Business Day Thursday: Don't Give Your Business Cards Out At Weddings!

Hey Everybody,

Its Business day Thursday so let's get right to it.

Business Day Thursday: Don't Give Your Business Cards Out At Weddings!

Okay, you must think I'm crazy making a statement like that. But, it's been my philosophy for as many years as I've been in the wedding business.  You might be asking yourself, "Then how in the world am I going to be able to pass my name on the potential new clients?"   Folks, I'd like you to consider something. When I started my business I was happy and thrilled to pass my business cards to prospective brides and grooms that I met at the weddings and events I was photographing. 

The funny thing is I seldom heard back from any of the people I gave the cards to. Here's why. Historically I found overall my years in business that when you pass a card to a prospective client, that card will be lost in the purse, still be in the jacket pocket as a coat heads to the dry cleaners, are just simply be misplaced really killing any chance of you hearing back from the person you gave the card to. Historically I found that about 15% of the people that I gave to cards to at wedding receptions made the effort to try to contact me again.

I think that a 15% return on your marketing efforts – passing out a business card – is a pretty darn poor return on your efforts. How about if I could guarantee you he 100% return on your efforts?  That's exactly the topic of this post. Now don't get me wrong here.  I don't think business cards are a bad thing. In fact I'll give my business card away at conventions and programs all the time. But in that case I'm not looking for the recipient to necessarily be making contact back with me. I'm passing out my card to them for  a reference should they need to contact me in the future.

Just Don’t Do It!

But when it comes to passing out business cards at a wedding, it's a completely different matter. You want that potential client to contact you and hopefully do business with you. But as I said the possibility of that happening settles in at a very dismal 15% rate of return.

My strategy, for many many years, has always been to ask the person requesting my business card, while never offering mine, but always ask for theirs instead. If they didn't have a business card I'd ask them to write their contact information on a cocktail napkin. In either instance, I had their contact information and I knew I would be a lot more pro-active in re-contacting them. That would guarantee me a 100% rate of return on my efforts.  As you can see, this practice dramatically improves my chances of booking a potential client.

The Power Of The iPad

In today's digital age it is so easy to follow-up with clients that request your business card at a wedding. I blogged about this before here DigitalProTalk.  One of the most effective ways to counter the business card request is to have your trusty iPad with you everywhere you go. Then, if you encounter potential client, asking for business card, just shown your portfolio on your iPad.

If they see an image that they really like, offer to send it to them. Now you’ve captured their email and have it for reference for future wedding planning or whenever. The potential client will be amazed with your responsiveness and I that same moment you've got their e-mail address for further follow-up.

The whole point is this – to be able to follow-up with a prospective client proactively knowing that you will make the return call 100% of the time.  Waiting for your potential client to call you after passing your business card to them for slim pickin’s when hoping to pick up new clients.

So, In Conclusion:

Whenever you encounter a potential client, whether it be at a bridal show, a wedding reception, a special event of wedding planners, or any special event; be sure that you get their contact information 100% of the time.  That will guarantee you, if you’re not the lazy sort, a 100% guarantee of reconnecting with them.  When we take it upon ourselves to proactively contact our leads we will see a dramatically higher rate of return of booking is prospective clients.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today. We've got our webcast later on this afternoon and I've got a few things I still need to do to prep for it. I sure hope to see you online in a few hours. Everybody have a great rest of the day and I'll see you soon.

Adios, David

Business Day Thursday: Your Business Cards On Steroids

Good Morning Everybody,

I've been working these last few days on my new Lightroom 3 presentation for the PhotoProExpo Summer School happening in Lexington, Kentucky this weekend.  Man, the more you dig under the hood of LR3, the more cool things you discover.  I've already mentioned a few upcoming Technique Tuesday episodes to show you some exciting and cool tricks never before seen anywhere - really, no kidding. As usual, stay tuned.

Oh, and one more quick update – as of yesterday WE HAVE LIGHTROOM 3 RUNNING ON A NETWORK!!! Yes, it’s true and it works like a charm.  So, where can you find out how to make it work on your network?  Be sure to tune in next week for a special edition of Technique Tuesday: “Jailbreaking Lightroom 3 – How To Run LR3 On A Network”. 

Hey, just a quick update on my Photowalk - it looks like we are all filled up. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I’m sure we will have a few attendees that will have a change of plans before the big day. So, if you still want to join us, don't lose hope.  Just jump on the waiting list - we only have one on the list right now.  I feel confident you will still have a good chance of joining us. 

