Helping amateur photographers make the transition to paid professionals.

How to price your photography, Part II

July 29, 2014This is Business

If there's one thing we part time photographers never get bored talking about, it's pricing our work.

But I'm going to digress from talking about pricing, because your pricing isn't the problem:

You're trying to scratch your butt by brushing your teeth.

It's been five years since I wrote my (some say controversial) post on What to charge for your part time photography, and you awesome readers have asked me if my advice still stands today.

In the historic words of fellow Bandera Texan and Classic Western actor Rudy Robbins:

It do.

My philosophy on pricing your work is to be humble: recognize the unique value you create, understand that value will grow over time and practice, and look at pricing as more a tool for managing your calendar than your profit margin.

I could introduce a lot of nuance into this conversation, but here are my practices, some simple if-then-else's, boiled down to the bones:

• If you're marketing yourself well (communicating clearly and excitingly the value you create to the potential clients in your market who want and can afford what you offer), but you're not booked solid, your prices are too high.
• If your prices are humble and broadly affordable (such as my 'buy what you love' suggested pricing), but you're not booked solid, you're not marketing yourself well (either with the wrong message, or to the wrong people, or both).
• If you're booked solid, your prices are too low.
• If you're booked close to solid, and you're putting enough cash in your pocket each month or year that it leaves a big ol' grin on your face, your prices are just right, and it's time to invest your efforts in growing as an artist and marketer.
• If you're happy, don't listen to a word I or anyone else says to you: never forget, you're a part time photographer because you choose to be, and you're the boss - this is your business, and you call the shots.
• Now, if you're happy but complacent, if you're happy but not hungry for more, not growing, I would submit that your happiness is going to fade. If you're like most artists, you're going to get bored or burned out - never stop challenging yourself and growing as an artist, marketer, and business owner.

These are some pretty simple formulae to apply to the very complex journey that is being a part time professional photographer.

Simplicity also lets us move on - it allows us to get back to work.

There's a phrase I hear over and over from my peers, and I feel deeply for them when they feel this way:

"My phone isn't ringing. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to: I got my web site set up, I handed out business cards, I posted a great deal on my Facebook page, but nobody's calling. Is my art really that bad?"

I feel you, brothers and sisters.

I believe in art.

I believe in craft, in making, and I believe in its value as a profession and business.

But outside of very special creations and circumstances, your art is not the most influential ingredient to your success.

In fact, when it comes to business success, it may be the least important when compared to your marketing and your business (which includes the experience you create for your clients).

If you're reading this, if you've come this far in your journey into professional photography, your art is almost certainly not what's holding you back from success.

Chain studios and yearbook photographers prove that you can profitably systematize the photography product (the "art") down to as little as five canned poses and pay a bored employee $8 an hour to manage that series of repeatable processes: intake, shooting, selling, up selling. Then an automated computer system will follow-up ad infinitum.

(A high school friend, now a mother of three, told me she once paid over $1,000 for a chain portrait session and walked away with an armload of prints of maybe 10 'classic' poses. She was perfectly happy about this... Until I told her my prices.)

Friends, they're doing business every single day - probably with more clients in a month than you and I shoot in a year.

And their per-client sales are enviable; don't let the $10 portrait package special advertised on the poster fool you. These businesses have a time-tested process for turning a $10 client into $100, $200, or much more. One PTP reader told me she learned more about making a profit as a portrait photographer from her time working for Kiddie Kandids than she did from years of scouring the Internet.

Good art (even great art) does not guarantee bookings.

Nor does a low price guarantee bookings (so many PTP readers get stuck here, failing to practice and grow their marketing skills).

No doubt, the better your art, the easier it is to show the quality and value of what you have to offer your target market. As the wise folks say, nothing kills a bad product like good marketing.

But there's the rub: good marketing.

No doubt, you can run your business into the ground with a bad attitude, with policies that make your clients feel like criminals, by treating your clients as adversaries instead of friends.

