marketing manual photography

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Introduction

I love photography. Always have since I was a kid. There is something truly wonderful aboutcreating beautiful images by using your own skills and talents. It’s especially wonderful gettingpaid for the very thing that I love doing. Portrait photography is a great way to earn a living andbe involved in something that is considered to be a passion, a love.

I also love marketing and business. Problem is, I don’t know what came first, the chicken or theegg? Did I become a photographer first, or a businessman.

Truth be known, I believe I had both in me, but didn’t start to awake the “marketing” side untilthe latter part of my life. Although I was always somewhat successful doing what I loved most,taking pictures, running my own studio, I didn’t really catch on to the business side of thingsand realize the true potential for profits until I awoke the marketer within me.

I started my photography business over 19 years ago. I was only 24 years old and to me it wasas obvious as day that I was to be in business for myself. I had little formal training in bothphotography and in business, just plain old ambition. I also went against what my teachers told

me years before when I said I was going to be a photographer.

You see they painted a gloomy picture. Not a wise career choice they said. Fraught withstarvation and struggle. Luckily enough I was somehow oblivious to these warnings and justwent ahead and did it anyway. Good thing I didn’t listen to them. Oh yeah, I had my momentsof struggle and starvation. More than what the average person would possibly be willing totolerate, but that could be part and parcel of learning and struggling in any business.

But I always had a drive to get the message out there. I’m almost too embarrassed when I recallsome of the marketing messages that I created in my early days. I look back now and simplysay to myself that I was just a kid, still wet behind the ears. But the one underlying theme that is

I can honestly say contributes to success more than any other is persistence. Persistence andeagerness will eventually pay big dividends. It finally did for me. I finally grasped the marketerwithin and realized that this skill alone will contribute more to success than any other skill.

You might say I’ve learned this lesson the long hard way. But many, many, if not the vastmajority of business operators never, ever get it. They go to their graves having spent most of their time burning out in business. Sure some exceptions to this rule apply. Happiness andbalance can be found in but a few examples, but for most that is not the case. Many ex-businessoperators will tell you they couldn’t make it. Too much of whatever their excuses are. But thereare no excuses. They failed to grasp what I found to be true, even after so many years. That tobecome a strategic marketer first, and a photographer second, is the true path to financial andemotional rewards.I found the information within this manual not only rewarding to write, but it has beenrewarding in my life and in my business. I hope you find it as rewarding in your ambitions as Ihave in mine.

Happy shooting and successful marketing!!Robert Provencher



Marketing is everything

Marketing is everything. It is the very essence of what fuels thesuccess of entrepreneurial efforts. If you have the greatest product orservice, it is worthless unless you know the how’s, where’s, why’s,who’s and when’s of marketing. How can a great photographer whocreates outstanding work struggle with income, while an averagephotographer rakes in more money with his work than he or she everdreamt possible? It all boils down to how the product is brought tomarket. The level of marketing skill the photographic entrepreneurbrings with his photography.

I trust you have the desire and ambition required to do the same.

I trust that the information in this manual will help you immenselyon your journey and you will find so much success that it will make youdeliriously happy. The information in this manual works. It isn’t cheaptalk or academic guesswork theory. But it does require action on yourpart. You have the tools. All you need to add is initiative. I can’t includethat in this manual. It’s all up to you. I trust that along with takingaction you will take on further responsibility in marketing and makemarketing and advertising a life long journey.



'Advertising is salesmanship. The only purpose of advertising is to make sales. Itis profitable or unprofitable according to its actual sales.

'Advertising is not for general effect. It is not to keep your name before the

people. It is not primarily to aid your other salesmen. Treat it as a salesman. Forceit to justify itself. Compare it with other salesmen. Figure its cost and result.Accept no excuses which good salesmen do not make. Then you will not go far

wrong.'

Claude Hopkins, one of the early masters of advertising

and author of My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising.

Really effective advertising is for the most part not seen as advertising by the buyers.

It is perceived as useful information that helps move the sale.

Selling is serving.



CONTENTS

Chapter 1: ∗ Page 7-Taking charge and becoming your own marketing guru.∗ Page 8-The three skills required to becoming a marketing expert in your field.∗ Page 19- Advertising and marketing.

Chapter 2: ∗ Page 24- Direct response marketing

Chapter 3:∗ Page 42- The studio

Chapter 4:∗ Page 53- How to target a million dollar market and create a database of eager

clients for mere pennies.⇒ Displays in other stores⇒ Displays in shopping malls⇒ Affiliations⇒ Real life examples: The symphony, theatre, YMCA.....

Chapter 5:∗ Page 65- How to get all the clients you need using target marketing and direct

response advertising.Chapter 6: ∗ Page 76- How to create and use killer ads for maximum results.

Chapter 7: ∗ Page 79 - Killer marketing strategies and success principles.

Chapter 8: ∗ Page 91- Articles on success, marketing cannibalism, brass balls, and other

street smart marketing and business strategies



Chapter OneThe true secret to success:Become you

own marketing guru

Why you should be a marketer first,photographer second?

Before we get into actual strategies I’m goingto try and get your priorities straight. Toomany photographers become dinosaurs andnever learn this one big lesson in business life.

When you become a marketer of photographicservices, or any service for that matter, insteadof being just the photographer you will makequantum leaps in your business.

Becoming a skilled marketer is the mostimportant talent you will have in your arsenalof business weapons. Being a greatphotographer won’t do it. It helps, I guess. Butwithout marketing skills you will risk anychance of real lasting success in your business.You can build a better mousetrap but theywill not beat a path to our doorstep unlessyou know how to market it.

The job of marketing should never bedelegated to anyone else. Not to youremployees and not to any “professionals”.Nobody knows your business better than youever could. There are no shortcuts or easy waysaround the marketing question. It is imperativethat you learn to take it on, and I guarantee yousuccess with persistence and time.

Don’t be fooled by any other false premises.Their are no other skills greater than that of

marketer of your particular craft. Unless, of course, you’re happy working 9 to 5 forsomebody else. This argument assumes youwant to succeed in business.

If you are already successful, good for you!!You obviously are on the lookout for moreways to enrich your mind and enhance your

marketing skills. You are an example of thekind of person that moves ahead and createsbetter systems, strategies and techniques inyour business and are always looking for thatone idea that could open big doors. As you will

see these are some of the qualities required onthe journey to marketing greatness. Let memake this one really important point abouteverything I have to say in regards tomarketing: The journey never ends....ever. Youare always a student. You never get tograduate. To think that you have arrived is likesaying you are dead.

Why? Why must you carry on with this neverending marketing battle? Because you getbetter and better all the time. And it’s fun,exciting, and about the only real clarity youwill have is that it contributes to your profitsmore than anything else. This fact alone isworth the price of admission into this rare,“open- to-anyone-who-wants- to- learn”classroom. It also exercises your creativemuscles and keeps you energized.

The risk of not becoming a marketing expert,at least in you own business, is to risk becoming your own worst tyrant enslaved byoppressive habits that can kill just about anycreative spark.

To become a master of marketing is to trulybecome strong. It is a skill that you carry withyou always. You can also transfer these skillsto any other area if you like.

This manual is designed to help you make thequantum leap to marketing expert in your ownfield a whole lot easier. It’s loaded with ideas,

shortcuts, strategies and systems that are easyto follow.

“To be independent is the business of a few only; it is the privilege of the strong.”

Friedrich Nietzsche



Three skills required becomingyour own marketing guru

There are three skills that you will needto get a handle on in order to becomeyour own marketing master. I’vedetailed them as much as possible in thismanual and have created a list of all youshould need to get you started in theright direction. There are also manysamples throughout to demonstratethese valuable points.

SKILL #1- L EARN TO INNOVATEThe skill of creating easy-to-understand “packages” of your particular service or

product is by far the most dynamic skill you can nurture within yourself

You must learn to re-invent yourbusiness so that you no longer risk becoming a commodity. It is importantto distinguish yourself in the eyes of theclient so that they will not compare youto others. You become different enoughfrom your competitors that you willhave a markedadvantage over them.

