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Newsie bits
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Season's Greetings and all that jazz.
Another year is almost over and we all get to look back at the last year and ask ourselves some very compelling and meaningful questions. Such as:

• Did I accomplish everything that I set out to accomplish?
• Did I reach my most important goals?
• When the unexpected events were thrown at me did how did I react?
• Did I use every opportunity to grow as a person or to help grow my business?
• When bad stuff happened (you know, problems), did I treat these as opportunities instead of excuses?
• Did I view each proplem as a challenge and a lesson, a gift?
• Did I become a better person, a better photographer, a better innovator of photographic services and creator of photographic images?

And on and on. I love this time of year. It's time to start looking back and better yet, looking forward. The calendar gives us the chance to mark the year with a begining and an end.

This year's been good one for me. Good a new camera, new house and studio, new car, but not a new motorcycle, and I got to travel a whole lot. These are material things.

On a mental plane I did learn alot. Got certified as an open water scuba diver. Took a bunch of seminars and gave a bunch more. The Yervant seminar stands out for me (last August in Toronto) as one of the best learning experiences I've had in a long time.

The teaching opportunities where I was able to share whatever knowledge, enthusiasm and other skills in photography with others was for me beyond words. I learn as much or more when I surround myself with eager and hungry students of the craft- including photography marketing and all things posing, lighting, digital workflow etc...

My new studio, of which will be ready to move into within days as I write this, is going to be great. Converted an 1080 sq ft building into a shooting area, work area and sales/reception area. I've taken videos of the process and likely will be creating an instructional video that will be online in the dangerous downloads section of my other little venture over at the digital photography forum. All members of the Inner Circle Forum will have access to it as well as dozens and dozens of other intructional videos, which are continously being updated.

On a physical note I accomplished lots. I strive for good health, good nutrition and excercise and managed to do a fairly good job in all areas. I also earned my brown belt in karate. And I got a new mountain bike for my birthday last July.

On a spiritual level, of which I believe is the deepest inner most level where the root of our being exists and our self esteem is constantly nourished, I did okay as well.

Goals and accomplishments have to be taken at all levels for them to be whole and effective. If you have a super social personna but many skeletons in your life you ain't fooling no one for long. And spirituality and goals related to things at this level in our lives are not about how much money we give to charity or how often we go to church. Although these can be a part of the spriritual mosaic. But more importantly our integrity and ultimately our actions determine success.

I also completed a coaching program and re-started a new program that I personally give to our local community. Thankfully we were able to acquire and awesome facility right at city hall for this purpose.

Why do I put myself through a coaching program and give them as well? Good question......

Basically your can learn one of three ways. Yourself, your immediate circle of influence or from a master, a coach. The very best atheletes use coaches, why not us? Can we learn from ourselves? Well, yes we can, but we also need to look at where we were able to bring ourselves so far to give us an idea of how effective we are on ourselves. Can we learn from our friends and family? Very very hard to. People close to us don't really want us to change. It changes the dynamics of the relationship.

And this scares most. Even if they think they really want whats best for us. But mostly they have opinions that they pass off as fact.

Listen, if someone's trying to teach you or tell you how to get good at or succeed at a particular endeavour, all you need to do is look at where they were able take themselves in that area. There is a simple exercise you can do to discover how high your financial barometer is set- and this is linked to your immediate circle of friends and influences. Take your ten closest friends, take their average yearly income (or net worth if you know this for each), total this up and divide the total by ten. That sum will likely be what you will achieve. Unless you take drastic measures.

Why do I coach others? I love it, that's why. Every month I get up in front of the group and try to inspire them to be their best. They are all there because they want to be their best, and mostly, it pushes me to be my best.

I get asked a lot of questions from photographers who are looking for marketing and management solutions for their studios. I wish I could say I had a "one size fits all" strategy, but as close as I can get is the fundamentals that I laid out in my marketing system where I get into message-market-media approach based on these fundamentals (which, by the way, are universal and transferable to any industry). Beyond that there are unique applications that apply to different scenarios and photography studio operations.

