the iPad – something else that was very important to me.  I loved the look and feel of my Flash site, but didn’t want to miss out on potential clients who may be viewing my site on their iPad or iPhone.  With as many people that are using the iPad, that’s a huge slice of the viewership pie that I didn’t want to pass up.

Please feel free to browse around the site and tell me what you like and don’t like.  I would be grateful for your thoughts on the design and overall functionality.

Also, if you’re looking for a great WordPress site, check out my buddy Don Giannatti and his WordPress Themes for Photographers.  Don is a great designer and web guy and he can get you set up and running.  He’s also looking to strike up a deal if you happen to have an iBook laying around.

That’s it for today.  I have a busy week ahead getting ready for a BIG assignment coming up.  More on that later on this week.  I hope you had a great weekend and got a chance to get out and shoot.

Also, have you had a chance to check out The DSLR Workshop yet???

BlinkBid Version 6 Mini Review

You might remember this review that I wrote awhile back, about an awesome program that I began using called BlinkBid.  Hands down, it’s the single most effective piece of business software I use aside from QuickBooks.  Why?  Because I can create estimates, invoices, track usage licenses, manage contacts, and more.  What makes it so special?  It was created by creatives, for creatives and it’s highly photography-centric.

Just recently, they released version 6 which provided some really incredible upgrades to the program.  You can read the entire list of improvements right here, but I’m going to touch on a couple that I value most as a working photographer.

Export to QuickBooks!
Yep, that’s right – you can now export data to QuickBooks so that you don’t have to manually enter your financial data any longer.  BlinkBid exports that data in a format that QuickBooks can understand and you can easily import.  This is a HUGE timesaver for photographers, who mostly scoff at the thought of doing business-related activities to begin with.

Bid Consultant
This feature is a BIG one.  The folks at BlinkBid got together with a couple of industry consultants, Suzanne Sease and Amanda SosaStone, and came up with a system for giving you accurate usage quotes.  Now, the program won’t tell you what to charge in terms of a photographer’s fee, but you can certainly count on the data to provide quite accurate usage fee quotes.  This is big if you’re getting into or working on the commercial/advertising/editorial side of the business.  What you used to have to go to several pieces of software to accomplish, can now be found under one roof.  And it JUST. PLAIN. ROCKS.

Here’s a screen shot of the Bid Consultant window that pops up:

So if you’ve been thinking about buying some invoicing software for your photography business and you don’t want to enter in all the items manually, then you need to give a seriously hard look at BlinkBid.  It’s an incredible program that will help save you time and effort that you can put into doing something more fun – like shooting!

Oh yeah, and be sure and tell Lou that I sent you.

Anatomy of the Sales Call (Part 4 of 4)

We’ve made it through parts 1 – 3 so far, and now it’s time for my favorite part of sales – closing.  I’m going to talk a little about when, how, and why to close.  Anyone who’s ever been involved in sales has likely seen the movie: “Glenngary Glenn Ross”.  It’s a classic for sales junkies.  In the movie, Alec Baldwin has a line: “Put that coffee down!  Coffee is for Closers!” So if you wanna drink the coffee, you gotta close!

Closing
This is the part of sales that’s otherwise known as “sealing the deal”.  The purpose of closing is to complete the sales call.  This could mean that your customer purchases your products or services or it could simply mean that you have agreed to move ahead to the next step in the process.  If you’re a wedding photographer, it could mean that your customer has agreed to an engagement shoot prior to committing to booking you for their wedding.  That’s just an example, but not a way that I would personally go about doing business.

Know When to Close
It’s important to know when to begin closing as you don’t want to close to early or wait too long to close.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to look for buying signals from the customer.  Buying signals are indications in statements of the customer that they want to buy your product or service.

Here’s some examples:

• “So exactly what would you be shooting on the day of our wedding?”
• “Do you offer any other print products besides regular photo prints?”
• “I really like your work and I can almost see myself if your photos!”

Those are a few things that you might hear your customer say that indicate that he or she is ready to buy from you.  At that point, the supporting stops and you move to close.