Look at Starbucks as an example. Whatexactly are they selling? Coffee. That’sit. It’s just coffee. But why are they in aclass of their own and commandoutrageous prices? They’ve managed toremove themselves from the game of “just another coffee shop”. I call itinnovation.

Look at The Body Shop, what are they

selling? Soap. That’s it!!

Innovation sells. Never forget that andforce yourself to truly understand this

idea and work it into your way of thinking. It will help you to redefine,repackage and sell in a “competitivevacuum” .

How do you find innovations? It’simportant to try and think in terms of easy to understand creative packaging.

Look around and notice how so many

established business’ use creativepackaging and bundling to marketeveryday mundane products.

Collect ideas. Don’t be closed as towhere you find ideas from. There areno bias’ here.

Ask yourself questions:

• “How can I package this particularservice to this particular market sothey will understand it and act onit?”

• “How are they making their productor service unique?”

• “What added bonus’s and extraservices might add a whole lot moreto my service or product?”

• “How can I add so much “perceivedvalue” into my product or servicethat prospects and clients will find it



Starbucks......Coffee!! That’s it, that’s all...

The Body shop...soap and goop in a jar..thats all!!



irresistible?”

These are just a few examples of questions you could ask yourself when

you trying to create and innovate. Theidea here is to learn to always think inquestions. If you don’t go looking forideas, you’ll probably never find much.

Even if you happen upon some reallygreat marketing innovations you risk notever recognizing them if you aren’t“looking”.

There is a story about Lee Iaccoca thatdemonstrates innovation beautifully.When Mr. Iaccoca first started workingfor Chrysler the question came upregarding the designing and introducinga convertible model. The usual approachwould have been to create studies andlengthy analysis by committee. Not oneto suffer from too much “analysisparalysis”, Lee simply asked if their wasa blow torch handy and had a roof removed on a car. They then drove thecar around and waited for any reactions,which did prove favorable.

If you have an innovative idea, try it.Don’t wait. It will at least cost youalmost nothing to type it out and seewhat kind of reaction you’ll get from atarget audience. Remember that manyfolks, especially those that know you,may not be your best source forfeedback.

Try any new ideas on the hardest

skeptics....your prospect. If their eyeslight up and ask you things like “Really,you’re going to have that available? CanI buy one?”, then you’re almost certain

to have a winner. If they are indifferentor have a glazed-over look, don’t wasteyour time or fool yourself. Change it orscrap it.

Above all become a student of advertising and marketing. Once youstart learning how to absorb throughobservation and study, you’ll findinnovating to be almost automatic. It

takes time and perseverance however,so don’t give up too soon.

S K I L L # 2 - L E A R N T O COMMUNICATE

Learning to communicate can seem likea daunting area at first, especially whenyou consider how many facets itinvolves. However at its very rootfundamental truth is a simple idea thaty o u l e a r n t o m a s t e r . T h a tcommunicating is a way of making yourmessage understood, NO MATTERWHAT MEDIUM YOU ARE USING.

Once you get this, it’s a cinch. Nomatter that you are giving a speech,writing an article, creating an ad orsending out a newsletter. The samefundamental goal is the same, gettingunderstood, acted upon, not just heard.

You see if you’re understood, and if you’ve done everything else right, then



you stand a chance of getting the rightresponse from your prospect or client.They might just act and then open uptheir hearts, more importantly, their

wallets and become a cherished clientfor life.

This is barely possible when youcommunicate the way most business’sdo. All you have to do is look around atmost communications from business’sto see what I’m talking about. Thelarger the business, the more this is thecase. Their messages are mostly filled

with bloated “me-isms”. In other wordsthey talk too much about themselvesinstead of talking about what’s in thebest interest of the client.

Here’s a very simple example. Go into just about any store and what do theyalmost always ask you? “Can I helpyou”. Right. What’s wrong with thisquestion? As a client I hate it when Ihear it. It grates me. As a marketer Ilook at it and what is the first thing Isee? The word “I” coming from thesales person. They’ve put themselvesahead of me, the prospect. Maybe thismatters, maybe it doesn’t. Butsomething about this question is reallyirritating and I’ll bet most feel the sameway I do. At our place it is illegal to ask this question. The rule is we say/ask something like “Hi, how are you?” Thisworks and everyone reacts positively.

How about another example of companies failing to communicate.

Look at the mail they send. I have tolaugh at most of it, while most folksreact the same way when they gothrough the mail and find the usual loud,

sterile, cold, usually very expensivem a i l e r s f o r m b i g d u m bcompanies...”Yuch!!” and in the trash itgoes without a second thought.

Effectively communicating with all yoursales messages will create salesmessages that make sense to yourprospects and clients, instead of theusual bloated self-aggrandizement that

seems to be the norm.

In turn you will notice bigger profits.

CopywritingWriting copy is probably one of them o s t p o w e r f u l a n d d y n a m i ccommunication skills and is one of themost under used. Many of the world’sbest copywriters are simply businessowners who have honed their skills andare reaping huge benefits by using thispowerful technique. It is the mostreliable way to add power to salesletters, newsletters, ads, and all yourmarketing efforts.

When you learn to write effective salescopy, you’ll master the art of gettinginto your prospects heads. You’ll learnto answer questions they have, beforethey even have to ask. You’ll learn howto push emotional hot buttons, instead of writing about how wonderful you are.You’ll know what keeps them awake at



night and learn how to address thosefears. You’ll recognize that the needs of a prospect are like a moving parade,always changing, and at certain times

they will be just ripe to act on youroffers.

Copywriting is a necessary tool whenyou create a newsletter. A newslettersent out on a regular basis is probablyby far the greatest marketing tool that

just about every business owner shouldbe using. Sadly, most do not. This tool,if used on a regular basis,will give you

the upper hand. This tool alone will giveyou enough of a competitive advantagethat you’ll leave your competition in thedust wondering how you did it. As youwill see in the chapters on copywritingand newsletters, it takes a certainamount of discipline and initiative toeffectively put it into action. But thebenefits far outweigh the pain of doingso.

Verbal communications is alsoimportant. Everything you and yourstaff say will reflect your sales messageand scripting constant, reliable,systematic words and phrases isimportant. If you also learn the art of giving speeches you'll put yourself in awhole new competitive advantage. If you feel you need to gain moreconfidence and experience in this area, Istrongly urge you to check out a localtoastmasters meeting. I can’t say enoughabout this club, having been a memberfor well over ten years.

I started out as a very reserved, shy andnervous speaker to eventual confidenceand virtual fearlessness whenever I havethe opportunity to speak in front of

others. I personally owe my currentspeaking abilities to the toastmastersexperience. This is a skill that I nowown and will have with me forever. Inever fear speaking anymore. It’s greatto be able to deliver my message withclarity and confidence, unencumberedby the usual fogginess and cloudiness.Look them up in your local phone book or find a club near you at the

toastmasters website:www.toastmasters.org

In summary, your abi l i ty tocommunicate will show through in yourcopywriting skills, your ads andpromotions, your newsletters, your salesskills, and your speaking abilities.Mastering the art of communicating isby far one of the most, if not the mostcrucial skill to hone as an entrepeneur.



SKILL #3- C REATE A SWIPE FILEA little known secret that is used byvirtually all top-notch marketingexperts is that they rarely ever have anoriginal idea. Many ideas are born outof inspiration that results from merelyobserving and collecting many of theideas that are already out there. Theyall have what is called a “a swipe file”.And you should have one too.

It makes a lot of sense to collect ideasthat you like and find fascinating. Andthey do not have to be from the sameindustry, but they will be priceless.When you consider the amount of money spent on national ads and theinput involved from so many, it’s likehaving a gold mine at your feet. Whynot use it!! The experts do.

