Anne is a Maine Wedding/Portrait photographer and also a good friend of mine.  Anne is the kind of photographer that I run this blog for – the working entrepreneur in the trenches getting their business established.  I think too often we focus on the people who stand on the mountain and claim to have it all figured out when the reality is that those of us who are making our living as creative entrepreneurs are always figuring it out as we go.  You never really “make it” – you’re always working to figure out how to get to the next level.

Anne and I discuss her process in photography, from being a college newspaper photographer to deciding to quit her part-time job and the realities of that decision.  Anne talks about the significance of being able to articulate her brand value proposition and what that understanding has done for her progress.

Check out Anne’s photography at http://www.anneschmidtphotography.com/

- trr

If you like the podcast and would like to see it continue please share it out everywhere that you can and join our subscription list for updates on future episodes as well as exclusive podcast content.

I think that what is diminishing is the number of photographers willing to communicate value. The market is NOT to blame – the industry is.

Which number is bigger? The number of people who could be compelled to love what you love and believe what you believe or the number of people that already value photography?

Our responsibility is not just to grab the low-hanging fruit of people who already want what we do, our responsibility is to create new believers. It is completely within our ability to make the market as large as we want..

- trr

I’ve been pretty happy with this week’s content.  If you haven’t already checked out Monday’s post “Who wants to shop at JC Penney’s” head over now - It gets referenced in next week’s podcast.  Also, check out this week’s podcast with Spencer Boerup where we talk about easier sales for photographers.  And if you’d like to make some more money buy his Salesographer product here.

If you’re a long-time, back-in-the-day listener of the podcast you remember Spencer from episode 8.  Spencer has a new sales product out that I think every photographer could benefit from, so he’s joining the podcast today to talk about how important the sales process is and how to implement his simple strategy for closing $2K+ portrait sales every time.

I respect my audience, and I appreciate everyone who logs it to read an article or check out a podcast.  So I’ve strictly avoided the hundreds of affiliate links to various products and requests for sponsorship and endorsements.  I’m not going to post about anything unless I completely believe that it is a benefit to you and not just a simple benefit, but something that will make a tangible difference in your business.

Spencer has been to my workshop.  That means I’ve seen Spencer’s actual numbers and I can completely attest to the fact that his portrait sales are consistent and impressive.  I love whenever someone can break down an esoteric, emotional process into a repeatable structure and Spencer has done that with the sales process.  You can’t be a professional and avoid sales and this product will help take the stress out of selling and actually make your clients happier with the end result of working with you.

• Check out Spencer’s work here – Spencer Boerup Photography
• Buy Salesographer here – seriously, you’ll make more money.  Special pricing available till June 14.
• Salesographer is holding a raffle for a FREE Camera (Nikon d600 or Canon 6d) for liking and what not – the raffle ends June 14th so sign up now and share it out.
• Subscribe to AMTF to receive the extended edition of episode 8 with Spencer FREE!
• Spencer likes it!  He thinks you should take the SEXY BUSINESS Workshop too.

If you like the podcast and would like to see it continue please share it out everywhere that you can and join our subscription list for updates on future episodes as well as exclusive podcast content.

This isn’t a post about retail shopping, it is a post about discounts and identity.

Everyone knows that JC Penney is circling the drain.  Profits are down and they have a revolving door of CEO’s, none of whom are able to change the downward trend.  First they tried to get rid of discounts.  The problem with that was that their entire value proposition was built on discounts.  Their client base has been trained to look for advertised discounts. When they took the discounts away (even if the standard price was lower than the discount price) the loyal clients stayed away. They also couldn’t bring in a new clientele no matter how upscale they went with their rebranding and store design because they were known as a discount store.  Then they tried to redesign the stores to be more cosmopolitan and upscale, with nice seating areas and classier displays.  That just served to keep the core clients away without drawing in a new crop of customers.

So what can we learn from this with respect to discounts and identity?

I’m not saying that discounting doesn’t work.  With respect to photography something selling weddings you might see slight bumps by throwing a discount here and there because the clients are largely one-time purchasers.  But if you’re trying to attract loyal, repeat customers then a discount doesn’t tell people that you’re a great deal now, it just tells them that your full price is inflated.  It tells the market that the time to buy is when the discount is on.  Now if you’re a wedding photographer that works with chains of friends or gets a significant number of referrals from coordinators the discount method may be something you need to keep up – after all you conditioned them to buy only when the discount was available.  When your company’s value proposition is the discount you can’t get rid of it.

Bottom line is that discounts work in certain situations, but it is hard to develop a different value proposition once you lead with “now its cheaper!” – you just don’t have anywhere else to go.

The second thing to learn is that reinvention is hard, particularly on an identity basis.  Your business has an identity, and it caters to a specific identity.  It means something to work with your company (well, it should mean something if it doesn’t already).  You get to feel like a certain type of person by virtue of where you shop.  That is VERY difficult to change once established.  You can put a different filter on your images, you can try a different posing or shooting technique, but your business identity ought to stay relatively constant.  Changing that identity is incredibly difficult because it means throwing out the people who already believe in you and trying to convince a whole new set of people of your value.  If you don’t know what identity you’re perfect for now then the market is deciding it for you, which is a terrifying proposition.

- trr

Why?  The client is hiring you because of their thing.  Why should they trust you to do your thing?  Why should your thing matter more than their thing?  Why shouldn’t they have some input?

If you want to do your thing the client will let you IF and ONLY if you satisfy this:

1. We have to understand what your thing is
2. We understand what the benefit is to us
3. We have to understand how you do your thing
4. We know why we should trust you to do your thing

If you take care of those things the client that will trust you to do that thing can find you and trust you.  You want to be left to do your thing in the moment?  Then you’ve got to do the work in communicating your thing on the upfront.

Are you communicating those 4 things now?

- trr

Listen to this week’s podcast – GET YOUR SH!T STRAIGHT

Neal Carpenter took me at my word.  I’ve posted on this blog, on Twitter and Facebook that I’m always interested in topic and guest suggestions for the podcast.  So last week Neal asked me a question on Twitter and today he’s on the podcast talking about the apprenticeship model and how photographers ought to build their businesses.  Also joining this episode is Heather Cook – Heather is a part of the Middle Georgia Photographer’s Group along with Neal that is putting on the “GET YOUR SHIT STRAIGHT” photo conference that I’ll be speaking at this July24-25.  You probably ought to travel down to Macon, Georgia this July and meet us all.

• Check out Get Your Sh!t Straight on Facebook
• Register for the conference here
• Neal’s photography – iNWARD Studio
• Heather’s site – Heather Cook Photography

If you like the podcast and would like to see it continue please share it out everywhere that you can and join our subscription list for updates on future episodes as well as exclusive podcast content.

We helped Heather change her business to better meet her needs and dramatically raise her prices.  If you’d like the same change for your own business check out the SEXY BUSINESS Workshop - now available Live and in your home through Google+

Stop thinking about price, think about how to make it clear what your product executes on and how it is going to make them feel. What will be true about your clients by virtue of working with you or owning your product?  If clients aren’t buying it isn’t the price .

- trr

 Have you checked out this week’s podcast with [b]ecker yet – worth a listen…

I became acquainted with [b]ecker through an online Facebook group.  I was aware of him from when I first became a photographer and it was interesting to track his perception of how the industry has changed over the last few years in particular.  There was also some controversy raised simply by having him on the podcast and I appreciate [b]ecker addressing those issues head on.  So please check out the show and let us know what you think. (Skype got a little hinky at the end and the audio quality suffers a bit – forgive us)

• Check out [b]ecker’s website here - http://www.thebecker.net/
• Check out the [b] school here - http://www.thebschool.com/
• …and check out Photogrefers - http://www.photogrefers.com/

Thanks to [b]ecker and thanks to all of you for your continued support.

If you like the podcast and would like to see it continue please share it out everywhere that you can and join our subscription list for updates on future episodes as well as exclusive podcast content.

You need professional help – Check out the SEXY BUSINESS Workshop - now available Live and in your home through Google+

When you look to do something new and unique, it can be a very scary time.  Especially when what you want to do is not proven in the marketplace.  There’s a chance it may fail, and with no precedent to follow, you may even feel like it’s destined to fail (depending on your natural confidence level).  If you are prone to feelings of inferiority or struggle with self-confidence, it will be even harder to overcome your fears. It’s so much easier to copy something that’s already been done successfully and hope that you can make it work for yourself.

The edge of failure is terrifying, but it’s also the place where there is great opportunity to grow and learn and achieve (it’s where most won’t dare to go). Your nerve will be tested, especially when you start sharing your idea with the world to gauge the response.  And when you start to share your ideas with people that love you, you have to keep in mind that they care for you and want to protect you from failure, so they may be extra skeptical. But please don’t let them make your decisions for you.

It’s very hard to know for sure before you try to something whether or not there are number of people in your market who want what you can do for them for the amount of money you need to make, but, you have to believe it is possible.  If you can’t get to a place that you believe it is possible, then you have to dramatically change what you want to do for people or the price you charge.  Then again, it will never be possible if you don’t try.  Go into it knowing that, as the business owner, you have the power to make the changes that need to be made to survive.  So, if you find that something isn’t working once it’s been up and running (and you’ve given it a real chance to work), then you can adjust and keep going.

With a truly unique business proposition, you have to be completely committed and believe in it with your whole heart. You cannot find your confidence in others. They cannot and will not give it to you, because it’s an unknown to them as well. And if they love you, they will probably try to talk you out of it and convince you to do something safe instead. And if you are showing doubt in front of your loved ones, then they will definitely tell you to run the other way- they are incentivized to keep you happy. We are incentivized to get you to a place where you run a compelling, client-driven, purpose-based business, where your clients want exactly what you want to do at the price you need to make, so you make the money you need for yourself and your family, and so we are compelled to push you away from the ‘regular’ thing that you were so disgusted by when you first set out to create the new, exciting thing.

And you can’t go into it lacking confidence, because others will sense it in you and write you off. You have to believe in it so hard, that others can’t help but be brought along with you. If any part of you doesn’t want to do it, then don’t- it will fail if you hold back some part of you and fail to fully commit.