But even a bad business can get folks in the door with good marketing. They may only come once, they may tell all their friends what a horrible experience they had with you, but the phone had to ring in the first place to get to that point.

If your phone isn't ringing, I'd bet my beloved 50mm your marketing is weak.

Odds are, it's non-existent - at least when it comes to proactive, purposeful, targeted, well-placed and well-timed marketing with a high-octane message that not just exists, but invites - nay, excites - potential clients to make your phone ring (or e-mail ding, or Facebook swish).

Your attention, and effort, and research, and concern are misplaced.

It's not your pricing.

It's your marketing.

Go find your people.

Show them how you can make their lives better with your art.

Then ask them to do business with you.

Next Steps

Not sure where to start in marketing your part time photography business? You can't beat a good book for bang-for-the-buck. Grab one off your mentor's recommended reading list, from Amazon's Bestseller List, or start with one of my personal favorites: Duct Tape Marketing, Duct Tape Sales, Booked Solid, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook).
• Brainstorm session: Look at your pricing schedule. Write down 10 things you love about this setup. Write down 10 things you hate about this setup. Write 5 things you think your clients love about this setup, and 5 things you think they hate about it. Be creative, think outside your perspective as a business owner. Do you see any opportunities to change things up to better fit you, and better fit your clients? Make those changes right now, then file this away in your Brainstorms folder.
• My writing at PartTimePhoto.com exists to serve your needs as an amateur photographer making the transition to paid professional. I appreciate and welcome your readership, and invite you to subscribe to my e-mail newsletter at the top of any page of this site.
• What's the biggest struggle holding you back right now? E-mail me your answer (yes, right now!), and let's make a breakthrough today.
• If anything in this post has spoken to and inspired you, please comment below, drop me an e-mail, or call or text me at 830-688-1564 and let me know. I'd love to hear how you use these ideas to better your part time photography business!

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by Outlaw Photographer James Michael Taylor

Shifting gears from starving artist to entrepreneur

April 10, 2014This is Business

As Michael Gerber well-clarified in The E-Myth Revisited, there are countless talented craftsmen who endlessly struggle to run successful businesses.

"My friends and family love my art - their praise is why I wanted to go pro in the first place. I have years of experience, I practice and get better daily, my art looks as good or better than many of the professional photographers I know in my area. Why aren't people calling?"

The skill sets of successful entrepreneurs are often little aligned with those of successful artists - hence the commonality of the phrase 'starving artist.'

In fact, many of the skills and personality traits that make you an artist create an even bigger challenge for you as you grow into entrepreneurship.

Where the artist wants to create, the entrepreneur wants to sell.

Where the artist wants to be recognized, the entrepreneur demands recognition.

Where the artist never feels worth it, the entrepreneur butters their bread by the communication of value.

Where the artist never feels good enough, the entrepreneur ships.

Where the artist seeks perfection, the entrepreneur sees perfectionism as the enemy of damn good.

Where the artist sees discomfort and failure, the entrepreneur sees opportunity.

Where the artist fears failure, the entrepreneur fails fast, and fails forward.

These are all concepts that I write about here on PTP - these are the quirks and perspectives and misconceptions and fears that I run into time and again working with my fellow part time photographers struggling to go pro.

Let me state clearly: however closely you identify with the artist described above, and how little you understand the entrepreneur, there's nothing wrong with you.

As you make the transition to business owner, you're going to feel stupid, incompetent, powerless, hopeless, foolish.

This is natural.

This is the learning curve.

This is The Dip.

This is The Resistance.

This is Gravity.

This, my friend, is right where you're supposed to be.

The bug's already bit you - you may as well give in to the fever, because the fact that you're right here, right now, reading these words, means you are serious.

You're serious about growing as an artist.

You're serious about earning an income with your art - to benefit yourself, your family, your cause, your community.

You're serious about doing your very best, both as a point of pride and in service to your clients.

You're seriously in love with creating art through photography, and you're at the point where you want to share that love with your market (and let them share their dollars with you!).