Here’s what you need to do. Buy somefile folders. I like the hanging type. I

use them in cardboard boxes that holdthe folders for easy access. Startcollecting. Notice ads that followdirect marketing principles. Collectsales letters that you get in the mail.C o l l e c t p i e c e s f r o m o t h e rphotographers. Collect them all.Newspaper ads, newsletters, magazineads, classified ads, brochures,websites,.....

You can even call the numbersadvertising free info and free reports.You’ll receive priceless follow upmailers that will typically includestrategies that cost tens or hundreds of

thousands to produce. And thesestrategies are all transferable. You canuse them in your business.Notice in particular ads that run on acontinual basis. This usually means itis an ad that is working.

Remember, you’re collecting ads thatfollow strict direct marketingprinciples as outlined in this manual.Not creative ads. But ads that sell.I’ve included many samples from myswipe file in the toolkit. This will giveyou an idea of what your swipe filemight look like.

I urge you to take this seriously andtake steps towards creating your ownswipe file. It’s a powerful marketingtool and it will also teach you morethan any book, course or seminar couldever teach you.

Once you have a collection of goodiesin your swipe file, then you can gothrough it and creatively steal ideas foryour own use. I do not recommend anykind of outright copying, but ideas arenot protected and you can “swipe” asmany as you wish.

Remember, their are no new ideas, non e w s t r a t e g i e s . O n l y s o u n d ,

transferable and effective marketingtools that even the most seasoned prosuse over and over. And you can usethem too, but not until you start yourown swipe file.



OVERVIEW THREE SKILLS YOU’LL NEED TO BECOME YOUR

OWN MARKETING GURU:

SKILL #1-INNOVATION: Re-invent you business.Learn to package and bundle. Avoid becoming acommodity.

SKILL #2- COMMUNICATION: Copywritingskills are vital. Learn to master the skills of writing.Learn to speak effectively and with confidence

SKILL #3- SWIPE FILES: Collect ads that follow

effective selling and direct marketing strategies.Creatively “borrow” as many concepts and ideas asyou need to work in your own ads. Be creative, butfollow sound techniques.



Think in questions

One of the biggest influencingcha rac t e r i s t i c s t ha t s epa ra t e s

entrepreneurs and everyone else is thesimple use of an idea that is almostidiotic in it’s obviousness andsimplicity. It has to do with workingwith possibilities as opposed to roadblocks. It’s a mindset, almost liketapping into the powers of thesubconscious to guide the way.

Now I’m not one to buy into the idea

that you can merely think your way tosuccess, but combine the power of thought with a positive bias for action and you’ll create an almost guaranteedwinning combination. This ideaprobably applies to marketing more thanto any other area, since marketing is allabout the strategies you’ll be using tocreate and build your business. It’simportant to be bold and visionary.

It drives me nuts when I hear someonetalk about reasons why something won’twork for them. I’ve heard it said thisway, that if something isn’t workingthere only are three ways to approach it:1 This doesn’t work (dead end,

absolutist) 2 This doesn’t work for me (taking

some responsibility) 3 This doesn’t work for me, what

could work? (seek answers, redirect,accepts total responsability)

Having a closed mind is probably one of

the biggest roadblocks to success,second to outright laziness. Taking asituation, any situation, no matter whereyou are, and how little you may know,

will always find and discover the bestways to guide you through it by merelyasking yourself questions . And takingaction, any action, no matter how smallor insignificant it may seem.What most people fail to recognize isthat a business is an outward reflectionof the owner. So if you choose to think acertain way, that will be reflected inyour business. If you think in questions,

and take action on any ideas that comeforth, this too will reflect in yourbusiness.

E V E RY T H O U G H T, E V E RYA C T I O N , E V E R Y D E E D ,EVERYTHING YOUR BUSINESSSAYS AND PROJECTS ANDTELEGRAPHS, SPEAKS VOLUMESABOUT YOU.

So it’s very important to use yournoggin, stop whining, and get to it. If you are faced with a challengingsituation, ask yourself, what can I do?What needs to be done to effectivelysolve this problem? Who do I need totalk to? What do I need to learn?etc..etc...etc

It’s great fun to be a student. PersonallyI love it and eagerly soak up anylearning or new knowledge. It puzzlesme that others can be so closed mindedabout this. All you have to do is learn



and act. But realize results won’thappen overnight. It takes a lot of small stones to build your dreamcastle, so don’t ignore them, they addup in time and create strength.

Your business is no place for outdated,tired business models. How can youbetter serve? And how can you reachyour goals?

Y O U R B U S I N E S S I S A NOUTWARD REFLECTION OFWHO YOU ARE⇒ think in questions⇒ positive bias for action⇒ be open



What are your goals and visions?

It may seem almost unfair, but anyreally great marketing expert can stump

a business owner with one simple, basicquestion. This question holds within itthe key to unlocking any mystery orconfusion about what needs to be doneto achieve success. Most don’t evenknow the answer to it, but if you took the time to sit down and think about thisquestion, you would be miles ahead of everyone else. If you took this questionand seriously analyzed it and gave it

some real answers, you would be able tocreate a virtually guaranteed road mapto success.

What is this question, and why is it sopowerful? Here it is: Where do you seeyour business in five years? Simple, uh?I hope you’re not offended by it’sbaseness, but if you’re aren’t asking thisquestion then maybe you should give itthe benefit of the doubt. Have youthought about where you’ll be in fiveyears time? Two years time? Next year?Next month?

Without a plan your planning to fail, orat least wander around aimlessly withno real direction. Eventually you’llmight burn out and pack it in. Don’t letthat happen to you. Create a vision.Even if it’s not perfect, it doesn’t matter.Any vision is better than no vision.

Having a vision gives you something toaim for. One key to making this work

however is by writing it down. Thinkingabout it doesn’t count. You have tocommit it to pen and ink and you will empower all your goals . Something

almost magical seems to happen whenyou take the time to write out a list of allthe things you aim to accomplish, oracquire, in the next month, next yearand five years down the road. Having afive year plan gives you the big picture.Then you can easily break down the bigpicture into smaller monthly or yearlygoals to aim for.

Look at the big picture and not so muchthe details. They will work themselvesout. Answers and direction will becomeclear. It is important to know what youwant to achieve and where you want tobe. Take this very seriously. Sit downand write it out. You’re allowed to makechanges, so don’t wallow in perfection,

just try to be as clear as you can aboutyour wishes.

If you do this you will automatically putyourself in the very small group whopractice goal setting with any regularity.It is an integral part of marketing and asa marketing tool will help you createstrategies for success. You just have tobe ready when the answers are throwninto your path. Pick ‘em up and run with‘em.

The practice of writing out goals forcesyou to know what you want. Likehaving an agenda, or a map or chart. If you don’t know where your headed,



how will you know if you ever getthere?

It also forces you to get out of thethoughts of day to day routine andcreates a big picture that will allowyou to focus not on minor details, butbig moves.

Why do so many choose not to use thistool? It takes vision, desires, boldnessand courage, characteristics that scaresaway the masses in droves. Don’t letthis powerful technique pass you by.Most people fill the vacuum in theirlives with whatever happens to behandy...TV, trivial activities, otherpeople’s lives. They allow the vacuumto be there in the first place, instead of creating a direction for the future. Itwill add more power and magic thanvirtually anything else.

Good luck and treat goal setting se-rious! As if your live depended on it.

When you know what you want, you get what you want.



Don’t fall prey to ad reps who show upat your door step eager to sell you thedeal of the week or special of the month.

They often come bearing misleadingstatistics and charts that are designed tohave you believe all you have to do issign up and leave it up to their creativeteam to churn out ads. Truth is salesreps only care about one thing:commission checks. The creative teamthat will create your ad from scratchdoesn’t know the first thing about yourbusiness.

Why would you trust a creativedepartment to create your salesmessage?

What do they know about you, and yourbusiness? They probably worked on tenother business’s that week, fromfurniture stores to accounting firms.What qualifications and expertise canthey ever possibly offer you? Other thanthe same old siren song. Creative,creative, creative. Listen, there are noexceptions to this.

