spa blog

The Collective - it's alive!!

I know I've been teasing you now for several weeks about the new project I've been working on - The Collective. After a lot of work of transfering information, figuring things out, and finding great photographers to help contribute it's ready for you to check out, visit, and be a part of.

For those you don't know, The Collective is a site that is committed to bringing life to the photography business. The Collective will bring you not only insights and information from me (Andy Bondurant), but also other photographers and non-photographers. Information that will give you insight into one of three things - photography, business, and life.

Here is a sample of the different topics already covered in the past week:

• A Business at a Crossroads by Ken Kneringer
• Three lessons learned while creating The Collective
• How to diversify your business by finding your passions by Jael Thorpe
• Customer experience is the new yardstick by Bev Walden
• 5 Articles on how to market to seniors (featuring all the notes and links from Sarah Petty's Senior How To Event)

This is also the mark in the change of this site. The future of the spa Blog is undecided at this point, so keep your eyes open for it's future.

To continue to hear my own ideas, thoughts and perspective you can follow me at Photo-Collective.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter (If you follow this blog via Network Blogs, don't worry the Photo-Collective site will be the new feed for thie account). See you there!

TODAY! Kia's giving it all away...

Just a quick reminder, today at 1pm Kia Bondurant is giving away some of her secrets on setting yourself up to know the trends you need to set yourself apart from your competition.

For an hour she'll be teaching what she did to build my high school senior business through marketing with recent trends at the online High School Senior How To Event.

If you haven’t already registered, do it and you can listen to Kia, plus some other high school senior photographers (including spa Member Jen Basford who will be talking about how to use the Lights. Camera. Fashion. show to market your senior business) who have it figured it.

Again, Kia is speaking at 1PM Central TODAY (Jen is at Noon). It’s not too late. Register now. 

P.S. If you have to miss it, you can still purchase the recordings of this event. The whole event is 11 hours long and covers every single detail of running a successful high school senior photography business. I’ve listened. It’s good. And you get over $125 of discounts from some cool vendors when you buy, too.

"Senior How To" Information - Let's Try This Again

If you are registered for the Joy of Marketing's Senior How To webinar, then you know that there were a few hitches with the first few programs scheduled for Monday at Noon. Good news, beginning today at 11am, it's live once again!

To get registered for this FREE seminar (featuring 11 hours of info from some of the industry's top teachers - including yours truly), just visit The Joy of Marketing's site. To help work out the kinks and make sure it's all running correctly, you'll be able to hear all 3 presentations during the 11am-4pm window (CST).

BONUS:

Today only get $10 off my product (Love Your Style marketing campaign) when you use the code Andy10 at checkout. That product is currently available ONLY through The Joy of Marketing for the unbelievable price of $99 (regularly $299). Include the $10 coupon and get it for only $89!

The how to info you need to run your Senior Business.

If you are in the midst of kicking off your senior year or senior business, then you know the frustrations you encounter in coming up with the answers to difficult questions on how to make it all work. Questions like:

• Who am I really marketing to (senior or mom)?
• How do I really know whats in style?
• What do I do to create buzz and word of mouth among seniors?
• I'm ground zero, where do I start?
• What's the best model to make sure I'm successful?

Good news! My good friend, Sarah Petty through The Joy of Marketing (with some love from WHCC) is presenting the Senior How To Event to answer these questions and more. Beginning today (Monday, April 4th) and again Wednesday (4/7), Monday, April 11th, and Wednesday, April 14th you'll here three 1 hour presentations from some of the top names in senior photography (many of whom are good friends!).

Best news...it's entirely FREE as long as you register and listen live.

ALSO, register today before Noon CDT, and you'll receive $40 off the regular price for the entire set of downloads (normally $99).

AND if you use one of these three codes you can save $10 on one of the products offered by Sarah Petty, Tim & Bev Walden, or myself (Andy Bondurant). Just type in one of the following codes when purchasing their products.

• Petty10
• Walden10
• Andy10

Remember though, these are only good TODAY!

Here are the three presentations today beginning at Noon CDT -

          12:00 pm CDT - Sarah Petty presents How To Create A Boutique Senior Business from Scratch
          1:00 pm CDT - Waldens and Laura Daniels present How To Go From 0 - 100 Seniors in 2 Years
          2:00 pm CDT - Andy Bondurant presents How To Market To Three Generations at 1 Sale

For a short sample on what you'll hear from the Waldens, check out this short audio clip.

Is your marketing plan showing a positive ROI?