You know what's going to stop you?

You.

You hear me – you know what I’m talking about.

You are your own worst critic, your worst enemy.

You're going to quit. You're going to come up short, get frustrated, embarrass yourself, disappoint yourself, get distracted, get lazy, and give up.

You won't even know you're quitting - your ego would never let you recognize it.

It'll be a slow, quiet, passive death, a series of perfectly reasonable excuses that lead to a death subtle as a sigh in a windstorm.

But...

But!

Do you know why you won't quit?

No, I don't think you understand - that's the question, and the answer.

Why.

You have to start with why.

And it's got to be real - it's got to be deep. It's got to be clear. It's got to come from an honest place, one of complete vulnerability and submission and truth.

For each person, no matter their past or present or struggle or goals, there's one 'why' that counts.

One 'why' that does work, that goes the distance, that leans into the hard times, that fails forward and fails again, that hurts and keeps going, that falls down and gets right back up, that never stops, that can't be stopped, that doesn't get distracted or frustrated or defeated, that gets up an hour early or works an hour late or goes way outside its comfort zone to create success out of thin, cold, indifferent air.

My 'why' looks like my children's dreams. It looks like the opportunity for my two daughters and son to live lives of freedom, to chart the course of their lives by passion instead of impoverished circumstance.

What does your 'why' look like?

Share your story with me in the comments below, and if there is anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to contact me.

My work here at PTP is to help you to be blessed by the profession of photography just as I have been for over 15 years, financially, socially, and artistically. Truly: reach out to me and let me know how I can help.

Next Steps

• Brainstorm session: Why did you pick up a camera in the first place? Why have you held on and continued to grow as an artist over the years? Why do you want to transition to being a paid professional photographer? Why is creating art important to you? Why is reaping an income from your art important? Keep drilling down, deep, deeper still, until you hit pay dirt. Even if your 'why' changes in a month or in a year, you need to have something to hang your hat on, something that makes your perseverance a foregone journey. File this away in your Brainstorms folder.
• Are you having trouble figuring out your 'why'? Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a classic on the subject, with guidance that seeks out the truth of who you want to be and how you want to get there. You can enjoy a free copy from Archive.org.
• My writing at PartTimePhoto.com exists to serve your needs as an amateur photographer making the transition to paid professional. I appreciate and welcome your readership, and invite you to subscribe to my e-mail newsletter at the top of any page of this site.
• If anything in this post has spoken to and inspired you, please comment below, drop me an e-mail, or call or text me at 830-688-1564 and let me know. I'd love to hear how you use these ideas to better your part time photography business!

---

by Outlaw Photographer James Michael Taylor

The first step to creating the Ultimate Client Experience

October 10, 2013This is Business

It doesn't cost a thing.

It's easy if you're paying attention.

Want to see how easy yet profound "it" is?

Stop.

Stop what you're doing, stop reading this post, be still, close your eyes, and listen.

Listen.

Listen.

Try to hear and listen to every sound entering your ears.

You may hear your air conditioner, or your computer fan, or a dog barking in the distance, or a car driving by, or any of an unlimited number of possible sounds. You may hear your breath. You may heart your heartbeat.

Now, tell the truth - when you started reading these words, did you hear everything you just experienced when you focused on listening?

Of course not - your brain may have registered the barking dog or car driving by, but while you were focused on reading, your brain did its job and tuned out the rest of the world.

This is the difference between hearing the words your clients say - before, during, and after the shoot - and listening to what they're saying.

As a journalist, listening and paying attention to the little things are the foundational skills that brought me from a teenaged transcriber to an award-winning professional.

How do you give award-winning, professional service?

How do you create the ultimate client experience?

How indeed!

"How am I supposed to create a 'client experience' out of thin air when my mind is already racing before I even shake their hand? I'm thinking about the light, my backgrounds, where I can set up for good scenes, all the crap I'm going to have to avoid so I can have clean backgrounds, am I dressed right to make a good impression, man it's hot out here, oh geez I hope I charged both camera batteries and cleared my memory card, OH GEEZUM PETE DID I DOWNLOAD MY PHOTOS YET? DID I LOSE A WHOLE PHOTO SHOOT?!?!?!"

