Thoughts on SALES, PHOTOGRAPHY, BLOGS, CHARITY, HAPPINESS, CREATIVITY

Children & Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:10:00 +0000

It seems like my daughter went from zero to 2 years of age in 2 weeks. They grow so fast. Their character changes as do their features and expressions.

If you love photography this is a wonderful time to take as many memorable shots of your children as possible. Unlike other photographic subjects your kids change with time and once this moment passes it can never be regained.

Also it is a wondeful opportunity to hone your photographic skills on a not so easy subject.

When they are calm (yeah, righ!!) it is a chance to use wide aperture settings and capture beautiful shallow depth of field shots.

When they are running around then fast shutter speeds are "in".

Kids are awesome when they do not know when they are being photographed. Zoom lenses and narrow aperture settings allow you to capture those candid shots that will in time become more precious than any amount of money.

Finally don't forget Auto setting! You are no less a photographer by setting your camera to Auto. In fact with children it is often the only way to get "that" shot.

Enjoy your time with your children and take the opportunity to not only practice your photography but also fill that treasure trove of memorable moments.

Stress

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:51:00 +0000

My parents were immigrants who came to Australia with nothing after having escaped the war in Europe.

They worked incredibly hard to buy a house and put their two sons through school. But they never lost sight of the fact that they too had lives to live. My dad always wondered about the immigrants who came to Australia, worked and worked and worked, saved and saved and saved, and then dropped dead, never having enjoyed the joys Australia had to offer.

Our generation works and works and works. Mobile phones, Blackerry's, and portable laptops mean that we do not stop working nights, weekends, even when we are on vacation.

Why?

Our health suffers. Our family suffers. Our stress levels go through the roof. So we accumualte money, get big houses, buy great stuff, and then we die.

I am not against hard work.

But I think we have blurred the line between work and play/relaxation. Our wives or husbands or significant others need us. Our kids need us. Our friends need us. We need all of them. We need ourselves (quality time for "me").

A lot of us have seen the world via the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. But we have more money than our parents!! So what is wrong with this picture?

Balance!!! Balance!!! Balance!!!

Work hard when it is time to work and earn money. Relax and enjoy your free time. When we are dead we will have plenty of time on our hands - unfortunately we won't be able to use it to increase the quality of our lives or the lives of our loved oned.

Is too much choice making us unhappy?

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:31:00 +0000

I am into photography. I recently decided to purchase a new dSLR. What a nightmare! Do you have any idea how many models of cameras are available for purchase?

Now I would like to digitally manipulate my images. Same horror show. I have to choose from so many digital image manipulation applications it will take me literally months of research to decide on the application that best suits me.

This "challenge" can be applied to anything - TV's, washing machines, any type of software application, etc, etc, etc.

Now I am not saying that choice is bad. It's awesome to have the ability to choose. But when is too much simply "too much"?

First of all will you ever be happy that you chose the right "thing". Did you spend enough time researching you purchase? Should you have waited for the next model? (due out later this afternoon :-)) Now that you've got it are you even sure you wanted it? Will you use it as much as you thought you would or will it end up on a shelf somewhere?

I own a farm in a small village in the Philippines and I have often sat outside and watched the kids play simple games with simple toys as the parents and i talked and drank over a meal. So simple, so pure, so satisfying, so healthy.

Choice is good. Too much choice will make you nuts. It certainly is not making us or our kids happy. Ever bought a toy for your kid that he or she absolutely needed and absolutely needed it now, only to find that it fell out of favor within weeks (or worse still, days) of purchase?

I do not know the answer to this dilemma. What i do know though is that we better start thinking about it because we can going to breed children driven to madness by their inability to choose and their lack of happiness after eventually having made their choice.

Selling your business

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:25:00 +0000

If you have a business you need sales. In order to get those sales you need for people to know that you have a business, what that business is all about, and what you have to offer. In other words, you need for the buying public to know that you and your business exist - not an easy task.

In the 21st century everyone is selling everything, from products to advice to religion to just plain craziness.

So what do you do?

Well, the first thing is to accept the fact that it is going to take some time to make yourself known, so factor that into your business plan.

Use the Web!!! There are some great business connection sites out there - the best of all being LinkedIn. Also spread the word on social websites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Start a blog!!!

With all of these Internet based sales/marketing techniques the trick is to keep them updated regularly. Write everyday (obviously about something different). Writing regularly retains readers and gets you up the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) ranks in Google and Yahoo. The higher up the ranks you find yourself the easier readers can find you.