Kia passed this on to me the other day. I also saw a bit of conversation about this on spa Talk. Check out this graphic on the average ROI (return on investment) for different marketing strategies. Visit the site it's from here.

I show you this I want to know what your marketing strategy is. Where are you putting your marketing dollars and effort? Are you mixing in various parts of this list to hit different people at different points?

Most interesting to me is how the ROI on social media only outdoes DM by 41 cents. If you factor out catalogs, you actually get a better return on investment on direct mail.

You better make sure that you varying your marketing - you might save some money.

Something HUGE...that you don't want to miss!

I told you a couple of days ago about the big Senior HOW TO Event from The Joy of Marketing - 11 speakers showing you to get your senior business rolling!

Check out this video from Sarah Petty (founder of The Joy of Marketing), who will give you a little more information on how it will be happening.

As you know Kia and I will both be a part of these classes (I'll be on Monday 4/4 and Kia on Monday 4/11). You'll also be able to hear from spa Friends Sarah Petty (4/4), Tim & Bev Walden (4/4), Kent & Sarah Smith (4/7), Joy Vertz (4/7), Scott & Adina Hayne (4/7), and Jen Basford (4/11) - not mention another 3-4 presentations.

All of this is absolutely no cost as long as you register. You can choose to purchase products and the training via MP3 recording, but there is absolutely no obligation.

Defining the Why in your Business (and Life).

One of the benefits of creating a brand new business or brand new branch of a current business, is that it allows you to refocus on the most important part of the business - why you're doing it.

As an established business it's difficult to transition from A to B. I don't know if it matters what size of business you are. I suppose the smaller you are, the easier it is to shift, but just because you shift doesn't mean that your clients are moving with you.

I've been working on the concept of The Collective for almost 6 months now. Here is probably the best piece of advice I've heard yet. Forget the 'What' and 'How' - focus on the 'Why'. Denny Trimmer passed this TED presentation on to me a few weeks ago, and I'm happy to share it with you.

 

In my recent post about sales, I tried to work this concept of 'Why?' in. I couldn't figure out how to say that and this together, but I think sales and answer to 'why' are interrelated. Maybe inseperable.

To really have solutions to your clients frustrations, you absolutely have to know who you are. Why you exist as a business. What it is that you really will offer.

This concept of defining 'why' along with some Seth Godin posts have really helped me further define the purpose of The Collective {bringing life back to the photography busines}. Which leads me to share this screen shot of what you can expect to see live in a few weeks.

The Senior "How To" Event...FREE!!

The above picture (don't laugh) is my senior portrait (check out Kia's below). Things have sure changed over the years.

 

Today (as I'm sure there was then) there is money to be made in photographing high school seniors. A lot of it, too!

 

I believe you can grow your piece of the high school senior pie or even just grab a small slice with all you'll learn at The High School Senior How To f-r-e-e- online event.

 

Both Kia and I are excited to be a part of this one-of-a-kind event and it's f-r-e-e for you to attend thanks to The Joy of Marketing and White House Custom Color.  

 

In this incredible event, you'll learn how to:

·      Create a boutique senior business from scratch!

·      Go from 0-100 seniors in 2 years.

·      Market to 3 generations at 1 sale (that's me!).

·      Grow a great senior business.

·      Be "it" In your market.

·      Make money with the senior experience.

·      Put on a fashion show for your studio.

·      Use senior trends to set yourself apart and make more money (that's Kia!).

·      Get what YOU want from your senior market.

·      Create the ultimate senior business model.

·      How to use senior spirit sessions to rock the senior marketplace.

·      How to create a boutique senior business from scratch!

 

Not only will this event feature Kia and I, but it will feature many of our spa Member friends - I highly suggest you take the time to register TODAY for this NO COST event.

 

P.S. The Joy of Marketing is giving over $1600 of goods from Shootsac, Proselect, White House Customer Colour, Kotori Photo Jewelry, Wild Sorbet and more to registrants to this event. So make sure you register today!

 

Your Sales Still Falling Short? 3 Steps to Fix Them

I'm in the midst of creating a brand new product/project, and I've come to realize that I need to do a better job of selling what I do and offer. The same may be true for you and your photography studio. You have a great product, but you're not converting those incredible images into enough dollars in your pocket.

When that happen, it becomes pretty frustrating to continue walking into your camera room/sales session feeling like you won't be able to get the money you need to meet your commitments.

Here's the good news, there some easy steps to walk your clients through to help them decide in the end that they do need these images you've worked so hard on.