All this psychological self-flagellation happens in about a 15-second period between your client showing up and you saying "Hey there, it's so good to meet you!"

We are funny, creative creatures that way.

Learning to listen - and then take what you've heard and turn it into an incredible client experience - is a skill you train up with practice, failure, and growth, just as with your artistic ability, your marketing mojo, and your business acumen.

Let's talk about the three primary ways you can learn to create a better experience for your clients.

Shut Your Pie Hole

Getting your mind to shut up: this is the hardest part of listening.

I won't make comparisons to boudoir activities, but learning to listen means shifting your focus away from your performance and into the other person's experience, then balancing the two.

We photographers are usually introverts, so we have a lifetime of experience focusing inward - on ourselves, on our thoughts, on our worries, on our performance, especially in social situations.

Hence, when we're doing a photo shoot with a client, it's our natural tendency to focus inward, or deeply into our art - is my depth of field okay? Is there anything in my background I'm going to have to Photoshop later? Am I posing my client in a flattering way? How's my exposure? Does my breath stink? Why did I eat Funyuns right before my shoot? Is my muffin-top showing?

The mind does wander.

And this is why it's so crucial to reign in your wandering mind and bring the focus back to your client.

It's all about balance - and unless you're putting conscious effort into listening to and 'reading' your client, you're unbalanced.

Who are the most interesting people at parties? The ones who know how to perfectly balance storytelling and listening.

Who are the best lovers? The ones who know how to perfectly balance performance and listening.

Who are the most engaging friends? The ones who know how to perfectly balance their ego and yours (by listening).

Which massive corporations earn the most loyal clients? The ones who know how to perfectly balance their business goals with their clients' wants and needs - by listening.

Just as the first photo out of your first camera was probably a blurry mess, you're not going to be a perfect listener with your first client - nor your first dozen clients. But just as with your art, you need to practice to get better.

What is it you're listening for?

Preferences.

Likes.

Dislikes.

Recent activities (concerts, movies, vacations, took a pet to the vet; anything your client shares is probably on their mind for a reason).

Upcoming activities.

Upcoming special occasions.

Birthdays.

Anniversaries.

Children's birthdays and anniversaries, and their likes and dislikes (and their names!).

Are you starting to see a pattern? Perhaps some opportunities to go above and beyond and really create great client experiences?

A quick aside on sincerity:

Your first thought reading this list is probably the old fashioned "Happy Birthday" card, like you or your parents used to get from your insurance agent. I'm all for it - you and I know this level of personal attention has lost priority over the years.

But, and this is a big but (and I cannot lie), hand-write any and every client letter or card.

Hand address the envelope.

Stick a stamp on it with your hands.

I cannot tell you what a waste, and how counterproductive it is, to send out generic, boilerplate letters and cards and thank-you's and greetings to your clients.

Let's be real: we don't have thousands of clients - it may take you years to even say you have served over a hundred clients. Most likely you're in the zero-to-dozens range, and especially at this level, you want to give unheard-of client service and attention. You need to build your reputation. You need to make an impression. You need to be remark-able, so your few clients will talk to their many friends and earn you more clients to whom you can show the same unheard-of service. I'd even make a case to skip the typed newsletter in favor of personalized, hand-written monthly or quarterly letters - but that's a post for another day...

Asking specific questions will help you create specific and remark-able client experiences.

"How has your summer been?"

"Gone on any adventures or vacations?"

"Where do you guys like to take the family out for dinner?"

"Do your kids love Chuck E. Cheese?" (or whatever your local kid-friendly place is)

"Have you guys been to the Children's Museum in [nearby metro area]? My kids love it!"

"How long have you guys been married? ... Oh wow! When is your anniversary? Where did you get married? Where was your honeymoon?"