How to Close
This is the part that excites me the most about sales because this is the moment of truth of your entire sales call and is a testament to how good of a job you have done this far in the sale.  In order to close, all you have to do is ask for the sale.  What do I mean by that?

Let’s say that I have been discussing shooting an annual report for a corporate client and we have talked about what her company needs for her report and I have shown how I can meet those needs.  When my customer has indicated that she is ready to buy, I would simply say something like:

“We have discussed the headshots and environmental portraits that you require for your report and how and when I’ll be able to have those ready for you.  So what I would like to do now is take a look at your calendar and mine and find a time to book the headshots in the studio and the location shots at your company’s building so that we can get your images started for your annual report.  How does that sound?”

Did you notice how I asked for the sale by asking the customer to commit to booking the shoots?  That’s not so bad, right?  It doesn’t seem so, but there are a lot of people who are afraid to close – afraid to ask for the sale.  If you can’t do that, you’re probably not going to do well in any job that involves sales.

What Next?
There are couple of caveats to closing and I would be doing you a disservice if I left them out.  Sometimes customers have concerns that you need to address.  Other times they may just be indifferent and not ready to buy right now.  In order to make the sale, you have to overcome them.

There are three types of concerns: skepticism, misunderstandings, and drawbacks. Skepticism is pretty straightforward.  It simply means that a customer isn’t completely sure of what you’re telling them.  In other words, they aren’t positive that you can deliver what you say you can or that it will benefit them in the way that you described.  You can easily handle skepticism by showing the customer relevant proof of whatever they may be skeptical about.  Misunderstandings are also very easy to handle because they just mean that you and the customer didn’t have a clear, complete, mutual understanding of something that you discussed.  You can overcome a misunderstanding by confirming the customer’s need behind the concern and then support the need with relevant features and benefits.  Drawbacks, on the other hand, are the worst of the three concerns.  That means that one of your products or services doesn’t completely meet a need of the customer or it will cause some sort of sacrifice on their part.  Drawbacks are the toughest concern to overcome but can be countered by having the customer take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and review previously accepted benefits.

Indifferent customers are harder to handle and aren’t a lot of fun unless you enjoy a good challenge.  This is usually caused by the customer being disinterested in the product or service.  With the indifferent customer it’s important to acknowledge the customer’s point of view and try and uncover ways to improve their indifference with the product or service and present the consequences of leaving the situation unchanged.

Summary
Over the past four days, we have broken down the sales call and attempted to demystify it just a little bit.  By no means was this meant to be all-inclusive, but rather a look into some ways that you can improve your sales skills.  If you want to get really good at sales you just have to go out and do it.  There’s no magic script or secret recipe that will guarantee that you’ll close every single time.  You have to have some thick skin and be willing to accept that not everyone is going to buy from you.

If you enjoyed this little bit of business info, be sure to let me know in the comments.  If I don’t have the answer for what you’re looking for, I will certainly find someone who does.  Thanks for coming along and I’ll see you back here tomorrow for Friday’s Photography Roundup!

Anatomy of the Sales Call (Part 3 of 4)

Welcome to Part 3 of this 4-part series on the Anatomy of the Sales Call.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the series thus far, as we’ve covered opening and probing.  From there, we’ll move on to Supporting today and talk about how you’re going to show the customer how you can meet their needs that you uncovered during the probing process.

Supporting
This is the second-most important part of the sales call.  Now, they’re all very important to the overall success of the call – but it’s critical that you discover the clients needs (probing) and then show them how you can meet their needs with your product or service.

The purpose of supporting is to demonstrate to your customer how you can meet their needs with relevant features and benefits.  To do this, you have to provide information to your customer that helps them make an informed buying decision.  You also have to know when is the best time and way to talk about your product/service or organization.  If the customer doesn’t feel confident that you can handle their needs, they will take their business elsewhere.  Even if you’re the best closer in the world, there’s no chance of you getting the sale if you don’t have the confidence of your client.