Learn about SEO techniques. Tag your blogs, articles, submissions acurately and extensively so as to get picked up by the search engines.

Tell your friends and ask them to write on these sites about you and your business. This is critical. Don't just tell them what you do, ask them to mention your business in their internet submissions.

Find websites that cover areas of interest related to your business and regularly submit articles, offer opinions, get involved in discussions. This will all help in getting you known as an expert in your field.

There is no magic bullet but regular, consistent, hard work coupled with time will pay off eventually.

Happiness - Living in Saudi Arabia

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:29:00 +0000

Dear Readers,

This particular article doesn't at first seem to fit exactly into the main theme of my Blog but actually it is a natural fit and should have been written a long time ago.

Unless we've given up on life we all strive for some form of happiness. Unfortunately for the great majority of us happiness is staring us in the face and we do not know it is there.

I moved to Saudi Arabia 5 years ago. For nearly 3 years I moaned and groaned about what a lousy place it was - I mean there was nothing to do, nowhere to go, and you always ran the risk of being shot by a terrorist, right?

How stupid I was!!! I wasted 3 years of my life!

I was finally prompted to write this article because to this day I still have close friends of mine who think I have crossed over to the "dark side" because I tell them I like living here.

The people are warm, generous, understanding, gracious, and incredibly hospitable.

The food is excellent. It is an amazingly safe place to live. Except for 3 months in summer the weather is great. The schools are very good. The quality of health care is better than I have experienced anywhere in the world. And finally the cost of living is very low. Oh, and we pay no taxes:-)

So there I was, staring happiness in the face for 3 years and I did not know it was there to be savored and enjoyed - all I had to do was open up my heart and mind and look.

The challenge for all of us in this century is that whilst there is no lack of choice available to us we continue to want for peace and contentment. We do not lack for choice unfortunately, we lack for vision.

The therapy of blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:19:00 +0000

No-one who knows me would ever put their hand up and swear I was the person they knew who always wanted to be a writer. In fact i never thought about being a writer because my writing style is simply not anywhere near up to par.

So why do I have a blog then?

Well, all my life I have struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. I work hard, obsess about being a failure, and generally stress myself into a state of being very unwell.

So 54 years, plus a lot of alcohol and antidepressants later, i realized I was simply addressing, and not that well either, the symptoms.

I was never into yoga. Chanting never did it for me. Imagery, I must admit, did help. My music teachers eventually considered suicide.

But, the real shocker came when I realized that i was jealous of creative people. What was even more amazing was that these feelings of jealousy were stronger than my desires to earn more and more money and climb the corporate ladder.

So, with no other options available to me, I thought I'd give blogging a shot. Now, here's the kicker. I don't care how bad my writing is or whether or not people approve of it or not. It feels great to write. It de-stresses me. I am under no pressure to do it, I do it because I love to do it, and it makes me feel creative.

So what, you ask? Well I think that most of us are under so much pressure from so many sources that we no longer know how to be happy.

And sometimes the answer is right in front of us.

Do something you've always wanted to do. Don't do it for anyone except yourself. You might just like it. It might just make you feel happy again. There is certainly no downside to trying is there?

Selling your images for profit (for newbie photographers)

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:59:00 +0000

If you are anything like me (hopefully not!) then as a newbie photoghrapher you are spending heaps of time on the Internet exploring all the wondeful ways to go about selling your images (if not for money then certainly for the ego boost).

However, i have come to the disturbing realization that I am spending more time exploring how and where to sell my images than i am actually taking the photos in the first place!!

The reason I am writing about this crazy dilemma is that the Internet has opened up the most wonderful environment by which we can learn every minute of every day.

But eventually selling your images can only happen if you have images for sale.

So, for what it is worth, may I suggest that all us budding, newbie photographers spend most of our time taking as many shots as possible until we have a regular stream of orders for images coming in. Taking saleable images means knowing your camera inside out and practice, practice, and practice.

Eventually when we have a significantly large portfolio then we ought to spend significant time on the very important goal of actually selling our images.

Technology nowadays allows lots of people to take relatively good images with their digital cameras. But like any craft, practice does make perfect. If we think our photos look good now then imagine how good they would look if we took 500 shots a day under all sorts of lighting conditions.

The more shots we take the greater the chance of taking that "one" great one that will sell. When we have enough to sell then lets do just that. In the meantime we continue to take the 500 or more shots a day.