"Your kids are so much fun! What are their names? How old are they? Hey, if I may, let me write down their birthdays - we like to send out cards for all our clients' kids, just something to let them know they're special - is that okay?"

"Where did you guys go on your first date?"

"What's your favorite place to go on a date?"

"Do you guys have any adventures or vacations you're planning for?"

"Who's your favorite teacher? Is that your favorite class? Why is it your favorite?"

"Are you looking at going to college? Where at? Hey I have a friend who graduated from there, I'll ask them if they have any inside tips for you! What do you want to major in? What career do you want after you graduate? I have another friend who's in that field, I'd be happy to put you in touch with them when you're ready."

On paper (pixel?), it can sound intrusive or corny - but it's all in how you ask. Piece by piece, in the natural flow of conversation with clients before, during, and after your shoot, you build up this knowledge base about their family and what they like. This not only informs the experience you create for your clients, but can also influence your art and your sales as you learn about your clients' lifestyles, likes, and dislikes.

It's one thing to ask, it's another thing to hear, and it's a whole 'nother thing to listen. Listening has layers to it - asking the right questions (and follow-up questions), absorbing and processing what your client says, observing and noting subtle hints of body language and tone to better read your client, then retaining what you now understand about your client.

Speaking of notes, let's talk about how to actually remember all these sundry details.

Taking Notes

Moleskine.

I don't know what it is about these little, expensive bundles of paper, but I've yet to find a better venue in which to scribe my thoughts and notes; there's a notebook for every pocket and palm.

I've preached about slowing down during your photo shoot, and now we're going to take it to another level.

"Don't pay any attention to this, it's just for my memory..." - Carl Bernstein, All The President's Men

The best way to retain and follow up on all the juicy tidbits you learn during your client conversations is to take notes.

Write it all down.

Write down too much.

As you have small breaks during your photo shoot, in the moment if a detail is specific (such as asking about a child's birthday), and especially during a big purge of thoughts and knowledge post-shoot, whip out your notebook and pen and get all the details down on paper.

Write as if you're doing a profile on a celebrity. No detail is too small, and in fact, the small details remembered can make the biggest impression later with your client.

Okay, don't drive the good flow of your photo shoot into a brick wall just to write something down, but as you learn to listen and see the opportunities, you'll find plenty of moments during a shoot when you can jot down choice details.

(This doesn't just apply to client details, either - in a future post, I'll talk about note-taking and journaling, and how they can multiply your gains and minimize your aimlessness as an artist and business owner.)

Take notes as you go, as you can, and then as soon as you shake hands and send your clients on their way, grab the nearest seat and start pouring out all the details, ideas, and thoughts onto the pages of your notebook.

This purge is important - write stream of conscious if it helps, but purge every piece of knowledge, every idea that pops up, every thought on your shoot and your client and what they said and how you can create an amazing client experience for them. Don't censor yourself, brainstorm away, let the nervous energy pour out onto the page. Treat every shoot like an impromptu conversation with your greatest mentor - write like you've been handed a Rosetta Stone to business success (because you have!).

Immediately start brainstorming ways to create a great experience for this client - no idea is too crazy or impossible or outlandish for now.

Look forward in time from that moment - what are your upcoming touchpoints where you can "plus it up," as Walt Disney would say?

"If you want your business to thrive in a competitive environment, you need to make sure things are constantly improving, day in and day out... Military people call this a 'force multiplier'; Walt Disney used the phrase 'plus it up.'" - Lee Cockerell, The Customer Rules

You can pick and choose and edit later, but for now, get it all out of your head and into your notebook.

Take a deep breath. Stretch. Feel the satisfaction of a great photo shoot. Pat yourself on the back - you've done good work this day.

When you get home and you're downloading photos to your computer (and backing them up to a second hard drive!), transcribe your analog notes to the digital realm for organization.

I use Google Docs spreadsheets for tracking my client and business details, making it super quick and easy to search by name, sort by birthday or special occasion, sort clients by total spend, figure per-client sales averages and expenses, and so on.

