Author: Leslie

Funny…Patrick Ross from the Copyright Alliance blogged something similar to my last post. It’s definitely worth a read (in fact, it’s much better than mine).

The other day in one of my law school classes, I got to role-play being a judge. There were 6 of us “judges” and the rest of the class was split into two opposing teams whose job was to convince the judges that a law as written meant X (or, on the other side, not-X). The teams each presented their cases, then we judges asked questions. 

One side presented a cogent, logical argument. They used the facts provided and stuck to them to make their argument. It was not a pleasant or popular position to have to take, but they advocated for their side. The other side argued that the statute “should mean X” and that to think otherwise would be bad for society and let bad guys get away.

The second group was passionate. However, they mostly ignored the facts at hand and, instead, tried to emotionally push the court to agree with them. When the judges asked them about specific facts that went against their side, they got snippy and rude and even sniped back. The first group, on the other hand, mostly stuck to the facts and, when something went against them, they copped to it, then pointed out something else which was more positive to their side.

It turns out that they made almost exactly the same arguments the real lawyers had in this real case–lawyers who won, even though the issue was incredibly unpopular. I think they were successful because they kept to the facts and didn’t let their emotions get the best of them.

The reason I share this is because sometimes we are in complex situations where it would be much easier to get overly emotional and try to push for what we think is “right.” Instead, we have to look at it rationally and dispassionately, like the first team did. It’s not popular, for example, to say that buyers have every right to try and get all the rights they can for as little money as possible. But the reality is, they do have that right and for many, that is their job. Rather than get angry about it, accept that the buyer is just doing her job and you stick to your “facts” (like that you license your work and value/price it appropriately).

You can’t force the “other side” to agree with you, but when you are calm and rational and respectful, you are much more likely to carry the day.

 

I got this in my email today. It’s a great example of the dangers of using a template for your emails. Also, do you think the marketing assistant (I hope–and not someone higher ranking!) bothered to run a test before s/he sent this to the masses? Nope, no way. 

Don’t make mistakes like this very expensive LaJolla medical spa did.

I’m seriously digging the FPO t-shirts Veer is selling. Actually, I like lots of their merch.

(thanks Jane for the tip!)

In these tough economic times one thing you can do to help your business is to improve your client service. Instead of pulling back on the “little things,” adding extras to your service can really impress clients.

For example, provide great food on shoots. Sure, that looks like a good place to save a few bucks, but humans love good food and clients will come back to a photographer who feeds them well.

Make sure to send “thank you” notes/gifts after working with someone too. A small signed print is a great idea here. Pay attention to what your client talks about during the shoot or what s/he admires in your studio (you do have your own work up on your walls, yes?) and send something more personalized that way.

Try to think of other ways to service your client too (please, no bad animal husbandry jokes here). Maybe s/he loves your coffee or is new to your area and needs suggestions for other services like plumbers and mechanics or wants to impress a date and you know the chef at a great restaurant–think outside of photography to ways you can just help out (i.e., send a pound of coffee, a list of service providers, introduce the chef to the client).

Offering these little extras can really make the difference when so many others are pulling back and offering bare-bones service to save a buck.

Do me a favor…stay away from Photopreneur.com. Any site that would actually advocate any business that wants you to sell your rights in an image, including the rights to resell, for $800, is no photographer’s friend.

I don’t have time to go into all the bad things that this sales site has to “offer.” Suffice it to say that if you want to commit business suicide, this site is your Kevorkian.

In fact, I can’t find anything redeemable about photopreneur at all. No real humans connected (contact is all anonymous) and they appear to be lumping pho photographers and schmucks-with-cameras into the same boat. Just trying to make a buck…offering BAD advice to all. 

Stay away.

 

(thanks to Steven Rood for the heads-up on this!)

No, not like Armani…like Pantone!
http://fashion.elle.com/blog/2009/01/gaps-color-concept.html
(thanks Jane!)

I haven’t posted in a few days and this time it wasn’t because of school, it’s because I’ve had either a wicked cold or the flu. I’m still not “well” but I’m much better, thanks. 🙂

I mention this because when you run your own business, getting sick is something you don’t usually plan for. You just cross your fingers and hope it doesn’t happen and when it does, far too many of us keep working. Both of these are lousy ideas. 

When I got sick, the very last thing I wanted to do was miss class. Taking a day off from law school can easily put one significantly behind. However, going to class when ill increases the likelihood that I will get worse and end up missing more than one day (it also is unfair to others since I’d be spreading my germs all over the place, but for this post, let’s just be “selfish” and worry about ourselves). So, I made the “executive decision” to take the day off, crawl into bed and try to get well. And even though I hated missing that day and knew that I would have to make up the work somehow, this was the right thing to do.

When a small business person like a photographer gets ill, s/he needs to get well as quickly as possible too. The best way to do that is to “go down” early and give your body a chance to heal. Even when that means canceling/rescheduling a shoot–it is a better way of handling getting ill. Clients will understand. Even better, if you can pass the project on to a friend to shoot (if it’s not really a vision-based project), even though that means you losing most or all of the money for that shoot (it would be good to arrange this ahead of time), that would be a great idea because it would show the client how important they are to you. They’ll remember that you went “above and beyond” when they needed you. This is fabulous client service.

Of course, if you do this, you need to offer the idea to your client. Calling them up and saying “I’m too sick to shoot, but my friend and fellow photographer Bob Bobovich said he could step in and do the shoot. Would that work for you?” If it’s not a vision-specific shoot, they might say “great thanks” but they might not–they might be so impressed with your gesture that they’ll say (if they have the time) “Let’s reschedule instead.” Either way, they will remember you positively and you can bet they’ll come back to you again–even if the other photographer does a great job for them!

Getting back to you, something important to think about: what if it isn’t a cold or the flu? What if you get really sick or injured? Do you have a plan in place to keep your business alive if you are incapacitated for more than a few days? The time to make such a plan is before it happens. Part of the plan should be disability insurance, even if you don’t have a family to take care of, but especially if you do. Do this now, before you need to think about it.

And take care of yourself. Lots of people are getting sick this time of year and it’s no fun. But it’ll pass and when you feel better, take a moment to be thankful for your health. I know I am.

Wonder why I nag y’all about deciding who your business is first, before thinking about what tools to use to present it to the world? Why I (and others) talk about “vision” until blue in the face? This presentation will help you to understand: Brand First, Branding Second.

The main BAP website has been slightly updated…in case you haven’t visited in a while.