I mentioned on Tuesday, that I had briefly experimented with shooting my Canon 7D tethered into Lightroom 3 and mentioned how easy it was. Well, I plan to amp it up a notch.  Yesterday I ordered 32 feet of USB cable to really give this tethered shooting experience a real work out. 

You can't just order regular USB cable.  I had to order a booster cable too otherwise the inherent data loss over that long of a distance would give you unpredictable data transmission results over these longer distances. I'll give you the full details as soon as I'm finished testing and I'll give you the specifics of the cables I ordered too.  Let me see if all this stuff works first ;~)

OK gang, time to get on with today's exciting, scintillating, profit building, success proven Business Day Thursday.  Here we go...

Your Business Cards On Steroids

I've been kind of kicking it back and forth to see if I wanted to pass along this information.  But the more I thought about it, I really thought is was a good idea. So here goes.

Hit the "Read More..." link below for today's post.

A few weeks ago I contacted our tree trimming service to take care of some dubious hanging limbs in a few trees on our property.  I had used the same gentlemen before because of his astoundingly fantastic service and cleanup.  The last time he was here with his crew, they worked two days on the trees.  After they finished Jim Allen and his crew disappeared into thin air.  There was not a blade of grass out of place and nary a piece of sawdust to be found anywhere - it was simply amazing the professionalism Allen's Tree Service brought to the job.

OK, that was my big plug for Allen's Tree Service, so let's get on with the rest of the story.  Mr. Allen stopped by about two weeks ago so we could discuss what I needed to have cleaned up around the property.  We had a nice visit, made the arrangements to get the service scheduled and said our goodbyes to each other.

As Jimmy left, he handed me his business card.  It was your standard business card - on the front, that is.  He turned the card over to show me it was full of offers from local merchants.  You know, 2 for 1, 10-15% off,  buy one get one free, etc.

I took a close look at the offers and although some didn't amount to much and I will never use them, there were still 3 or 4 that I WOULD possibly use.  Jimmy told me the offers were good up to the date shown on the card which was next May! He also told me that they were good for more than just one visit.  I could use the card as many times as I wanted up to May of next year.

I'm thinking, "Wow!  What a deal.  I'm keeping Jimmy's card in my wallet.  You just never know when it will come in handy." And there folks is the rest of the story.  Jimmy gave me his business card, a business card that I plan always to keep with me, a business card that always let's me know who gave it to me every time I use it.

Marketing experts talk about advertising being "sticky". How long do you remember the ad and the offer?  This simple little business card is about the "stickiest" piece of advertising I seen in a long while.  Does it work for wedding photographers?  I have to say definitely maybe.  Depending on your market niche, where you are in your business growth and brand building, it just may be a wonderful business building opportunity for you.

I called the contact number for KM Publishing on the back of the card and talked to John, the genius behind the concept. He faxed me the whole fascinating story of how well it works for the merchants who love it and the business owners giving out the cards.  For anyone living in the Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky area wanting to contact John about business cards, he can be reached at 859-307-6564.

I'm thinking there must be other similar business card publishers offering this same kind of service in other parts of the country and the world. You'll have to check in your own area.  Hey, you may even want your own business doing the same thing.  John can tell you how ;~)

I said in the beginning, that this was going to be an interesting post today.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Even as I sit here and wrap up the post, my mind is spinning just thinking about how to expand on this entire idea.

Uhmmm.... maybe working with your vendor buddies, cross pollinate with several of them, and put your own card together featuring all of your offers on the back of the card.  Oh, this doesn't have to replace your current business card either.  Keep your regular card on hand and use your "offer" card as an addition to your regular card.  Hey, you just want your potential clients to have your contact information with them at all times, right? The "offer" card may do that pretty effectively.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  Be sure to stop back for tomorrow's Post, "What I'd Like To See In Lightroom 4".  Hope to see ya' then.

Adios, David

Business Day Thursday: Best Perceived Value - Discounts or Gift Cards?

Good Morning Everybody,

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood today - I sure hope this weather lasts through the weekend.  It is just so cool to work on the blog while sitting on the back deck enjoying a cup a morning joe. 

And speaking of iPads, everyone is looking for the best and coolest apps.  I don't want to steal Terry White's thunder over on his Tech Blog [link] - but I'm planning on doing a post of my favorite apps that I've found so far, and I've found some very cool ones.  Look for it next Wednesday.  It should be fun.

Hey gang, I got thinking about this week's blog topic last week and am really fired up about it so let's get right to it.

Best Perceived Value - Discounts or Gift Cards?