But, if you do choose to go all in, there is a much better chance that you will be able to market it and that people will be excited to talk about it.  If you are all in, you have a much better chance of finding other business owners and service providers that you could partner with because you stand for the same thing.

Unfortunately, I cannot promise there will not be an uphill battle to get things going or that there won’t be bumps along the way. More accurately, I can promise that those things will be true- it likely won’t be the easy road. But, it could be an incredibly rewarding road, if you’re willing to fully commit yourself to it.

So, if you decide you do want it for yourself, then I challenge you to take all of the energy you’re putting into convincing yourself (and us) that it will never work, and instead connect back to the place where you felt on fire because of your connection to your purpose, and channel it all into proving that it will work.

And if you give it your all, and it does fail, then you will come out on the other side knowing so much more than you do right now. You will be a better person and business owner for it. If you can train yourself to embrace the idea of failure, that may very well be the most powerful lesson to learn both as a business owner and in life. But, in reality, it takes a lot of continuous mistake-making without correction in order to fail. You may have little lessons along the way, but you can make changes and keep going.

If you are interested in the process of uncovering your purpose and transforming every aspect of your business to fulfill that purpose in a client-focused way, please check out the Workshops page.

OK, we’ve got to figure this out because if we’re all just telling stories then we don’t have anything distinct to sell.  So if that’s what we’re going to do we’ve got to find some way of providing distinction to what our stories look like.  What kind of story do you tell?  What parts of the story do you leave out?  What perspective do you tell the story from?  What format does the story take?  How does it unfold?  And most importantly how does the client understand what your version of a story is like?

The way you tell a story ought to be distinct and discernable compared to how someone else tells a story.  Let me make an argument as to why you ought to explicitly say something about your method of storytelling instead of just letting (hoping?) that the work itself does the job.

Think about filmmakers.  Take one script and pick any 4 directors.  Speilberg, Tarantino, Fincher, Burton, whoever you like – each one is going to tell that story differently.  Each one is going to have a different tone.  Each one is going to hit different emotions.  Each movie is going to feel different, even in the subject matter is the same.

Filmmakers have an opportunity to build a filmography and reputation.  There are interviews on Letterman and special features on the home release and critical analyses that tell you what the tone is like.  There is a script and a musical score that does some of the heavy lifting.  Everyone knows what those filmmakers do and how it is going to feel to watch one of their movies.

We creative entrepreneurs rarely have that reach.  We don’t have that sort of cultural relevance.  We don’t get reviewed and interviewed.  The type of story we tell isn’t well-established and preceding us in the market.  So be willing to make some statements about it, because the client isn’t going to live with us, they are going to look for us when they need us.  We’ve got to be willing to do the heavy lifting for them.

Hardly any successful artist actually leaves the work itself to do all the communication, why should you?

- trr

The way you put it, it’s okay that the A&F company is providing their mass produced product to a specific, exclusive market – BUT it’s unprofessional and unacceptable to provide a service to a specific, exclusive market. This seems to not only contradict itself, but also contradict past posts where you’ve stated that you cater to the high end wedding market, specifically target $100,000+ ballroom weddings, and chose your target market that you work with because it fits you best.

Wouldn’t you say that mass-producing a product, and allowing a client who falls outside of your target market to purchase it, is easier for a company to do than for a self employed business owner to give their precious time away to a client who falls outside of their target market? I’m missing how it’s recommend for the already over-worked photographer to accept every job they’re offered. If anything, I recommend only giving your time away to those who appreciate your work and identify with your brand. The wedding photographer usually spends an entire year communicating, planning, and advising their wedding client. For the sake of both parties, it should be a favorable “union” between the bride and her photographer. Not just one that works because the payment terms are agreeable. To me, my time is too precious to sell to just anyone, and I prefer to choose how I send it. You recently made a statement that by being selective with the jobs we take, we’re adopting a level of entitlement or arrogance. Isn’t being selective with your time the goal of being a self-employed professional? I want to shoot the events that best reflect my work, and inspire me the most. If I don’t feel like I’m the best fit for a particular event, I’d rather let the client find their perfect photographer, and I’ll enjoy a day off with my kids. In my eyes, that’s a win, win.

And when I let Jennifer know that I was going to break her comment out into a whole new post she sent this:

Okay. I understand the jobs you are requested to take are widely impacted by your price point and the brand you’ve established. I just think that it’s easier for you to say you should take every job you’re given because of the price point you are in – most of your audience is probably not in that upper tier. So it’s not so easy for us to apply the advice you’re giving, because I would expect the jobs you are offered are rarely undesirable. Thankfully, my brand and price point does filter out most mis-matched clients, and I also screen the type of event first to further filter. But to tell the wedding industry as a whole that they are being arrogant or entitled to select their jobs, I think is unfair while you are still establishing your brand and working your way up. Just my thoughts

OK, so I need to do some clarification.  As I tried to express in the previous article I don’t see it as the client “offering” the job – when we hang out a shingle and set up a business we’re the ones who are doing the offering.  I feel that if you view your time as too precious then it is dubious to offer a service to a client that you may not be willing to go through with.  After all, as business owners we aren’t “giving away” our time – we’re selling it by definition.

Sure, we all start businesses to get to do whatever we want.  But that is kind of naive, because you have to do all kinds of shit that is not enjoyable to make the business work (who likes paying sales tax?).  You have to learn things that you maybe aren’t that excited about (bookkeeping, taxes, posing, etc).  And no one I’m aware of has had a profitable and sustainable business over any respectable period of time just playing it safe and doing the easy, fun work.

I didn’t know what my best work was until I was forced to shoot it.  I didn’t realize what I could be inspired by until I got out of my comfort zone.  Beyond that I didn’t realize that inspiration is a crutch, becoming a professional proved to me that I can do great work without having to be inspired.

I don’t really care if my service professionals are inspired to work with me. I only care about the end product.  I care about what is in it for me.  If I head out for dinner tonight I couldn’t care less if the chef isn’t inspired to make a cheeseburger tonight – he better goddamn well whip it up if it is on the menu and it ought to be as good as it was the last time he felt “inspired.”  Would we accept sub-par quality or prima-donna antics from any other professional?  Then why do we allow it for ourselves and celebrate it in our peers?

It doesn’t make much sense when we apply it to other professions does it?  Do I care how inspired my pilot feels on my next flight?  He or she could have had the worst day ever and be completely uninspired by the location and the jet stream and whatever else but they better make a picture perfect landing.  I’m not really interested if the guy changing my oil is exhilarated by the dipstick today.  I used to do theater, which I think anyone would agree is just as creative or artistic as photography.  Inspiration happened in rehearsal.  It happened while we were preparing to do our job.  When it came to showtime, in-the-mood or not, rain or shine, you got the fuck up on that stage and did exactly as well as you did the last night.  That’s what it means to be a professional.  Professionals don’t need inspiration to kill it.  

As far as my business is concerned I think I have tried to craft a specific brand that aims at a very targeted audience (as I would recommend to almost anyone).  But people outside that target inquire all the time and some of them hire me.  I don’t turn them away, after all they apparently want what I do.  I work at a price point that a lot of other people are afraid to work because the stakes are higher – playing it safe and only taking the jobs you know you can do isn’t necessarily a lucrative way to move forward.  I suppose that it is easy to assume that the inquiries I get would be “rarely undesirable” but I can say with a great degree of confidence that hardly anyone else is targeting my niche and almost no one I know wants to work the jobs I do.

If I made it seem like it was arrogant and entitled to turn clients away then I’ve succeeded halfway.  I’m not trying to be a dick, but I am trying to call that behavior into question.  I am where I am today, in a position to tailor my business as I like and help other people do the same, because I find a way to say “yes.”  I find a way to reach common ground with the client.  I’m far more concerned with qualifying people in than out.  If they want me I figure out what I put out there that attracted them and I execute on that.  I have worked with all kinds of people (and continue to) and taken all kinds of jobs that I was apprehensive about.  I’ve been forced to grow and become a better photographer and a better professional for it.  If the prevailing wisdom is that we shouldn’t have to venture outside of our comfort zones because we decided to run businesses then I have to call foul on that.  I work with people who appear to be difficult upfront.  I’m not afraid of demands and requests.  I’m not afraid of accommodating someone else’s desires.  I’ve chosen to do hard work and I can testify to the fact that I’m a much better person for it.  Too many photographers are afraid of clients these days.  They are just people, and we ought to be good enough at our business and craft to thrill them if we call ourselves professionals.

I realize that I’ve got a pretty strong opinion on what it means to be a professional.  I’ll throw it out there for discussion – am I off base?

I’m quite thankful that Jennifer asked this question.  I appreciate where she is coming from even though I don’t agree with it at all.  I’m hoping that those of you who agree with Jennifer stop and think about what it would mean to say “yes” to the work outside of your comfort zone instead of saying “no.”  Think about it and let me know if your perspective changes?  And while you’re thinking about that think about how you would feel if the vendor you thought was perfect for you would turn you aside, or if they lied to avoid working with you?

- trr

Check out the SEXY BUSINESS Workshop - now available on Google+

Hey everyone – anything you can do to help grow the blog is always appreciated.  So please share this content with everyone that you know.  Much appreciated.

Fer’s becoming a major force driving wedding photography forward today.  Listen up and look at his penis.

• Fer Juaristi Wedding Photography - http://ferjuaristi.com/
• Clicks by Fer Portrait Photography - http://www.clicksbyfer.com/
• Visbons – the new book by Fer

Head over to Fer’s site at let him know how you felt about the episode.  Many thanks to Sandra Costello, Seshu, Jeremy Bischoff, Shari DeAngelo, Ryan Brenizer, Liz Baughier, Kyle Hepp, Carolina Guzik, Sachin Khona, Denis Adonis, and Ashley Scobey for submitting questions.  Please know that I’m always looking for suggestions, questions, guests and topics.  I want your feedback so please nominate someone with an opinion about the industry (even yourself) to be a future guest on the podcast.  Send suggestions, comments and questions to info@amantofish.com.