How Do I Know?
I’ve told you that you have to know when the optimal time to start supporting is and you’re probably hanging on the edge of your seat.  (Ok, maybe not.)  The time to start supporting is after you have uncovered and confirmed all of your customer’s needs.  Once you know what their needs are, you can start to discuss how you and your company can meet their needs with relevant features and benefits.  Notice that I keep going back to “relevant features and benefits”.

Relevance is King
It seems so elementary that you would only want to discuss how you can benefit your customers with something relevant to their needs.  The truth is, I’ve seen way too many salespeople start supporting with features and benefits that are nowhere near what their needs were.  It’s a quick way to lose a customer.  If you’ve got a customer that comes in for family portraits and says that they want to order lots of prints because they all kinds of frames in their home, you don’t want to try and sell them canvas gallery wraps.  You want to tell them about all the different types of prints, papers, and finishes that you offer in your prints.  Make sense?

Features vs. Benefits
Yes.  There. Is. A. Distinct. Difference.  Features simply tell the customer what your product or service does.  Benefits tell the customer what those products or services will do for them.  Human beings are all about the W. I. I. F. M. (pronounced “whif-em”).  It stands for: What’s In It For Me?  When you begin supporting, you need to remember to offer benefits over features and you’ll see your sales go up drastically because now you’re customer knows how what you sell or do will benefit them.

Full Support
Remember when I mentioned to take notes?  This is where it really comes into play.  If you wrote down all of your customers needs that you were able to uncover during your probing, now you know exactly what you need to support and you won’t miss one of their needs.  You have to show that you can support all of the needs that you uncovered in some way, shape, or form.  If you forget something, your customer could wind up feeling unimportant and take their business somewhere else.  Make sure that you are providing all the support possible.

So there’s part 3 of 4 covering the Anatomy of the Sales Call.  Tomorrow we will talk about the final (and my personal favorite) portion of sales – closing!  So come back and join us tomorrow for the last piece of the puzzle.  Thanks for joining me on this sales journey and I hope that this information has been helpful and informative!

Anatomy of the Sales Call (Part 2 of 4)

Welcome to part two of a four-part series on the Anatomy of the Sales Call.  As I mentioned yesterday, it does one absolutely no good to get a customer in front of you if you don’t know what to do next.  Your sales skills need to be effective and genuine in order to convert that lead into a client that will continue to come back again and again.  Sure, the ‘Used Car Salesperson’ approach might get you the sale this time – but they’ll never be back again.  It’s much easier to market to the client that is familiar with you and has utilized your services than it is to market to and find new ones.

Probing (Part Two of Four)
The second part of the sales method I use is called probing.  In probing, you utilize open and closed questions to establish a clear, complete, and mutual understanding of the customer’s needs.  Now, this sounds fairly simple but it often isn’t quite so.  It is critical to uncover the circumstances that drive your customer’s needs in addition to simply knowing what their needs are.  This is so you can support the customer’s needs (and circumstances) with relevant features and benefits.  In some cases, there is even a need-behind-the-need that needs to be supported.  If you aren’t able to uncover all the needs of your customer it could end up costing you the sale. More on that later.

Open Probes
Open probes are a question that elicits an open and free response.  An example of an open probe could be, “You mentioned that you really would like to shoot your new ad campaign in the studio as opposed to on location.  Why is that important to you?“ Now think about how the customer would answer.  They would most likely explain why they want to shoot their ad campaign in the studio vice on location.  Open probes allow the salesperson to obtain more information from the customer as they reveal their needs.

Closed Probes
Closed probes are questions that elicit a Yes or No response.  They are extremely useful in confirming your understanding of the customer’s needs.  An example of a closed probe could be, “You would like to shoot your new ad campaign on a white seamless background and that is why you want to shoot in the studio.  Is that correct?”  At that point, the customer would answer with either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.

Combining the Two
By using open and closed probes together, you can drive the sales call in the direction that you would like to go by striking an appropriate balance between the two.  Once you think you have uncovered a need, you can confirm the need as well as your understanding of the need.  After all of the customer’s needs have been uncovered it’s time to move on to show the customer how you can support those needs, which we will cover tomorrow.

