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7 Things You Gotta Have For A Successful New Year

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1. How sincere are your messages?

When you send out an email, post on Facebook, or send out a tweet on Twitter, what is your ultimate goal? If its to sell, you have it all wrong. So many people today take the old way of thinking – “sell, sell, sell” – and try and incorporate it into new technology. It doesn’t work, nor will it ever work. When I see the message come through, “Hi you don’t know me but I have a great product…” its straight to the delete button. Messages need to be from the heart, offer value, and convince a person you are the right one for the job. People know how to find you and will make the sale when they are ready.

2. How is your customer service?

When was the last time you flew? Traveling used to be fun. Now its an incredible pain; something you only want to experience if you really have to. You can find your deal and buy your plane ticket months in advance. Yet you know your costs are anything but over. If your bag is a millimeter too big or an ounce overweight, you’ll be slapped with a fee. And don’t expect it to change any time soon – the only thing you can be guaranteed with is more fees. But is that really the way you want to be treated? Do you really want to give your money to someone you really don’t like? Or do you want to hand over your money to a friend? Someone who understands you and is willing to give you 110 percent all the time? This will continue to be the year of incredible customer service – only businesses dedicated to it will survive.

3. Does everyone want your products?

There’s a Starbucks in our area that does an unbelievable amount of business. It’s a free standing coffee shop with a drive thru. I have never driven by that place without seeing a minimum of a half dozen cars waiting in line – at all hours of the day. And if you go into it its one of the largest in the area, with tables, sofas and chairs spread out by two fireplaces. A little closer to my home was a local coffee shop that recently went out of business. The coffee was okay and they had few options for snacks and other beverages if you weren’t in the mood for coffee. To tell the truth, the only reason I frequented it is because you could always find a table. The difference is in the quality. If your products are average, there is no incentive to make the purchase. But if you make someone say “WOW” you’re on your way to success. [Read more...]

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What 10 Things Will Change Your Photography Business?

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Have you ever found yourself saying, “I really need to do this” or “I need to make this change”. Then months go by and you realize you never had the time to do those few little things.

I think we’ve all done that over and over again. If something isn’t absolutely necessary, if it isn’t something that needs to be done for your business to succeed, it seems to be put onto the back burner indefinitely.

Yet if you sit down and take a look at all the little things you wish you had time to do, you might be surprised at how they cumulatively could change your business.

That’s what we’ve done here the last couple of weeks. We sat down and made up a list of the little things for each facet of our business. And now we’re finding it’s a great roadmap to get 2012 started with a bang. Want to do it to? Here’s how.

Write it down

The problem with doing the little things is you always put them off, hold them in the back of your mind, and never add them to your to-do list because bigger things are always more prevalent. If you have to get out an order for a client, are you really going to put “change  out About Us page on website” in front of it?

In order to get the little things done, you have to know what the little things are. And how they will impact your business. Let me share with you one of our examples.

We’ve created a “10 things to do” list for several different areas of our business, one of them being our VirtualPhotographyStudio website. We still love the look and feel of our Virtual site, yet there are small things we’ve talked about changing for months. So we sat down and created our top “10 things to do” list for Virtual. Some of the things we’ve included are: [Read more...]

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7 Things That Should Be On Your Not-To-Do List

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I love to-do lists. I don’t scratch them out on sticky notes and throw them away at the end of the day. Instead I keep a spiral notebook and write down every detail, checking things off when they are complete. It’s a nice way to keep a record of where you’ve been. And you can also go back and refer to notes if you have questions in the weeks and months ahead.

And while I’m a firm believer in creating written to-do lists, I also have started keeping a not-to-do list.

I heard about this concept a while back, and have really come to appreciate what it does for your productivity. The idea is to eliminate the activities that are costing you a ton of time during your workday, yet really aren’t providing you with any reward. Yep, they’re basically the time wasters.

The easiest way to find your time wasters is to sit down with your monthly to-do lists, your monthly calendars, and any other tools you use to track your time during work hours. Where did the biggest chunks of time go? Were they productive?

While every business owner is going to have their own areas of concern, there are several areas that seem to affect small businesses in general. Take a look at this list and see if you can see yourself in any of them. I’ve set them up to be in not-to-do list form.

1. Do not answer unexpected phone calls.

The world runs by caller id. When the phone rings, if it doesn’t ring with its own unique ringtone, you glance down to see who it is. Then its decision time.

If it’s during normal work hours and it may be a potential customer, answer it. But if you’re in the middle of a project, talking with a client/friend/co-worker, or its after hours, let it go to voice mail. Have a great message that will provide the caller with the appropriate information. And consider getting a better phone system that can allow you to do different things with the message, such as send you a copy to your email so you can read it at your convenience.