More photos means more "great" images. More "great" images translates to money in the bank. Yes, we need to market our "great" shots, but we have to have "great" shots to market.

Happiness and the need for compromise

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:24:00 +0000

My wife and I have been bickering, arguing, generally not getting along for the last 2 weeks.

Embarassement prevents from admitting who, but one of us (ok, not me) decided enough was enough, apologized (not because she was wrong but because she was wise enough to understand the pride counts for very little) and explained that 14 days of pain had passed, 14 days we would never get to live again, 14 days we could have been happy and that perhaps the pain of compromise was far easier to accept and cope with than the pain of trying to see who could win.

As individuals we are proud. We want to be right. We want to be uncompromising. Why should we? I mean, aren't we important and others should dance to our tune.

Well, to put it bluntly, NO. As individuals we are not that important. Our problems, issues, concerns, in the scheme of things, are also not that important. Tomorrow a new day will start regardless of whether we are winning the war with our spouses or not or whether we feel hard done by or not.

Do not get me wrong, compromise is very difficult. We want the other person to bow to our demands (even if we do not know what they are).

But compromise is easy compared to maintaining combativeness. There is no such thing as "winning" a fight with your spouse or loved one. Words not only cause damage but, worse still, they cannot be taken back. Their damage and impact is permanent.

Life is short. Days fly by. It is simply criminal to waste them and not make every effort possible to be happy and to contribute to the happiness of those whom we love.

It does feel great to be happy. It feels even better to make others happy.

I realized that if I had put as much effort into making my wife happy during these past 2 weeks as I had into trying to show her she was wrong and I deserved an apology 2 "once in a lifetime" valuable weeks would not have been wasted.

The songwriter who penned "don't worry, be happy" was wiser than I ever gave him credit for.

A Newbies Guide to buying a digital camera

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:36:00 +0000

I have owned just about every sort of camera (from use-once throw away Kodak & Fuji film cameras to manual SLR's (wonderful beasts) to dSLR's). I've just been through the process of buying a new dSLR and it took months of research to decide on the camera I ultimately wanted to buy.

At the end of this arduous process it hit me that it ought not to be this difficult to decide which camera to buy. And then I wondered what the poor individual who was buying his or her 1st digital camera must be going through.

So after a great deal of thought it came to me that the process ought to be much simpler than we make it. So here are my thoughts about simplifying the process and minimizing the agony and decision timeframe.

Decide on your budget

if you do not have oodles of money to spend then this first step ought to make the process easier. I say "ought to" because even for $500 or less there are a hell of a lot of cameras to choose from.

Decide on the primary use of the camera.

if you are going to shoot sports and children (who tend to move a great deal when least expected or wanted), or wildlife or portraiture in a big way then you may well want to consider an entry level dSLR. The reason is that a dSLR will give you the level of manual control and options typically not available in a point and shoot camera. If you want to sell your photos or images then a dSLR or micro four thirds would be the way to go.

Do you want your camera to be easily transportable (in your pocket for instance)? (This is a biggie because I have seen so many photographers choose to leave their hefty dSLR's behind at home and take a small pocketeable camera with them when they travel, just for the sheer convenience).

if that is the case the small point and shoot type camera is what you need to focus on - bear in mind that a lot of small cameras nowadays have gone beyond the point and shoot mode and offer various degrees of manual control (just when you thought it was going to be easy!). Typically though the small pocketable cameras do not offer the degrees of control that are offered by dSLRs. Micro four thirds cameras are only just starting to make their mark on the world in a big way and offer the buyer the ability to purchase (albeit at a hefty cost) a smaller type camera (point and shoot size) but with the manual options of a dSLR.

Finally, if you are dipping your toes into the world of digital photography for the first time I would suggest not buying the most complex camera, even if it is within your budget. Top end dSLR's require the equivalent of a digital camera pilot's licence to operate well. So start small, learn the basics, and move up. Even though it may not have all the manual options offered by more expensive dSLR or Micro four thirds cameras, a point and shoot in the right hands can be made to produce some awesome results.

If there is one bit of advice above all else that I can pass on it is this: a good carpeneter can work with lousy tools - better tools may make him work faster but not necessarily better. My point is that a complex, expensive camera does not a good photographer make!! The best camera in the world does not make up for creativity and a good eye.

I once read that the best camera in the world is the one between your ears. So, so true!

Want to make money from your digital images?

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:21:00 +0000

As photographers we each believe we know and understand art and creativity. We desperately want to be individual and to create beautiful images.

