We wrapped our last day in NYC yesterday and are heading back home today. In fact I'm writing today's post at 30,000 feet ;~)
We had a wonderful visit to New York City enjoying our stay at one of the cities nicest hotels, seeing three of the best plays on Broadway, sampling the culinary delights of a few excellent restaurants, catching up with my daughter, Elizabeth, and strolling over 25 miles from one end of the city to the other. It was a wonderful visit! But, like they say, there's no place like home. It will be good to return to the wide open spaces of our Midwest backyard.
My Animoto Webcast Was A Hit!
My webcast at Animoto went really well yesterday. Becky, who you see on the right, co-hosted with me and also said it was an Animoto FIRST – the first time they had done a webcast out of their main offices. We had about 350 folks on line watching and listening. I was kind of on a time crunch and was moving through my presentation rather quickly but I don't think anyone minded by all the nice remarks that were coming in through the chat screen. Thank you to all that took the time to listen and to participate with your very kind remarks.
LaDawn suggested I run yesterday's webcast for today's Business Day Thursday post for all those that couldn't work the presentation time into your schedule. I agreed and worked up the video yesterday afternoon. I'll tell ya', you get a special bonus in the video too. Megan, from Animoto, did a 10 minute tutorial on how easy Animoto is to use. So if you are new to Animoto, don't miss Megan's demo. Megan also mentioned a special promo code to get you 3 months free ($100 value) with a 1-year Animoto subscription. You'll have to watch the video to get the code;~)
Creating Customers For Life Video
In preparing for yesterday's webcast, I reviewed years of content I had put together about finding new customers, treating them with the absolute best customer service, building customer relationships into a successful business building strategy. This video is the 45 minute distillation from my notes.
In the video I cover 6 key areas necessary in creating lifelong clients. They can be summarized as follows; Connect, Engage, Sizzle, Innovate, Serve, and Appreciate. Why not hit the PLAY button below and get the rest of the story. I really think you'll enjoy the webcast.
FREE - LIVE Sales Webcast With Charles Lewis Next Week
Mark your calendars and register now [link] - Thursday, August 4, 3:30 p.m. EDT. Next week I’ll be hosting a sales webcast with the pre-eminent sales trainer in the field, Mr. Charles Lewis. And next week, I'm letting the world know about it via my newsletter.
I suspect this webcast will fill up quickly which is why I am giving you an early "heads up." If you want to how to double your sales in only two weeks, you need to hear Chuck's program. Again, here is the link to register for this FREE webcast.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. It will be good to get home even in spite of the high 90's temperatures were having in Northern Kentucky. I hope it's cooler in your neck of the woods. Anyway, plan to stop back tomorrow for a short post. I hope to see you then.
We arrived into Chicago, actually Oswego, Illinois about 6:30 p.m., got settled into the hotel and headed right over to Friday Photo School. WOW! What a place – about 7,000 square feet of studio area with all the latest greatest high tech video equipment and gadgets in the world.
Don gave us the quick tour and we headed to dinner to discuss just what the plan was going to be for today. I am the first person to broadcast out of their new studio so it will be a big learning process for all of us.
We are spending the day rehearsing just to see how all the pieces come together. We are mixing a lot of elements together along with LIVE demos and we have to get the timing down to the minute – otherwise, according to Don, it’s mucho bucks more for the additional bandwith usage.
So, that’s our plan for today. But before we head over, how about we get on with today’s post. Here we go…
Going The Extra Mile and More
Every year one of the local private high schools books us to shoot their graduation. Originally we got the first booking because one of the moms at the school, a great client of ours, lobbied for our involvement in the annual event. It's nice to have clients in high places ;~)
The original request was to just shoot the graduates as they received their high school diplomas. We quoted a price, the school agreed and everyone was happy. But for me, when I book any job, I'm always looking for ways to "sweeten the pot" for the client. The same was true for this event.
Hit the “Read More…” link below for the rest of the story.
Spicing Up The Booking
When we first booked the graduation ceremony, I offered to do additional photographs of the graduates and their families in front of a canvass background at a super reasonable price - more of a complimentary service for the school and not so much of a profit maker for the studio. It was offered more as a "good-will-builder" that would hopefully lead to future bookings.
Well, that great idea quickly went south the first time around. I was thinking mom and dad and graduate in front of my 7 foot background. Before long we were getting requests for much LARGER groups that included grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins - you get the picture.
Needless to say, Photoshop and a lot of time saved the day in stretching that original 7 foot background upwards of 20 feet wide! This year we scouted the outdoor locations around the school property and located a really nice outdoor location which was convenient and easy to get to and also worked great for our casual family groups. Thank goodness, no more heavy Photoshop.
Spice It Up Some More
In addition to the graduation service and the family portraits, we also include candid images of the entire event from the time the graduates arrived and donned their graduation gowns till the end of the graduation social and everyone left at the end of the evening.
This annual booking has become quite the event for us putting it in the same dollars per hour category as one of our weddings. It's always conveniently held on a Friday night and rarly interferes with our wedding schedule. We just completed our fifth year of shooting the event and I suspect we will get the call for next year too.
All the added services allow us to make it a great value for the school and a nice little profit center for us. The school LOVES our NO CHARGE services and really sees the value we bring to the event. So if you get a chance to photograph a graduation, remember to add all the extras for just a little higher price and keep you clients smiling. It’s ALWAYS about exceeding our clients expectations!
DAZNOTE: We just finished a commercial shoot which I discussed at DPT a few weeks ago. The client called just last week and lamented the fact that they wished they had gotten a few more shots of some of their products.
I quickly assured them that if if was something they needed badly for the catalogue, I would be happy to do the additional shooting for them at no charge. I knew it would only take a few more hours of my time and the clients was relieved to hear that they wouldn't be facing another day rate charge for the extra shoot.
Once again, it's how you treat your clients that makes all the difference in the world. Call me old fashioned, but I still believe it's the best way to build sound business practices.
Hey everybody, that's it for me today. We've got rehearsal this morning and then it's maybe heading over to visit our friends at Zookbinders, one of my favorite album companys, to say "HI" and check out their new products. Their new product innovations are always a treat to see because they are so easy to work into our studio offerings. I’m excited!
Until then, have a good one and I'll see you tomorrow for a scintillating Food For Thought Friday: Are Wedding Albums Dead?
Sorry for the later than usual post today. I had it nearly ready to go this morning and planned to get it up on the scenic drive back to Boston. Let's just say Verizon technical difficulties prevented that from happening. But, now we're back in Boston with solid internet connectivity so here goes.
Yesterday we got totally fogged in. It was raining in the morning when we woke up and it looked like we were going to stay in and get caught up on some work. Fortunately the rain stopped and the fog lifted and the yesterday turned out great.