Thanks to Fer and thanks to all of you for your continued support.  If you like the podcast and would like to see it continue please share it out everywhere that you can and join our subscription list for updates on future episodes as well as exclusive podcast content.

- trr

You need professional help – Check out the SEXY BUSINESS Workshop - now available Live and in your home through Google+

Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Explains Why He Hates Fat Chicks

Podcast guest Chuck Anerino (get the full extended edition of the first AMTF podcast episode with Chuck by subscribing to the blog) asked for my thoughts on this subject.  So here is my opinion:

This guy is a dick, and he is totally right.  

On a business level I totally get this guy.  A&F is a lifestyle brand.  If you want this lifestyle, if you think you belong to this club, then you wear these clothes.  If you start letting people in that don’t fit the lifestyle then suddenly your value proposition is all gone.  If everyone can fit into the club then it isn’t a club.  No one gives a damn about the clothes, we care about what the clothes say about us.

For A&F to work they have to execute on exclusivity.  If everyone can have it then it isn’t worth having.  So you have to cut some people out to satisfy that value proposition.  So on a business level I totally understand the approach.

And I even understand people being up in arms about it, at least on the surface.  Sure it can sound harsh to tell people that they don’t belong but I don’t think anyone that doesn’t belong really wants to be in that club anyway.  I don’t honestly believe that the people who complain about Hooters only hiring over-developed young women really want to eat there.

So if people want to set up a little douchebag club, let them.  If you want to be a douchebag then dive into that overly-perfumed store.  If you don’t want to be a member of the club don’t lose any sleep over those who do.

As a side note there is something to be learned from this situation on a legal level.  If you refuse service that you normally provide to someone you’re probably in a shaky legal situation.  There is nothing to say that A&F needs to make clothes that fit everyone or have them on hand at all times in all stores.  Solves some of these problems for them.  If you are a service provider it is a more difficult to cut people out.

Some people approach me asking how they can turn people down if they get a client that they don’t want to work with.  I’ve heard it from so many creative professionals – “I don’t have to take every job that I’m offered.”

In my opinion you are offering a service, not being offered a job.  If you say that you’ll shoot someone’s wedding, and the client is willing to play by the rules you’ve set out then I think it is a dubious leg to stand on to try and turn them away.

It is one thing to not sell XXL clothes, it is another thing to tell the overweight person that they can’t buy the item that they’ve brought to the register.  Even if you aren’t legally in the wrong you can often lose in the court of public opinion and you have to defend yourself if suit is brought against you even if you are in the right.  Proceed accordingly.  Tell people what you stand for and what you can execute on – if the wrong people want to hire you work with them, figure out why they thought you were right, and fix it for the next time.  A little discomfort is how you grow.

- trr

COMING SOON – PODCAST EPISODE 26 with Fer Juaristi – Subscribe to be notified!

Check out the SEXY BUSINESS Workshop – now available on Google+

Hey everyone – anything you can do to help grow the blog is always appreciated.  So please share this content with everyone that you know.  Much appreciated.

Is it your most beautiful work?  Is beauty your primary value?

Is it your most innovative work? Is doing something that has never been seen your primary value?  Can your market tell what is innovative and what is derivative?

Are your choices motivated by content?  Do you want to limit your scope to a particular type of content?

Does your portfolio show a deep and specific focus, or a broad spectrum of abilities?  Does it show everything you can do or the most important thing you can do?

Does your portfolio make a statement?  If so, is that statement distinct from the competition?

I’m interested – Tell me, how do you decide what makes the cut?

- trr

P.S. – We’ll be recording a podcast with Fer Juaristi soon – send your questions and we’ll mention you on the show.  - question@amantofish.com

Hey everyone – anything you can do to help grow the blog is always appreciated.  So please share this content with everyone that you know.  Much appreciated.

Sorry if I’m digging up an old post – but I found it interesting that I probably read this before and it didn’t really sink in, now I’m 9-12 months down the line and realising that there’s some sort of inherent expectation for wedding photographers to work their way up that ladder towards the high end, and something in my gut was telling me it felt wrong for me. Now I read this post again and I realise that it’s because of everything except my photography – it’s that set of beliefs about what a wedding should be that I want to have in common with with my clients, the expectation of how I present myself, and how I interact with people. Thanks for posting about something that’s often misunderstood, and not often discussed…

For the record I completely agree with everything my beautiful wife wrote in that post.  My experience was very similar to Julie’s.  Like Jamie said we started out at the bottom like everyone else.  And while at the bottom I fantasized about high-end, black-tie weddings and how great it would be to shoot them.  It is very easy to look at your business as a climb and put your focus on the peak of the mountain.

So the question that I have is what happens when you reach the top of the mountain?  If your whole career and goal is to reach the mountaintop then where do you go from there?  For me the hope was that the mountain was not a peak but that there was a glorious plateau at the top.  I don’t know if that is the case.  It sort of seems like once you reach the top of the mountain you either start coming down the other side, or you have to find another mountain to climb.

I was somewhat surprised that when I reached what I thought was the “high end” of the market I found a lot of the vendors who were working at the level were leaving.  They were not going back down the mountain, many were finding new careers or transitioning out.  It made me wonder – if the pinnacle is so great why aren’t more staying there?

I tend to think that the problem with focusing on goals and achievements is that they are end points.  Once you reach them you have to develop new goals or you lose your direction.  The problem with focusing your business on climbing the ladder is that eventually ladder runs out of rungs.

We climbed the mountain and once we got to what we thought was the top we got pretty burnt out and directionless because we didn’t know where else to go.  So what we’ve learned to advocate was building a business to execute on a purpose instead of building it on upward movement.  If you are all about upward movement you’ll eventually have to move downward and then where will you be?  If you focus on executing on a purpose you’ll always have a place in this world and a market.  And you can keep moving forward (and hopefully avoid burnout) by finding new and exciting ways of executing on your purpose.

- trr

But the purpose of this post is not just to pass along an announcement – we actually need your help with this one.  We’re planning on presenting a program entitled “Red Flag Clients and the Photographers Who Love Them” so what I would love from you are your red-flag-client stories.  I want to hear about times you feel the red flag was raised.  I want to hear about whether you followed through this the job and if so if your fears were alleviated or proven true.  I also want to hear about any difficult client questions or requests that you might have dealt with.  I want this program to be about helping us deal with difficult or uncomfortable situations with grace and about finding mutually beneficial solutions.

Please leave your red flag stories and questions in the comments below or send me an email at question@amantofish.com.

See you in January!

- trr

Hey everyone – anything you can do to help grow the blog is always appreciated.  So please share this content with everyone that you know.  Much appreciated.

I posted the last episode with Paul then Jamie and I took off for our first real vacation in a few years.  It was strange – all the traveling we have been doing for work made us really wish we were home instead.  That’s not to say that we didn’t enjoy ourselves, just that we probably should be working on enjoying the home that we have instead of looking for our fun in other places. That thought has lead me to a few realizations.  First, is that it is very easy to look everywhere but home for the answers.

So in an effort to travel less we’re bringing the SEXY BUSINESS Process to Google+.  We’ve piloted out the SEXY BUSINESS process one-on-one over Google+ and we’re pleased with the results we’re seeing now.  So if you’ve been curious about the process but haven’t been able to make the dates or locations now is the time to get serious about the financial side of your business and develop a brand that tells the market exactly why they should hire you.  Options available from $300-5000 (most people would be happy at $1750).

Also, we’re growing up and joining the rest of the blogging world and starting up a subscription service.  I’ve been very hesitant to do so as I hate for anyone to think that we’re going to spam you but there are a few advantages.  Chief among those advantages is understanding who our audience is, where they are coming from and what content they are checking out.  Anyone who has gone through the SEXY BUSINESS process knows that we like to gather data so that we have a good sense of reality and we can plan or adjust accordingly.  So if you’re willing to sign up for the subscription and provide us with some data we’ll be sure to only give you information that we think will be a benefit to you.  First up is that you’ll receive the first 9 extended editions of our podcast for free when you sign up.  That used to cost $18 and kills about 20 hours of editing time, so we hope you’ll enjoy it.  In the coming weeks we’ll be adding some more subscription-exclusive podcasts and article content that we think you’ll enjoy.  So please sign up in the subscription box in the sidebar to the right.

Thanks for staying with us.  We’ll have more articles coming this week and more podcasts coming soon.

TL;DR version -

• Dig our new Online SEXY BUSINESS Options
• Please subscribe to help us gather data and be notified when the good stuff is coming.  The signup box is in the sidebar to the right >

- trr

Hey everyone – anything you can do to help grow the blog is always appreciated.  So please share this content with everyone that you know.  Much appreciated.

Let’s not mess around – check out Part 1 of our interview with Paul Gero and then dive headlong into Part 2.  We pick up right where we left off talking about Paul’s business and direction going forward and we also cover issues of longevity in business, the state of the professional photography industry, and the realities and impact of sponsorship.  I think you’ll dig it.

• Episode 24 (Part 1 of the interview with Paul) is available here – The AMTF podcast, Episode 24
• Check out Paul Gero Photography - http://www.paulfgero.com/
• If you’re interested in Paul’s book you can order it here - Digital Wedding Photography

As always we welcome your suggestions for future topics and guests.  Send any show ideas to question@amantofish.com.  Also, I am interested in playing around with the podcast format and we might do a Q&A episode soon or even produce an episode where one of you listeners can grill me with whatever questions you have.  So nominate yourself or send your questions to HERE.

If you like the podcast please share it out and Follow on Twitter or Like on Facebook for future updates and episodes.

- trr

We’ve got new SEXY BUSINESS Dates announced for Atlanta (July 7-10) and Boston (November 3-6) later this year.  Check out the WORKSHOPS page for more information.

Paul is the podcast gift that keeps on giving. Last week’s episode with Jonathan Canlas was one of the most-listened-to podcast to date and Paul was the person that put Jonathan and I together.  Originally Paul contacted me to talk about revitalizing his business.  Paul is one of the few in this industry who has been behind the camera professionally for 30 years with no signs of stopping.  But like most of us who make it past a few years Paul is finding himself in a transition period needing to revitalize his business post-recession.

