1. What's the significance of an increasing rate of referrals and WOM? Healthy signs of a growing business, no more nor less, recession or not.
2. After so many years in this trade it's hard not to notice that some of the most successful photographers don't win awards.
3. And that some award-winning photographers don't know how to translate their abilities into cash.
4. “The average client just wants good believable pics that are vibrant & clean & candid. The challenge is to give them that + more by way of making sure that we include some masterpieces that are beyond the ability of the semi pro masses.”
Right on! Like the poor, the weekend warrior is always with us, and you can’t beat ’em on price. The challenge is, what do YOU do to add another zero to what they charge.
5. Years ago, Ivan McLellan, who founded New Zealand’s premier pro lab (now part of Queensberry) used to tell his clients that you could market to the Carriage Trade or the Bottom End, but the market in the middle was disappearing. Good advice for decades.
Showing posts with label Soap Box. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soap Box. Show all posts
Jun 12, 2008
May 30, 2008
Lead Sources
I recently spoke at seminar in Christchurch for the NZIPP. The other speaker, Bruce Gabites talked about measuring where your leads come from.
TomK mentioned the same, very relevant, issue (hey, wanna write for this blog ;-) – thank you for your input).
In times of economic instability it highlights the importance of knowing where your leads / bookings come from. You'll be able to react to and encourage the successful channels.
A starting point. Word of mouth, Magazine, Bridal Fair, Web, Venue Referrals...
A slightly, temporarily mercenarily-minded,
Danny
TomK mentioned the same, very relevant, issue (hey, wanna write for this blog ;-) – thank you for your input).
In times of economic instability it highlights the importance of knowing where your leads / bookings come from. You'll be able to react to and encourage the successful channels.
A starting point. Word of mouth, Magazine, Bridal Fair, Web, Venue Referrals...
A slightly, temporarily mercenarily-minded,
Danny
May 29, 2008
Differentiate or ...
Interesting comments on Danny's "Downsize me" post, especially TomK's point about housing crisis pain trickling down to other spending. FWIW, I've been hearing stories like this off and on for 30+ years, and they are always true. For some people. The marketing challenge is to make "some" people mean "other" people.
If you've been a price taker chances are high you'll suffer in a downturn. If you've consistently marketed yourself as a differentiated price setter, now's the time to be grateful for your foresight ;-)
Differentiate Or Die (great book).
Cheers, Ian
If you've been a price taker chances are high you'll suffer in a downturn. If you've consistently marketed yourself as a differentiated price setter, now's the time to be grateful for your foresight ;-)
Differentiate Or Die (great book).
Cheers, Ian
May 6, 2008
There's gambling and there's...
Why is it when I chat to photographers about their flash memory, they say things like...
"Oh, that card's a bit dodgy," or
"I don't really trust that one"
BUY NEW ONES! Compact Flash, SD, or whatever you use has never been cheaper than it is now. Even if it wasn't, imagine the cost of losing a wedding.
A slightly concerned and conservative,
Danny
"Oh, that card's a bit dodgy," or
"I don't really trust that one"
BUY NEW ONES! Compact Flash, SD, or whatever you use has never been cheaper than it is now. Even if it wasn't, imagine the cost of losing a wedding.
A slightly concerned and conservative,
Danny
Apr 11, 2008
On the up and up
Hi All
At the end of our fiscal year and a round of trade shows it's a good time to reflect on progress.
This year with the release of Remix we've seen the most successful sales at trade shows for both clients and vendors, but we're ambitious folk with big plans. So with another year's data and maybe a little wiser for the experience we'll reset the sights and carry on.
I encourage you to do the same. We're big on stats at PJ HQ, we want to know our clients and what they're like.
A few questions you might want to consider while pondering the business stuff:
Where did my clients come from (bridal fairs, print advertising, client referral, web, venue referral)?
What package is selling the best? Should I shift a price point?
Am I profitable (enough)? Have my operating costs changed?
What % of my turnover is from albums? Reprints? Other categories?
Developing a list of questions and answering them every quarter will help give you a sense of perspective...
Cheers
Danny
At the end of our fiscal year and a round of trade shows it's a good time to reflect on progress.
This year with the release of Remix we've seen the most successful sales at trade shows for both clients and vendors, but we're ambitious folk with big plans. So with another year's data and maybe a little wiser for the experience we'll reset the sights and carry on.
I encourage you to do the same. We're big on stats at PJ HQ, we want to know our clients and what they're like.
A few questions you might want to consider while pondering the business stuff:
Where did my clients come from (bridal fairs, print advertising, client referral, web, venue referral)?
What package is selling the best? Should I shift a price point?
Am I profitable (enough)? Have my operating costs changed?
What % of my turnover is from albums? Reprints? Other categories?
Developing a list of questions and answering them every quarter will help give you a sense of perspective...
Cheers
Danny
Mar 31, 2008
Manage expectations 2
Another recurring lament at the trade shows was what I call "Album Revision #11" (you'll know it better than me):
Revision 1: You design the album (probably the best one).
Revision 2: Bride wants changes.
Revision 3: You redesign the album.
And so on until...
Revision 11: You're glad to see the back of them after they twist your arm to cram 160 images into a book that should've had 80.
Here's the thing. Some photographers have this problem, others don't. Why? Are their customers different? I don't think so.
The secret, again, is managing expectations. Speak confidently, project your expertise. If they signed up to your design, assume it's the "finished product". If they're spoiling the album, work out how to say so.
If they're entitled to a few edits, great (a good idea, and PJ makes it easy). If you charge for edits, no problem: put your charges up front in your price list - and in your conversation.