We got to do the hike around Jordan Pond - what a cool, easy hike to grab some great images.
It was late in the afternoon, nearly evening, when we finished up so we headed into town and planned an early dinner. We finished dinner with 30 minutes left till sunset.
We decided to see if we could catch the sunset at Cadillac Mountain. We made it with 5 minutes to spare, jumped out of the car and started shooting. What a great shoot it was! That turned out to be the high note of the day.
Today we pack our bags and head back to Boston catching up with friends along the way. We jump the plane early Friday and it’s back to home-sweet-home. We’ve really enjoyed our stay in New England!
But how about this week's episode of Business Day Thursday? It's coming at you right now. Here we go...
I've Got To Get Home To See The Love Boat
OK, right away I know the title of this post really dates me but I don't care because I think it speaks to something that has been going on for years in wedding photography and needs to be discussed.
Its about leaving the job early. Let me explain....
Mistakes (bad judgments) A Few Photographers Make
For years, even back in the Love Boat Days, I've been encouraging photographers to not leave the job early. I mean, what else have they got to do on a Saturday night - go home and watch the Love Boat?
Over the years, my jibe changed to Fear Factor or what ever other show was on at 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday night. I can't tell you how many stories I heard from brides telling me how a photographer missed some great photographs at her friend’s wedding because he/she cut out early. Shots like the groom grabbing the microphone and serenading his bride at quarter till midnight. Or, that last great group shot of the bride and groom and all their college buddies. The list goes on and on.
I've seen it myself. I'm working with a videographer who tells me their time is up at 10:00 p.m. At the stroke of 10:00 p.m. they are packing their gear and heading out the door. Invariably, from the time they leave till the end of the event, sometime will happen that should have been covered - like the couple leaving in the horse drawn carriage at the end of the evening. I know, I've seen it happen way too often and hear the numerous complaints from the brides.
Just to be clear, we NEVER leave till the event in over - NEVER!!! There is just too big a chance something will happen after we have left and I personally don't ever want to miss spontaneous important memories for my client.
We Ain't Selling Hamburger By The Pound
Some photographers will say that they sell their wedding packages with certain time increments included based on the level of the coverage. Folks, photographers selling photography by the hour is like the butcher selling hamburger by the pound. Why would anybody sell their services by the pound. SELL BY THE LENGTH OF EVENT - never by the pound!
Never Negotiate On The Dance Floor
The quick answer photographers selling by the pound give is that if the client wants more time, the bridal couple can simply let him/her know at the wedding that they want more time and the photographer will bill them later.
It's never been the way I've conducted my business. The dance floor is NO PLACE to negotiate for more photo time at a wedding. Think about it. Consider the emotions of the entire day and evening - the love, excitement, spontaneity, and celebration. Why would anyone ever want to change the course of these emotions and talk about money? The dance floor is definitely not the time or place to "up the sale" - no exceptions!
Sell A Coverage Consistent With The Length Of The Event
The bottom line is this. Don't sell yourself or your photographic coverages short. When you are discussing your services with your client, let them know that they will be booking you for the entire event. Make it your studio policy and do not diverge from it.
Here's why. This policy protects your reputation. I have been in two situations recently where after showing up for an event, I was told by the planner that my services would only be needed for 3 hours even though the event was booked for 5 hours previously - WRONG!
I know the party was really going to get going in those last two hours - which it did. We stayed the entire time and captured some of the best party shots AFTER the 3 hour time limit had expired. Had I left earlier, how might the client have reacted? How about feeling that the guy they hired for the shoot cut out early and missed so many great shots! My reputation could have suffered severely and I probably would not be shooting any future events for that client. Conceivably, if the word got out about how I left early could easily hamper booking for future events for their friends and acquaintances.
This whole "leaving early" mentality only leads to a negative domino effect for your business success. When my client questioned the billing for the entire 5 hours instead of 3 hours as the planner as requested that evening, I simply pointed out that the last 200 or so images would not have been part of the selection had I left early. They saw what would have been missed, conceded my point, and paid the bill.
So, it only makes good business sense to sell your services by the length of event not by the pound. Stay till the end of the event and give your client your best efforts and the service they deserve. It's the only way to do business - in my humble opinion.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. If you've been following the news, you'll see that President Obama is visiting Bar Harbor this weekend staying just two hotels down the road from where we stayed. It would be fun to stick around but we've got to get back to work.
We are flying across the highways and byways of rural Maine as I write this post. My keys are all over the keyboard and it's really tough to write with LaDawn’s speedy driving - if you get my drift ;~) So I'm wrapping it up right noowww, whoops, right now.
Just a quick "head's up - tomorrow's post will go up in the afternoon since we have an early flight to catch in the morning. Just plan to catch up with it over the weekend. I'll plan to see everybody back here bright and early on Monday.
Have a safe and enjoyable weekend, and I'll see you Monday, -David
We had another great shoot yesterday and wrapped about 9:15 p.m. last night. I think everyone was pretty "beat" - me included ;~) We reviewed the classes best images yesterday and there were some beautiful images in their set. I'm planning to share a few of their good ideas with you next week and show you what we were up to this week. I think you'll like what I've got in store, so be sure to check back. Tonight we all get back together at our home for a great dinner and a little R&R - that should be fun, too.
Hey, I'm running a bit behind today because of the long day yesterday so let's get right to today's post. Let me know your take on my friend's situation in the comment section below. Here we go...
Give The Money Back Or Not?
Last week I received an email from a good friend of mine asking my advice on a "customer service" issue that had popped up in his business. He felt he had a client that was about to sue him - yep, it was a BIG "customer service" issue.
He also had forwarded me the email correspondence that had transpired between the both of them. Here is the basic story recap:
He got a call from a high school senior, let's call him Bob, about shooting his senior photos. My friend, let's call him Tom, was happy to oblige. He recently started his business and was looking to book all the sessions he could.
Tom explained his studio policies to Bob and asked Bob, who was at the legal age of 18, to sign the agreement which laid out the policies of the studio and the price for the shoot, $300.00. Everyone was happy and Tom got some great shots of Bob. I saw them myself and they were really good. Tom forwarded the images to Bob who seemed very excited about them as well. Everything was shaping up into a great studio/client relationship, or so Tom thought.
A few days had gone by and then Tom gets his first communication, an email, from Bob's mother. She was quite insulting about what she felt was not a good set of photographs and she wanted the $300.00 back. My friend Tom responds in an email to Bob's mom that stated that Bob, being of sound mind and legal age, entered into the binding contract, loved the photos, and was not entitled to give her a refund. Let me say that his response was in no way offensive. He was simply "sticking to his guns" as per his studio policy.
Hit the "Read More..." link below for the rest of the story.