Surely then if we go to the time, effort, and trouble to apply ourselves to this task then these awesome images (and we know they are awesome because so many people tell us so) our images ought to literally "fly off the shelves" and translate into instant sales.

Unfortunately not!

The images we create are for ourselves. We create what we think is beautiful and creative. But it may not be what the buying audience wants at this point in time - certainly not in volume!

So when we are taking our photos we have to ask ourselves the reason for creating the images we do. Is it for our own pleasure? Is it because we want the buying public to recognize beauty and pay a premium to own it. Or is it to make a steady income?

If it is to make money then there we need to face up to some harsh realities.

First of all, nowadays, with the advent of digital technology and the poficiency of its use, many people create beautiful images. In fact the web is littered with gorgeous, creative images. With so many around the biggest challenge would be choosing which one to purchase.

So what does that mean to me as a photographer? What that means is that if you find exactly the right buyer at the right time who is looking just for just the sort of images you produce you'll probably make a "one off" sale one in a while.

However if you want to make real and regular money, your "one off" (unless a buyer is prepared to pay thousands of dollars for an image - which is still not a lot if you only sell only one or two images a year) won't cut it. You need to sell volume.

Selling volume is a whole new ballpark. Because now the focus shifts away from you (what you want to create) and to the buyer (what he is looking for).

Sales is always about giving the buyer what he wants. A professional salesperson with only one product will sell that product differently to different buyers based on what benefits each individual buyer is seeking from the salesperson's product.

The same reasoning applies to digital images. Putting up for sale what YOU think is saleable because YOU like it will not make you money. Putting up for sale what you know the BUYER is looking for will make you money.

So the trick is to get back to the basics of selling - research your customer. Spend time on the Internet (Flickr, Microsites, Stock Agencies, Twitter, MySpace, etc) and learn as much as you can about what sort of images buyers are looking for. Get in touch with financially successful photographers and find out what they are selling, to whom, and how.

So other than some homework what is the downside? Well, the downside is that if you want to make money, and not focus on creating your interpretation of art, you need to shoot what the buyer wants you to shoot (his or her interpreattion of art).

Sales is about the buyer and not the seller. The seller needs to identify the buyers needs and direct his efforts at fulfilling those needs. This translates into sales which translate into dollars.

Farming - stress therapy at its best

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:53:00 +0000

Four years ago my wife and I bought our first farm in the Philippines.

Since then we have expanded to approximately 30 hectares of land where we grow coconuts, bananas, and a wide variety of tropical fruits. We also keep bees from which we harvest honey. We breed very large New Zealand goats and we also have a chicken farm.

The next project will involve the conversion of 50 heactares of rice fields into Tilapia fish ponds.

This all started as a pet project to do something different from our normal roles of Country Manager Saudi for a technology/consulting firm (me) and dentistry (my wife).

We soon realized that we loved what we were doing. First of all we loved it because it was apparent to us that the world is fast running out of food and that a) there is good money to be made in smart, targetted farming (important because we still have the reality of raising a child and putting her through school), and b) it gave us an opportunity to provide food at very reasonable prices to those in the Philippines who could not afford good quality nutritious food.

But the real kicker was that although we worked very, very hard we both discovered that farming was a major stress reliever from our "real" jobs. Yes, there was the physical aspect of it. But more importantly we felt that finally we were doing something that mattered. We were dealing with Mother Earth and we were giving back. Our lives were no longer just about money.

The world is changing. The financial crisis we are living through has shown us that none of our "real" jobs are safe any longer.

Maybe this is a good time to re-evaluate how we can make money and also help others and in the process find happiness, peace and contentment.

Fatherhood...our responsibilities to our kids

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I became a dad at age 52 - it was not planned!

My wife and I loved our freedom, our ability to go anywhere, anytime, no baggage.

Then along came Zara.

I do not care what anyone says about the negatives of rearing a child. In my mind, nothing, but nothing, beats the feeling you experience when your child looks up at you and smiles, or when your child holds your hand whilst watching TV, or when she falls asleep on your chest.

I cannot understand how human beings could ever harm a child let alone ignore the plight of children around the world who are without parents, food, medicines, shelter, or safety.

It is our responsibility as members of Group Earth to take care of all children in the world. They are innocent and look to us for protection, education, and guidance.

I love my daughter. But my wife and I are committed to helping children whenever and wherever we can. We do not do this because we are bleeding heart, donation seeking goodie goodies. We do it because we believe that it is the responsibility of all adults on this planet to look after the generation that follows us.