Most ads they produce, if not all of them, have no real offers. No focus. Nopromises. No way of knowing andmeasuring the response from your ad.It’s a lot like going out hunting with abow and arrow and shooting arrows intothe air hoping to hit something. Imageads make as much sense.

Their is a better way, but it takes more

Advertising and Marketing

Most advertising is a crapshoot. Aimlessimages ads that not only cost a fortune,

but have very little effect on sales andprofit. The general feeling is, and waytoo many business owners buy into it, sothe ad agencies aren’t the only ones toblame, that the more creative an ad is,the better it is.

This is probably one of the biggest liesever created by the advertising industry.It is magnified by the fact that so manylet themselves be hypnotically sold onthis message without any resistance. Asif creativity were some kind of magicalingredient reserved for but a few(creative types) and with it you willsomehow magically create all kinds of profits.

Nothing could be further from the truth

and there is ample evidence that theonly thing that builds empires andcreates powerful results fromadvertising is plain old direct responseads. Virtually devoid of any creativity,but loaded with proven and measurablesales strategies. The bonus is it’s cheap,or at least can be, and is available to anybusiness of any size, in any industry.

Don’t be swayed by the romantic allureand false utopian call of image ads. It’salmost all style over substance and theirare no easy shortcuts to effectivelymaking ads work.



effort, time and responsibility for thebusiness owner who eagerly wants tobe in charge of his or her advertisingand marketing.

You can’t buy good marketing. Youhave to create it. Product alone won’tdo it. Building a better mousetrap is noguarantee that it will sell. The worldwill not beat a path to your door step.Especially not with a creative ad. Readon......

The World Will Not Beat aPath to Your Doorstepif You Build a Better

Mousetrap Unless YouKnow How to MARKET

IT!!



My Pet Theory as to Why There is soMuch Ineffective and

Useless Marketing Effort.

I have found it interesting that so manydollars are spent by so many seeminglyotherwise intelligent, educated andsophisticated people on wastedadvertising and marketing efforts.

Here are my observations as to whythere is so much waste on image ads:

Observation #1- EGO Probably the

number one reason is ego. This willmanifest itself in several ways. Forexample a business owner may designhis ads around his love of a particularhobby. Or his wife might really love acertain color and the ads will be createdwith this in mind in order to impressher, which will further impress him. It’sall a big ego massage game, nothingmore. Ad reps and agencies will gladlyplay along, because all they want is toget paid.

Ego is like a deadly poison. It will steeryou off the cliff and blind you if you’renot careful. You must remain objectiveand watch for any ego massaging byothers, or by you on yourself.

Other ways ego creates problems is bythinking your business is somehowabove the rest, that it is different.“Those techniques are fine for others,but not my business”, you may haveyourself believe. This false thinking is

your ego getting in your way andcreating a closed mind, nothing more.You may think your business issomehow too sophisticated, but it is not.

There are no different types of humanbeings out their in the market. They allmake their buying decisions based oncompletely different reasons than thelevel of your sophistication. Your ego isthe last thing that would ever motivateor affect a buying move.

Observation#2- Ignorance or lazinessIt’s plain and simple. Most folks simplydon’t know enough about what works orare so busy working and struggling intheir business that they never take thetime to learn. Laziness, or taking thepath of least resistance, only confoundsthis and keeps them in ignorance. Mostpeople don’t know, or understand, orhave enough willingness to know whatcould really work in their marketingefforts. Often times this createsgeneralizations like “advertising in thenewspaper doesn’t work, I tried thato n c e ” . . . o r . . . ” p o s t c a r d s d o n ’ twork”...or....Yellow Pages are a wasteof money”..... or....”sales letters are nogood”....on and on. Falsely createdbeliefs that are a result of ignorance andlack of willingness to expand andunderstand.

Observation #3- Magic PillWe all would like to wave a wand andmagically have our wishes appearbefore us. This type of thinking occurs



when we open up our check books andwallets and simply believe that we canbuy innovative and effective marketing.Buying ads, paying employees, hiring

agencies, they all become our magicwizard that will take a few steps, add afew ingredients, chant a few spells, andda da!! Results. Magic. But just likemagic it is really an illusion.

We can easily con ourselves into takingthese steps and buying into illusion,because it is the easy way out, but withlittle to show for results. Just a bunch of

razzle dazle, which eventually must endand all the bills to be paid.

Observation #4- No directionHow any ad can be made without apurpose for existence is beyond me.

It’s sheer lunacy when you look at theexpense and efforts put into ads thatreally have no reason for living.

Any ad should be a reflection of yourcompanies vision. If you know whereyou want to be and have a clear cutdirection then your ads will reflect this.It’s really very simple. Don’t do any adsor take any marketing steps unless itwill lead you in some way shape orform to your ultimate business or salesobjectives.

Don’t be deluded into believing certainthings for direction. I’ve heard otherssay that they had just attended a tradeshow and all they were after was

exposure. “It was good to get out”. Thiskind of attitude creates a false sense of direction. When you know where youwant to go, every marketing move will

have within it maximum returns andresults.

Observation#5- Giving up too soonIt’s easy to call it quits and close yourmind. That way you no longer have tobe responsible. Or quit after only a few meager effortsor hope that minimal effort will createmaximum results. Marketing is never

about finding one or two or ten ways toget a hundred clients. It is about finding,c r e a t i n g , t e s t i n g , m o d i f y i n g ,m a x i m i z i n g , i n n o v a t i n g a n dsystematically implementing a hundredor more ways to GET ONE CLIENT.

There are no easy answers. It takes gutsand determination. Your fighting yourown battle and only you can get in thetrenches and get dirty and bloodied. Butin time, with patience, initiative,determination and a willingness to learnand grow you will create a system thatonly you can create. Not your ego. Notby seating back and hoping it happens.Not by assigning it to someone else.

But by having and creating a clear cutpath for yourself and by charting yourown marketing strategies founded onsolid, responsible and effectiveprinciples.

Okay, since I’ve slammed image ads



and tried to drag it out into the open,revealing all its ugliness and how itcan weaken you, it begs the question:what does work? What kind of ads do Icreate and where do I take mymarketing efforts?

Direct response marketing andadvertising is the key. It takes morework and testing and innovation, but ithas so much more going for it. It allhas to start with you, and a mindset.

This manual, along with the toolskitmanual, is jammed with insights,examples and principles that you canuse effectively in your business. I urgeyou to study and re-read it as often asyou can. Read the suggested booksI’ve listed in the back. When you startworking towards a proactive andresponsible approach to yourmarketing, you’re actually taking care

of the one thing that is responsible for success in any and all business’s. It’sno wonder the failure rate of business’sis so high. The vast majority ignore theeffective use of this strategy.

STRATEGY. It’s another word formarketing. It’s the one thing youshould never delegate to anyone else.

REMEMBERDon’t get suckered in trying to findthe one or two or five ways that willbring in one hundred new clients.

Find, grow and use one hundredways to bring in ONE client.



Chapter 2Direct Response Marketing

Direct response marketing implies a

direct link to you and your market. It ismeasurable and responsible and followsspecific principles that will be outlinedin great detail in this manual.

It is about as scientific as advertisingcan get and once you understand theprinciples it’s easy to apply them tovirtually every communication youcreate and put out there, from yourbusiness cards, letterhead, newspaperads, direct mail, farming geographicareas, displays in malls to advertising inyour local papers for part time help,these principles will focus your effortswith as much laser sharp accuracy as ispossible.

I believe in it wholeheartedly and hope

you will learn these strategies over time.It is a mind set and takes time and effortto start fully understanding andimplement for maximum results, butwith your persistence and willingness itwill come and it will shed light on whattypically is a very confusing andmysterious area.

Three ComponentsThere are three essential components toany direct response marketing and I will

investigate each area in depth. Here theyare:1 A Target Market2 A Message Honed to That Market3 An effective and Efficient Delivery

System (Media) to get the Messageto the Market

Once you’ve determined your marketand effectively reached them with your

message, you must realize that your relationship with them will becomeTHE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET INYOUR BUSINESS.