Bob's mother fires off another email to my friend Tom - this time she "amped it up" even more. My friend Tom, wrote back a lengthy response outlining the entire episode from booking, to shooting, to delivering the images to HIS happy customer. There was still no reason for him to make the refund - he had fulfilled his contractual arrangement and his customer was happy.
One more email from Bob's mother - this time things are fully "amped up". Shortly after the mother's last email I get an email from my friend Tom, who by the way, had forwarded me copies of all the emails. He tells me that he feels he is going to get sued, could I PLEASE offer some advice?
OK, what would you do? You've got a signed copy of your policy agreement, $300.00, and a happy customer - Bob. It's the mother that's upset - do you give the money back?
Folks, I writing on this topic today because it speaks to how we all should handle our own customer service issues. Is the customer always right? Should the money be returned? How should we or could we have handled this situation to keep it from getting out of hand?
First, let me offer you one very important observation I've learned over the years. You can't learn much about customer service from happy clients. You learn your greatest customer service lessons from your most difficult and most demanding clients. Do not shy away from these kinds of situations if they come up, and I guarantee you, they will come up a number of times in your business career. Embrace the challenge, think through your approach to the issue, and plan for it to have a amicable outcome.
OK, how would I have handled the situation?
He are my Eight Steps To Handling Difficult Customers.
1. NEVER, EVER become involved in an adversarial relationship with your customer - EVER!!! It is a sure way not to torpedo any kind of reasonable outcome.
2. After being contacted by the customer, try to analyze what the essential issues are. Try to determine how severe the issues are. Sometimes the problems can look bigger that they are and there probably is an easy solution that satisfies both you and your client.
3. If a customer is upset with some level of your product or service, NEVER respond with an email! Emails are the least efficient way to secure a solution to any kind of problem and can sometimes have a very damaging effect on the final outcome, as my friend Tom found out last week.
4. ALWAYS plan at least a phone call response to the customer. If it’s a particularly serious issue you are trying to resolve, plan to do it at a personal, face to face meeting.
5. When calling the distressed client back, always be upbeat and positive. Your main message should always be, "Don't worry about a thing. I promise we'll get things resolved." Let your customer hear the words from your mouth and feel the words from your heart. Emails don't let you do that in the slightest sense. Words can be communicated in an email, but your feelings can only be effectively communicated by the tone of your voice and voice inflections in that phone conversation.
6. Most important - Give your customer a "good listen". Verbally nod affirmatively that you understand the issues the client is trying to communicate to you. You can verbally nod your understanding of the issues by simply repeating back short snippets of what the customer is telling you.
7. Once you fully understand the issues you are set to work with your client on reaching an amicable solution. That solution could include refunds, allowances, additional photography, additional photographs, or any combination of the above.
8. Remember, working towards a good customer solution is a process. You don't want to be reactive, you want to be proactive in reaching that win-win solution.
In all my years in business, there has never been a time when I haven't been able to achieve a reasonable solution. Sometimes, if you really messed up, a heartfelt apology along with #7 above will get the problem solved, too.
So what did I advise my friend Tom to do in his situation? I scolded him slightly for all his email responses and told him he needed to talk to Bob's mother personally. And, if she is still really upset after the telephone conversation just make the refund and be finished with it.
I was amazed when he told me he had asked the same advice of several other people and I was the only one to suggest he refund the money. You know, life is too short to fill it with hassles. His email solution and his re-iterating the facts to Bob's mother in follow-up emails only served to escalate the situation.
Most customers who are upset about your product or service mostly just want to have their complaint heard. Once you get past that, making them happy again is not that difficult to do.
Think about it yourself. You are really upset about something and call customer support. Don't you really remember the customer service folks that give you a good "listen". And, you get to a workable solution much more quickly, don't you?
I love the word "disarming". I had a client years ago who commented that my studio manager was so "disarming" meaning that she listened and effectively "dis-armed" him - made him put down his "arms" - so she could reach the solution to the problem which was, by the way , for him to pay his bill. Be "disarming" when communicating with your client about their problem.
Back to my friend Tom - where did he go wrong with the shoot? The pictures looked great. Bob loved them. Tom only made one small mistake. He was only shooting for Bob. When you are shooting high school seniors, you are shooting for the high schoolers and their moms and grandparents. Kent and Sarah Smith said it best two weeks ago in my Business Day Thursday post, "Doing It Right - Part 1". Watch it again right here and you'll see what I mean.
Update:
I just recently talked with my friend Tom about how his situation resolved. Well, he had a real phone conversation with Bob’s mother, offered an apology for the fact that she did not like the images, suggested that he would be happy to suggest another photographer who might shoot images closer to the style she was looking for, gave her a good “listen”, and offered to refund the $300.00.
Bob’s mom apologized for having gotten so upset, thanked him for the call, got to tell her side of the story, said she hoped there would be no hard feelings between them – and took the refund.
That’s how it is suppose to work and it did. Sometimes you have to get personal – and that’s always the best way to offer customer service.
We had a great day off yesterday. Man, we all need one of those now and then. We are not too much into the gambling scene out here in Las Vegas, but we love touring the surrounding areas. The Valley of Fire and Mount Charleston are our favorites.
The thing that surprised me the most on our travels yesterday was seeing Lake Mead at, get this, 100 feet lower than normal. The signage says the lake is NOT drying up. The low level it just the result of the "draught years" in Colorado whose waters flow into Lake Mead.
Check out this image - most of earth surrounding the remaining water area, you see in this image, is normally under water - amazing!!
A few things have happened over the last week that I think need some serious discussion. So, I hope you'll hang in here with me and hear what I have to say today. Here we go.
How Much Of A Professional Are You?
Everyone reading this blog knows that I've been doing wedding photography for quite a while. I've seen lots of changes in our profession over the many years, but none have been so game changing as with the introduction of digital cameras.
In the wedding business, it even took a few years for many of the pros to make the switch. I personally made the switch to digital in 2000. It was scary just like anything else you try that is new. No problem, we made the switch, and I have to tell you, I would never go back to film.
In the wedding industry, in the early days of digital, things were pretty calm. Many were making their switch and the competition from new photographers was a little more even keeled than in today's market.
But things started to change about two years ago. Cameras got cheaper, Facebook got famous, everybody started blogging, Craig's List became popular, and cameras got even cheaper still. Now everyone with a new Digital Rebel or Nikon D3000 wanted a piece of the wedding market.
Don't leave yet - it gets even more interesting, hence the topic of today's post - "How Much Of A Professional Are You?"
Last week a friend of mine sent me a link to a YouTube video of Judge Joe Brown lambasting into a so called "professional photographer". The bride booked a photographer and after seeing their images from their wedding, felt they were not representative of what the photographer showed as her samples.
The bridal plaintiff basically wanted a refund of $1000 of the $1300 she paid to the "professional photog". The judge awarded the bride, not the $1000 she asked for, but $2500 in damages!!!