A Note of Caution
If you only use open probes, you will never really get anywhere with the customer nor will you discover what their true needs are.  Use too many closed probes and your customer will feel like they are being interrogated and they will shut down on you.  Neither one of those situations is a good one to be in.

Helpful Tip
Have a pen and paper or something to take notes.  It serves two important purposes.  First, you won’t miss anything critical that your customer has to say in terms of their needs.  Second, it shows your customer that you sincerely care about them and that you’re interested in what they have to say.  Be sure and let them know that you’re taking notes about the discussion so that you don’t miss anything.  It will put them at ease.

Thanks for joining me on part two of this journey down the sales call path.  These posts are by no means intended to be all inclusive, as there are a lot of things that go into sales and the sales call itself.  I’m simply trying to explain the basics that you can have a good idea of how to conduct your sales calls so that you can convert more leads into sales.  And just like photography, if you want to get good at this stuff you have to practice, practice, practice.  I can’t stress how important that is.

Join me again tomorrow as we cover the next part of the sales call – Supporting!  I can’t promise that it will be fun, but it will be informative!  See you then!

Anatomy of the Sales Call (Part 1 of 4)

There has recently been a lot of buzz around the subject of the business of photography.  A lot of folks have been talking about personal brand, how to stand out from the crowd, licensing, contracts, and the like.  And while all of that is very important, I have yet to read a whole lot about sales and what to do once you get your customer in front of you.

So in light of this, I’m going to break down the basic sales call over the next four days.  Sales and selling skills are imperative as a photographer because you aren’t always selling tangible goods, but rather concepts and services.  In other words, we are selling ourselves to our clients as well as our ideas.  It can be a much larger challenge than selling something like a car, house, or a boat.

Anatomy of the Sales Call (In Four Parts)
Now all the hard work and effort that you have put into your marketing has begun to pay off and you have a potential client in front of you.  What do you do next?  The person in front of you liked your work enough to agree to meet with you to discuss their needs.  So how are you going to convince them that you’re the photographer that can meet and exceed those needs?  That’s right – your work has stopped talking and now it’s time for you to step up to the mic.

The basic sales method that I use breaks down into four separate parts: opening, probing, supporting, and closing.  (Closing is my favorite part and you’ll see why when we cover it.)  Today were are going to discuss the Opening and over the next three days we will address the other three parts.

Building Rapport
Before you ever make the move to get down to business with your customer, you should spend some time talking with them about things that have nothing to do with why they are there.  This can be done over the phone or in person and it really doesn’t matter where it’s done as much as whether or not you do it.  Talk about where they live, what they do, their family, etc.  Just make sure that the focus is on THEM.  At the same time you can begin to blueprint to find out a little more about them.  This will come in very handy later on the in sales call.  Building rapport helps your client relax and it makes the sales call less impersonal.  Let’s face it, nobody really cares for the salesperson who goes right for the throat.  It makes the customer uncomfortable and sends the message that the only thing you care about is the sale.  Not a good message to send.

The Opening (Part One of Four)
The purpose of the opening is to state the agenda of the meeting and prepare to do business.  It helps you transition from small talk to brass tax and it ensures that both you and your customer agree on exactly what will be covered during the call.  The opening should aways be positive and productive.

An example of an opening might be:

“What I would like to do this morning is talk about the type of family portraits you were looking for, that way I can show you how ABC Photography can provide amazing portraits that you and your family will cherish for years to come.  How does that sound?”