Look anywhere - all of us are constantly bombarded with offers for this and discounts on that.  We see the offers in the mail, on TV, in magazines and newspapers, all over the internet - these offers are everywhere, right?  How do we respond to these offers, what kind of "call to action" works best?  Which offers give us the best reason to buy a certain product?

Here are my thoughts on the topic. Okay, listen closely now. I want you to consider two discount scenarios. There is a product you would love to purchase - it's offered by two reputable companies and it costs $250.  Here is my question.  One company runs an ad and offers a 20% discount on that item - great a $50 savings.  Another company sends you a $50 gift card in the mail good for any purchase at their store totaling $250 or more.  Which off has the greatest perceived value.

Almost universally, the customer will answer that the $50 gift card is the best, most effective way to make the offer. Why? Because a gift card "feels" like CASH IN YOUR HANDS! Well, it really is, isn't it?  How did you answer the question?  It seems automatic to prefer the gift card, doesn't it? It's still the same $50 savings in both offers but the gift card is a great "call to action" because, as I said - it "feels' like cash.

I think something else is happening here too.  If you offer a discount, allowance, etc. at say 20%, the customer has to make a mental calculation as to how much the 20% off is.  The gift card takes the math out of the decision getting the customer quickly one step closer to a buying decision without having to do the math.

Having to do the easy mental math is what makes the discount something that could easily postpone the buying decision, even until the offer may be forgotten about in just a few days.  The gift card though, is like cash burning a hole in your pocket where you want to spend it - heck, it's $50! 

Do you see what I'm saying here?  As small business owners, it is the easiest and most effective way for us to build sales. Frank Wilson, who is the "King of Gift Cards", inspired my other gift card post right here. He has been raving about their effectiveness since I first met him years ago. Be sure to read the Comments Section too for lots more gift card ideas. Frank has them with him all the time and will spontaneously give them to any type of prospective client.

Here's the deal.  You can get your own gift cards custom made lots of places online. 4ColorPrint.com [link] offers 2 sides, 4-color gift cards for $119 for 250 cards - like $.50/card - cheap. My1Stop.com [link] is a bit pricier at $190 for 250 cards. 

If this idea turns you on, then I really recommend my buddies over at Marathon Press [link] who offer gift cards in quantities as small as 50 cards.  For $132, you can get 250 cards - on par with the best prices on the net.  But, here is what makes Marathon different when it comes to gift cards.  They also offer a special gift card fold-over note card and imprinted envelope to really "class up" your gift card presentation to your client. Yep, it's a bit pricier, but good impressions sometimes are.

If it was me, I would be carrying gift cards with me to every wedding, on every family portrait shoot,  I would be generously passing them out wherever I might meet a prospective client.  Think about it, your new gift cards may be your new business card;~)

I love the idea, let me know what you think in the Comments section below.

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Hey gang, that's it for me today - back to my edit for Kelby Training.  I'm still about a day away, but I should have them over to them by the weekend.  I'll follow up with them next week and give you an update on when the next lesson will go "live."

Have a good one today, and I'll see you tomorrow for another episode of "Keeping the Faith" - At A Muslim Wedding.

Adios, David

Just A Little Dessert - The Tiny Add-on Sale; Twitterview Today; Partying With Big Electric Cat

Good Morning Everyone,

Hey, a couple of things real quick before we get started today. 

Twitterview Reminder

Don't forget to check out my Twitterview with Peachpit today at 2:00 p.m. EDT.  This is a first for me but we did a dry run yesterday and all looks good to go.

To tune in, just follow @Peachpit and @DigitalProTalk. You can even set up a Tweetdeck group with just those 2 tweeps and follow along or search for this hashtag: #CBTL.

Bringing Down The House With Big Electric Cat At PSW

I couldn't wait to get back home and check out the images I captured at the Photoshop World’s big party last Wednesday night.  Not only did I shoot stills with my handy dandy Canon 7D, I also shot several video clips too. 

OK, how to bring them all together as quickly as possible - well, Animoto, of course.  I did the quick edit of the stills in Lightroom and exported them as 1280px on the long side and uploaded them to Animoto.  Next I grabbed about 8 of the short 10 second video clips I captured and sent them up to Animoto too - no editing required. 

I had forgotten how easily Animoto lets you trim up the videos once you’ve uploaded to them. Total edit time took little to no time at all.  I did a quick trim of the videos, placed them in the sequence I wanted and that was that.  Next, select the music and hit "Make Video" - it's way, way to easy!