Let's look at a few right now:

High volume- Often associated with a lower standard quality or a more generic product. (dept store studios, church directories etc). The attraction is price. The margin's less but made up with volume. Relies very heavily on being efficient and using tightly controlled "systems". Think McDonalds restaurants. Often this style of studio will benefit from a strategic location. Not much room for creativity or much relationship building either. Controlling time through limitations elsewhere is vital as the key to profits is through volume which is tightly connected to the bottom line.

Mid range volume- Sort of where I fit in. The dept store shoppers or budget minded brides generally stay away. In some areas where there is a near- total lack of the next model- the carriage trade- some would consider studios like mine to be the "most expensive". A certain level of quality is expected as well as experience with the people delivering the service, the studio itself and all steps involved. Location can be beneficial, but creating a hard-to-find aura will not be a bad thing. Many mom & pop studios operate at this level. The temptation at this level, or any for that matter, and especially in hard times, is to offer or seek high volume-low profit activity, such as sports teams, passports, schools etcetc. and default to the older model.

Low volume (carriage trade)- People with mucho fungolas. The wealthy. They expect a certain level of customized service and are willing to and fully expect to pay for it. They do appreciate a bargain when it is made available to them so don't be shy about offering discounts and specials when appropriate. Location is vital in many respects, with many studios located in areas that have other shops and business's that cater to the same clientele. High visibilty is not what we're talking about, but being in the right "area" of town. With the few people that I've personally dealt with who were filthy stinking rich they seemed a bit more reserved, less willing to give an abundance of their time, and appreciated really nice portraits.

All three examples will use and benefit by using the exact same marketing fundamentals to varying degrees: Crafting a series of messages- wether it's a free promo session and print or seasonal packages or gift certificates or baby plans or canvas mounted deluxe framed portraits- all business models need to offer something. The suicidal mistake is to assume the wrong things: ie my clientele is different or I am an "arteeeeest", therefore that's below me, or they won't go for that in our area or image ads and branding is the type of advertising that works or whatever...on and on.

All three areas will benefit from taking a consultive and educational approach. One thing they all have in common is they are selling something to people.

Therefore, it is near impossible, nor should anyone attempt to be all of these things to all people. It is a futile excercice and will result in frustration and confusion. The more you "niche" the easier it is to identify your market, market to them, speak their language and address their pains. Be committed to one direction- unless and until you've outgrown that direction for whatever reason and are ready to move "up" from there.

Even trying to be some things, to all people, to a lesser degree, will be frustrating, and you risk undermining your integrity.

One thing you may note is the three levels follow the evolution that many, if not all of us went through as we built our own studios or experiences as a portrait photographer. This is okay and almost expected. But can be hard to shed the old skin as well as we grow into the new one. I know many very high-end studios who used to photograph schools and what not in order to pay the bills. It helps build your rapport building skills and posing skills, among other skills as well. I certainly did my fair share of school portraits and hockey teams over the years. (Recently we just refused to photograph the local private school because of the fact that we are tightly niching even more and controlling our time even more).

Can you skip all the first phases? Certainly. If you can do it, do it. Nothing wrong with leap-frogging up to the front of the line. But you need to have the talent, the product and the kahooneys. Which reminds me. Without brass b*lls you will have a very tough go in any of these models. Especially when trying to evolve. It can be painful and requires courage and confidence.

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Profitable Studio MasterMind Forum- Coaching Program- Update. Been working on my server, installing new programs and uploading all my photography marketing information- every last bit of it. INCLUDING updates- to be made available when the coaching program (to be called the Mastermind Forum) goes live. Decided to offer webhosting exclusively for photography studios as well.

Will have several levels available, from basic to more inclusive packages, all designed to help photographers market their studios using the strategies that I firmly believe in. This would include a name capture mechanism and database for email based and snail mail marketing campaigns, online videos slide shows, image galleries, possibly some design element and definitely consulting. And more...soon to be announced via saleletter and special opening offer.

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Read the December issue newsletter from No Bs PhotoSuccess:
Click here from some great digital photography ideas and a free photoshop tutorial

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Photography Marketing Strategies
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On Feb 15 1942, England surrendered Singapore to the Japanese. This was, and is to this day, considered to be England's biggest defeat. It wasn't supposed to happen, but it did.

How did the Japanese manage to force a much larger army to surrender? We can all learn from history.