Let’s break that down a bit:

- “What I would like to do this morning is…” – (Indicates that you and the customer are ready to conduct business)
- “…talk about the type of family portraits you were looking for…” – (Indicates you are aware of the product or services that the customer is seeking)
- “…that way I can show you how ABC Photography can provide amazing portraits that you and your family will cherish for years to come.” – (Indicates that you are going to support the customer’s need(s) with relevant features and benefits.)
- “How does that sound?” – (Checking for the acceptance of the customer)

Keep in mind that you don’t have to use the words above verbatim – you can customize this to fit your own personal style.  And you should.  Sales shouldn’t be ‘cookie cutter’.  It should fit who you are and if it doesn’t, the customer will see right through it.  You should be honest and genuine in your approach.  Never imply (or worse yet – promise) something to your customer that you cannot deliver for the sake of making a sale.  I’m starting to get ahead of myself here, but the point is that you tailor your sales to your own personality and style.

Being composed and confident in the delivery of your opening statement will help ensure that your sales call goes well and it will do a lot for the confidence that your client has in you.  It sets the tone for the meeting and you want that tone to be solid and smooth – not harsh and distorted.  Catching on?  Good.

Thanks for coming along on this ride about sales and be sure to join me here again tomorrow to talk about part two of four – Probing.  Don’t worry, it’s safe and I can assure you that there are no alien life forms involved.

5 Tips For Becoming A Pro Photographer (That Don’t Involve Gear)

Being a professional photographer entails a lot more than just knowing how to create excellent photographs.  Professional photographers also have to be savvy and efficient business people as well.  In fact, if you want to be considered a “professional” in any field of work, you need to be good at many things that go beyond the scope of your trade or craft.

I wanted to discuss this subject on the blog because I am often asked the question, “What does it take to be a professional photographer?”  There is a lot more to it than meets the eye, and I feel it’s important for anyone who’s considering earning money from their photography to know some of these ground-floor principles.  So today I’m going to share with you five simple things that I feel are of the utmost importance when dealing with clients or potential clients.

1. Be punctual. Professionals are expected to be, well… professional and one of the quickest ways to lose a client is to show up late, call late, or miss a deadline.  It makes no difference if your taking family portraits or if you are shooting commercial work for an ad agency – you have got to be on time, all the time.  Artists typically aren’t the most punctual people in the world and you will lose work and clients at a dizzying pace if you aren’t on time.
2. Communicate, communicate, communicate. I can’t say this enough: you have to make yourself accessible to your clients.  That means answering phone calls and e-mails promptly, returning messages, and having contact information all over your website and/or blog.  If clients can’t reach you or get you to call them back, they will fill their need with another photographer no matter how good you are.  If you aren’t going to be available for awhile, make sure that people who may contact you know that and know when you will be available next.  If they like you that much, they might wait until your available but it is key that they know when you will be available.
3. Under promise and over deliver. Don’t promise your client something that you are not 100% certain that you will be able to deliver on.  It’s far better to promise your client less and give them more and it will keep them coming back time and time again.  Say that you agree to provide your client with 40 digital images and while they are going through their proofs to select their 40, they really like 45 of them and are having a tough time deciding which five to discard.  Would it hurt to throw in those extra 5 images?  Most likely it wouldn’t and they will remember you for it and gladly call upon you again.  A little goes a long way when it comes to making your clients happy.
4. Stay organized. One of the biggest barriers to running a successful and professional business is organization.  If you can’t find the contract that you were supposed to get to your client or remember what day you were supposed to deliver it to them you are putting your business in serious jeopardy.  Make time to sit down and get organized.  Write out a schedule.  Keep a calendar.  Maintain a to-do list.  Organization will keep your business running efficiently and effectively, allowing you to spend more time working on the most important part of your business – the clients you serve.
5. Serve your clients. Have you ever heard the phrase, “The customer is always right”?  If it weren’t for your clients, there would be no income for your business.  And after all, that’s why we’re doing this in the first place isn’t it?  We want to make a living doing what we love.  Your clients have chosen to spend their money on you and it’s critical that they find value in the services that you provide them.  It’s also extremely important to let them know how much you appreciate their business.  A simple Thank You card or gift is a great way to show your appreciation and it reminds them that you are there for them in more ways than just to receive the check.

These five principles are the foundation of any good business and play a huge part in your success.  If you ever wonder why there are mediocre photographers who are making a good living, it’s more than likely due to the fact that they follow some of these principles.  You can do a little research in your area, but believe me when I say that I see it all the time.