What follows is a two-part interview.  In the first installment we cover Paul’s history in photography included working in newspapers, sports, and editorial photography prior to transitioning into portraits and weddings.  From there we transition into examining Paul’s value proposition and how he’s going to adjust his branding/positioning going forward.  For those of you interested in the SEXY BUSINESS Workshop and how we approach brand development and marketing/value-communication this interview will give you a taste as to how we approach that.

Paul is one of the good guys and I’m quite thankful that he was so candid in this interview.  Please check back April 1st (Fool’s day suckah!) for Part 2 of this interview where we talk more branding/positioning as well as about the realities and drawbacks of sponsorship and the state of the photo industry.  You won’t want to miss it.

• Check out Paul Gero Photography - http://www.paulfgero.com/
• If you’re interested in Paul’s book you can order it here – Digital Wedding Photography

As always we welcome your suggestions for future topics and guests.  Send any show ideas to question@amantofish.com.  Also, I am interested in playing around with the podcast format and we might do a Q&A episode soon or even produce an episode where one of you listeners can grill me with whatever questions you have.  So nominate yourself or send your questions to HERE.

If you like the podcast please share it out and Follow on Twitter or Like on Facebook for future updates and episodes.

- trr

We’ve got new SEXY BUSINESS Dates announced for Atlanta (July 7-10) and Boston (November 3-6) later this year.  Check out the WORKSHOPS page for more information.

I feel like the message I received this morning, ‘Apple wins 9 straight JD Power and Associate Awards’ is the beginning of the end.

I’m not sure when you started caring about what anybody else thinks, but it’s not attractive on you.

The world fell in love with you when you stopped caring about your competitors, when you stopped taking them seriously.  You even went so far as to belittle them in brilliant ad after brilliant ad.  But never, ever acted like they were a real threat to your brand.  The old Apple would have seen an award like that as just a blip on the screen, an “of course we won”, but not something to stop and brag about- you had more important work to do.

The last few email and ad campaigns I’ve seen from you have made me sad.  Because I realize that you aren’t who you used to be anymore.  You seem to have stopped innovating and started worrying.  You’re trying to convince us, when we didn’t need convincing- we already loved you.  But the more you ask us if we still think you’re pretty, the more we start to see your flaws, and the more your insecurity emerges.

We just want you to be badass and awesome and fearless to do things that we didn’t even know that we needed until we see how mind-blowingly awesome the possibilities could be.

I hope I’m wrong, and that you’ll soon recover from whatever self-doubt you’re currently wallowing in and that you’ll hurry up and go back to being what we need you to be.  I fear if you don’t, you’ll just melt away into the sea of technology sameness, treating yourself as one of many, and attempting to win battles instead of wars.

Please come back, Apple.  The world needs more bold creators who make amazing things that change the world, not things that are 10% better than what their competitor just made.

- Jamie

Before I say anything else I have to thank Paul Gero for setting this up.  Paul introduced me to Jonathan.  Jonathan has carved out a niche as a film advocate with the FILM IS NOT DEAD workshop and book series.  Now Jonathan has a business-related book to add to the empire.  Sounds like a prime time to talk business.

• Check out the new FIND Business Guide HERE
• Dates for the Film Is Not Dead Workshop can be found HERE
• Got some film to burn?  Get it developed at the FIND Lab

Also, if you have yet to read the personal post yesterday that I referenced in the podcast, please check out “Why I care about business”

As always we welcome your suggestions for future topics and guests.  Send any show ideas to question@amantofish.com.  Also, I am interested in playing around with the podcast format and we might do a Q&A episode soon or even produce an episode where one of you listeners can grill me with whatever questions you have.  So nominate yourself or send your questions to HERE.

If you like the podcast please share it out and Follow on Twitter or Like on Facebook for future updates and episodes.

- trr

We did the WPPI thing last week and we’re very happy to be home.  We’ve got new SEXY BUSINESS Dates announced for Tucson (April 22-25), Atlanta (July 7-10) and Boston (November 3-6) later this year.  Check out the WORKSHOPS page for more information.

We’re doing some adjustments to the whole SEXY BUSINESS process so all further workshops will be for advanced business owners (a more beginner option will be introduced soon).  If you’re curious about whether the Advanced or Beginner option is right for you drop me a line at workshop@amantofish.com

I started the year working too much.  I was stressed because we had moved the year before and I really needed for 2012 to be the year we established ourselves in our new market.  I was OK with 2011 being a transitional year but I had to get serious and I thought I needed to be back up to full capacity in 2012 or I’d be in trouble.  So I pressed hard on the workshops.  I spent all my time trying to book more weddings (or stressing about it).  I was working all the time.

My mom moved to Atlanta at the end of 2011 and I thought it would be a great chance to be closer and spend more time together.  I’d resolved that as soon as I finished all the business stuff I needed to do in the first quarter of 2012 I’d hang out with my mom more.  Then in the middle of doing the last workshop of my busy period my mom had a stroke and passed away.

This isn’t a blog post about loss or sadness or regret, this is a post about what really matters in life.

It is easy to become engrossed with the idea that your job is your identity.  It is very popular to say that you are selling yourself, or that your business is all about you.  I hate that, because the market can’t have all of me.  I have a life I need to lead and I don’t want photography to take over.

I get it – photography is your life.  I guess it is OK if you feel that way.  But I can guarantee you that years down the road I’m going to regret not spending more time with my mom more than I’ll regret not booking more weddings or workshops.

The business side of things allows you to build boundaries.  It tells you how much you need to dedicate to working, and it tells you how much you need to do to execute on your value proposition.  Everything else can go.  The business is really the intermediary between your photography and your clients.  The business translates what you do to why it matters to clients.  If we define our value proposition and communicate it properly through our business, we always know when we are being successful, and where we can draw a line and step away to live our lives.

I hate money.  I don’t really like thinking about it or even spending it.  But I have to bring it in.  I have to budget how much time and energy I’m going to put into making that money.  I also need for my clients to be thrilled, both from a business standpoint and from a moral standpoint.  The “business” is what defines expectations and systems that makes all that satisfaction happen.

I have a confession to make.  I don’t love photography.  I do have an enormous amount of respect for the craft of photography.  What I love is my wife.  I love my friends.  And most of the time I love the effect that photography can have on my clients.  I care about business because it ensures that everything that needs to happen comes through.

- trr

And that’s where the fun happens.  We had to work with a new banker to get everything taken care of.  God bless him, he really followed his customer service training.  He scheduled a whole meeting to take care of our needs.  He laid out everything that we were going to talk about and do, made lists to manage expectations, he printed out a bunch of documents explaining everything and put them into marked folders and included keychains and water bottles and logo-festooned backpacks.  Great customer service.

Except that we didn’t need any of it.  I didn’t need a set of discussion points and action items laid out for me.  I didn’t need documents that I’ll never look at nicely filed in a folder that I now have to recycle.  I didn’t need a 90 minute meeting (or a backpack).  What we really needed was a few accounts opened in a new business name – something they really could have done over the phone in a few minutes or maybe at worst at the counter to sign some paperwork.

I know that the banker was happy with his performance.  I know that he felt that he was checking all the good-customer-service-boxes.  I know that he was doing his job as prescribed.  So on his side of the relationship he feels like it was a job well done.  Which is totally understandable if he decides what determines good customer service.

But he wasn’t trying to service my needs, we was just doing customer service at me.  He didn’t bother to understand what I actually needed, he had already decided what I needed (incorrectly) and rushed forward obliviously.  We have a lack of alignment, because he thinks he knocked it out of the park and I’ve had my time wasted and now I’ve got middle-class-guilt over throwing a bunch of useless paper away.  I had a similar experience recently when I purchased a new car.  The dealership spent all kinds of time talking about future service and warranties and all kinds of nonsense I don’t even remember in the name of good customer service.  While they were servicing at me they mentioned that I’d be getting a call to ask them about their customer service and good ratings were very important to them.  We nodded through what seemed like hours of “good service” and then stood around like flaming idiots the first time we needed to put gas in the car and couldn’t figure out where the release button was on the fuel door.  Lack of alignment.

I’m bringing this up for a specific reason.  In our industry the “common sense” tells you that you need to do so many little “customer service” tasks that none of us could really ever keep up.  What with the emails, the phone calls, the gifts, the meetings, the packaging, etc. there is a lot of pressure to expend an enormous amount of our time doing customer service at the client – are we entirely certain that the things we’re doing are an appreciated benefit to the client?

Do the clients need and want more meetings and more emails or are we just taking up their time because we think we should?  We have websites and blogs as separate entities – does the client understand why even though we accept this convention?  Everyone goes gaga over packaging – does the client really need money spent on cards and folders and ribbon and boxes for something that is specifically disposable by nature?   Most of us hope clients will email us with an inquiry, then we’ll email back and maybe set up meetings and send pricing info – why so many back-and-forth steps to initiate a relationship?  Most of us hand over nicely printed contracts and pricing and paperwork – does the client really want to store and refer to this stuff, or does it just make us feel good?

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have client contact or nice collateral.  What I am saying is that it is probably worth spending a little time thinking about whether this stuff is really a benefit to the client and the overall process.  Because most business-owners I know are overworked and their to-do list is overflowing and ever-growing.  Don’t add more crap to the list to stress yourself out if it isn’t a benefit to the client.

I used to require a bunch of meetings, now I let the client book me if they want with far fewer steps.  I used to have pretty packaging for everything, then I realized that the client wants to enjoy their album and they aren’t going to put that box on their coffee table.  I used to have all kinds of printed paperwork to hand over, then I realized that they don’t save it and don’t refer to it.  I’m still working on the post-job process, since I suspect that the clients don’t want to have to approve as much as I’m asking them to.

So think about every touch point the client has with your business from start to finish and evaluate whether or not it is a real benefit from their perspective or not.  If you remove a few steps from your process and get more aligned with your client’s needs it will be a big win for everyone.