Your customer should not become acustomer and be treated as a one timefling. It takes your most money andyour most effort to reach them, acquirethem and sell them the first time. It iscrucial to keep them.

This is where most business’s fail. Mostbusiness’s grab the sale and turn cold.

There is plenty of evidence that pointsthe guilty finger to indifference as the

main reason clients leave and check out the competition.



Your goal is to keep the customercoming back and turning them intoyour absolute best source of publicrelations power. Remember when youcompete on this battle ground, and noton the commodity (price) battleground,you’ll hear clients saying things like,“I’ve been to other places that werecheaper than you, but I liked what youhad to say.” This means you’veeffectively created a message thatresonates with them.

Calculate the lifetime value of a clientto see what they are truly worth to you.They should not only be valuablebecause they adver t i se youpassionately to all of their friends andrelatives, but they will keep comingback over and over, spending moneyand their level of loyalty reaching afeverish pitch.

But you must never take them forgranted lest they drop you cold as if they never knew you. Consistency andeffort is key here.

THE MOST IMPORTANTASSET IN ANY BUSINESS?

The relationship with your client.

Three components to directresponse marketing

1 TARGET MARKET2 MESSAGE3 MEDIA



Component #1

TargetingYour

Market



Component#1-Target Your Market

If everyone is your market, than no oneis. The more vague and less defined youmarket is, the more expensive and more

difficult it will be to reach them. It isimpossible to reach everyone. It is very,very difficult to reach a huge market, soyou want your market to be small enough to get your arms around, yet

big enough to be profitable.

Your goal is to clearly define them soyou can target them, and there are fiveways to go after any market.

It’s important to bear in mind that youwant to go after those that are at thehighest end of the “most likely torespond” scale. You wouldn’t put outany direct mail piece for a high-endportrait offer to a lower income

neighborhood any more than you wouldadvertise a higher volume, lower qualityportrait sale to a higher income area.

You wouldn’t send a newborn babyoffer to an area with an area with a highquantity of seniors who are not in theleast interested. You wouldn't send awedding portrait special to an areawhere everyone was young, with youngchildren.

When you realize, study and master thisarea, you’ll quickly use your ability tofocus in on your target with ease. I’veloaded this manual with many samples

and have commentary throughout tohelp guide you with ease.

You can use all of these target

marketing strategies effectively andwith pinpoint accuracy.

Once you recognize where your targetmarket is, then it becomes as easy asshooting fish in a barrel. Be patientand learn, practice what you learn, learnfrom mistakes, keep a forward andpositive attitude.

FIVE WAYS TO TARGET AMARKET

♦ Geographic♦ Demographic♦ Geo/Demo combination♦ Affiliation♦ Database

Let’s look at each one briefly

Geographic Simple enough, right. It means thephysical area that you will beconsidering.

Although somewhat vague for aphotographer and perhaps moreapplicable to a convenience store in aneighborhood or a downtown delidependent on local business crowds, itwill have some bearing on who your



market will be. You might want totarget a certain area because it is closeto you, but be certain that this works inyour favor. Although the geographic

selection is important, it is low on mylist of effective selection criteria. Readon.

DemographicDemographic simply means facts abouta group of people. Certain things theyhave in common based on income, howmany cars they own, education,children, age, etc..etc. I found using the

demographic criteria is important inmany smaller ways, such as determininga store that I will cross promote withand its client demographic. Many timesit’s just as well to simply rely on a quick and easy snapshot of who they arewithout relying on hard statistical data.

Geographic/DemographicWhen you combine the two you have amuch better system working for you. Iuse this approach a lot. Our local postoffice has postal walks and demographicinformation that I’ve been using foryears and it helps me immensely whentargeting an area that I want to“prospect” in.

Many list brokers are available with listrentals that you could use to determine amarket with the geographic anddemographic information used as yourcriteria. Look in your local yellow pagesfor any list brokers that may work inyour city. Call them and ask questions.

Tell them what kind of market you areafter. They have an amazing amount of data available. You could also go to anymain city library and find one year old

copies of the industry standard SRDS(Standard Rate and Data Service). It hasvirtually every possible listing in it,including magazine list subscriptiondata.

Other sources include Welcome Wagon.The price you pay for the names you getis paltry compared to the potential longterm value if used properly.

AffiliationAffiliation is anything you have incommon with a group of people. Forinstance, I’ve been a member of ourlocal Toastmasters club for many yearsand have that in common with othermembers. It’s a common thread that weshare and I could use it as a vehicle forprospecting. I also belong to the localRotary Club, the YMCA, theprofessional theatre, the symphony. Thelist, when combined, is big, and shouldnever be ignored. There’s prospectinggold in these affiliations.

Any group, association or membershiproster in which you’ve establishedyourself as a credible person to dobusiness with is an affiliation. Youcould also affiliate yourself with otherbusiness’s and stores. I personally am abig believer in using the affiliationapproach. It is as perfect as a marketingtool can get, and is very well suited for



the portrait photographer.

DatabaseThe biggest asset any business owns isits client clients, so it goes withoutsaying that a list of all its clients isabsolutely essential. This one area is sooverlooked and undervalued itsshameful beyond belief. If you don’talready collect the names, address andother information on all your clientsthen I would urge you to start today.

Past and present clients are GOLD .

They already know you, have dealtwith you, know what to expect, andmost importantly, they do not have tobe sold on you....they already are.There are no advertising costs toacquire them. They are yours. This listshould be you your number onemarketing and advertising priority.

Everything else should be second inline, unless of course you are juststarting out, and you haven’t anyclients yet. But when you do get them,and you keep in touch with them on aregular basis, you’ll soon discover thatthis list will bring you more business,leads and potential for growth than anyother area.

Using the right blend of markettargeting strategies is vital. Poormarketing will do better in the rightmarket. Great marketing will dobadly in the wrong market. Sochoosing who you want to go after and

where and how to find them is the firstbig step in the right direction. Onceyou know who you want, then youmust create a message to bring tothem.



TARGETING YOUR MARKETSUMMARY

Five areas:• geographic• demographic• geo/demo combination• affiliation• database (past clients)

“Choose the right market. Poor marketing will dobetter in the right market. Great marketing will

likely fail in the wrong market.”



Component #2

Message toYour

Market



Component#2-Message

The two work hand in hand, market andmessage, message and market. In any

order, it doesn’t really matter since thetwo areas are distinct yet they both helpto define one another.Your message is the thing that youbring to the market. What makes youunique . If you haven’t got anythingthen you have to create something. Thisis where innovation kicks in.

It is critical for your success that you

define this area in order to create asituation where you are not like all therest. You must find a way to distinguishyourself so that your are in acompetitive vacuum. If starbucks can doit with coffee, so can you. It is thatsimple, yet it takes innovation.

What are your features, benefits andappeals. Is it the product? The service?Personality? The systematic way youhave in explaining each step of yoursales story that helps captivate yourclient and prospect.

As a photographer you also have toobjectively ask yourself where yourwork is at. What quality level is it at.Are you satisfied with it? Do you feel

you need to grow it some way and waituntil you’ve reached that point whereyou will be satisfied with your work before you create your giant marketingpush. It takes a lot of grunt work, andhonest self evaluation to answer this

question. Remember to strive forobjectivity. Don’t get sucked in by yourego. The more detached you can be, theclearer your message will be, unclouded

by false self impressions.Assuming you’ve asked yourself thisquestion and honestly answered it, youcould simply from that point look at allthe facts, features and how any and allof the facts and features of your productand service will be converted intobenefits to your prospect.

Many fail here.

It is probably because it is so obviousand simple that it is under-valued in theopinion of the business owner. Don’t letthis happen to you.

Your prospects need to, and will benefiteach and every time from listening tothe simple and straight forward messageabout the features and benefits that youcan offer. Never assume they will getthis on their own. The more thinkingyou can do for them, the better.Assuming of course that you have amessage of value, and you are honest.