I use Evernote for archiving and organizing all of my ideas - and I am definitely an 'idea guy.' I have hundreds of notes in Evernote; it is the most perfect repository I've found for the storage and quick retrieval of knowledge and ideas.

Write it down.

Write it all down.

Your client details and your ideas (no matter how crazy they seem in the moment) will all multiply in value and usefulness when you write them down.

Taking Action

There are limitless opportunities to Plus It Up for your client.

Thank-you notes.

Birthday and anniversary cards.

Flowers on special occasions, or when there's a death or illness in the family.

The Almighty Casserole (in times of crisis).

Forwarding useful or interesting information. (If you're reading this, I'll bet you're an avid reader in general, and you're likely to come across articles, blog posts, magazines, or books that would be good for specific clients based on their lifestyle, interests, hobbies, or career - share those articles and information freely with them: it's a great way to show that you're listening and invested in what's important to them.)

Making networking connections. (Being a business owner, you interact with local influencers and a wide swath of the community - helping make networking connections, introducing people, setting up lunches for social and professional purposes, all help make you a more involved and important part of your clients' lives. This is how you go beyond providing a commodity or service and into the realm of having true fans who do your marketing for you.)

Attentive gifts for your proofing session. (If your client loves chocolate chip cookies, you'd best have some chocolate chip cookies on hand during your proofing and sales session!)

And that's really what listening is all about - attentiveness. Showing you were listening. Showing you care. Creating new touchpoints, new opportunities to make a remark-able impression on your client. Taking the time to show that you honor your client's investment in you by investing your time and thoughtfulness into their happiness and betterment.

With so many photographers out there, both established and startup, how do you differentiate?

With so many shoe stores out there, how does an online outfit like Zappos gain any traction at all, much less become a hugely successful and beloved business?

With so many smart phones out there, how does Apple charge more than their peers and still have raving fans?

With so many businesses out there to choose from, how do the ones you're a huge fan of earn your business over and over again?

By listening.

By being attentive and invested in your happiness and satisfaction.

By creating remark-able experiences you love to share with your friends.

By "plus-ing it up."

By doing the unheard of.

If you told me the story of your last photo shoot and your client's experience, would it be the same story I'd hear from XYZ Photography down the street, or any of the dozens of photographers within driving distance for your clients?

Step up to the next level today.

Next Steps

• Brainstorm session: Grab your pen and paper (or digital equivalent) and write down every way you can learn more about your clients, the questions you want to ask them, and how you can use that knowledge to create an unheard-of client experience for them. File this away in your Brainstorms folder.
• Grab another piece of paper, and write down the names of every client you've ever photographed (free or paid). Write down every important detail, like, dislike, hobby, career, interest that you can recall. See how much (or how little) you know about the people you've worked with in the past. Are there any opportunities to reach out to those clients with a thank-you note or birthday card? Never forget, it's eight-times easier and less expensive to get new business from an existing client than it is to earn a new one.
• Take some time to read stories online or in on-topic books about truly remark-able client experiences. Here are a few of my favorites to get you started: Peter Shankman gets a steak delivered to the airport after a hunger-driven tweet, Seth Godin on being remark-able, Carl Sewell's Customers For Life, The Customer Rules by former Walt Disney World EVP Lee Cockerell, lots of great posts from Duct Tape Marketer John Jantsch. Go forth, Google, and be inspired; then translate that inspiration into actions you can take to be more remark-able for your clients today.
• My writing at PartTimePhoto.com exists to serve your needs as an amateur photographer making the transition to paid professional. I appreciate and welcome your readership, and invite you to subscribe to my e-mail newsletter at the top of any page of this site.
• If anything in this post has spoken to and inspired you, please comment below, drop me an e-mail, or call or text me at 830-688-1564 and let me know. I'd love to hear how you use these ideas to better your part time photography business!

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by Outlaw Photographer James Michael Taylor