- trr

P.S. – SEXY BUSINESS LAS VEGAS is on tap for this week, and then we’ll be hanging around for WPPI.  So posts will be light but I’m sure I’ll have plenty to talk about coming soon.  Please get in on the SEXY BUSINESS and check out one of our upcoming workshops in TUCSON, ATLANTA and BOSTON.  Our last BOSTON workshop sold out in a week!

If you’re looking for direction, clarity, and a specific plan for proactively attracting more business, and the right business.  Can you tell the market exactly why they should hire you?  Get in answered at the WORKSHOP.

Granted, I’m sure a few among you were tough and cool, so you didn’t have shit to worry about.  But for those of us that didn’t find our confidence till later in life, we learned that to reveal anything about ourselves was to invite ridicule.

School sucks for a lot of reasons.  I think the biggest reason is that school is such a poor representation of adult, grown-assed reality.  Because in school you were stuck with the judgment and the haters every weekday till you were legal.  And when they are young the haters have long memories.  But when you’re an adult the haters have mortgages and high-blood pressure and things of their own to worry about.  They don’t have time to make fun of you.  Guess what – they aren’t even paying attention.   

So real life isn’t like school. If you take a risk in your business there aren’t going to be a bunch of people waiting to tease you.  If you say something that doesn’t fit the mold of what everyone else is saying you are going to get reward, not ridicule.  In the real world the only the people that hear you are your cheerleaders.  The people that believe in you are the ones that are listening.  There is (almost) nothing to worry about and a whole hell of a lot to gain.

Take a crazy risk and tell them something that’s going to get them excited.

- trr

P.S. – We wrapped SEXY BUSINESS Boston last week.  Crazy good group of people.  This post actually comes out of something I learned from that workshops.  SEXY BUSINESS Las Vegas is just over a week away.  Get in on SEXY BUSINESS TUCSON now.

P.P.S. – While you’re here check out a PODCAST

FIlm photography, big heads and big attitudes.  Reggie and I have been throwing snarky comments back and forth over Twitter for a while now, and we’re finally breaking internet bread.  Hear us talk pricing, selling digital files, race in wedding photography and the film photography fad.  Dig it.

Check out Reg Campbell and his crazy work here - HERE

As always we welcome your suggestions for future topics and guests.  Send any show ideas to question@amantofish.com.  Also, I am interested in playing around with the podcast format and we might do a Q&A episode soon or even produce an episode where one of you listeners can grill me with whatever questions you have.  So nominate yourself or send your questions to HERE.

- trr

P.S. – The Boston SEXY BUSINESS Workshop sold out in 5 days.  We only have 1 spot left in our Las Vegas Workshop immediately prior to WPPI (March 7-10) - scratch that, Vegas is SOLD OUT!.

Never fear – check out our latest workshop – Tucson Arizona – April 22-25 2013

If you are at all interested in working destination weddings then Michelle Turner ought to be on your radar.  She has been consistently booking international work for years and she has it down to a science.  Check out the episode below.

Check out Michelle Turner Photography HERE

Michelle is an author of a few photography books, get them here:

Wedding Photography NOW!: A Fresh Approach to Shooting Modern Nuptials (A Lark Photography Book)

The Wedding Photography Field Guide: Capturing the perfect day with your digital SLR camera - Book Edition

Also – Michelle is teaching an online intensive off-camer flash course through ClickinMoms.  Click here to sign up - http://www.clickinmoms.com/cmu/archives/listing/lighting-101-one-light-ocf

As always we welcome your suggestions for future topics and guests.  Send any show ideas to question@amantofish.com.  Also, I am interested in playing around with the podcast format and we might do a Q&A episode soon or even produce an episode where one of you listeners can grill me with whatever questions you have.  So nominate yourself or send your questions to HERE.

- trr

P.S. – The Boston SEXY BUSINESS Workshop sold out in 5 days.  We only have 1 spot left in our Las Vegas Workshop immediately prior to WPPI (March 7-10) - scratch that, Vegas is SOLD OUT!.  Still spots open in Chicago (april 21-24) - get the info and book your spot now!.

How would you describe your business before you came to the workshop?  What were you doing?  What were you worried about?  What were you selling/communicating?  How were you performing?

I had a pretty good idea of who my target market was, but I wasn’t putting anything out on my website that I had any particular credentials to serve them. I serve a pretty funky, individualistic and irreverent crowd. I had spent a number of years working at fairs and festivals (as a carny) and had kept that under wraps as it felt white-trashy and pathetic. I knew deep in in my heart that it was a great adventure, but I thought it would make me seem less professional and insecure. I had been spending a lot of energy trying to cultivate an image that would fit in with other wedding photographers. Ha – no such luck anyway.

Fortunately, I had not wasted any time trying to make my photos look like everyone else’s. I have my own photography style and sense of humor; I am always trying to make different unusual images. I had attracted my audience by showing the images, but had done nothing to talk about who I was as a human being on my website.

What did you learn in the workshop?  How did your perception of your business change?  How did your feelings/satisfaction/happiness change after the workshop?

I learned to just be brave about being myself with people I didn’t know. My close friends recognize me as the lovable freak that I am, but I never ran with it as a business identity.

I am much more satisfied with my business now. I am more open with my lifestyle choices (living somewhat itinerantly in order to swim in the ocean as much as I want in the summer and ski all winter.)  I am more comfortable with cashing in on my lifestyle credentials. I gave myself authority to serve the funkier market that I target.

How would you describe the workshop?  Why should someone go to the SB workshop?

You should take the course, to uncover what differentiates your business from everyone else’s. It gave me a roadmap and guiding principles from which to make decisions in the future. I am much clearer on who I am as a business and can run decisions past these principles to help me decide if a business decision is a good one.

As a case in point, I had decided (before Sexy Business) that I would be vocal on Gay Marriage. I believe in the cause strongly, and it is the only “political” stand that I take in public. Being vocal about this has won me the respect of my current clients. Maine just legalized gay marriage and, it was a no-brainer to go City Hall at midnight when a the first marriage licenses were going to be issued and the first wedding was to be held. I used my newspaper connections to to get into City Hall and I shot the event as a photojournalist, not as a “wedding photographer”. I then posted it all over my blog and facebook. It is a cause that my target market feels strongly about (I have heard it mentioned during more than one wedding ceremony) and to be unequivocal in my support had won me many “likes” on Facebook.

Regardless of the gain it brings my business, I am happier being open about it, and even happier still about any business it might have lost me. Any potential clients that would be turned off by this (or anything else on my website) can enjoy a “Good Riddance” from me.

- AK

Our Mystic, Boston, and Las Vegas workshops have already sold out this year.  There are still spots open in Chicago (April 21-24) and we’ll be announcing new workshops in Atlanta and (probably) Boston again later in this year.  Check out he SEXY BUSINESS page for more information and to get on the waiting list for Atlanta or Boston send me an email at workshop@amantofish.com.

 Interested in finding more satisfaction for both yourself and your clients?  REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING SEXY BUSINESS Workshop HERE.

RIGHT CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Check out Alan here – Long Island Wedding Photographer Alan Abrams

Check out Daniel here – Fort Lauderdale Wedding Photographer Daniel Lateulade

Josh’s website – Nashville Tennessee Wedding Photographer Josh Gull

And if you haven’t heard them yet I totally recommend checking out one of Josh’s previous podcasts -

• Episode 13 – My Spirit Animal with Josh Gull
• Episode 15 – Positive Polly and Negative Nelly with Josh Gull

We have a bunch of podcast guests lined up, and we’re always looking for new topics and guest suggestions.  So please send your questions, comments and referrals my way.  Also, help the podcast grow by sharing it out – if you like it tell a friend and if you hate it tell and enemy.

Many thanks

- trr

P.S. – The Boston SEXY BUSINESS Workshop sold out in 5 days.  We only have 1 spot left in our Las Vegas Workshop immediately prior to WPPI (March 7-10) – scratch that, Vegas is SOLD OUT!.  Still spots open in Chicago (april 21-24) - get the info and book your spot now!.

A Mercedes used to require you to mortgage your eternal soul, now it costs less than $30K.  Now even though I’m a branding guy sometimes I think we worry about brand-dilution a little too much.  Building a brand takes time for people to believe in your story, it also takes some time to tear the story down.

But what the commercial made me think about was this – do you want clients who can easily afford what you have to offer, or do you want clients that are stretching to afford you?  There is a difference in expectation management, no?

My experience has been that the people who are stretching to afford me tend to have higher expectations than the people who can easily afford it.  Sure it can stroke your ego to know they are stretching for you, but they are also spending more than they thought they would – more than they can afford.  That tends to elevate their expectations.  After all, how do you feel when you spend more than you expected for anything – you probably expect it to be awesome, right?

When someone stretches to afford you they are spending the most they have to get the worst that you offer – Something to think about with respect to staying in alignment, right?

- trr

If you are happier getting a lot of inquiries then you might want to cultivate more mystery.  Be attractive, but not exclusive.  Cultivate many referral streams and don’t worry too much about how much they are communicating about you.  Be broadly appealing.

One does more of the selling upfront, the second does the selling gradually through a process.  Either is fine, which makes you happier (or stresses you less)?

- trr

P.S. – If you haven’t checked out our last 2 podcasts head on over and check them out now.  Richard Israel stopped by to talk about the last couple of decades in photography.  He’s got my stamp of approval.  Listen to Episode 18 and Episode 19 here or subscribe on iTunes.

Part two of our podcast interview with Richard Israel is live!  If you missed part 1 check it out here:

Episode 18 – AMTF Photography Business Podcast: Emerging from the Dark Ages with Richard Israel

Now dig in the rest of our conversation:

Check out Richard on the web – North Carolina Portrait and Wedding Photographer Richard Israel

We have a bunch of podcast guests lined up, and we’re always looking for new topics and guest suggestions.  So please send your questions, comments and referrals my way.  Also, help the podcast grow by sharing it out – if you like it tell a friend and if you hate it tell and enemy.