Your proposition, packaging, proposals,promise will, in may ways, help you todetermine your market and who youshould target.

If you can answer the question “Whywould anyone want to do business withme?” and every time you answer



“Because I ..”, ask again “So what” or“And, that means...”, you will gatherenough useful information from thisstrategy alone to put you in amarketing league all your own. Itforces you to come up with answersthat will be crystal clear and that willresonate truth in the mind of yourprospect and client.

As part of your message will beincluded many obvious physicalcharacteristics such as your place of business, your own physicalappearance, your personality, yourexpressions, your staff, etc... These arevery important areas to polish as partof your marketing strategies and again,I will demonstrate through the use of examples in this manual.



MESSAGE

♦ what distinguishes you from everyone else♦ what makes you unique♦ product♦ guarantees and promises♦ packaging and bundling♦ offers♦ place of business: sights, sounds, your manners and

expression, phone manners,♦ why should anyone do business with your♦ message will help determine your target market

Your message is everything that says anything aboutwho you are and what your business offers. So, make“hay” out of everything. Leave no fields unsowed.



Component #3

Media to YourMarket



Component# 3-Media

Media means the delivery method thatwill be used to get the message to your

target market.I will break it down into essential areasbased on effectiveness and cost. A hugebenefit with direct response advertisingis that costs are basically kept to aminimum. Any expense can easily be

justified by the fact that the advertisingis measurable and responsible. There isno guesswork or crapshoot nonsense

that is so prevalent with expensive bigmedia advertising.

Once you’ve targeted your market, andyou’ve innovated the very best message,find the most efficient way of gettingthat message into your target marketshands. Follow these steps with enoughloyalty and you’ll see much betterresults than any image ads can produce,or any attempts at marketing that arevague or lacking in direction. I know of no better way than these strategies thathave yielded amazing results andgrowth.

If you steer away from the message,market, media approach, and decide to“skip a few steps”, you’ll journey into

the realm of marketing madness andchaos. It will create enough frustrationand lack of success that it could turnyou away from any form of advertisingor marketing. Don’t skip steps. Followthe plan step by step, do the work and

planning required. There are noshortcuts.

The biggest mistake that agencies and

business’s alike fall prey to is skippingthe message and market steps and goingstraight into the media.

Or they will fool themselves intothinking they’ve taken care of the targetmarket by placing an ad in the rightnewspaper. Or merely placing radio adsat the right time of day. Although theseare somewhat important, if you've

created an innovative message andknow exactly who you’re after, mosteffective ways to get to them won’t relyon expensive media or image type ads inthe first place.

If your message is weak, but you pick the right media, your results will bepoor. No amount of media will help apoor message. No message and nomedia will work if you’re plying to thewrong market.

Most media sold to you on aprofessional basis is based on it’sprofitability, for the sellers. They willsell you advertising based on yourbudget. It is utterly ridiculous.

All you need is to create an innovativemessage, target your market, use mediabased on direct marketing principles andyou’ll find that you’ve got an almostguaranteed winning combination. If itdoesn’t work, it usually doesn’t mean



the system itself is at fault, simplysomething within it that is not right. Itworks still. The idea of using thesestrategies works. If it doesn’t work,

something you’ve done is faulty, not theidea.

Let’s further break media options intothree main levels of priority. I’ll explainwhy each of the different media iswhere it’s at and why.

Three levels for Media

Level one- Must do’s- A summaryThese are essential to any business.They are basic and not so basicmarketing and advertising media thatmust be done by any business:

♦ sales lettersSales letters and the ability toeffectively sell in print form is by farone of the most underused and yetproven time and time again to out-pull,out-sell, out-perform and outright createmore results than any other media, invirtually any business or businesstransaction situation.

Certain strategies must be followed andyou must learn how to master the art of

copywriting to effectively use thispowerful media, but once you get ahandle on how to write letters that sell,this tool will become one of your bestmarketing friends. It’s cheap andeffective, and can’t be beat as a favorite

media choice amongst many topbusiness owners who have reaped hugebenefits with great sales letters.See the samples in the toolskit, they will

be a great help.♦ direct mail-postcards, coupons

etc...I love direct mail. For the cost of astamp I can get a sales message into myprospects hands and potentially start aclient based relationship with thatperson all because I mailed him or hersomething. I spend more on stamps

every year than any other expense.

Why?

Because it works. As long as you do itright. It takes the right message, with theright mailer, in the right mailbox, to betruly effective. Many of the mediachoices and many of the samplesthroughout the toolkit deal with directmail.

♦ yellow pagesYellow pages. Often maligned andwrongfully accused of being a waste of money, this media probably suffersmore slander that any other. Problem isthat most feel it doesn’t work becausethey haven’t learned how to make itwork. One interesting fact about theyellow pages that makes it worthwhileis that anyone who goes to the yellowpages looking at a certain category is bythat fact alone a prospect. They areshopping. You don’t go to the yellow



page to look up a name of a businessyou already know, you go to the whitepages for that.

Statistically those who do go to theyellow pages and already have someonein mind, can still be swayed to at leastgive you a call. Your yellow page adshould be a sales letter, calling out to beread. And asking the prospect to callyou. If done properly, you will get callsbased on this approach alone. What youdo once they do call is up to you. Theyellow page ad will have done it’s job.

It’s now your job to get them to jumpthe next hoop. Yellow page ads work,but you must use direct responsestrategies.

♦ websitesI am of the belief that just about everybusiness will and can profit byeffectively using a website. This isespecially true for photographers, sinceit is a visual medium and a large part of our sales message is based on ourdisplay and samples. But not anywebsite will do. So many companies areseduced into this new media they geteasily swayed by image approachstrategies. The report on websitesincluded with this system looks into thismedia and deals with effective websitedesign and promotion.

♦ testimonialsNothing will lend credibility like agenuine testimonial. It is, like manyapproaches in this manual, underused to

a fault. If you have a satisfied clienttheir word is like gold. Get them talkingabout you, which they do will by defaultif you’ve done an effective job at

“wowing” them. Use their testimonialsas quotes in newsletters, sales letters,website etc..etc...

♦ host/parasiteUsing other business’s to promote yourstudio is one of the cheapest and easiestways to get clients in your door. When Ifirst started my studio way back when, Ihit the pavement and started making

connections with other stores who wereselling non-competitive items to mytarget group.

It created business from day one.

Many photographers have used thisstrategy to build very successfulbusiness’s with. It’s an old standardmarketing practice that I will go intogreat detail about and also reveal manynewer strategies that I’ve innovated overthe years.

Level two- Image/Essential

These are more expensive, yet stilleffective if done properly.

♦ newspaper adsAgain, follow certain strategies whencreating an ad for the newspaper andyou can measure whether or not youhave a winner. It cost more to play in



this area, but can pay off big if you’resmart about it. Do not be swayed by thenewspaper reps who will try to usestatistics (usually exaggerated and

conjecture) and will mislead you withstupidity like “you have to use repeatedinsertion for your ad to be effective” or“don’t use too much text, people willnot read it. Use lots of white space” orworse yet “our creative department willdesign an ad for you”.

Newspapers are indeed read by many,many people, and you can use it as a

lead generation tool and a drive towebsite tool. To use it merely to showoff how witty, smart and creative yourimage ads are is to waste money. Manybig companies spend millions onnewspaper ads using very expensivelydesigned agency designed ads that toooften have no way of knowing whetheror not there is an iota of results oreffectiveness.

♦ displaysI’m talking about mall displays or intrade shows. It usually cost a fairamount to display in a quality location,not to mention the cost of creating orbuying a display. I’ve had a lot of success using mall displays and havediscovered ways to actually cover costsand even make money while exposingmy work to tens of thousands. I can’tsay enough about using this strategy. Iwould however caution any studioowner to wait until their work is at thelevel they are satisfied with. You will be

judged by those who see you. If youhave memorable samples and displayprints that stop people in their tracksthey will remember you for years to

come.Level three- Image advertising

♦ televisionProbably one of the most expensivemedias available is television. It’spurely an image media, unless you cancreate a 30-60 second infomercial. Butwho can be bothered spending the tens

of thousands to do that when so manyother tools are proven and solidstrategies for so much less compared totv?