Dig Deeper: Google Voice – an Amazing Tool For Virtual Photographers

2. Do not leave your email program open and check it all day long.

One of the biggest distractions outside of the phone is your email. That little “ding” when an incoming message appears can throw you completely off track and quickly scrambles your priorities. Every email has the potential to delay what you are currently working on by minutes, hours or even sometimes days. Instead, set up two or three times per day to check in and see what needs your attention. I usually spend my first hour or so working on my own project and check email when I’ve accomplished my first set of to-do’s. Then I check in when I’m back from lunch, and again before I shut down for the day. If I’m expecting something important I may check in more frequently. Otherwise three times per day is more than enough. Just because you have access to it with your phone, iPad or other portable device doesn’t mean you have to do it. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Production Tagged With: , , , , ,

6 Things A Photographer Should Be Prepared For

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Operating a photography business can be so much fun. You fill up your bags with the latest photography equipment, bring in the best clients, and showcase work you truly love and are proud of.

And for the most part, its all good. Things move along smoothly, and you learn how to improve day to day.

But on occasion, you hit a rough spot. You have a day where something goes wrong – terribly wrong in some cases – and you’re just not sure if its all worth it.

While the unexpected will always happen, and there is little you can do to prepare for it, there are certain things you can plan for today. What are your policies on the following?

Bad Advice

Have you ever noticed how people love to dish out advice when it doesn’t affect them? They hold down 9 to 5 jobs, live in the rat race every day, and yet they become an “expert” in running a small business when you mention your ideas.

And in some cases, it can be hard NOT to take their advice. Especially when its family.

“Here’s the $1,000 you asked for. Don’t worry about paying me back right away; just make sure you use it wisely. Don’t put it towards that ad in the magazine you talked about – that sure was expensive. And …” The advice goes on and on.

And while your loved one means well, if they’ve never run a small business, they don’t have a clue as to what to do.

Smile. Take in their advice. Thank them. And move on.

In some cases they may have valid concerns. Use them when making your final decision. But if their line of thinking is way off base, don’t let that influence you. You’re the boss; you get the final say. [Read more...]

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100 New Photo Clients Just For You

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What would you do if tomorrow morning one hundred people were lined up outside of your doors, credit cards in hand, ready to sign up and do business with you?

Your first reaction is hopefully, “YES!”

Your second reaction may be, “Oh no, now what?”

When one client calls, emails or stops by and wants to do business with you, you can handle the situation with ease. Even if you don’t have everything in place, you can usually muddle through and accomplish the transaction.

But with 100 people lined up, things change. You have to move quicker, think less, and have things in place to make the entire process run smooth.

Think it out. No matter what your reaction was when you read the first sentence above, your mind has probably started thinking of tasks by now. Don’t stop the ideas from coming. Instead, spend some time taking it all in, and writing down a list of ideas. You’re best ideas come when you face a task from a different perspective. I’m willing to bet most of you have only dealt with one client at a time, so the pressure was off. By looking at your business through a different set of eyes, you’ll quickly find where your problem areas are. For instance, maybe you spend quite a bit of time customizing and writing up a contract for each wedding client that comes in. But if you have 100 wedding clients waiting, there is no way you could customize each contract. How can you automate it? Can the contract be saved as a document that is 95 percent complete, with just a few clauses that need to be modified and changed? If that’s the case, type up as many of the clauses as you can and store them in a separate word file. Then its just a matter of copy/paste, and the contract will be ready in seconds. [Read more...]

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1,000 Ways To Say No … or Should It Be Yes?

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“Would you like to co-chair this committee with me?”

“Can you work the school auction?”

“Why don’t you plan the family reunion, you’re so good at it.”

Are you the type of person that people come to when they need something?

Is it because you do the best job? Is it because you’re reliable?

Or is it because they know you won’t say no?

Yep, I’ve fallen into that trap many times myself. Its easy to do when you love to help out when you can, and you’re committed to a cause. Whether its being a part of your children’s schooling, being a part of a family, or even being in business, its hard to say no when you feel a sense of community.

But saying no isn’t a bad thing; it’s the perception we feel it puts on our shoulders that we’re afraid of.

“Will they think less of me if I say no?”

“Will I miss out on hidden opportunities if I say no?”

All kinds of things run through your mind.

In truth, saying no isn’t a bad thing. In fact it can be beneficial.

Consider the cost of missed opportunities

If you say yes to something you’re heart isn’t into, and you would rather not do, you may find yourself having to turn down other things that would have more benefit. Especially if you’ve signed up for a long term project.

Planning an event or sitting on a committee takes time. You’ll spend hours working on the outcome, and even more hours driving to/from and attending meetings. What if a new project comes along for your business and you can’t accept because you don’t have the time?

Always ask yourself if you are using your time as wisely as possible.

Look at the alternatives

When someone approaches you with a new idea, don’t answer “yes” right away. Even if you like the idea, ask if you can respond in a day or two with your final answer. Then look at it subjectively over the course of the next day or two. Do a little research to find out how much time this project will truly take. Ask people that have been in the position before how much time they truly spent on the project. Also consider what you could do if you don’t commit to this project. Make your decision based on what you feel is the best thing for you at the moment. [Read more...]

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Is Photography A Possibility?

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We’re coming into the final stretch of 2011, and no matter where you sit today, one thing is for sure. 2011 has been filled with change.