My first intent was to post this as kind of a "humor" piece - lousy photographer gets what she deserves. But, upon reflecting on it I decided it was a much more serious issue that that. Here's why…
Hit the Read More..." link below for the video and the rest of the story.
The "pro photographer" was shooting the wedding with a Canon Rebel with a "kit" lens, had the images processed at WalMart, and delivered then to the bride in the WalMart parking lot. The sign of a true "professional" - right? Wrong!!!
Judge Joe Brown didn't see it that way either asking the photographer why she wasn't shooting with a pro camera like a Canon 1D, 5D, or 7D. It seems the judge knows his cameras and a little something about wedding photography, too. He didn't come right out and say it, but it looked to me like the judge may have shot a wedding or two.
Hit the PLAY button to watch the short video:
OK, like I said, I planned to just post it for the "giggle" but then some thing happened while at WPPI. I attended a program by one of the presenters and was surprised by what I heard. Not by what the presenter said, but what I heard after she said it.
She mentioned that in her early days of shooting she used a Canon Rebel. About 25% of the room cheered her remark - they must be Canon Rebel shooters too - at least that was my impression of their response. It seems to me that this section of the audience felt vindicated by their use of this amateur camera for shooting events that should be shot with professional gear.
That seems both scary and sad to me. A wedding is a once in a lifetime event for most folks out there. When a photographer books a wedding, they assume a lot of responsibility for the outcome of their photographic result. How is it they can feel they are delivering "pro" results with "amateur" cameras.
DAZNOTE:
That presenter by the way, now shoots with Canon's top line EOS Canon 1D cameras.
This whole attitude; "I've got my Canon Rebel or Nikon D50 and some business cards. I've got my Facebook page, I like shooting pictures, I've got my blog, etc. , etc., etc. I must be a professional." To me it shows a total lack of professionalism when any photographer engages a client for the job of shooting the wedding and shows up as "Amateur Anne or Andy".
We have been witnessing the "cheapening" of wedding photography over the last 2 - 3 years. It has put good studios out of business, sacrificed quality photography for brides, created an entire era of paperless, picture-less couples, given wedding photographers and wedding photography a bad name, and does a major disservice to all the real "pros" in our business.
So to those who cheered the use on the Rebel as a wedding camera, I suggest you think twice before booking you next wedding. I suggest you ask yourself just how much of a real "pro" you are. Do you really know your gear, your lenses, your lighting? Do you really know what shots to capture at the wedding? Do you know how to handle yourself in an emergency situation like when your gear fails? Can you still capture the images? These are just a few of the questions real professionals know how to answer.
If you are having trouble answering any part of them, you may want to change that or you too just may find yourself in front of Judge Joe Brown.
-'Nough said
Food For Thought ---
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Hey everybody, that's it for me today. Feel free to jump in on today's conversation by leaving your remarks in the "Comments" section below.
I'll plan to see everyone on Monday back in Cincy. We've got one more day of relaxation in Las Vegas and I want to see if I can win some more pixels;~)
You know, some days you get the lion an some days the lion gets you. Today was the latter. My well laid plans to do a post on fine art photography, canvas wrapping, and certificates of authenticity has completely gone out the window for today.
Here what's going on. Yesterday things were just "peachy" here at the studio. Nearly everything was delivered to our clients, we had wished our "Merry Christmas's" to the team - yesterday was the last day for most of the staff till after the holidays - and I was ready to settle in on getting my article ready for the upcoming Photoshop World.
Well, then the dam "busted" loose. I got a call yesterday afternoon from one of our best clients. Here was the request - if they supply us the images, can we design, print, and have an album custom bound with a custom silver title plate on the cover by next Thursday evening, NEXT Thursday – less than 7 days from now!
The unedited images were still on the client's computer - we wouldn't receive them till 7:00 p.m. The finished album will contain about 150/200 images from the unedited 1600 images. Hey, don't you love a challenge? Of course, I said yes! Needless to say LaDawn was ready to shoot me.
We did get the images last evening and planned to edit the images this morning so we could get the project underway. Then another call this morning at about 11 a.m. from my client….could she assist in the edit? She could get here about 2 p.m. I again said yes and said I would see her around 2 p.m.
By 4 p.m. we had completed a very rough first edit. Over the weekend, I need to tweak the images in Lightroom and Photoshop. LaDawn needs to design the album and all the images need to be printed by Monday.
The album company needs to ship the custom album by next Tuesday so we have it by Wednesday. We will permanently mount all the images on Thursday and deliver the album later that afternoon. Hey, nothing to it, right? NOT, it's taking a lot of split second timing over the next 5 days from LaDawn and myself, and a couple very dedicated vendors, Zookbinders for one, to pull it off. But we will and their 3 week vacation album will look great.
You know, it's these kind of projects that are kind of fun to see if you can pull it off, knowing of course that you have to, you will, and the client will know who to call for the next impossible project. Hey, it's all part of the Holiday rush ;~)
And speaking of the Holiday rush, I'm putting on the breaks right now, and pouring myself an adult beverage. Everybody have a great weekend and I'll see you on, hopefully a much slower moving Monday. As I wonder off I ponder, “.....uhmmm, what am I going to decorate the tree with this year - the white pixels or the multi-color pixels;~) “
Ahhh! Another beautiful day in Cabo. I can’t believe how quickly the time is flying by down here in the land of sea and sun. It’s been a great--- much needed break from a very busy year.
Kent and I are going to try to put together another Technique Tuesday before we leave - maybe something “beachie.” I’ll keep you posted as things develop.
Anyway, let get right to today’s post.
Is Your Business Ready For Success?
I’ve just started reading a book by Andy Sernovitz entitled, “Word Of Mouth Marketing.” I have to tell you, it a nice read brimming with common sense ideas anyone can use in their business – large or small.
One sentence I picked up on was, “Success comes not from what you advertise, but from what you deliver.” He goes on to stress that a company’s worth is determined by the sales/service experience your customer has with you. If they like you, they spread the word. If they don’t, they still spread the word.
The word that is spread is super important to your business too. In the old pre-internet days, the reality was that if a wedding photographer did a crummy job on a bride’s wedding, no big deal. There was always a new crop of unsuspecting bride’s attending next year’s bridal shows he/she could book for the following year.
That isn’t to say that word of mouth was unimportant back then. It was vitally important. Heck, it’s how I built my business over the years. Today, though, word of mouth remarks – good or bad – can really affect your business.
Why? Because today those words live forever on the Internet, on forums, Facebook, and so many bridal sites. That’s why it’s increasingly important to have your “word of mouth” advertising be the best and most positive it can be.
How do you ensure that the good word get’s out? You strive deliberately and diligently to provide your client with the best product and service you can.