First off, the Japanese came down from the North of the Malay Peninsula, attacking the English from behind, and they got there in record time through some of the most rugged and inhospitable jungle, on.............bicycles.Yes, bicycles.

This was their secret weapon.

The English had assumed superiority, and assumed an attack was imminent, but fully expected it from the south- the sea. That's where they had their big guns pointing. An attack from the rear, through the jungle, was a preposterous notion. And besides, if they were to go that route, it would have taken, and should have taken much much longer than the 55 days it took to traverse 550 miles.

Surprise!

Who would have thunk? A bicycle.

The English failed to even consider this as a possibility. Cocky and arrogant they sat and waited for the enemy to arrive on their backdoor. On their bikes.

What can we learn?
*sometime the most simplest tools and unassuming, no or low technology (think bikes) ones are your best tools
*never take anything for granted, especially when things are going good
*innovate, innovate, innovate, there is always a faster, easier, cheaper, leaner, meaner way to market
*once you have a plan, or even if you have a challenge (a problem), take massive action. The Japanese did.
*have drive and passion for your goals (the Japanese did), have worthy goals (the Japanese didn't) and work relentlessly towards achieving them

The Japanese, even though misguided like a few other nations caught under the spell of some dictatorial propaganda or leader, felt that they were living and acting for a great cause. We can still learn from them.

Shouldn't our photography business be that? A cause, a mission, a passion. Something that you would travel through any jungle on a bike to achieve success for. This is why the first question I ask anyone who has hopes, dreams and aspirations for success in their photography studio. This simple yet hard to work through question: "Where do you see yourself in five years? What will your studio look like?"

Answer that and you've got the fuel. The bicycle.

My favorite "secret" weapon is a very simple one. It's the sales letter. It can be a newsletter, a special report or a one page or multi-page piece that, written interestingly enough, and put into the right targeted hands will create response. You can send them to groups of people that are likely to want your service- say parents with newborns or seniors (or their parents) in a specific geographic area near enough to your studio- or send them to another business or associations list that will allow you to do this (affiliation)- or best yet, to your group of established clients. Your database.

I built my baby business on one sales letter mailed steadily for seven solid years, EVERY WEEK! Week after week after week after year.

My wedding business on a 20 page letter. I built my family portrait sales through my continous mailing of newsletters and sales of gift certificates and also from sales of gift certificates at displays in the mall.

I've slowed down all my marketing, because the phone never stops, but if I needed to turn up the heat to build the business up for any reason I would resort to these exact sames strategies over and over. They work. I know. "I see'd it with my own eyes!".

Here's a few examples:

My lastest newsletter. Sold a ton of gift certificates off it. Mailed 1020 to my list:
Rob's December newsletter (Download expired)

Insert to the newsletter (Download expired)
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Here's my multi-page report for wedding clients:
Rob's report: The Seven Biggest "Mistakes Brides Make When Hiring A Wedding Photographer" (Download expired)

And finally my updated wedding price list:
Robs wedding price list (Download expired)
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I have many more samples and sales letters as well as am completely re-doing all my other prices lists.....ie family portraits, babies & children, glamour & boudoir etc and am taking the same approach- using long copy, information rich, idea inspiring and consultive approach to help clients and prospects jump from one hoop to and through the next hoop so the sales steps are systematic, time saving & profit maximizing.

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Here's cool technique Tracy Bookman emailed me about. I'm going to try this! Thinking about including it in a mailer that everyone who books a session with me receives along with a multi-page portrait preparation guide- which will not only be designed to optimize the session, but to optimize the sales process and ultimately the bottom line as well....read on.

Tracy emails me about a local seminar he had recently attended. Thanks Tracy, no, I never heard of this technique before.....

"....A guy named Rick Avalos was the speaker. At the initial consultation he gives his customers bags with 3 ribbons in them. One is 20", one is 24" and one is 30". He got this from Michael Redford I think. He doesn't tell them what sizes the ribbons are, but tells them to take them home and figure out which one best represents the size of print they want to hang on their wall. Then they bring back the ribbon that represents the size they chose to him when it's time for their session. Now he knows which size print they're going to buy.
Slick?
I've used that twice since learning that, and it has upsized my customers from 8x10 to 16x20 on one family, and 11x14 to 20x24 on another, and I didn't even have to upsell them. They did it themselves. You probably already knew that trick, but I thought I would pass it on anyway.