Here is my final "fun" Animoto video of the evening.  -Enjoy!

Pretty cool, don’t you think?  I love the video clips with the stills – and it’s soooo easy.

OK gang time to get on with our Business Day Thursday post. Here we go.

Just A Little Dessert - The Tiny Add-on Sale

OK gang, some good ideas coming your way that may even pay for your next vacation.

Hit the “Read More…” link below to find out how to add to your bottom line, a little bit at a time.

I have to tell ya' - sometimes I get my best sales ideas at restaurants. Today's post will point you to a new way of thinking about add-on dollars from your wedding and portrait sales.

Here's what happened.  Last week we headed down to Orlando for this year's Photoshop World.  We got in town later in the afternoon and decided to have an early dinner at Seasons 52.  It's a great restaurant and we’ve previously enjoyed the menu and service.

Seasons 52 is like any really good restaurant - lots of tasty menu choices from soups to salads to main courses.  The server took our orders and we sat back and enjoyed a great meal.

Now I don't know about you guys and girls, but I ALWAYS pass on the desserts when eating out at restaurants.  I generally over indulge with an appetizer, soup, salad, entre’ selections of the menu and just NEVER have room for dessert. Plus, I don't don't want to spend another $6-10 for the added goodies.

You're wandering how this is going to shape up into a sales lesson today, aren't you?  Just hang in here. Our server comes back to our table as we were finishing our meal and asked if we would like to try one of their mini indulgences?  Their what?

She showed us this dessert list of MINI-desserts, called mini-indulgences, at only $2.50 each.  I was hooked - the guy that never gets a dessert.  Now I could get a little mini taste of key lime pie, one of my favorite dessert flavors for only $2.50 - what a deal. The dessert offer dented neither the waistline or my wallet - I'll have one!

Folks, this is "Beauty in Sales" - one of the best sales ideas I've run across in a long time.  You are completely full, you don't want yourself heavier with the extra calories, or your wallet lighter because of the cost - BUT you can't say no to Season 52's offer.  What a great way to ever so slightly incrementally raise sales.

So how can we bring this same lesson to our own businesses?  OK, let's put everything in perspective first. Your client has just selected all the photographs for their album.  They've selected the photos for the family albums.  They've picked out images for family and friends.  They are finished, they are happy and "full" with their "photography meal". What are a few "mini-indulgences you could offer?

Remember, the offer is made after the sales close.  The price point must be low enough and the perceived value sufficient so that the customer will not say "NO". I think the price point should be around $5, $10, but certainly not over $20.

This works for weddings, family portrait, high school seniors, almost any photographic "people" session. 

Here are 7 of my $10 suggestions:

1. 5 low res (1024x768px) images for their iPod/iPhone/Facebook/screen saver.  These images would look even better on the new iPad that's ready to launch too.

2. A $20 gift card for only $10.  They can use it as a stocking stuffer at Christmas or include with other images selected for friends and family.

3. 100 "Business cards" they could use to share with friends.  I already covered a similar idea right here at DPT.

5. 10 photographic "Play Date" cards with their image.

6. 10 Note Cards presented stylishly with bows and ribbons printed on your color printer.

7. 1 4x5 B&W photograph in a value priced frame for office/grandma/friend/etc. 

Use you own imagination - the possibilities are endless.  Remember, the cost must be low and the value high.  We want the client to say "yes" at least 80% of the time.  Do this 50-100 times a year and you have part of next year's vacation already paid for by offering your own tasty selection of mini-indulgences!

Why not join the conversation and add your own ideas to the "Comments" section below.

• Related Links: Nudge It Up A Notch Selling

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  We are making room for the new printer so things are a bit busy for us today. Hey, don't forget to check in for my Twitterview later today at 2:00p.m. EDT.

Have a great one!

-David

Image Is Everything – Even In Business Cards

Looking for some cool and creative ideas for making a good first impression with your potential clients, then check out these business card designs. Hey, not all of them may be your “cup of tea” but at least they give you some “food for thought” for crafting your own cards if you don’t yet have one or are just looking to update the ones you have.

Here are three links from our friends over at AllGraphicDesign – just click on the links for the Coolest Business Cards Part 1, Coolest Business Cards Part 2, and Coolest Business Cards Part 3. Enjoy the browse – there are some good ideas for you here.

Hey gang, I’ve got to go – it was the ocean last week, it’s the snow angels this week. Have a great Monday, and if you are reading this in the blizzard stricken Midwest, I hope you get dug out by mid May :~) See ya’ --David