Many thanks

- trr

P.S. – The Boston SEXY BUSINESS Workshop sold out in 5 days.  We only have 1 spot left in our Las Vegas Workshop immediately prior to WPPI (March 7-10).  Still spots open in Chicago (april 21-24) - get the info and book your spot now!.

So excited to bring back the podcast with fashion/editorial/portrait/wedding/film/digital/Renaissance Photographer Richard Israel.  Less reading, more listening – hop to it:

Check out Richard on the web – North Carolina Portrait and Wedding Photographer Richard Israel

Tune in next week for part 2 of our interview with Richard.  If you dig this show, Richard, and the podcast in general please share it out into the world and help grow our audience.

Many thanks

- trr

P.S. – The Boston SEXY BUSINESS Workshop sold out in 5 days.  We only have 1 spot left in our Las Vegas Workshop immediately prior to WPPI (March 7-10).  Still spots open in Chicago (april 21-24) – get the info and book your spot now!.

North Carolina Photographer Richard Israel

Richard and I met last week at Mystic Seminars and I think you’ll dig the conversation.  Richard and I have tossed around the idea of exploring the concept of reinvention (creatively and in business) and the failure of conventional wisdom in photography.  We’re planning on recording  this Tuesday January 22nd so if you have any questions or topic suggestions please drop them in the comments below.  I expect the episode to air later this week right here.

Thanks – Todd

It is almost impossible to fail in your photography business.

You want to know how to fail?  Make a mistake.  Identify the mistake.  Then ruthlessly repeat that mistake.  Seek out more mistakes and ignore accordingly.  Be selfish and pay attention to no one’s interests but your own.  Bury your head in the sand and blame everyone else.  And keep this up ad nauseum, for at least a few years.

Hardly anyone is that big of a jerk.  Most entrepreneurs are determined, not stubborn.  At some point even the most self-centered amongst us feels empathetic towards our clients.  And no matter how much it may hurt to admit that we’ve screwed up almost none of us like it enough to do it for a long enough period of time to really put us out of business.

So that’s it, if you want to fail out of business screw up and keep making the same mistakes without learning or changing a damn thing.

Since most of us aren’t going to do that head out into the world and take your lumps with your big boy (or grown lady) pants on.  You’re going to be fine and you have to make mistakes to move forward.  Hell, this blog is entirely the result of mistakes made – we’re still kicking.  So no need to be afraid of screwing up your business, be more afraid of not being bold enough to be interesting.

- trr

A Personal Note – that seems like a basic idea but if you haven’t heard it or don’t believe it yet it bears mentioning.  A big, fat shout out to all the cool people that I met last week at Mystic Seminars.  If you’d like to see us at the next Mystic go ahead and send Walter a message letting him know.

We launched a new edition of the SEXY BUSINESS WORKSHOP at Mystic – SEXY BUSINESS BOSTON Feb 17-20 2013.  The good news for us is that it has already sold out in a few days.  The bad news for you guys waiting for a new Eastern workshop will have to wait a little longer.  Since this one went so fast we’re probably adding another New England/ East Coast workshop soon.  To get on the waiting list send me an email.  There are still slots open in our Chicago workshop (April 21-24 2014) and only a few left in our Las Vegas workshop immediately prior to WPPI (March 7-10 2013).  Book now!

I’m pretty sure goals are a good thing, at least that seems to be the general consensus.  But as life goes on, I seem to be less and less into them.  Maybe that’s because I feel like I’m just setting myself up for failure.  Or maybe when I set them, they seem so big and looming that I fail to get excited about getting started down the path to make them happen.

So, here’s how my list would usually go:

1. Book 20 weddings

2. Get every wedding published

3. Lose 30 pounds

4. Win a photography award

etc., etc., etc.

But when I really stopped to analyze the benefit of goal setting, I realized that the whole impetus for setting a goal should be to change, or at least to focus my behavior in a positive way in order to produce the desired result.  My list above primarily gives the power to someone or something outside of myself to determine my success.  For example, I don’t actually get to decide if a couple hires me for their wedding- I can do my best to follow-up with each inquiry in a timely manner, and do my best in each potential client consultation- but ultimately, their decision to hire me is out of my hands.  Same thing goes for getting published and winning awards, I don’t actually get to decide if my work goes in somebody else’s magazine, or whether I win an award.  Or in the case of #3, it requires so many variables to line up that, knowing myself, I’ll likely quit before I even give myself a chance to see progress.

I really like control.  I like judging my own successes and failures based on elements that I can control.  I love to be able to take responsibility for what happens in my life and in my business.  So, this year, I thought I’d change my goal setting strategy.  Instead of focusing on the end result, I have decided to focus on the behaviors I must do to propel me in the direction of my desired end result.  If the desired end result happens- then bonus!  Here’s the revised list:

1. Network and connect with other wedding professionals on a personal level at least twice a month.

2. Provide vendors with images from each wedding they contribute to within two weeks of the event.

3. Outsource the most time consuming parts of my processing, so that I can provide superior service to each and every client.

4. Submit every wedding to be published.

5. Go to the gym at least 3 times a week.

6. Go to the grocery store (and buy lots of fresh produce) at least once a week so I don’t have to eat out as often.

7. Enter all relevant photography contests.

This version feels less scary and more achievable to me.  I’d like to think if I focus on the necessary actions instead of the end result, I’ll feel a whole lot better about 2013 than I did about 2012.  I’ll let you know how it goes .

Last week the Atlanta SMUG group hosted a panel focusing on established wedding photographers answering questions about how they got to where they are and how they’ll grow going forward.  Jamie and I were included on that panel along with Ashley and Graham Scobey and Jeremy Harwell.  Even though all three of our studios are active in the Atlanta market we all work differently and manage our businesses differently, so I think you’ll enjoy the varied perspectives on what it takes to be successful.  This is a recording of that discussion – check it out and let us know what you agree with and if you have any other questions you’d like us to address (maybe on a future podcast or livestream?)

As a side note I’m continually impressed at how much effort Smugmug puts into supporting these monthly meetings without turning them into a commercial.  They say that are trying to foster community amongst local photographers and their actions are proving that they mean it.  I’m not affiliated with Smug in any way, or compensated to say that, I just think it is cool and worth pointing out.  Thanks to Smug and the other sponsors of the event – Think Tank Photo and PPA.

I’m proud to be on this panel with my wife and 3 other photographers that are not only successful in their craft but also people I consider friends.  Thanks to Ashley and Graham for asking us to be a part.

SHOW NOTES:

• If you are in the ATL area you ought to join our Atlanta SMUG Facebook page and check out our next meeting.  No matter where you are there is probably a group like this getting together regularly – I recommend that you get involved
• Thanks to Rupa Kapoor of Love Captured Simply and Puparazzi Portraits for moderating the event.  Rupa is the outgoing SMUG Group leader as she’s handing the responsibilities over to the Scobey’s going forward.
• Speaking of the Scobey’s, they were named to this year’s Rangefinder 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography list.  They’ve also got a workflow workshop coming up in Atlanta January 9 2013.  Their work is featured at Scobey Photography.
• Check out Jeremy Harwell’s work, which is dope, at Harwell Photography.
• This was a Smugmug event – check out their photo sharing services HERE and find your own local SMUG group HERE
• Thanks to Think Tank Photo (we use TT bags exclusively) for their giveaway supporting this event.
• Thanks to PPA for the Imaging USA giveaways
• Thanks to SEXY BUSINESS Alumni Bowie Wheaton of Alternative Life Photography for immortalizing us in Instagram above.
• Speaking of SEXY BUSINESS, check out our workshops page for dates.  If you aren’t sure how to plan financially, how to market yourself effectively, or how to definitively answer the question “why should a client hire me?” then this workshop is for you.

- trr

For the audiophiles – this is an impromptu recording without a professional sound system. We just dropped a Zoom audio recorder in the room and let it fly.  As such the sound won’t be perfect and the levels on audience members asking questions will probably be lower than the speakers.  Hopefully you’ll enjoy the discussion.

Facebook is a public company now, and they have to generate revenue.  Who knows whether Twitter will go the same way (then again, Twitter was always better for networking with colleagues than booking clients – YMMV).  Can Pinterest be far  behind?

The point here isn’t that we shouldn’t leverage these platforms.  What it does mean is that we can’t rely on them as marketing tactics.  Instead of trying to earn Likes and Followers we probably ought to be driving our audience to commit to a platform that we own.  Hey, I’m as guilty as anyone else.  I tried to get Fans and followers (and those things still help to drive traffic) and even considered moving the majority of the content here to Youtube.  But the reality is that the only online element I could own is a URL and a little piece of web space.

So this blog is what I own.  This is where I ought to be building an audience, no?  My advice would be similar for you.  I don’t think you should stop using that stuff, but I do think you ought to use those platforms to drive traffic to your own.  Try and get commitment to your platform.  After all, you can trust the management of your platform to always do right by you.  Anyone else is suspect at best.

- trr

SHAMELESS PLUGS

I am pretty proud of what we’re able to help people accomplish through our workshops, and I’d love to see you at next year’s events.  Check out Monday’s post if you haven’t already where SB attendee Daniel Lateulade explains the benefits he enjoyed post-workshop.

2013 SEXY BUSINESS DATES

• SEXY BUSINESS ATLANTA – ATLANTA, GEORGIA – PRIOR TO IMAGINGUSA JANUARY 16-19
• SEXY BUSINESS AUSTIN – AUSTIN, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 4-7
• SEXY BUSINESS LAS VEGAS – IMMEDIATELY BEFORE WPPI – MARCH 7-10 – NEW YORK, NEW YORK HOTEL/CASINO
• SEXY BUSINESS CHICAGO – CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – APRIL 22-25

Also, if you absolutely can’t make it to a workshop consider our one-on-one consultations where we work through the Sexy Business process remotely over Google+.  Book a consult here – REMOTELY SEXY BUSINESS

Also, in case you were skeptical I actually do photograph weddings – check out a feature by yours truly on MOMENT JUNKIE and leave a comment:

The DONT STOP BELIEVING

Got a question or a topic you’d like to see discussed here?  Drop me a line – question@amantofish.com

How would you describe your business before you came to the workshop?  What were you doing?  What were you worried about?  What were you selling/communicating?  How were you performing?