This is the year we hit 7 billion people on earth. And while the number of people on earth is growing phenomenally every day, there is one thing that most are not doing: fulfilling their potential. People have the potential of changing the world, releasing their own uniqueness, and catapulting themselves into any direction they choose. Yet most aren’t. Why?

This past weekend was a “movie weekend” where many top notch films were released. Did you see any of them?

One of our favorites was the movie Hugo. If you haven’t seen it (or read the book), its about a boy who loses his family and ends up living in a train station. He ends up meeting a toy shop owner, his daughter, and their lives are entwined through a series of events set around the production of movies.

While I won’t give away the plot of the movie, one scene tied everything together, and stuck with me all weekend.

In it Hugo has a revelation. He sees the world as a machine. Every person on earth, everything we see and have around us, is here as a part of the machine. If one piece is missing, or broken, the machine can’t function the way its supposed to. So it’s up to every person to fulfill his or her passion, to fulfill their destiny in order to keep the machine working at 100 percent.

For just a moment, it makes you look at the world a little differently.

Not everyone here on earth is meant to be a Tony Robbins, the president of a large corporation, or even the President of a major country. Most people are here in supporting roles, and are meant to do one thing that will inspire the people around them, even if its only a handful of people.

So what if your destiny is photography? What are you doing to make it come true? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Start A Photo Business Tagged With: , , ,

Top 5 Mistakes We Made When We Transitioned From Corporate To Self Employed and How You Can Avoid Them

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In the early years, as we were building our business from the ground up, we couldn’t wait for the day until we could both quit corporate, and work for ourselves full time. It took several years for us both to jump over full time, but the minute we accomplished it we knew it was definitely the right choice.

Now as we look back, we can see we made a ton of great choices – and a few things we definitely would have handled a bit differently. So I share these with you in case you are on your own journey to full time entrepreneurship in hopes you’ll have a few more things to consider before you make your big move.

Not having clearly defined roles

When you get a job, they present you with a job description. They interview you to determine if you can handle the functions of the job. They hire you. They train you. And then you have set goals and expectations to help you get through day after day, week after week, month after month. [Read more...]

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The Fear of Ruining Your Dreams Of A Photography Studio

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I had a question sent to me that made me really think.

“I really want to start a photography business, but I have no idea of where to start or what to do next.”

I know she has had the opportunity to read a ton of articles here on this blog, and with over 1,000+ articles, that is a lot of information.

And I know she’s has access to some of my best training. Just one of my Kindle books – my 30 Ways in 30 Days Kindle book is probably one of the best (and affordable) ways to have a blueprint in place, ready to take you by the hand over 30 days and walk you through the process.

And yet the question remains.

So it got me thinking about what is holding her back when she has access to so much.

And while it could be many things (I’m simply guessing from a quick question) I really feel that overall, the one thing that holds people back is the fear of the unknown.

Easy Questions versus Hard Questions

When we ask easy questions, our minds can quickly come up with an answer.

What shall I have for dinner tonight? It’s a quick easy question that we ask day after day. So we search for a quick easy answer, and it usually jumps out at us in seconds.

But when we stretch beyond the norm and ask something we’ve never asked before, it becomes a little harder. And the bigger, more detailed that question is, the more we freeze up and we simply shut down rather than search for the answer.

But what if you asked a question that literally held your future in its hands? What if the question you asked would completely change your life not only for the good, but also because there were no other options?

That today is what many people are asking. They’ve been unemployed or underemployed for so long, they simply don’t have any idea what the future holds for them. And even if you have a great job today, will it really be there tomorrow?

Yep, there is no denying it. The world is changing. And the more you look back yearning for what we once had, the more you’re missing out on the greatest opportunity of our time. [Read more...]

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4 Home Based Business Myths – Did You Fall For One Of Them?

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Ahhhh, living the life of a small business owner working from home. Nothing could be better, right?

There is an underlying expectation that comes with being a home based business owner.

  • You can work when you want, play when you want, sleep when you want.
  • You can work as much (or as little) as you choose.
  • You can do many things at once, including loads of laundry, taking care of home repairs, and watching over the kids.

And of course many more.

The problem with these assumptions is they simply aren’t fact; they are the “dream” people associate with running their own businesses out of their home. There are many misconceptions about what it takes to run a business out of your home; see if you’ve fallen for any of these myths, and learn what you can do change the outcome.

Anyone can start up a successful home based business

While anyone can start up a home based business at any time, not everyone will succeed. Success isn’t something your build over night; which means the majority of people that start small businesses out of their homes are in for months, even years of hard work in order to begin seeing success. Are you up for the challenge?

Dig Deeper: 8 Ways To Know If Your Are Meant To Be a Business Owner

When you start up a new business, there is a ton to take in. Some of it will be great advice, others not so much. The key is learning to filter out what works – and what doesn’t. Over time you’ll begin learning from everything you do, and applying it in a way that helps you grow just a little bit all the time. Once you start making money on a regular basis, and can see the effects what you do has on your bottom line – that’s when success finally happens. [Read more...]

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