Remember that you don’t have to give yourself away or let clients take advantage of you in order to serve them.  There is a big difference between over delivering and giving yourself away and it can cause you problems down the road if you don’t understand that difference.  If you brand yourself as an inexpensive photographer or one that gives a lot away – that reputation is going to stick and it will be hard to get away from.

Rome wasn’t  built in a day, successful businesses aren’t built overnight (or even in a year or two), and it takes more than just excellent photography if you want to be a professional.  If you apply the five principles above to your business then you will have a solid foundation to work off of when it comes to taking care of the number one asset in your business – your clients.

The #1 Mistake New Photographers Make

People make mistakes. It’s how we learn and grow. It’s a part of our history and our future. Photographers make mistakes too. Even great shooters like Chase Jarvis and Joe McNally still make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them so that you try not to make the same mistakes again.

As a new photographer, you’re also going to make mistakes. But don’t worry, you’ll learn from each of them and you’ll be better for it. There is however, one common mistake among new photographers that seems to be repeated over and over again – buying too much gear.

I was talking to a photographer at last weekend’s workshop and she said this a lot, “Someone told me that I needed it.” With all the teasing and good-hearted harassment over those words I think we effectively made our point. I felt bad for her because she had been steered in the wrong direction on many occasions and definitely spent money that she didn’t need to. If memory serves me correctly a salesman at a local camera store managed to sell her a 5-in-1 reflector for $110.00, and that’s just wrong.

New photographers (and even some that aren’t so new) get wrapped around the axle over gear and somehow come up with the idea that they need a lot of it to make great pictures. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – gear doesn’t make pictures, photographers do.

So where exactly does all this bad information come from? It mainly comes from the internet. I can’t tell you how many threads I’ve read where someone was verbally scolding another for using a Sigma or Tamron lens to shoot a wedding that they were getting paid for. There’s something to be said about good glass, but c’mon now.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t buy gear that you need, but the point I’m trying to make here is that you should invest in yourself as a photographer. Instead of going out and buying that new 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II lens for $2,000.00, you could use a fraction of that money and go out and shoot for the next month! If you’re a people photog, hire some models and a make-up artist and go shoot. If you’re into landscapes, take a short drive to someplace interesting that you’ve never shot before. Just go out and shoot!

As a side note, if you happen to get some advice that you think is questionable or aren’t sure about the best thing you can do is ask another photographer that you can trust. Just because someone says that you need that new flash or new lens, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you do.

Photographers: 5 Ways Not To Waste Money

Salespeople are really good at what they do. Seems obvious right? Otherwise, they wouldn’t have a job. Advertising folks are just as good. Whenever there is a new camera, lens, gadget, device, plug-in, or widget, people jump all over them. It’s one of the many ways that photographers wind up wasting money.

If you’re starting out in photography and want to earn a living with your craft, you have to save every penny you can. If you haven’t noticed, jobs aren’t pouring in for you like they are for the seasoned pros. At least not the big jobs anyway.

So today I’m going to touch quickly on 5 simple things that you can do as a photographer to save yourself some money. For some of you, these will be common sense and others will struggle greatly with a few, if not all of these. Shall we?