Before I attended the workshop, I was trying hard to be like all the other seemingly successful photographers I saw around me, and failing miserably. I love documentary coverage, and decided that the best way to pursue that would be to offer full day coverage — needless to say, my brand message of “I’m just like the other guys, but I’ll stay longer” wasn’t doing what I hoped for my business.

What did you learn in the workshop?  How did your perception of your business change?  

Todd and Jamie taught me to stop doing what I’d been doing — hiding my strengths in favor of trying to blend in with every other photographer in town. Instead, I learned how to take what’s different and unique about myself, my photography, and my business, and to show the customer why that difference makes me the perfect photographer to meet their unique needs. As cliche as it sounds, I couldn’t wait to get home and implement the changes — I was excited because I finally felt like my business represented who I was and what I was uniquely capable of bringing to the table, and not what I thought a photography business “should be” from looking at everyone else.

What does your business look like now?  What changes did you make?  What results are you seeing?

Business is great! There’s definitely room for growth, but my average booking has increased 75% since I attended the workshop a year ago, and I shot nearly twice as many weddings.

How would you describe the workshop?  Why should someone go to the Sexy Business Workshop?

The workshop definitely isn’t a magic bullet, and my experience has shown that you’ll only succeed to the degree that you’re willing to do the hard work Todd and Jamie give you. In my experience, the Sexy Business Workshop doesn’t teach you secrets, but it helps you to see what’s been right in front of your face all along — which is great, because it removes all the excuses to success that you’ve been feeding yourself.

Question just for fun – did your photography change after the workshop?

Not a bit, which is why I’m such a fan of Sexy Business. I changed nothing but my brand message and business model, and my business (and bank account) are dramatically different than they were a year ago!

Thanks for checking it out.  Hey, I admit that offering any workshop in this climate is dubious at best.  There is a bunch of bullshit out there, and a bunch of hero-worship masquerading as education.  I think most workshops make a fundamental assumption – that you need to do what someone else is doing to be successful.  Do we need more homogeneity?   Do we need more businesses copying each other?  Does the market want a slightly worse version of what someone else is doing?

We approach with a different fundamental assumption.  You don’t need to be inspired by anyone but yourself and your clients.  You don’t need to copy, you need to express what you believe and why that matters.  We’re not here to make your business anything like ours, we’re here to uncover what’s amazing about you and figure out how to communicate that to the market – oh, and we’ll also figure out how to make that definitively profitable.

If you’re interested check out or WORKSHOPS page for dates, details and registration links.  If you have any questions prior to committing drop me a line at workshop@amantofish.com

“My market just won’t support that…”

Now check out this comment from Andreas, who wasn’t impressed -

“They’re going to buy it they just don’t know it yet. That’s what you’re suggesting but what you failed to mention is that supply and demand rule over any wishful thinking. If you set up a studio in a small town or “market” and you’re 3x what everyone else is, even if you are better or offer something different, and the take home pay is lower on average than big city market, the reality will be that the biz will fail at that level. Positive post but lots of smoke”

I’ve said it before, and some may really bristle at this suggestion, but when it comes to a luxury service I don’t believe in the concept of supply and demand.  We create the demand and we control the supply of our own product.  What everyone else is offering is only relevant if we haven’t put forth the effort to own a position or create distinction.  I know far too many photographers in small towns charging 3x (or more) than their competitors and making a long-term living doing it to buy into the naysaying.  I’ve helped many of them build the business that defies those assumptions, and I know that there is a science to making it work.

Supply and demand works for commodities because you can get them anywhere and any option will get the job done so sourcing and surplus are an issue.  Sure, you can get photography from almost anyone these days, but you can only get Todd Reichman (or whoever) in this way, to do this specific thing, for this price.  The trick here is making Todd Reichman matter, not how many other people are competing.

My intent in posting yesterday was to try and get people to adopt the perspective that they have control and responsibility over how their business is perceived.  I’m seeing a lot of photographer blame outside sources for their performance not being where they would like it which is a big waste of time at best and a lazy-assed entitlement at worst.

Here’s the problem – for Andreas the “reality” is that small town businesses tend to fail.  My “reality” is that a well-engineered business can exist anywhere.  You get to choose the reality you live in.  Sure, small town businesses that put all the responsibility on the client for understanding the difference and seeing the value go out of business all the time, but one person’s failure doesn’t dictate yours.  That failure just shows you how to do better.  This blog is for people who want to use the data to do better, not for the people who want to make excuses.

I made a living in small towns.  I used to live in Central Illinois and my town was of a respectable size but I rarely worked there – I was a “destination” wedding photographer.  By “destination” I don’t mean beautiful island weddings, I’m talking about even smaller, rural communities that weren’t the one I lived in.  I spent several years making a living getting brought into these small towns to shoot for 3x (or much more) than the locals because the locals were all offering the same-old, unremarkable stuff.  I know photographers in one-horse towns regularly pulling down $2-5K portrait sessions because they make their client’s lives better.  Yes, there are a boatload of other options charging a fraction of that – and it doesn’t matter because they aren’t being compared.

Yes, I think that many potential clients out there are going to buy it, and they just don’t know it yet.  Hey, this is a free blog – take what you like and leave the rest.  Don’t do anything to convince them, be my guest.  Assume that you can’t make any money and operate under that assumption all day, see how that works for you.

If you don’t want to do that here are some past posts that might get you thinking -

• Being the best at the same…
• [Follow up] – Middle class woes…
• Photography is a luxury…
• Competition in the photography industry
• [Question] How to respond to, “You’re too expensive”
• Safe Risks = Safe Results

Even if we disagree, I greatly appreciate the comment and the chance to discuss further.  Let me know what you think, and feel free to share the discussion.

- trr

When you make excuses about the market, you absolve yourself of responsibility.  You accept an inevitability that isn’t there.  You accept that the market only wants one thing and it ain’t the thing you’ve got to offer.  The fact is the market only knows what it is currently being offered.  So offer it something new and accept the responsibility that convincing them of the value is your responsibility to communicate, not the market’s responsibility to infer.

Stop thinking about the market, think about individuals.  Individuals care about things, and have wants and fears.  Address them and make their lives better through your work.  One client at a time if need be.  You can only shoot one at a time, right?

Take responsibility – convince them.

- trr

CHECK OUT PART 2 OF THIS ARTICLE HERE

In case you haven’t seen it we’ve got new SEXY BUSINESS WORKSHOPS announced.  Vegas/WPPI slots are going quick – book your spot there or in Atlanta, Tucson  or Boston.  Check out the dates and details here.

What has happened to our industry that “professional photography education” has turned into a hotbed of hero worship and “me too” branding?

Maybe I’m just getting old.  I don’t get why you would want to become a disciple of another photographer and get in line to be one of the hundreds or thousands of wannabe photographers who are all just varying degrees of worse than the “hero”.

I get learning techniques from others then applying those techniques to the way you do things, making them your own.  I just feel like so many photography businesses are little more than clones of some other big name photographer (or they spend all of their time wishing they could be a clone.  Why is it better to be a clone of a rockstar photographer than it is to be the thing that you could do best, and most amazingly for your perfect clients?

And why are photographers so much more interested and invested in impressing other photographers more than they are interested in impressing their clients (the ones who are paying for the work to exist in the first place)?

Is it just that nobody has any confidence in themselves and what they have to offer?  Is it just that people have jumped into this business without really knowing what it takes and are looking to the quickest possible path to success and think that copying someone else who appears successful is the best way to accomplish that?  I’d really like to hear what you think about this, so I invite you to talk to me in the comments below.  Why do you think these other photographers that you so admire are so “amazing”.  What does that mean?  What are you learning from them?  Are they really doing a great job for their clients (their photography clients)?  Is your admiration of them making your business better? Are they really enjoying a household sustaining, profitable photography business income?  Do you know before you decide to apply their methods to your own business?

I acknowledge I am probably in the tiniest minority when I say this, but I really don’t think the photography education industry (on the whole- I know there are outliers doing good work for their students, but I’m talking about the overall shift I’ve seen in the industry over the last five years) is doing much to actually help individual photographers live up to their greatest business potential and do the work that they are most suited to do.

I really think it’s worth it to consider the advantages to your life and your business if you…

Stop being so impressed by other people.

Stop being so impressed by yourself.

Just go and do great work for your clients every single time.

By all means, never stop learning and growing, but let’s all take a step back and take a serious look at what all of this hero-worship is really doing for us.  Is it making us (you, me) better?  Or is it making us just worse than the hero?

What is it that you really care about?   Who are you, what do you believe, what circumstances in your life led you to believe what you do, and how does who you are and what you believe inform the work you do and what clients would be perfect for you? Is all of that really the same thing as your hero?  Couldn’t you do something really great if you had all of the skills you have now (yes, please don’t suck at photography if you’re charging other people money for it- I’m making the assumption that if you’re reading this you have the necessary skills), but had never blog stalked, never worshipped a rockstar photographer, never scanned Pinterest looking for inspiration for your next shoot?

Be your own hero.

As I’ve said before, I hope you’re producing kick-ass work and I hope you keep kicking that ass harder. But it isn’t about just creating kick-assed work, it is about booking kick-assed work.  I frankly think Leonardo DiCaprio can’t act, but he can book blockbusters so my point is irrelevant.  The guy down the street doing Shakespeare in the park might be more skilled, but he ain’t booking the work, and he ain’t bringing home the dollars.

What this means is that your business is creating significant value if it can book great work for actual money.  If you can book great work you’re in position to add associates, increase prices, expand, etc.  You’re in demand and your business has value – you start getting to pick and choose.  You start generating the margin to take risks and make changes and zig when others zag.  The more people want you, the more people tend to want you – this stuff tends to become a perpetual motion machine.