Check out these 3 Steps to helping close the sale that I found on CopyBlogger. That site was talking about closing the sale online via written word, but I think you can definitely apply them to an in person sale with a few tweaks. I've made the slight modifications here, but you can see the original list here.

1. Understand why your client chose you.

Every client is different. They are all looking for different things. You have the high school senior daughter/mother combo that are into anything and everything (but dad isn't so sure he wants to pay for it). Make sure you show them it all, and offer them the option to pay over time (without any service charge!).

Then you have the family portrait dad client who is acting like you plan to pull his teeth during the photography session. Make sure you make it as quick, easy and fun as possible.

They both chose you. Why?

Every person has a different reason for coming to you, so make sure you understand why they've come in the first place. Make sure you have systems in place to help figure this out. How did they hear about you? What are they looking for? Find out who will be at the shoot,  who will be making the purchasing decisions, etc.

2. Address past, present or future frustrations (even if they are just all in their head).

Take a look at the above examples - both of which are blamed on us insensitive dads. When you realize that there are issues, whether it's the amount they can spend (even though they want it all) or that they simply don't want to be there, reassure them that you have solutions.

Let them know you offer payment plans or you have other packages that will give them great options within their budget. Reassure the cranky dad that he's going to get out in time to see the big game.

Part of the reason there may be concerns or frustrations is past experiences with you or other photographers. There probably is nothing you can do to fix those past issues now, but you can choose to remedy them now and in the future. Make sure to address past issues (even if they weren't yours!) with current systems and procedures.

3. Help them get exactly what they want.

You've found out what they are looking for, you've addressed how you can make it happen for them. Now make it reality. Give them exactly what they are looking for.

Interestingly, you may not be able to give them what they walked in the door thinking they would get, but you can give them what they really need. The senior dad may not have expected to pay as much as he did, but he did get to spread it out without taking on any extra interest. He feels like he's won, mom and daughter feel like they've won.

Go ahead, try it out, I bet you it works.

Looking for other ideas on how to sell to High School Seniors? Make sure to check back here on Monday at 11am Central. We'll be announcing a great learning opportunity you don't want to miss!

Nelson Mandela and Your Next Project

As you know I'm in the midst of new project. Here it is in a nutshell:

I have a belief that we are whole beings. Nothing we do in photography or business or our family is unrelated to the other parts of our lives. In the end, they all interconnect and effect each other. Based on this belief, I've been building a brand new blog to address 3 areas of the portrait photographer's life - Photography. Business. Life.

In the midst of building this site - creating content, figuring out shopping carts, beating my head against the wall, totally enjoying myself - I've encountered bouts of fear.  Will anyone pay attention? Will it be good enough? Do I have the right mix of content? Will I make any money? Am I crazy?

I know you know what I'm talking about. I know that you've encountered these same issues in your business. Especially if you're just starting out or you are taking on a new project. For me, it comes and goes. Some moments during the day, I'm completely up and excited. Other moments, I'm down and totally frustrated. The triggers are never the same.

So what do you do? What do I do? Let me share with you a quote I just found -

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." - Nelson Mandela

This is what I've learned to do - move on. Don't give into the fear. Be Brave. Accept and conquer.

Here are three simple things I've done to help conquer the fears I encounter in this project:

1. Make lists. Sometimes I feel like I should be doing something, but not really sure what. I recently began using Evernote which works across all my platforms (desktop, laptop, iPad, phone). When I'm stuck, I check out my lists - add, delete, amend items. It gives me the sense of progress, movement.
2. Stop analyzing and start doing. I'm the type of person that likes to put off making decisions by researching. But that can represent the classic "paralysis by analysis." Sometimes you just have to stop thinking and start doing. Keep moving forward.
3. Include others. The more public your project is the more real it is. The more real the project is, the less scary it is - the unknown is lessened. That's part of the reason I'm writing the post (it was on my list, I was getting stuck, so I'm including you in the process).

I'm sure you have other great ideas, so go ahead and do them. Triumph over your fear. Finish and launch that project that you've been working on!

More info coming soon :-)

Shhh...I shouldn't be telling you this...

I'm currently looking over my shoulder as I type this...

...I can't say much but be sure to be on the lookout for an email from me and a blog post right here next Monday. I'll be announcing a joint project with some good friends of ours, but I can't tell you details until we're all ready (which will be on Wednesday).

I can tell you that it will include myself and several other spa Members, and it's something you won't want to miss!

I can also tell you that I am so close to announcing the new project I've been working on...but not quite yet. I'm right now getting together with some friends who will be helping me out with it. I promise at least a few more details will be out this week.

See you Monday!