This takes practice and confidence, but next time see if you can reduce your revisions, and sell the best album you can.
Cheers, Danny
Revision 1: You design the album (probably the best one).
Revision 2: Bride wants changes.
Revision 3: You redesign the album.
And so on until...
Revision 11: You're glad to see the back of them after they twist your arm to cram 160 images into a book that should've had 80.
Here's the thing. Some photographers have this problem, others don't. Why? Are their customers different? I don't think so.
The secret, again, is managing expectations. Speak confidently, project your expertise. If they signed up to your design, assume it's the "finished product". If they're spoiling the album, work out how to say so.
If they're entitled to a few edits, great (a good idea, and PJ makes it easy). If you charge for edits, no problem: put your charges up front in your price list - and in your conversation.
This takes practice and confidence, but next time see if you can reduce your revisions, and sell the best album you can.
Cheers, Danny
Mar 28, 2008
Manage expectations
Danny's suggestion not to spend time on images you haven't sold, some people have a real problem with it. They assume their pictures have to be perfect before anyone sees them.
Who says?
When Heather and I were married, I think our photographer showed us proofs, maybe even contact sheets (yes, it was a while ago!) But we understood we couldn't judge the final prints by the proofs.
I'm not suggesting going back to proofs, but people are spending days enhancing unsold images. Automated procedures sound like a good compromise. Aiming for salable, not perfect.
The key is to set your client's expectations accordingly. These are not finished images, they're "proofs". Your sample albums show them the finished product.
Then you get to go home early. Have a beer. Play with the kids. Catch a movie.
Cheers, Ian
Who says?
When Heather and I were married, I think our photographer showed us proofs, maybe even contact sheets (yes, it was a while ago!) But we understood we couldn't judge the final prints by the proofs.
I'm not suggesting going back to proofs, but people are spending days enhancing unsold images. Automated procedures sound like a good compromise. Aiming for salable, not perfect.
The key is to set your client's expectations accordingly. These are not finished images, they're "proofs". Your sample albums show them the finished product.
Then you get to go home early. Have a beer. Play with the kids. Catch a movie.
Cheers, Ian
Mar 27, 2008
A better return for working less
Hi all - please bear with me while I climb on my soapbox. This is on my mind after a few intense conversations at the trade shows...
[clears throat]
Workflow is a touchy issue, but our philosophy is simple: only work on the shots you get paid for. By which I mean...
Do as little work as possible on your images until you've sold them (for example, included them in an album design). Time you spend on images that you don't sell is time wasted.
PJ lets you export a layered PSD, and you can edit that to your heart's content! Just take care not to decrease your hourly rate too much ;-)
[steps down from soapbox]
I'll call it a day and wait to hear from the people I just offended! If you're reading this by email, please click through to the blog to comment.
Warm regards, Danny
[clears throat]
Workflow is a touchy issue, but our philosophy is simple: only work on the shots you get paid for. By which I mean...
Do as little work as possible on your images until you've sold them (for example, included them in an album design). Time you spend on images that you don't sell is time wasted.
PJ lets you export a layered PSD, and you can edit that to your heart's content! Just take care not to decrease your hourly rate too much ;-)
[steps down from soapbox]
I'll call it a day and wait to hear from the people I just offended! If you're reading this by email, please click through to the blog to comment.
Warm regards, Danny
Dec 5, 2007
Food for thought
I spent my lunch hour reading a forum post (not here obviously!) about "the best album template software". I guess I may be preaching to the choir, but...
1. Are "clunky" and/or "badly supported" the most common descriptors for album planning software? (We know Remix is "v1.0" right now, but check out our forums - we're committed!)
2. So, why not design your albums in Photoshop? It's exceptional software, but even Adobe doesn't suggest that's a good idea. Adobe's layout software is InDesign, part of Creative Suite. Another great application - we use both ourselves.
3. But what does InDesign know about wedding and portrait photographers, their albums and their suppliers? Not enough. For example you'll look in vain for template functionality in InDesign. Just as important, photographers have very specific sales and presentation needs, and they design books, not sheets of paper. If you're not sure what I'm driving at, click here or check our feature list.
4. Almost all "album planning software" assumes the book is flushmount (un-matted). Yes, digital albums can be gorgeous - but isn't everybody doing them now? How are YOU going to differentiate as the price they command declines?
5. So how many album-planning applications can handle customisable matted albums? Three that I know of. And how many are NOT tied to a single vendor? One.
PJ's business case in five easy questions...
Cheers, Ian
1. Are "clunky" and/or "badly supported" the most common descriptors for album planning software? (We know Remix is "v1.0" right now, but check out our forums - we're committed!)
2. So, why not design your albums in Photoshop? It's exceptional software, but even Adobe doesn't suggest that's a good idea. Adobe's layout software is InDesign, part of Creative Suite. Another great application - we use both ourselves.
3. But what does InDesign know about wedding and portrait photographers, their albums and their suppliers? Not enough. For example you'll look in vain for template functionality in InDesign. Just as important, photographers have very specific sales and presentation needs, and they design books, not sheets of paper. If you're not sure what I'm driving at, click here or check our feature list.
4. Almost all "album planning software" assumes the book is flushmount (un-matted). Yes, digital albums can be gorgeous - but isn't everybody doing them now? How are YOU going to differentiate as the price they command declines?
5. So how many album-planning applications can handle customisable matted albums? Three that I know of. And how many are NOT tied to a single vendor? One.
PJ's business case in five easy questions...
Cheers, Ian
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