-Tracy
P.S......Regarding the ribbons... Mine correspond to the wall portrait sizes in my packages: 11x14 (called a "mini-hallway"), 16x20 (called a "hallway"), 20x24 (called a "sofa"). I think removing the "inch" designation from the portrait name removes the barrier in the person's mind about what size to get and how much to spend. Again, this wasn't my idea. It came from Rick Avalos, I think from Michael Redford. The 2 times I've used this, I was able to be at the person's home. Holding up the 14" ribbon, the response has been the same: "That's too small." I just got a 3-pack of gift-wrap ribbon from Walmart. 20 yards each spool I think and each spool has a different colored ribbon. Thanks again for your help.
-Tracy"

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Success Corner
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I love Rock & Roll. Been a fan since I first heard "Revolution" by the Beatles at my friends house on his older sister's 45 record player. I've followed many bands and would devour all magazines on music since then.

It's not surprising that most bands, the super successful ones, all have several common traits. Hard work, passion and playing for the audience as opposed to playing for their own egos, laziness and little or no passion, all contributed to their steady rise and longevity.

A few rock & roll stories come to mind. When Grace Slick, of Jefferson Starship fame, was on her way to meet and talk with Mick Jagger about an upcoming concert, she had visions of groupies and drug laced rockers partying when she was to arrive at his place. Much to her shock Mick showed up dressed in a three piece suit, they drank tea and it was "all business".

When U2 started out way back when, the stage show they put on was of prime importance to them. Even though they had little in the way of equipment and admittedly were not accomplished musicians. Everything had to be just right. This was rare in the late punk era when the attitude was "keep it pure" and the idea of putting on a show was shunned. Just do whatever was the main theme with many bands.

Not U2. They've played over 1,000 gigs so far and have some of the most devout followers of any band around today. Not surprising they are one of the top concert grossing bands in the world today. Like many bands who started out small and kept at it, they were not very good musicians. But hard work, caring for the audience and making sure they got more than their money's worth, all helped build the empire they have today. In many respects these are very sound principles that apply to business, including some solid marketing principles.

There are countless bands, if not all of the success stories, who worked hard and kept at it. They played over and over again, and still do to this day. For the music and for their audiences.

I know a few older photographers who've been at the game a long time and currently still at it with no sign of letting up, when most people their age have been long retired. These photographers have the same passion and drive they had decades ago.

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Back end sales - Back end sales are the sales made after the main sale is complete. Say you sell a session, then you sell a package, then you sell a frame to go with the wall portrait that came with the package. That's a backend sale. In many ways the sale after we sell the session can be considered the backend sale, and is very often the most important sale.

Let's compare this to sailing or mountain climbing. Did you know that many accidents happen when sailboats are arriving safely home to port or when mountain climbers are on their way down the mountain after a succesfful climb? Do you know why? Simple. They let their guard down. They relax."We made it!".

Well, it ain't over till it's over. If sales are down or opportunities are lost, look towards the back end. You may find areas that need more attention. Areas of lost opportunities. Are you letting your guard down? Getting lazy or apathetic? Upsells, frames, reprints (grandparents, friends, siblings, aunts, uncles...), specialty items (cards, mugs, memgerships, slide shows), ...what could yor clients want, or need or desire? What would raise their attention level, make them say "hey, that's a great idea" or "gee, never thought of that, tell me more...". Think.

MAILING LISTS: "Most experts agree that list selection has a 30% to 50% impact on the overall effectiveness of direct marketing. In
selecting a list you want to target people most likely to have an existent interest in what you have to offer as well as some things in common with your present good customer."
Does this make sense? Common sense? In it is the nugget of truth behind selecting a list of prospects you may want to pursue through another business, an association or group. Your typical client in your photography studio. What is she like? Where does she shop? What does she do with her time? What are her likes and dislikes? Get to know her and you will know how to find lists to match her. Either from a list broker or from the database of another non-competitive business. But know that list selection IS VITAL.