How do you gage your success? One simple way is with a simple customer feedback – something as simple as a customer service questionnaire is a good place to start. This feedback is important for you to know in order for you to enhance and maybe improve what you are doing well. Even negative feedback is important for you. Now you know where to make any mid course corrections that need to be corrected in your weak customer service areas.
It’s amazing to me how many business people want to keep their heads in the sand about how well or poorly they serve their clients. It’s almost as though they don’t want to know how they are doing. Why, because in many cases, they are just doing enough to get by and they want to avoid the truth. Or maybe they just care.
That’s too bad – how you can ever improve your customer service with that kind of mentality? In today’s digital age the stories of bad customer service live on forever, it could be disastrous if you chose to run your business without any kind of customer feedback.
So, suck it up and constantly strive to do the job right. Always give it your best. Institute any kind of customer feedback survey so you know where you stand. And then stand tall knowing your client is getting the best you can deliver and is willing to tell the world about it! Now your business is ready for success!!!
Hey gang, that’s it for me today. We’ve got just a few more days to relax around here and are going to make the most of it. Stop back tomorrow for another episode of “Inspiration Friday.” See ya’ then. Adios, -David
We are settling quite comfortably into our Hawaiian surrounds. Nothing much happened yesterday expert for the small tour on downtown Waikiki and a visit to the local Sam's Club - yes, I said Sam's Club. LaDawn and I really know how to live when we go on vacation;~)
We got some great leads on some places to visit today so that's our plan - to don our best tourists attire and set out on a day's worth of island exploration. So, since we are hitting the road in the next few minutes let's get on with today's post. I think it's an important read for anyone who wants to stop the insanity of the holiday rush at their studio. Here we go.
Stop The Insanity!!! Or How To Avoid The Holiday Rush
I can remember years ago sitting with several friends at our local Music Hall watching Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. The time-frame was about two weeks before Christmas and all I could remember is how much I hated being there that evening.
No, it wasn't the performance of the famous "Nutcracker March" or the very pleasant "Sugar Plum Fairy". It was the fact that I had way too much work to do back at the studio. We had our backs up against the wall and I saw little light at the end of the tunnel in getting everything delivered by the holidays. What in the world was I doing WAISTING MY TIME watching the dance of the sugarplum fairy?!!!
Quite the way to spend a few holiday moments with friends, right? I made up my mind at that time, that this was never going to happen again. The sad thing is that for many studios, full or part time, the agony of the holiday rush sucks the beauty out of enjoying the holidays for too many of us.
Back in the day - pre-digital days that is - album companies took FOREVER, or so it seemed to deliver the ordered back to the studio. Many studios found themselves making holiday deliveries on Christmas Eve or even Christmas Day! So many photogs completely missed the fun and excitement of the days leading up to the holidays that they could have shared with family and friends.
Make up your mind that it is never going to happen. Here is what we did to bring sanity, no, more than that, JOY back to the holidays. It was simple, just set your deadlines for holiday delivery to a reasonable time-frame in which you know you can meet them.
I knew I wanted to have everything delivered by a minimal one week BEFORE Christmas - yes, before Christmas. That gave me that week to ENJOY the holidays and all the activities revolving that special time of the year.
So, let's backtrack. It took us a week of production to organize the client's order, and prepare the images for the album. Next, it took the lab about a week to process the order and get it back to us. Album delivery cycles usually took about 6-8 weeks to bind the prints and ship the album to us once they had received our order.
Folks, that's 10 WEEKS of production to get the final album to the client! Add to that the fact that I wanted everything delivered by December 18 and you can see why we set our album cut off date to September 30.
Guess what - IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM the first year we gave it a try. Sure we still made a point to deliver individual gift images to our clients right up to that week before Christmas, but that was never the problem. The problem had been for for us to keep promising far more than we could reasonably deliver in those 10 weeks before Christmas.
Once the clients understood the normal production schedule, they understood and really never had any problem with our early album cut off date. If the album was not going to be ready for delivery we at least could deliver the gift photographs to them in time for the holidays. All was right with the world.Thank goodness these timelines have been substantially reduced thanks to digital.
I've been holding to that same strategy for many years now and it still works really well. I always have to "giggle" though when I have a new team member come on board. This has happened twice over the last 7 years. The new employee wants to promise the world to the customer and does.
I want to mention that I was to be off that week before the holidays and not to count on me for any production help whatsoever. It they were making the client commitments, they were responsible for following through on them. It only took them one season to learn the lesson I had learned so many years before.
You might be thinking that, "Wow, Ziser really offered his clients poor customer service by not delivering more orders before the holiday." Actually, I think we offer exceptional customer service because we are keeping ALL of our delivery commitments to all of our clients.
No one is being delivered late orders. We never have to make an excuse for an album not arriving on time for the holiday delivery. In a word, we never disappoint. As a matter of fact, we excel in customer service because we are delivering our orders to the client well before the client needs them. Now they have ample time to wrap, ship, and/or deliver them to their family members too. And, guess what, now we too get to enjoy the best part of the holidays with our family and our friends.
Just make up you mind to do it and you can do it too - so to each of you reading this today - an early holiday wish. Happy Holidays to each of you and may your days be filled with peace and joy this season.
Hey gang, on that holiday note, I'm out of here. We're off for a little island fun on this beautiful day. I'll see everybody next week on the flip side. And just remember, Hawaiian pixels need a little sunscreen too;~) See ya' Monday. Aloha, David
Can you believe it - we wrapped my Digital WakeUp Call tour last night in Honolulu, Hawaii. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended. I did a quick poll and was surprised and honored by the number of people that flew in from the surrounding islands - about 40% of all those attending WOW! Thank you so much for everyone making the effort to be there.
Next week I’ll do a quick wrap up of the entire tour just to give you a peek at all our high points we had along he way. You're asking, "What about the low points?" The fact of the matter is that we had very few low points most of them are long forgotten. The cities visited, our beautiful drives, and especially the people we met along the way certainly enhance our memories of our tour. We can't wait to go over all the photographs we took over those many months and relive our adventures again. Thanks one more time to all of you who attended who will help to make those memories - lasting memories.
So, I know what you’re thinking, “When’s the video coming out? You never know, I’ll keep you posted;~)
Hey gang, I thought I was going to go easy on today's Business Day Thursday's post - I promised LaDawn and little less time on the blog and a little more time enjoying the island this week. Don't worry, that is definitely our game plan, so let me get right to today's post. Here we go.
Maybe it's Time To Chose Your Customers Instead of Them Choosing You
Sounds like strange advice doesn't it? But you know, in this day and age, it something we should all consider. So many people are looking for the cheapest deal available. Too many photographers are out there accommodating too many of those clients.
Where does all this lead? I remember clearly the words of advice I was offered when I attended my first meeting of our local Tri-State Professional Photographers Association back in 1979. I was definitely the new kid on the block and was looking for any kind of business advice I could get.