1. Buy Only What You Need – Photographers I have known seem to struggle between wants and needs. Do you really want that new $5000.00 camera body because it’s the ‘latest and greatest’ or do you NEED it to perform a job for a client. Sure, we can all come up with a ’round about way of justifying that new purchase. But what we have to do is remove emotion from the decision and scrutinize what gear we spend our money on.
2. Rent Whenever Possible – Ok, I’m talking about gear here. Say you always shoot in the studio with lots of high powered strobes – portrait work. A client hires you to shoot a dance performance at a theatre because they really like your work and think you will do a stellar job. You know you need fast glass – we’re talkin’ f/2.8 here. You also know that you’re never going to use that 200mm f/2 lens you’re about to buy for a long time. Here’s where renting comes to the rescue. You can rent this lens (or other lenses, bodies, flashes, strobes, etc.)  for a small sum of money for a week and now you’re not stuck with a piece of gear you’ll rarely use.
3. Buy Used Office Equipment – Most photographers that I know work from home when they first get started, especially if they are only starting out part-time. While I agree that you need some basic office equipment like a fax machine, scanner, and a decent printer, these things don’t have to cost you a fortune. Check Craigslist, eBay, or your local paper for some good deals. You never know what you’ll find. I recently picked up (3) all-in-one laser multi-function machines for $30.00 on Craigslist! So why did you just drop $400.00 on that brand new fancy all-in-one? This also applies to desks, chairs, etc. Shop around for a deal and your bank account will thank you.
4. Need Space to Shoot: Rent It! – I know I already mentioned renting, but this is big. If I need studio space, I will rent it. Why? Because the overhead is REALLY low. There’s a new studio here in San Diego that rents for $25.00/hour and includes lighting and a whole host of other gear. Granted, the place isn’t gigantic but it works well. Oh, and did I mention that it’s $25.00/hour? Don’t think you have to rush out and dive head-first into a commercial lease for your business. That’s a lot of overhead and this whole approach is to do this all without going into debt. Personally, I wouldn’t run out and lease commercial space until I was consistently bringing in four times the amount of what my monthly lease cost me. And no, two months in a row doesn’t constitute ‘consistency’ in my book. We’re talking six months or more here.
5. Be Efficient and Charge What You’re Worth – What exactly do I mean by ‘efficient’? Let me explain. Say you’re charging a client $100.00 for a one-hour shoot. If you go beyond that, then you’re cutting into your profit unless your client has agreed to pay you on an hourly basis. You can be more efficient by preparing for your shoot, knowing your equipment, and getting right to work. Maximize your time. I’m not saying to all but ignore your client, but remember that you’re there to do a job and provide a service for them.
   What are you worth? That can be a tough question, but you’re essentially worth what someone is willing to pay you for your services. Don’t sell yourself short here. We work hard at our craft and we invest time and money in what we do. Do it well and charge accordingly.

I’ve had the ideas above running around in my head for quite awhile now and it was time I got them up on the blog. You may agree or disagree, it’s up to you. These are things that I practice as I continue to grow my own photography business and I hope that you find at least one of them (if not all) helpful. Have a great day!

Been Bitten by the Gear Bug?

It happens to all of us.  It’s that uncontrollable urge to go out and buy that new glass, new camera body, new flash, new… I think you get the point.  With all the technology there is out there for photographers, it’s hard NOT to fall victim to the sales pitches and splurge on some new gear.

But let’s come back to reality for a second.  Do you really NEED it?  Or do you just WANT it?  There is a huge difference between the two and knowing exactly what that difference is can aid greatly in your choice to save or spend.  As photographers and creatives, it’s pretty easy for us to come up with some way to justify our ‘wants’ as ‘needs’.  But sometimes it’s beneficial to get out of our right brains and head over to our left.

I define a ‘need’ as something that I cannont work without.  In other words, I couldn’t complete my job without this piece of gear.  For example, if I somehow managed to ruin both of my camera bodies then I would ‘need’ to buy a replacement.  Or, if all I ever shot were subjects in really, really low light then you could say that I ‘need’ a D700 and f2.8 glass just to make the job happen. 

‘Wants’ on the other hand are a totally different story.  In my case, I have a perfectly functioning D90 that helps me produce great images and I usually shoot in good light or I create good light.  Can I do most jobs with my D90?  Absolutely!  Do I ‘need’ a D700 to do my job?  No.  At least not on a day-to-day basis.  So that would fall into the ‘want’ category. 

If you’re trying to break into photography to make a living you have to be willing to make sacrifices and make good decisions.  Otherwise, all of your income will go toward the latest, greatest widget that’s on the market and that just doesn’t make good business sense. 

So next time you think you ‘need’ to buy that new piece of gear, do yourself a favor and take a really hard, honest look at what you’re buying and whether or not you NEED it, or WANT it.