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This newsletter is dedicated to the
photographers who taught at the Winona Lake PPA Professional School
of Photography. These individuals left their studios for a week each
summer to teach photographic techniques and to share their insights
with young photographers. Their pay was low and their workdays were
long. After teaching from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm they adjourned to the
Holiday Inn bar and were surrounded by students bombarding them with
questions on how to run a successful studio. The "learning"
continued until 1:00 or 2:00 am.
They taught us that photography was a great profession and that if
you worked hard, it would provide you with a good living. They
believed in the importance of giving back to their profession and
they taught us by example.
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Welcome to the second issue of Survivor!
(Click
Here for a printable .pdf copy)
The business
survival newsletter filled with useful tidbits and tips designed to
help you navigate through today's stressful economic environment.
Each issue will feature specific small business survival tactics
designed to keep your small business afloat in a tough economy.
Should I Enter State or
National Print Competitions?
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Yes. If you do it for advertising
purposes to promote your studio.
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Yes. If you wish to enhance and
hone your photographic skills.
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Yes if you submit photographs of
subjects you normally shoot to make a living. (If you primarily
photograph high school seniors, enter a senior portrait.)
If you are puzzled by my answer, let
me explain.
A photographer, entering a competition, may win a yellow, red or
blue ribbon, thus instantly becoming an award winning photographer.
What looks more impressive on your website or your studio
literature, your name photographic studio or your name award winning
photographic studio? Display your ribbon winning prints in your
studio. A photographer should enter a print completion once a year,
to assure that the prints and the awards are current.
Competition can make you a better
photographer. The difference between a good photographer and a
mediocre photographer are these little things: hair neatly in place,
the perfect positioning of the head, proper shift of the subject’s
weight, and the proper exposure. When you photograph to please your
customer and your peers, you develop good solid photographic habits,
and you push yourself to try new things.
There are several reasons that you
enter prints of your regular subjects. If your studios walls are
full of ribbon prints of dogs, old wrinkly men or scenic
photographs, and you photograph high school seniors, families, and
weddings, do you think potential customers, who enter your studio,
will be reassured that you are the best photographer to fulfill
their needs? The most important thing is the impact of being able to
tell a customer that you won a ribbon with their picture, and that
you will display it in your showroom window. A question you have to
ask yourself is how many of your customer’s friends, acquaintances,
and family members do you think they will tell about your studio,
and their award winning picture? If the customer is a high school
senior, how many people will Mom tell? Word of mouth is the best
form of advertising a studio can have, and it is free.
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Your Customers Have Money
to Spend!
A photographer should never apologize
for their pricing. Don’t allow a customer to dictate what your work
is worth. Instead educate customers on why your images cost more
than a print they can get from the local Wal-Mart. Most people don’t
understand why professional images look better – they just know they
do! A studio is creating a lasting image, something that will last
longer than a lifetime. A professional photographic image is truly
priceless!
Photography is a niche market. Not
everyone can produce quality professional images. Consumers are
willing to spend their money on products that they cannot produce.
Images from a studio are so much more than just ‘pictures’.
Photographers have spent years, even decades, perfecting their
trade. Professional Photographers are experts in lighting and
posing. It is the photographer’s knowledge that enhances the
professional image, making it so much more than just a ‘picture’.
Professional photographs are always
enhanced. Studios need to promote that their images have been
properly color corrected, digitally enhanced and cropped. A few
minutes spent correcting a print helps a studio sell. Remember your
customers want to look better than they really are!
Professional images should always be
properly packaged. Proper packaging increases or enhances the
perceived value of the product while doing it in the most economic
way. This includes using the following products: folders/mounts,
boxes or photo cases. Bags are the final step in packaging and
should never be used as the only source of packaging. Packaging
should always make your customer feel good about the purchase they
have made with your studio! The last thing a studio wants is a
customer walking out the door experiencing buyer’s remorse.
A studio should be flexible with their pricing. Studios can
customize packages to meet a customer’s needs. Lowering the price of
a package can be the difference between booking a client and having
them walk out the door. However, do not give away your work.
Undercutting your prices too far can lead to a customer believing
your studio is either overpriced or that they are getting nothing
special. When a studio lowers the price on a package, take something
away from the order to make up the cost difference.
Altering packages is a great way to
meet a customer’s monetary needs. A Bride coming into your studio
may only have $1300.00 to spend on your $1600.00 package. The Bride
is firm that she will not spend more than $1300.00. A studio can
alter their package to meet the Bride’s needs. A studio can offer
fewer hours of coverage, or a less expensive album. Work with your
client to create a win/win situation. Remember it is better to
customize a package than to lose a sale!
Another great way to increase sales is to offer must have products
that customers can only purchase if they order a package with your
studio. This especially works well in the senior market! A studio in
Michigan offers a senior frame that can only be purchased when a
certain package is ordered. The studio found that by adding this one
item to their inventory, increased their average senior package
sales by $400.00. This was an item that the senior had to have!
Parents were willing to spend a bit more money on a package in order
to be able to purchase this must have item!
It is also important to allow a customer to upgrade their package
after they have booked with your studio. This works especially well
in wedding photography. Before the wedding the bride and groom are
very money conscience, they usually don’t have extra money to spend.
Allow them to book and secure your studio at a lower price and later
upgrade to a larger package. After the wedding the bride and groom
have more money (remember all the money they’ve received from
gifts)! Your customer’s will be willing to spend that extra money
now that they are not so concerned about paying for the wedding!
Add on sale items are a great way to increase overall revenue for
your studio! The add on sale items do not need to be high cost
items, but even bringing in an extra few dollars with each sale will
add up over time! There are a number of small, inexpensive items a
studio can add to their inventory that can be added to any package.
Some simple ideas are inexpensive frames or wallet albums! Each item
can be purchased for under $10.00 and can be resold to your customer
to make a quick profit!
Don’t be afraid to offer specials and sales to your customers!
Running specials during the slow time is a great way to drum up
business. Take July for example, a month when there is very little
going on! This is a time to offer seniors an early bird special.
Give your senior free wallets, or no sitting fee, or a free senior
album! Offering your client something for nothing is a great way to
get them to come in early! A sign of a profitable studio is a busy
camera room. Remember that customers always want to feel like they
are getting a great deal.
Finally, a studio needs to establish a payment plan for their
customers. People are often hesitant to spend a large amount of
money at one time. However, they are willing to pay a little bit
each month. A number of large retailers allow customers to put
products in lay-a-way. They understand a customer will spend more
money if they have the ability to pay over time. Allowing your
customer to pay in installments is a great way to get them to spend
more money. The key is always to make it easy for your customer to
pay for their orders. Accepting credit cards is an easy way for your
customers to pay for their orders without having to worry about
having the cash up front.
It is the
photographer’s knowledge that enhances the professional image,
making it so much more than just a ‘picture’.
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