I walked into that meeting with my legs wobbling with nervousness as I walked in to meet all the "Big Gun" Cincinnati photographers. Fortunately for me, one of the first photographers I bumped into was Craig Elbe, a big boisterous, dare I say opinionated, character of a guy who gave me the best piece of advice for my budding business.
Craig sees me come into the meeting and as I pass him, he calls out to me saying, "Hey buddy, you're new here aren't you? What kind of photographer are you? Don't tell me you're another wedding photographer, we got too many of them in his town already."
Well, those remarks were NOT setting me at ease at all at my first professional photographers meeting. He then went on to give me the best advice I have ever received when it comes to business building - and, it is still as fresh in my mind now as it was when Craig said it to me.
He comes close to me and starts poking his finger into my chest saying, "Let me tell you this, kid. If you do a cheap wedding, they'll recommend their cheap friends. Shoot expensive weddings and they'll recommend their rich friends." You know I took that advice to heart and started to do just that.
In fact in my DWUC tour, my second business lesson to all the attendees is to get to know the people doing business with the people YOU want to business with and work on creating authentic relationships with them. Uhmmm... authentic business relationships - sounds like the subject of another blog post down the road. Anyway, I took Craig's advice years ago and it has served me well.
Craig Elbe has long since passed away, but when he was alive, I counted him as one of my friends in the Cincinnati photographic community. Consider Craig's advice as you grow your own business too.
Along those same lines, I found this related article over at Seth Godin's site entitled, "Choose Your Customers, Choose Your Future." [link] He basically says the same thing. Here is a quick excerpt from his very brief post:
"Sell to angry cheapskates and your business will reflect that. On the other hand, when you find great customers, they will eagerly co-create with you. They will engage and invent and spread the word." Sounds to me like he's paraphrased Craig Elbe's words 30 years later.
Give it some thought - you business may just take a turn to a brand new, unexpected, brighter future.
Hey gang, that's it for me today, we are heading out and planning to soak up some of this great Hawaiian sunshine. I'll plan to see everyone tomorrow. Have a good one. Aloha, David
Good Morning Everybody, At least it's morning here in Las Vegas. Boy, will I be glad to get back on schedule next week. I was going to do another "The F-Stops Here" post today, but decided to hold off till next week to post it.
Here's why. Last evening, I was reading a copy of Success Magazine that my buddy Bruce Hudson gave me at the WPPI trade-show. I had subscribed years ago and had always enjoyed the magazine so it was a nice surprise to see a copy again. While reading an article in the issue it reminded and struck me as to the real importance of customer service we provide our clients. Give today's post a read and let me know what you think.
Hit the "Read More..." link for the rest of the story.
Customer Service Or Customer Appreciation? Here is a quote from the article, "Every single person on this planet has an invisible sign on the front of them that says; Appreciate me and make me feel good." That quote caught my eye right away and I started wondering how well I appreciate my own clients. Was I doing a good enough job at it. Sure, I thanked them for their business when they picked up their order. Sure, I thank them for a referral when I saw them the next time, which many times was several months later or even worse never. Sure, we would send them our promo pieces asking for more business - but does that even qualify as a Thank You? I think not.
Let me ask the question differently. Is thanking your client part of your marketing plan or simply the end of the transaction? Unfortunately for most of us I think the latter. For too many businesses or those wanting to grow their business, a customer out of site, is also a customer out of mind.
For too many businesses, marketing is simply getting their name out there, offering some kind of special, and hoping the customers will come to them. Folks, I DON'T believe this is the wave of the future when it comes to building our business - I think it's the wave of the past. Look how many businesses, large and small, are using Facebook to connect and build relationships with their clients. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Facebook should be at the heart of your marketing plan, but I suggest you take a peek at it.
I've been driving the same make of car for over 25 years which means that I've seen many levels of service and more importantly, appreciation for my business, from a number of dealers I've experienced over the years. The dealer that stands out for me is my current dealer that has gone above and beyond the call of duty to rectify a few service issues with my car when the warranty was long since expired. It was the personal connect that made a difference to me.
Let me try a little test. Also, let me preface this by saying I'm not necessarily picking on any one company here.
Think if you have felt appreciated as a customer in this situation: 1. Getting tech support on your computer - almost any brand.
2. Even getting through to tech support at Symantec for Norton's Anti-virus. I've never gotten through.
3. Paying the extra "BAG" charge to get on an airplane.
4. Dealing with airline "Customer service" if there was a change of plans. True story - I was trying to change travel plans last year when my mother was dying. After offering not many alternatives for my travel plans, the "customer service" rep told me to have a nice day! Did she hear me? My Mother was dying -- Unbelievable!
5. Having your EULA - End User Licence Agreement tell you that you are eligible for only two installs when you have a work, home, and laptop computer. Their solution... just buy another copy for the third install. That only doubles the price for the last install, doesn't it.
6. Being told the software won't work on a MAC / Being told the software won't work on a PC. I heard them both this week at WPPI.
7. And lastly, trying to buy a new cell phone. True story - LaDawn and I just last week visited a Verizon Store, or more correctly, an authorized Verizon reseller. My advice - avoid the Verizon resellers like the plague and only do business with a Verizon corporate store. The two guys working behind the counter looked like they should be working for Jiffy Lube with their frayed ball caps and less than professional appearance.
The first guy made it seem like we were an inconvenience to him because we were asking too many questions. We were ready to buy the phone for a savings of $50 off the $199 price. I offered my Amex card and they said they didn't take Amex - red flag #1. The other guy - the store manager - made a snotty remark that lots of stores don't take Amex - red flag #2. He may be right, but national corporate stores surely do.
Even though, we nearly sealed the deal, the red flags on their lack of customer appreciation made us walk out of the store and drive the extra 3 miles to the corporate Verizon store where we picked up the same phone for - get this -for only $30! By the way, we spent 3 hours in the corporate store as they finally managed to undo the lock on the account the Verizon authorized reseller had levied on the account.
Whew! What a day, but you get the point. An unappreciated customer may never return. So folks, it's not always about having the best product or the best price. That may get them to make the first purchase. But it's about appreciating your customer on a regular basis that keeps them coming back.
So how well do you appreciate your clients? Do you send your wedding clients anniversary cards every year? Do you send birthday cards to the kids you have photographed? Do you send random Thank You or Thinking of You cards to your clients just - get this - just to say Thank You or I've Missed You without including a pitch or a new offer to buy your product?
Let me say this, "A client that feels appreciated will help grow your business much more than a client whom you just say Thank You." OK, I've gone on for quite a while here, but let me wrap by having you think about this. How often do you get to appreciate your client from the time of the first phone call? Let me count the ways.