If you want to and have the money tospend on tv ads, at least consider what Idid when I tried this media, before Icaught on to more efficient ways. Iasked for the minimum packageavailable that would get me into therotation cycle. This means all the excesstime available is given to those adbuyers that purchased this minimum. Itfluctuates every month, but at leastyou’re getting extra ads. Now youusually have to commit to a years worthof tv ads, and buy a minimum amount.It can get expensive so make sure it’swithin the budget if you are consideringthis media. I personally do notrecommend it, unless you want to makea huge splash and have the fundsavailable. It does however make littlesense to do this for most portrait studios.



When I ran my ads for one year, I triedto place the ads during effective timeslots. I felt that one well placed ad wasbetter than several ads place at the

wrong time. I determined that the sixo'clock news and several documentarystyle series would be where my targetaudience would be. I also showed manysamples, with music and a voice overtalking about the benefits, and mywebsite constantly at the bottom of thescreen. It is hard however to assesseffectiveness with tv ads.

♦ radioI’ve ran very few radio ads. Again, itcan be expensive. I personally see noreason to use radio when yourpromoting such a visual product. I doknow this however: Radio ads are greatfor “events” such as weekend sell outsand grand openings. Blast the airwavesfor two solid weeks with as many ads asyou can cram into one radio station.

♦ billboardsBillboard get seen. They are big, uglyand litter the landscape, and can get onmany a prospect’s nerve. I actually hadone for several years, more throughfluke than planning. I photographed awedding for a guy who owned a signcompany and he offered payment byway of a billboard, so I said yes. I thencontacted the government and foundareas that they rented for billboarddisplays on a year to year basis.Although most of the choice areas hadbeen taken years ago, I still had a good

spot on a very busy highway aboutthirty minutes away. The billboard I hadhim make was nice and soft to look at. Ididn’t want it to be loud and gaudy, so I

chose burgundy text, a nice flowinglogo of a bride, and I also paid aprofessional graphic designer to lay itout for me.

If I had to do another billboard, which Iprobably never will again, I wouldprobably consider using pictures withinthe layout. Another photographer in mycity purchases a billboard just before the

Christmas rush and promotes fall familyportraits using several nice lookingoutdoor portrait samples in the ad. Hebuys this billboard at great expensesince it is in the city, on one of thebusiest streets, and he is paying for ahefty, one time, one month use.

One of the downsides of using imageads is that you risk speaking to theentire industry, instead of just to yourstudio. Polls were taken on the pink bunny campaign by the battery company(you know, keeps on going andgoing....) and results showed that almosthalf did not correctly know whichbattery the television ad was for. Yourisk planting seeds in prospects minds if you are mass marketing with image ads.They may just as well see your ad andthink “yes, it is time for a portrait. Ithink I’ll call so and so (yourcompetition)”. This furthers the wholeargument that targeting is essential.Innovating distinctive messages and



offers that make you stand out from everyone else. Selling in a vacuum. It’svirtually impossible to do with expensive image ads.

The listA great way to get a birdseye view of everything that you are doing with

your marketing and everything that you could be doing, is to write out and liston two columns on a page everything that you are currently doing. List on theother side everything that you could be doing or would like to consider.

No detail is too small. List everything you do that you considermarketing, from the way you present yourself, answer the phones, to any adsyou put out. Write it all down. Write down everything you could be doing.Even throw in some outrageous ideas, it won’t cost you a dime to dream andyou never know what could happen if you dream big.

One of the most powerful secrets to solving any problem or challenge issimply writting it down first.



Chapter 3The studio

Before we get into the heavy dutyadvertising and marketing strategies, wehave to look at first things first, ourstudio. This is the basics, and is in anytype of business. It involves everythingabout you and your actual location, yourpresence, your att i tudes, youremployees attitudes, your systems.Aside from all the marketing issues thatthis manual offers, it’s important toaddress the often overlooked idea thateverything you say, do, speak, andpresent to the buying world will speak volumes about who you are.

Everything.

The way you greet clients, answer thephone, present yourself when you areaway from the studio, your car, yourstorefront, your reception area, your

business card, everything projects amessage about who you are!!

There is a simple elementary truth abouthuman behavior that you could andshould use to your benefit. Whenever aperson meets another person, they willmake a lifelong judgement about thatperson in about 455 seconds. As part of their judgement they will form anopinion based on several questions thatthey ask themselves at a subconsciouslevel:• What does this person do?• How much do they make?• Should I respect them?

So it’s important to “telegraph” the verybest message you possibly can, at everyopportunity you can. Remember that

every business is an outward reflectionof who the owner is.

Take this very seriously and it will helpyou establish yourself positively in theclients eye before they even have achance to see what product or serviceyou are offering. If they already viewyou favorably before you’ve had chanceto “pitch” them, you’ll have an

advantage that most business’s aren’teven aware of.

It really all boils down to doing thingsthat work in favor of your client orprospect. It’s a proactive way of broadcasting a message that you careand are in tune with them. How manytimes have you entered a place of business and have been greeted withpassivity and apathy. A “couldn’t careless” energy. This very same attitude isthe prime reason why clients are notloyal.

You don’t have to let this very basicmarketing strategy get away from you.Use it for all it’s worth and benefitwhere others remain oblivious andignorant. It’s the very foundation fromwhich everything is built upon. Make“marketing hay” out of it before youapproach any other strategies.Remember we live in an age wherepeople are skeptical. They want to see a



ton of proof as to why they shouldbelieve anything you say or offer. Letnothing be taken for granted.

What may seem like old hat to you orwhat may be obvious as day could verywell be obscure and confusing for yourclients.

It is not a mere one or two marketingstrategies that will somehow magicallybring in hundreds of prospects andclients, but hundreds of little strategiesthat bring in ONE. Understand thisgolden rule.

Okay, so lets look at the basics. Theywill include the following:♦ your physical location♦ telephone♦ business cards♦ letterhead♦ manners

♦ greeting clients



The GOLDEN rulein marketing is:

“Not one or two strategies

that will bring one hundredclients,but one hundred strategies

that will bring in

ONE CLIENT.”Make “marketing hay” out of everything that

you ought to be doing anyways.



Physical location-Way back when, when photography wasin it’s infancy, all a photographer had to

do was learn the craft and open up shop.

When the t rave l l ing por t ra i tphotographers came to town they linedup and waited for hours to have aportrait taken. This new mediumtouched people. It immortalized them, it

struck a chord at their vanity and manywanted it. Even though there are morephotographers available now than wayback when, people still want a portraittaken for very much the same reasonsthey did when they lined up over a

hundred years ago.

Only now they get to choose who willtake the portrait.

What do they see? Your first impressionis critical. If you do not have a studio,your studio “impression” is still there. Itis your work. People will make animmediate judgement based on whatthey see as part of your “portfolio”,whether they see it in your studio or ondisplay or in an ad.

They will also make impressions basedon its cleansiness. Are things cluttered?Is there a flow? Is it welcoming?Whether or not you prefer a warmer,traditional style, or a modern up-beathip style, you must stand back and seewhat the client sees when they firstcome through your doors.Be objective and be critical. Fixanything that looks bothersome.Personally I like plants, and an openarea with many places to sit at. I alsouse a lot of wood. It’s not unlike a livingroom. I also see no problem in hiring aninterior decorator to help with this area.It’s worth the extra bucks.

What’s your place smell like? Without adoubt one of the strongest impressionsthat is made on others is that of smell. Ilike to create a clean, fragrant scent of cinnamon in my studio. Studies haveshown that this scent is very effectiveand has a positive effect, especially onwomen, which are the vast majority of



my clientele and likely yours too.

