I was talking with a friend last night who runs a company that does building renovations and rehabs. He shared a story that resonated with me because if you just change the players, it happens in our industry all the time.
He had a project recently where he needed a concrete subcontractor and one of his connections knew somebody who would be potentially good for the job. My friend arranged a meeting with this potential new vendor to get to know the person and to discuss the project.
ConcreteMan (let’s just call him that) and my friend meet and start talking about the project–it has some challenges, but that’s why my friend wanted to hire the right person for it. ConcreteMan begins interrupting my friend as he is giving the overview of the project. This happens repeatedly. Worse yet, he’s not asking informational questions–it’s not like the sort of interruption where you may ask for clarification or something–no, this guy is interrupting to say how difficult the project will be. Boy is this going to be tough. Boy is this going to be expensive.
At no point does ConcreteMan offer a solution to any of the problems, he just keeps harping on the complexity and difficulties.
Needless to say, my friend did not hire this guy nor will he ever ask ConcreteMan to bid on a project. Ever.
When a potential client calls you to discuss a potential project, one of the worst things you can do is be negative about the project. An Art Buyer is thinking of hiring you because s/he expects you to provide solutions to the problems, not whine about them. If you don’t offer some hope to the AB that you can make it happen, that you have ideas that will make the project work, you have no chance whatsoever to get that project. Worse yet, you are very likely to put that potentially lucrative client off you forever. Why should s/he ever call you again after that sort of interaction?
It’s okay to talk about the complexities of a project, just make sure you offer solutions. For example, you could say “That second shot is going to be a challenge… I think if we hire a cherry-picker and a great baby wrangler, we can definitely do this…” That shows the AB that you are at least thinking about solutions and that gives her(him) confidence. Your chances of getting the project just went up significantly. This is why treatments are so important today.
Now, maybe you don’t have the skills necessary for the project. Maybe you have some of them but know where you can hire out the others–tell the AB that. Say “Hey, I’m not the right person for this project. You need a photographer who is really great with kids and that’s not me, but you should call Betty Martin. I know Betty and her work and she could definitely give you what you need here. She’s great. I can do the other shots if you are willing to split up the project…” Say something like that–tell the AB how she can get exactly what she needs to do the project as best as possible–and you will be that AB’s go-to person for the next project that is right for you.
It’s not about making fake promises or blowing smoke. Be honest, focused on solutions, and positive and you’ll find you’ll get more and better work.