We brought them into the world, it is our duty to care for them (whether they are ours biologically or not).

Look into a child's face. You see the face of an innocent human who sees the world without bias, greed, or any form of agenda. Children simply want to be happy. They have a lot to teach us.

Maybe by helping our children and those less fortunate than our own we can find the meaning in our own lives that often eludes us.

Motivation

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:43:00 +0000

It is just so easy to put off to tomorrow, or the next day, or the next month...

Problem is that in the back of your head there is that little bit of guilt about not having done something, as well as the anxiety associated with knowing that there is an unfinished item on your TO DO list.

So just do it! It feels bloody great to tick off an item as "done".

Sometimes I would rather lay in front of the TV than write in this blog.

But I committed to myself that I would write everyday. So even though I am not in the mood sometimes and I really just do not want to write I "force" myself to do it. Now here's the real clincher: it feels soooo good when you've done it. Not just because it is "out of the way" but because by doing it you realize why you decided to do it in the first place...you simply like doing it.

We get easily distracted. It takes no effort to be lazy and do nothing. And one day you wake up and 20 years have passed and you are still doing nothing.

Even the things you love take an effort to do sometimes. It doesn't mean we like them any less, simply that we are human.

Live life, do what needs to be done, and do it now - putting it off will only make you miserable and deprive you of the joy of having done something you love to do.

Life is too short to let laziness win.

Selling when you don't think you are selling...

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:54:00 +0000

Whether it is correct practice or not people inevitably ask you what you do for a living and who you work for.

As of that moment, whether you are in a social or work environment, you and your company are being judged by your actions. As of that moment you are selling yourself and your company (and by inference, your company's products and reputation).

Now you may argue that this is not fair, not right, and it doesn't happen. Well i hate to shock you but it doesn't matter whether it is fair or right, and it does happen!

But no-one at the gathering has anything or will ever have anything to do with my company. Mmmmmm....maybe.

But after 54 years on planet earth I never fail to be shocked and surprised when I learn that "a" knows "b", who knows "c", who happens to be someone you end up presenting your product to 6 months down the track - what a bummer if you acted like an idiot in front of "a".

So whether you know it, like it, or simply refuse to accept it, you are always selling. Even if "it never happens", what have you lost? You've simply acted "on your best behavior" (there, no use of the "sales" word).

Being forewarned is being forearmed...or, better to be safe than sorry.

a change in attitude is better than taking pills

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:07:00 +0000

I wrote in an earlier blog about my epiphany - the "light bulb" moment that changed my life.

Reflecting on that event I have come to a number of conclusions:

being positive made me feel better about myself
feeling better about myself got me to start exercising and feeling healthier
i started performing better at work
i took up hobbies that I had been putting off, ignoring, not doing anything about: photography, blogging, writing, starting my own businesses
this made me feel even better about myself
which made me see the world in a different, less dark, light
which in turn made me happy

This is only one man's experience but I think that the lesson is don't put off to tomorrow all those dreams and plans that you have left in the "ideas to be acted on one day" cupboard.

There is no downside, only upside.

It beats wasting time in front of the TV.

And it feels great to feel great.

Creativity

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:21:00 +0000

All my life I was jealous of creative people. Creative people were those who wrote or played beautiful music, painted, sculpted, penned books or poetry, made movies.

It never occurred to me that photography was just as creative, just as much an art. Anyone could take a photo, right? Just point and click and bingo, a picture. So how in heaven's name could that be creative?

Well, the answer to that question is obvious if you take the time to look at the photographs being published by photographers, both professional and amateur. Visit Fotopedia and see how people see the world thrrough the lens of a camera. The images are breathtaking, awesome, beautiful, inspiring.

Photography most definitely is an art. Perhaps we all have an element of creativity in us, we simply have to look for it.

Shocked, stunned, and not a little bit amazed...

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:49:00 +0000

I had an epiphany!

I actually had to look up the word in the dictionary to confirm that "an epiphany" is what I had actually experienced.

Basically it is an emotional/pyschological kick in the head resulting in an "awakening" of sorts.

Without delving into the details, in the middle of a conversation with my boss it dawned on me that I was a "glass half empty" person, and it shocked me!

At 54, it occurred to me that I had spent the vast majority of my life believing the worst. If I knew someone was talking about me then it has to be a bad thing. If I caught a cold then it had to be the beginnings of pneumonia. Chest pains, rather than being caused by stressed muscles, were an indication of a soon-to-be heart attack.