Don’t screw this up.  Too many people are looking to steal value by shooting seemingly great jobs for the “portfolio” value without getting paid.  Or they are taking that amazing destination work for travel cost or less.  That ain’t value, that’s paying to play.  Almost anyone can book amazing work by offering to shoot for free, the really valuable people get compensated according to their value.

Regardless of what you might think a lot of people might be able to shoot that job.  But only one person gets to book it.  That’s value.

- trr

In the wedding photography industry our feelings on same-sex marriage have started to bleed over as a business issue.  If you don’t want to shoot them you can open yourself up to claims of discrimination (depending on whether or not sexual orientation is protected from discrimination everywhere – right now it isn’t).  If you do want to shoot them you can alienate the people who are prejudiced against homosexuality (I didn’t really politically-correct that last sentence, and I’m just acknowledging that it was intentional).

Recently, a photographer posted on a photography forum asking opinions on whether they should put up a post on their Facebook page urging people to vote against some proposition in their state banning same-sex marriage. Politicizing your business means polarizing your business. That is (in theory) a good thing because it heightens perceptions of you – people will either love it or hate it. That means it makes it a little easier to book some people and nearly impossible to book others. That’s a fair choice to make if it is something you feel strongly about, and if it is something you feel you need your clients to be in alignment with you on. Having said that, a lot of people keep their personal politics personal and don’t advertise them in terms of their business because they don’t want to lose anyone who isn’t in alignment with them. Plus, you can almost always find more specific ways to polarize people around your business. Totally fair choice either way.

But that post made me think.  If I required my clients to be in alignment with me personally or politically I kind of doubt I’d have ever booked any work at all.  A large number of my past clients have held beliefs counter to my own.  Now, I’m sure many could make the argument that I’m a capitalistic pig and all I care about is the money.  I don’t think that is true (I hate money).  But I do think that my business entity is a difficult tool with which to sway public opinion.  If I were to refuse to photograph a wedding not much would change.  I’d be out money, the clients would have a hassle, I may piss some people off and maybe earn the respect of others.  I’m not sure we’re at a net positive, and I don’t just mean financially.  I’m simply not sure that refusing to work with people is really the right thing.

Ever since George W. Bush set out to win 50.000001% of the vote by aggressively not giving-a-fuck about anyone else our political discourse has become divided.  I feel like we’ve entered with-me-or-against-me territory.  I don’t believe that is a good thing.  I don’t think we improve as a culture or progress without seeing the other person’s point of view and trying to reach agreements rather than drawing battle lines.  Then again, I’m not sure what I would do if asked to photograph a KKK wedding.

I don’t really even know if I have a resolving point here.  I recently moved to an area where I’m pretty sure everyone I know votes Republican, and I’ve always basically identified as a liberal.  I don’t hate these people.  I’d like to understand where we differ, I’d like to be friends.  I’d like for us to feel like we’re in this together, instead of feeling like the other person is holding us all back.  Having said that, even though I can see a Chik-fil-A from my living room, and I loves me some fried chicken, I still haven’t eaten there.

So I guess my point is that you are entitled to your beliefs, and you are entitled to express them.  If you are going to do so in your business I hope you do so in a celebratory way.  I hope you show people the greatness of what you believe instead of showing the hatefulness of the contrary opinion.  If you want to support same-sex marriage (for example) show me how amazing those events are.  Show me how their experience is like my experience.  Build a common ground, not a line to fight from behind.  That’s something people can respect (I hope).

- trr

P.S. – Just so we’re clear and putting everything on front street, I fully support not only gay marriage, but full equal rights for gay people.  In Georgia sexual orientation is still not a protected status for purposes of discrimination.  That’s absolute bullshit as far as I’m concerned.  If you have a problem with gay people getting married, you’re a bigot.  That’s not incendiary language – that’s the definition of the word.   I’d like to think as a society we would be beyond this, but apparently there is still some work to do.

P.P.S. –  I’m voting Obama, like I did 4 years ago.  I’m not really politicizing this blog, but I’m also not hiding behind anonymity.  Whether or not you care about the social issues is something I’m going to leave out of the discussion.  Let’s just talk a second about the deficit.  As most of you guys know we tackle financial issues in our SEXY BUSINESS Workshops and our consultations (that’s right – remote consultations are back – announcement coming soon but you can book one here in the meantime).  No matter what the debt situation (credit cards, student loans, unforeseen circumstances, etc) I’ve helped quite a few people plan their way out of debt.  There is a reason that almost everyone in the photo industry says that you should raise your prices – increased revenue solves almost every business problem you could have.  The current Republican platform is to never consent to any kind of tax increase.  That is sort of crazy in a deficit situation.  Sure, you can cut some programs, but you can’t cut your way to a solution – you have to raise more money.  I realize that raising taxes is unpopular, but a leader has to do unpopular things that are good for the future.  I don’t think this platform is going to work, and without discussing  the social issues this a big one that I can’t overlook.

P.P.P.S – If you’re not voting like I am we can still be friends.  It is just a presidential position, it really doesn’t dictate how we live our lives.  Let’s fight less and progress together more.

What happens when photography becomes a commodity? 

Ok, let’s not dwell on the personality part of it (hang on) the thing I think is really worth focusing on is the “value-chain” idea.  I have often advocated the idea that photographers focus too much on the photography when the client finds value (often more value) in the other pieces of the chain that don’t involve the photos.  I think clients are concerned about value from the beginning through the end of the process and they will be making decisions about who they will hire based on the entire value chain.

So while the article suggests that personality is the weight that tips the scale I think there is far more to it than that.  Again, being likable is never a bad thing, but the people we like the most don’t always deliver, and aren’t always who we’d choose (or trust) to hire.  The takeaway from this is to consider the entire value chain and to really think about how many areas the client might be looking for us to deliver on and how we might leverage all those areas.

Let me know what you think, and where you’re seeing opportunity in the value chain to improve.

- trr

Thanks for all the kind words on the site redesign.  Make sure you check out our updated WORKSHOP dates, our special deal on our Mystic Seminars one-day class, and check out yesterday’s post about throwing out the Features and Benefits model of marketing.

I’m still working on an article on the state of the photography industry.  Please send your thoughts and ideas on the subject.

Instead think of yourself, your product, your service like this – what problem are you the perfect solution to?  What obstacle do you exist to solve, or overcome, or eliminate?  What purpose do you exist to exemplify?  Convince me of what you’re on this Earth to address and you no longer have to worry about features and benefits.

You just need to communicate the problem you exist to serve.  

People don’t always need features, but they sure know when they encounter problems.  When people encounter that problem, they think of you.  When someone finds themselves in a situation where e problem presents itself, they know who they gotta call.  When you are the perfect solution to a specific problem you own a position.  So much easier than messing around with traditional marketing.

So, what specific problem are you the perfect solution to? 

- trr

If you’re interested in booking more work without spending any money, if you want jobs to come rolling in and people signing your praises, if you want to radically reduce the money you’re spending and take the uncertainty out of your marketing efforts then we’re here to help you.

The one-day hands on has now been reduced to $300!!!

REGISTER HERE to book more work easier.

- trr

Stay tuned- we will be adding new Sexy Business workshops for 2013 soon!

The market doesn’t need you to bullshit or pander.  Clients are looking for someone who understands them.  Like I said last week, clients are motivated by fears as well as wants.  If you help them understand what you’re afraid of and how you’ve dealt with it they’ll know that you can manage what they are afraid of.

What you’re afraid of is your secret weapon.  Let it out and see what happens.

- trr

We’ve had a run on Workshop dates so we only have one more workshop on the books and only 1 more spot left in that workshop.  Check us out in Mystic Connecticut this January for both Mystic Seminars, our Hands-on Networking Intensive at Mystic and MYSTICALLY SEXY BUSINESS.  We’re holding this one in a lake house and lodging will be available on the cheap in the house the workshop is being held in (only $250 for the 4 days!).  We’re transitioning to a new online payment system so if you want the spot send me an email at workshop@amantofish.com and I’ll get a registration link out to you.

If you’re thinking about the workshop the MANIFESTO seems to be pushing people over the edge.  Expect some tasty testimonials and a new look to the SB page soon.  We’re putting the schedule together for the 2013 SEXY BUSINESS schedule so if you want to be notified when the dates are set or you’d like to suggest a location please send those requests and suggestions to workshop@amantofish.com.

And they book someone else.  Someone who sucks.  Someone whose work is lame and uninspired.  How the hell could they pick that guy instead of me?

Sure, someone might have undercut you.  Not much you can do about that save better communicating the value of your brand.  But they already loved your brand. I have a theory.

I believe that a client can walk away from their favorite photographer if someone else better addresses the thing they are the most afraid of.

I think often we spend time chit-chatting, or building rapport, or selling ourselves.  We may not put much attention on understanding why exactly the client is hiring a photographer, what they expect us to deliver on, and what they are concerned about happening (or not happening).  Sure, they may love your photos, but they could probably love a lot of people’s photos.  What they have are needs and fears – the person who manages them is getting the job.

- trr

PS – In case you missed it earlier we’re speaking at Mystic Seminars 2013.  Check out the details here - www.mysticseminars.com.  Also, Jamie and I are teaching a 0ne-day intensive on Networking, generating word-of-mouth, and booking new, profitable business WITHOUT SPENDING MARKETING DOLLARS to book it?  Interested?  CLICK HERE

The …a Man to Fish… Photography Business Livestream – Episode 3 with Sergio Motolla and Chuck Anerino

Also, be sure to kill some time by watching our previous episodes:

The …a Man to Fish… Photography Business Livestream – Episode 2 with Stacy Reeves

The …a Man to Fish… Photography Business Livestream – Episode 1 with Spencer Lum and Seshu

The …a Man to Fish… Photography Business Livestream – Episode 0 – Test stream/ Sexy Business Sunday

I’m always taking topic and guest suggestions, so please leave any remarks in the comments below, or feel free to shoot me an email at question@amantofish.com.  We’re dark next week (I’ve got a networking event next Tuesday night) but join us the following Tuesday, Sept 25th for Ryan Brenizer.

- trr