20 Ways To Show Customer Appreciation 1. Sending a Thank You note for initially contacting you.
2. Mailing then directions to your studio for their first appointment.
3. Monthly or maybe bi-monthly, before their wedding letting them know how much you are looking forward to spending their wedding day with them.
4. Calling the week of the event just to check in verify schedules, adjust for any last minute change of plans, secure immediate family names and relationships and wrap any loose ends.
5. Showing some of their wedding images at their wedding reception on your laptop.
6. Telling them and the bride and groom's parents how much you enjoyed spending the day with them as you get ready to leave for the evening.
7. Dropping them a note within the week telling them how great their pictures look maybe even including a 4x5 image from the day. They get to read the note when they get back from their honeymoon.
8. Posting a short show, maybe with Animoto, to let them and their families share in the "preview of coming attractions."
9. Thanking them for their order after it's placed. Thank them for referrals.
10. Dropping them a note while their wedding album is in process letting them know how great it is going to look.
11. After delivering the album, follow up with yet another personalized Thank You note with your own personal message.
12. Send out Birthday cards on their birthdays - you asked for that info during the booking process.
13. Send them an anniversary card every anniversary.
14. If you hear they having a baby give a call or send a note. We include a free sterling silver frame with an invitation for complimentary Mom/Dad and Baby shoot.
15. Give them free family portrait session for life, maybe include photographs of the new baby. 16. Send birthday cards to the baby each year, and don't forget mom and dad too.
17. Send holiday cards every year.
18. Make the occasional phone call just to say HI and/or you were thinking about them.
19. Be sure to ask and then let them know if you are going to use any of their images in your promo materials and be sure they receive a copy of the promo material with a complimentary photograph used.
20. Pick a few of your clients randomly each month and just send out a little gift, say something as simple as a brownie or cookies. This will really get the buzz going for your studio.
21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28......... Continue to add your own - you get the idea.
The truth is that if you constantly work at building client relationships, you will have a customer for life! Sure you have to go the extra mile, but as Roger Staubach said, "There are no traffic jams along the extra mile."
A quick note - my Digital WakeUp Call - A New Dawn kicks off in only 5 weeks. This post is just the tip of the iceberg - I'll be covering several other business building ideas at the program too. Here is the link to the Digital WakeUp Call website - see ya' there!
Hey gang, that's it for me today. We head back to Cincy on Sunday, so I'll see you on the flip side of the weekend. Have a good one and I'll see you Monday. -David
Good Morning Everybody, Let me begin by thanking everybody for the great suggestions you have been posting to Skribit over on the right of the posts. Keep them coming and I'll get to all of them in the upcoming weeks. The top vote getter, "If You Were Just Starting Out, How Would You Build Your Client Base - More Than 60 Ways To Do It!" was answered last Thursday so I hope you gave it a good read.
Are you ready for another [B]Business Day Thursday? I had something different scheduled for this week, but it can wait a week. LaDawn and I attended our monthly ISES meeting yesterday afternoon and had a great time. If you are a wedding photographer looking to connect with your fellow professionals working in the same field, you need to check out ISES - International Special Events Society. Most of the larger US cities have chapters. It is a great way to meet and connect with all vendors working in the special events industry, including weddings, of course. Cincinnati has a great group of photographers, videographers, bridal planners, florists, caterers, sales representatives from several of the larger venues in the Cincy area, lighting specialists, rentals companies.......and many, many others. I was one of the charter members and an original board member of our local group. I always enjoy the opportunity of getting together with my vendor buddies just for a little R&R, a little connecting on upcoming events, and a little inspiration from the contracted program speakers. Yesterday's luncheon was just that.
Anyway, that was nice but let me tell you about the really good part. Every meeting usually has a guest speaker and yesterday was no exception. Our speaker was Jon Petz from Columbus, Ohio and boy, did he give a great program. I made several notes during his presentation because I think his message speaks to every reader of this blog and echoes many of the same sentiments about how to conduct your business.
John's message was simply this, "Every time you interact (notice I didn't say just meet, but interact) with your client or a perspective client - It's Showtime! That the time you put on your best prepared and most enthusiastic presentation to your client. Remember that you always need to be totally prepared at any given moment for your client.
Before every meeting with a client, I want some quiet time to get prepared for the meeting. I want to check the specs of the event - times, locations, other vendors involved. It's this preparation time that puts me on the same plane with the client. If I know her vendor list and she has selected the best so far, I can enthusiastically assure her of her choices. They are Cincinnati's A-Team of wedding vendors with yours truly included in that mix. Heck, if you are unfamiliar with some of the locations and vendors involved, just Google them. All the info is easily obtainable. Then you can have a well rounded and informed meeting with your client.
Jon continued, "An now that you booked the job, you can't just meet their expectations, you've got to blow them away!" What's that mean to us as wedding photographers, or for that matter any small business owner reading these words? It means we have to do more than they expect of us, something more than the competition would do. We have to make the experience of hiring us a "standing ovation" experience. I think we do it with "surprisingly" good service, great quality products, and available for help and suggestions. Occasionally we even like surprise the client with something extra added to their order, as a gift from David.
When shooting a Bar Mitzvah in the morning, I would take the time during the afternoon break to head back to the studio, select a few images, combine them quickly into a 8x10 or 11x14 collage, and present it to the clients when I returned in the evening. They loved it. And it would always be placed on prominent display.
We have done similar things for weddings. During some point during the reception, we would download about about 15 images form the day's shoot, print them out on my Epson PictureMate printer, put them into a Neil Enterprises self stick 4x6 album and present it to the bride and groom later that evening. It always blew them away.
Jon had one more main point too. You've got to sign the autographs. Read that as ask you client how you did. And, thank them for any compliments received. We just delivered an album to a client while I was out of town last week. Jennifer, my studio manager, said she absolutely loved the book. I'm making the call today to sign my autograph. We had another client a few weeks ago who's images we delivered by courier because the client couldn't make it over to the studio to pick them up in time for Father's Day. I heard the message on the voice mail over the weekend that she was absolutely thrilled with the images. Jennifer asked for the autographs on Monday.
Folks that's what it means to be proactively involved with your client. It is imperative we take that approach in today's business climate. It's not just about customer satisfaction, it's about building customer loyalty. It's not always about seeking new clients, but taking care of the clients we already have. It's about your current clients giving the tickets to their family and friends to your next "Showtime."
If you would like a quick peek - about 5 minutes - of an excerpt of Jon's presentation, hit the "Read More..." link below. Give it about 1:30 minutes to get to the really cool part - his "Magical Thumb" trick - definitely worth the giggle.
OK! OK! I'm coming. I'm coming! Last week I made a small mention about our friends Kent and Sarah Smith have an enunciator in their driveway. What's an enunciator - it's basically a motion detector that triggers an alert when someone activates it. They have one at the entrance of their studio to alert them when a client arrives.