Life is simply too short to waste. Yes it throws out constant challenges. Yes many of the people in the world are struggling, hungry, under siege from illness, war, and financial hardship. And yes maybe smiling won't contribute to a solution to these challenges.

Bit it won't harm! And in a best case scenario it might actually help us all think more clearly about how to solve some of our real or perceived problems.

Laughter really is the best medicine. Smiling and being positive in the face of adversity can help. And maybe, just maybe, the problem we face, or think we face, is not quite as large or dark as we think.

Attitude & Persistence

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:17:00 +0000

What makes a good salesperson?

Not an easy one to answer. In fact I could probably come up with a whole list of items (it's late so today I'll spare you the ramblings :-))

In my humble opinion there are two characteristics that differentiate the ordinary from the extraordinary salesperson.

The extraordinary salesperson has the "right" attitude.

He or she remains positive regardless of what is thrown at them. They have their ups and downs but they soon get over these hurdles and get on with things.

They are relentless. They do not stop, give up, feel sorry for themselves, or put off to tomorrow what can be done today. Does this make them superhuman? Not at all! It makes them professional salespeople - they desire, more than want, to succeed. This persistence will help them eventually handle any objections or challenges thrown at them.

Now do not get me wrong. I am not describing some superhuman ogre who is tactless and pushy. Having the right attitude and being persistent are just two characteristics of being professional.

Salespeople face challenges and problems each and every day. It goes with the territory. They can also come up with a million reasons a day why it is easier to simply throw in the towel and give up.

But the extraordinary ones keep that smile, are passionately convinced of their capability to succeed, and keep on keeping on.

Get out of the office

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:06:00 +0000

People want to do business with people.

Technology has made the majority of salespeople lazy. It has also allowed them to indulge their fears of rejection.

If you want to make a sale then you have to phone and/or meet the prospect.

This may be the 21st Century with all the asssociated 21st Century technologically advanced communications tools but they should not be used to replace the basic skills of face to face communication.

The tools may have advanced in capability but people are still the same. They want to look into the eyes and hear the voice of the person who is selling them a product. Evolution has engrained in us the need to communicate physically and verbally.

Use emails to confirm future meetings and summarize past ones. Use emails to send relevant documentation.

A propsecting phone call will be much more effective than a prospecting email (or heaven forbid, sms). Of course verbal rejection is far more difficult and embarrassing then electronic rejection - a very compelling reason indeed for salespeople to hide behond technology.

The question we as salespeople need to ask ourselves is whether our desire to make a sale outweighs our fear of rejection. Not having to be verbally rejected is not much compensation for not making money.

Use techology. Use it though to enhance rather than replace.

Talking is not selling

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Too many salespeople equate with talking (or, more appropriately, preaching).

The most successful salespeople spend the bulk of their time asking well researched questions and then listening intently to the answers.

What they end up with is a profile of their sales prospect. Most importantly, listening enables the salesperson to build up a "needs" profile. What are my prospect's hot buttons? What are his or her problems? In what order does my prospect think they need to be addressed? Is my prospect a real prospect or simply fishing for information? Does he or she have money to spend on my solution? Are they in a position to make a decison or do they have to refer to someone else? What is the potential timeline for a decision? What benefits are they seeking from a solution? Why?

Now the salesperson is in a position to be able to sell.

The key is not to sell what YOU think the prospect wants. The key is to sell what the PROSPECT thinks he wants. A Ferrari salesperson would, I imagine, be highly tempted to sell the high performance aspects of his product. His potential buyer on the other hand may only be looking at a Ferrari to be able to show off and boost his ego in front of his colleagues and peers with a name brand sports car. Selling performance to this prospect may very well result in a lost sale.

In "the old days" we used to hear time and time again the adage "the customer is always right". Well in the 21st century nothing has changed.

Prospects want to talk. They want to tell you their problems. (They also want you to believe that they have the money to make a purchase now and they and only they are the final decison makers - this is where the qulaification skills of the salesperson need to be utilized (but more about qualification in another blog post)).

So instead of barging in like a bull in a china shop the salesperson would be wise in taking advantage of the prospect's willingness to share information. because this knowledge will provide the salesperson with the power to be able to target the prospect's hot spots and, all things being equal, close the sale, and close it faster and with less fuss.

In the selling game knowledge truly is power. And this knowledge can only be gained if the salesperson talks less and listens more.

iSyndica - the web distributor - Upload once, sell everywhere!

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:52:00 +0000

iSyndica - the web distributor - Upload once, sell everywhere!

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Contacts

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 09:09:00 +0000

This blog is aimed at the people who are selling product(s) for a living.

If there is such a thing as that "one magic bullet" that will help you win more sales and make you more money it is your Contact Base.

Your contacts are everything.

So, some ideas:

write down the name, phone number, and email address of everyone you meet.
keep in touch with them on a regular basis. Even if you do not think you have anything of value to say a simple email checking to see if their business is doing ok and that they are keeping well will suffice. Once a month is plenty (otherwise you run the risk of being a nuisance).
all contacts are valuable. Even if they have nothing to do with your line of business and they will never buy from you, they may well know someone who knows someone who will buy.
if you promise to do something for a contact (read everyone you meet in your professional life), follow though - do it!
never lie - your first lie will your last.
take every opportunity to physically meet with as many people as possible - even if it is for coffee. You do not need to spend lavishly on all of them - in fact spending lavishly may actually backfire in some instances as it could be seen as a sort of bribe. You do not need to discuss any business at all. It is the face to face bonding that is important.

MOST IMPORTANT

people buy from people!!! Assuming your product(s) and price(s) are within the realms of reality, what will set you apart from your competition is your relationship (personal & professional) with the buyer. Making a purchase is scary. Making a big, costly purchase is even scarier. At the top of the list is the purchase that, if it does not work as expected, could harm the purchaser's career. Buyers are human with human emotions. Buying is less an intellectual and much more an emotional experience. Use your relationship with the buyer to help him/her through their fears. Assure the buyer that all will be well - the product(s) will perform as promised, your forecast Return On Investment will be realized!
if it all goes according to plan and the prospect becomes a client, and 3-6 months down the track he or she is happy with the purchasing decision, ask for a referral to another prospect. More often than not a satisfied client is more than happy to share his success story with his contact base.
join a business networking site such as LinkedIn. This is an easy way to meet business people, thus enabling you to make new contacts, in your part of the world. It is one of the most cost effective ways of socializing in the business community.

Treat your contact base with the same care you would your money in the bank and you WILL reap the rewards.

The Prospecting Email

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:46:00 +0000

Get it right and effective email prospecting can help you can significantly increase your lead generation hit rate.

Some pointers:

Decide on the purpose of your email:

1) to get an appointment?
2) to keep in touch with a prospect?
3) to make a prospect aware that a competitor has bought your solution (so they better get their act together). You cannot build a house without first having sketched out what you are going to build.

remember: emails do not sell a product.

understand you target audience:

in certain geographies people only respond well to short, sharp, factual emails. Other geographies respond differently.

individuals at certain levels within the company hierarchy will respond differently to unsolicited emails: a "C" level individual only has attention time for a couple of lines whilst an IT person may well read a longer email. If you do not know then find out (ask other salespeople). Don't drone on and shoot off all your product benefits bullets in one email - you will hopefully have plenty of time for that at your face to face meeting.
research the target audience individuals (so do not send the same email content to everyone within the company: different people are interested in different touch points of your offering)
make it personal; don't send "ads" they could as easily see in a newspaper
make it appropriate: exactly how does your product help their particular industry at this particular point in time
Most importantly, refer to 2-3 success stories: companies that have bought your solution. Briefly describe how they have benefited through its implementation and usage. Nothing sells a product better than a reference. But keep it short and to the point.
Finally, before sending, put yourself in the receiver's company role and frame of mind (as best you can), and ask yourself how he would react to your email - then ammend accordingly.
CHECK THE SPELLING!

Selling your photos

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:37:00 +0000

Fact: there are many, many, many photographers out there in the real and cyber world trying to sell (and I use the term lightly) literally millions of images!

The reality is that unless buyers are looking for a specific image at a specific time and you've taken just such an image and it is actually possible for them to find it then you might, if you're lucky make a sale.

Of course you might strike gold and sell gigabytes of images simply by being in the right place at the right time with the right images. Or not!

So, do we as photographers give up? Of course not! The dilemma we must deal with is exactly the same one as that faced by car/soap/technology/etc manufacturers who all face a vast array of competitors, all selling ostensibly similar products, on a daily basis.

At this point the purists out there will argue that the points I make below fall into the category of Marketing rather than pure Sales. Well, there is some truth to that. For those who struggle with the difference between sales and marketing, the first is typically one to one (or one to a few), whilst the latter is one to many.