Now this sounds so high-tech to me and quite expensive. That was until I found one on Amazon for - get this $12.00! Pretty darn cheap for any business - main street or at-home. It's called a Driveway Patrol Sensor and Receiver Kit. It was originally seen in one of those TV ads a few years back, but now is available for about half price. Reviews were mostly favorable so, heck for $12 what have you got to lose? Here is the Amazon link. It seems to be an inexpensive way to improve that "greet them at the door" customer service. Anyway, I've ordered mine.
Hey everybody, that's it for today. The real work is calling around here, so I'll see everybody tomorrow for [B]Business Day Thursday. Until then.... have a great one -David
Polished and professional or clunky and crude?? Vocabulary is so important in how we communicate to our clients. That's the topic on this [B]Business Day Thursday. The right choice of words and phrasing not only reflect on us as professionals but also reflects on how our product is presented to our prospective clients. A good lesson can be learned from reading the menus in fine dining restaurants.
Here is an example: "Fall and winter are reflected in ripe vegetables and mellow spices, summer and spring feature delicate flavors bursting with freshness." or from Chez Panisse Green asparagus salad with pancetta and Parmesan tuile. Fava been, spring onion, and black trumpet tartlet. Grilled Wolfe Ranch quail with artichoke and black olive salsa, roasted potatoes with green garlic, and fresh garden salad. Coconut milk rice pudding with a rich mango accent.
My mouth is watering just typing the words - You get the idea. The same needs to be true in any business. Let me give you a few examples on how we might change the phrasing in some common business interchanges to add a sense of smoothness, softness, and inviting tone to the phraseology.
1. It was good talking with you on the phone yesterday. vs "I really enjoyed our phone visit yesterday. Let's visit by phone tomorrow." Talking becomes visit and a visit is much more inviting term to hear. 2. Let's make an appointment for you to pick out your pictures. vs. "Let's plan on getting together to "fine tune" the selection."Fine tune has a lesser sense of finality to it and implies the studio's assistance in the process. 3. We retouch all of are pictures. vs. "Each image is enhanced for its best presentation in your home." Retouching is a photographer's terminology and makes little sense to the client. Use the words they can relate too. 4. Can I make an appointment for you so we can talk about your wedding? vs. "When can we get together and visit about your wedding plans?" It just sounds a bit smoother. 5. I'm calling because I heard you had some problems with some pictures we delivered. vs. Hello Mrs. Smith, I wanted to visit with you because I understand there may be some issues with your order." I first heard the term issues when I called Microsoft on a tech support question. I had a problem, but they softened it to an issue. I loved the term and have been using it ever since. 6. Our pictures last a long time. vs. "We deliver an archival, museum quality photography." Archival, museum quality says it all. 7. The wall portrait will cost $1000. vs. "The investment for something beautiful for your home will be around $1000." Wall portrait is passe' these days and investment implies long term worth.
Anyway, you get the idea?? Take a peek at the common verbal interchanges that take place in your business everyday. Analyze them for message, polish, effectiveness. Enhance the terminology for the best and most professional communications effect. This can be a subtle yet important differentiators for your business.
.....To the client that is. Engaging the client is quickly becoming one of the lost arts in costumer service these days. Ever walk through a store and wait forever to be asked for help. So many times the service assistants are chatting away among themselves - it seems to have become the customer's responsibility to do the engaging. To my mind this is sort or "bas ackwords" when it comes to true customer service. My friend Kent Smith, has an enunciator in his studio's drive way that alerts the staff that a client is on the way to the front door of the studio. It's their que to get moving, open the door, and welcome the client into the studio. What a polished way to run a business.
Jeff Gitomer publishes an e-newsletter every week. I give is a read every time it arrives in my inbox. He was discussing the very same topic this week listing over 10 elements (no , rules) to enlist the engagement of potential customers. You can give Jeff's newsletter a read right here. Heck, you can even sign up for it yourself - it's always a good read - just do it.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. LaDawn and I are having lunch with friends in just a bit so I've got to scoot. See everybody tomorrow for Inspiration Friday. It's shaping up to be a good one so I'll see you then. Have a great day where ever you are. -David
I just ran across the rather succinct yet right on point article from the Professional Photographers of America entitled, "Strengthen Relationships with Your Existing Customers: 7 Steps You Can Take Right Now. Here is the link right here. It's a short read, but well worth it. It's a PDF so print it out and be sure your staff sees it, reads it, learns it. It needs to be part of everybody's genetic code.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. I'm off to a portrait session in an hour, so I have to scoot. There are batteries to charge, cards to clear, sensors to clean. I'll see everybody tomorrow for Inspiration Friday. Don't miss it, I've got some cool stuff lined up. See you then, -David
One of my readers a few weeks ago wrote asking if I could cover some "client side" topics in [B]Business Day Thursday. Your wish is my command - here is the first in a series. Enjoy!
16 Steps In Answering A Customer Inquiry:
Never answer the phone only giving the company name.
Always follow the company name with your.
Wait for the client to respond and if it's an inquiry for services read on.
Thank the caller for the call.
When the caller inquires as to price, inquire as to how they heard about the studio.
If the referral is from someone the studio is acquainted with, then reminisce with the caller about the referral - i.e. I remember Maria's wedding. It was beautiful. I remember one of my favorite images was..., etc.
If not, ask what the caller's budget is. (Notice how we haven't volunteered the prices yet - we are just doing our homework at this point.)
If the caller's figure is within our price structure, we quote from our least expensive to our best coverage and invite the caller to come in for a visit.
If the caller has not volunteered a budget number yet we still quote from our least expensive to our best coverage and ask if that's within the caller's budget. (That's called a "trial close.") If they say yes, we invite them in for a visit. If no, we ask, "How close are we." If we are pretty close, the caller gets the invitation to come in and visit.
Ask if we can follow up in a few days to see if they have any questions and do so if we haven't heard back from them.
Ask the caller for their e-mail address so we can send them some e-samples of our work. Invite them to share our e-mail collage of images with their fiance, family, and friends.
Thank them for the call and the phone visit and wrap the call reminding the caller to feel free to call back at any time with any other questions.
Follow up at least three times, until the potential client makes a studio appointment, or tells us they have booked someone else.
If they have booked someone else, ask about the possibility of doing an "Engagement Portrait" session and remind them of the other photographic services we offer.
End all phone conversations with a pleasant, positive, warm wishing "Good-Bye"
There you have it folks. That's how we do it at David A. Ziser Photography. I'll cover some more "Client side" topics down the road, but for now, I've got a phone call to take.
Hey gang, that's it for me today. We head back to Cincy on Sunday, so I'll see you on the flip side of the weekend. Have a good one and I'll see you Monday. -David 