Regardless of semantics, if you want someone to buy your images you are going to have to sell them. In other words, what is in it for the buyer to part with his or her hard earned money to purchase your image?

So lets start at the top - the image.

Your image/photo could be exactly or close to what the buyer wants. Whether he knows it or not he wants to know about the benefits of purchasing that specific image (its beauty, its ability to help him sell product/impress his wife or boss/etc).

You could argue that he has seen the image somewhere (a microsite, your website, Flickr) and simply decided to buy it. But is the sale of one image enough? How do you get him to buy another, and another, and yet one more?

It pays off to research your audience. What are buyers looking for? And remember that, fortunately for us, what a buyer seeks changes over time. Once you know this go out and photograph appropriate images and post them in relevant locations. Say something about the image (how difficult it was to take, how long you had to wait to take it, how rare such images are to find, how may more similar inages you possess, their very competitive price, etc). Selling the image means not selling the image: rather ir means selling the short and long term benefits to the buyer of purchasing that specific image.

But I want to photograph what I want to photograph? This is good too. But art for art's sake might not make you as much money as art for the buyer's sake. If the buyer doesn't matter, or if the money doesn't matter then you're probably in the wrong blog:-)

A lot has been written about where best to display your images so I do not want to go over old ground. All I can add is that if you want to sell your photos/images read about this topic as much as you can. You can never learn too much.

Then there is you, the photographer. On you website, microsite, even at your fleamarket stall, tell the audience about your experience, your ability to shoot the images that interest them, your willingness to go our on a limb professionally, financially to capture just the right moment in time, just the right facial expression, just the right color or lighting. Start a blog. Get involve in other people's blogs. Write in appropriate forums. Connect with successful photographers you have read out. You may well be suprised how many will respond to your emails and willing they are to dispense some words of wisdom (don't harass them though:-)).

Slowly, over time, you will differentiate yourself and you may just find yourself earning more money for your images.

Go out and actually SELL your images! Sell yourself! Most importantly, focus on the benefits to the buyer because what you think is of no consequence, only the buyer's opinion matters.

Selling isn't confined to work

noreply@blogger.com (Edward Musiak) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:30:00 +0000

Unless you're single and/or have no parents or siblings, you need to interact with family members. In order to get anything done talking is not enough: you need to sell, of which negotiation, and knowing how to close, are integral.

Talk really is cheap. Words do slide off people like water off a ducks back. And to me words = facts.

We hear so many words (read facts!) throughout the course of our lives we almost become de-sensitized to them.

As people though, we are swayed by arguments. And by arguments I mean the putting forth of pluses and minuses.

To put this into context, in order to "get" something, whatever that may be, we need to sell/talk/argue "benefits". The listener at home will be swayed by benefits - what's in it for him/her to give you what you want. The car salesperson calls this closing. At home we call this being smart. Sell benefits. And last week's benefits may not apply this week. In the old days this was known as knowing how to "push the right buttons".

Telling your child to do his/her homework because if they don't they won't get into college which means they won't get a job simply doesn't cut it. Pointing out that not doing their homework will ultimately mean no travel, no new clothes/shoes, no iPod, laptop, Flatscreen TV (or whatever technology will exist when they grow older), and no freedom to leave the boss they hate because they are stuck for life in the job they were lucky to get in the first place, will probably elicit a different response.

So even though you may not know it you are now selling!!

In a similar vein, negotiation (a discipline of the sales process) is not just relegated to the car yard. In order to "get" what you want/need from your husband/wife or kids you may well have to give something up.

Again, you are selling!!

Finally, when it looks like you are going to achieve your goal of getting what you want, ask for it!! Too many times we argue our point (professionally or otherwise) only to forget to ask if the person with whom we are interacting actually agrees with us. Unless you do this throughout the course of the interaction you are in no position to judge whether or not you are on the rightr track. If you are not getting positive feedback (read agreement) then you need to alter the course of your argument (read restart the selling process).

Sales as a profession probably ranks up there with being a lawyer or a traffic cop. But whether we agree with this or not we are actually all selling (or ought to be) in just about every aspect of our lives.

It makes sense then that knowing something (even a little) about the sales process ought to help us in our every day lives. As far as I am concerned the most practical, easy to read book about Salemanship is "How to Master the Art of Selling" by Tom Hopkins (no, I am not getting a commission from Tom or anyone else for that matter:-)). The reason I love this book is that it is a book for everyone and not just the professional salesperson.

So, the next time you need your husband's or wife's approval to do or buy something, think about what's in it for her to agree with you.