What’s your place sound like? Manysounds can be irritating and foul. I like

to play soft, pleasant and soothinginstrumental music all day long in ourstudio. It permeates everywhere sinceI’ve strategically placed speakers abovethe drop ceiling which allows a gentleflow of music to surround the entireplace. It relaxes and creates atmosphere.

What do they hear from you when theyfirst walk in and are greeted? I can’t

stand the typical “May I help you?”.This question to me is insulting,meaningless and shallow. I also believeit puts people in a defensive frame of mind. Not good. You can control theeffect you have on others by what yousay when you first greet others. Our ruleis when anyone walks in we say and ask the following: “Hi, how are you?” andtake it from there.

Do not underestimate these basic ideas.If you look at MacDonalds, one thebiggest success stories, and all they sellare hamburgers and fries, you’ll notice afew common strengths they have, andfor some unknown reason it keeps theircompetition confounded and trailingway behind is sales.

Firstly, as Ray Kroc, the founder of MacDonalds has admitted, they are inthe real estate business. They own someof the best and choicest real estate worldwide. Secondly, they are the fastest and

most consistent. They’ve managed toremember they are in the fast foodbusiness, and keep focused on this idea.Thirdly, and equally important in my

view, they are the cleanest. They havethe most visually pleasing fast foodrestaurants, and they are always clean.This effect on customers is so critical tosuccess that it should never be allowedto weaken. Be vigilant in your efforts tocontrol the impressions your clientshave when they meet you, and yourplace.

Telephone-When a client or prospect contacts youby phone what impression do they get?

If you ever call our studio, you willalways hear the same thing, “thank youfor calling Westmount, Rob speaking”or whoever answers.

Notice one of the first words is “you”,and we are thanking them no less!! It aunique way to greet someone on thephone and sets us apart. It has animmediate reaction that says we aredifferent.

It’s also important to smile whenanswering. Slow down. I’m alwaysamazed at business’s that answer like asif they are in the middle of a hurricaneand answering the phone is done out of necessity, not out of a sincere orgenuine effort. They seem too busy toreally stop and focus on the other personon the phone. The words they use may



be somewhat appropriate, but the waythey say them will convey otherwiseand give them away. Don’t think youcan fool a phone call by using the rightwords alone and not paying attention tothe way they are being said. It’s acomplete waste if you are not deliveringyour telephone answering techniquesproperly on all levels.

Business CardsI always like business cards and believethey are essential to any business. Withyour card you have the ability to reallycreate an impact, it’s so simple I don’tknow why more are not doing it. I hadmy first card when I was a mere twentyyears old. It had a logo of a Hasseblad,even though I didn’t even own amedium format camera.For many years I used fancy logos andstraight ahead facts about where I was

located etc.... boooorrrriiiiinnnggg.When I finally discovered directresponse strategies I started creatingcards that were based on theseprinciples. See the toolskit for samplesand ideas on effective marketing withbusiness cards.



ScriptingThis is a pre-emptive strategy. Scriptingis planning and using a series of information that you will use to inform

your clients and prospects while theyare in the studio or on the phone oranywhere you have an opportunity tomeet and talk. It is a very successfultechnique and should not be overlooked,otherwise you are leaving theinformation being said at the loose

discretion of employees. Even youshould have a series of scripts to followif you do not have employees.

It may sound silly, or too simplified, butit isn’t. It creates a sound, reliable wayto consistently use information for theultimate benefit of the prospect or clientduring the sales process, which is justabout every single moment that you arecommunicating with them. When aprospect or client comes into my studioto do business they have manyquestions, many of which they don’teven know they have.

The more questions you can answer before they even have a chance to ask, the better position it puts you in . This isthe beauty and power of pre-emptivestrategies. If you are taking thisapproach of using pre-emptive scripting,you get credit ahead of everyone else,all your competition, for being the first.Being the first to say it, even thougheveryone else might be doing it, givesyou more power and impact becauseyou’re the first to “say” it to your

clients.

The killer of all great pre-emptivescripting is complacency. We assume

the client will figure it out forthemselves. We assume the most basicparts, angles and ways in which ourproducts are created, because “that’s theway it’s done, everybody does it thatway”, and there is nothing really specialabout it.

This is a bad assumption to make. It’slazy and weak and dulls the relationship

between you and your client. Evensimply offering the most basicinformation is effective. Explain all the“How do I’s”...., “Will I’s”....? “CanI?”..... etc...etc...etc and you gain moreand more respect and credibility fromthem. It also shows that you are veryorganized, professional, and that youcare enough to have gone the extra stepsthat this requires you do take.Something that the vast majority do notever even consider taking .

I like to use an example of pre-emptivescripting from my own experience. Mywife goes to a hair salon that you haveto wait a whole month to get anappointment. She suggested I try them,so I called and made an appointment forfour weeks hence. The day I arrived formy haircut I soon discovered why theywere so successful. They used the powerof pre-emptive scripting, combined withpersonal service and attention. Myhairstylist sat down in front of me in the



reception area and asked if I’d like a cupof coffee. After she brought me a cup of fresh hot java, she sat back down andstarted talking about hair. It was simply

amazing!! But it worked. Nobody in thisbusiness ever took these steps. Wetalked about styles, ideas, hair care,etc..etc.. She was sincere, present andknowledgeable. And they did this withevery client (spripting!!!).After about ten minutes she guided meto her station and started my hair cut. Itwas an amazing approach and itperfectly exemplifies the power of pre-

emptive scripting. It can be used in ads,in customer service, when promotingspecials or new products, on thetelephone etc ...etc...

Pre-emptive scripting is basically astandardized series of lines, facts,attitudes, descriptions, etc...etc that areto be used over and over, by everyonewho works in the studio. It takesdiscipline and a continuous monitoring,especially in larger business’s.

Here’s a quick and dirty list of the besttimes to have scripting in place:♦ inquiries to the studio♦ potential client is shopping and

considering a portrait♦ planning for a portrait session♦ proof passing♦ picking up pictures♦ specials and promotions

Operations manual

Here’s an idea that helps us out a greatdeal and every business could benefit by

using one of their own as fail proof guide and tool for gathering many pre-emptive strategies. I created a “manual”.It’s designed so that anyone can followalong and it covers the basics in ourportrait studio. Even a high schoolstudent can pick it up and use it toexplain our portrait steps to clients. Imade it up on regular sheets of paperand had the local copy shop laminate

each page. A simple binder with aprinted covering sheet holds it together.

It contains easy to follow, step-by-stepexplanation, with actual photo samplesto further show the client what it iswe’re talking about. Most people arevisual and can relate easier to “seeing”real examples, especially in ourindustry. My attitude has always been“if you don’t show it, you can’t sell it”.

The first page is an overview so wedon’t miss any important aspects of ourpresentation.The five areas that we use on this pageare:♦ portrait planning session♦ the actual session♦ proof viewing session♦ ordering♦ picking up finished order

It is like a table of contents. It is only a



quick overview , easy to follow layoutthat shows us what the next pages areall about. See toolskit for moresamples.

If you create you own manual you willbe separating yourself from the vastmajority of photo studios. You will betaking a step towards excellence. Bebold. Be different. The discipline andwork you put into creating suchpowerful marketing tools help buildthe very “foundation” for your long-term success.



Pre-emptive scripting isdesigned so that whenthe client leaves they

have a sense of confidence and noquestions are left

unanswered.They will feel they’ve made

the right choice, you.



The noseThe nose will say more about yourplace of business than anything else.I’ve always been careful with what myplace smells like. I’ve tried pot pourri,scented candles and spice blends. Tosimplify things I’ve hired a companythat comes around once a month andrefills my fan powered scent machine.The extra cost, not really that much, iswell worth it. This little machine blowsa constant stream of cinnamon scentedair to keep the place smelling great.Studies have revealed that this smell isthe most favorite amongst women, ourmain market.

We have a “blower” that continuously fansfresh cinnamon throughout the entire studio.Takes a battery and needs a liquid scent refillonce a month:

The people:Whenever someone comes in wealways say the same scripted thing:“Hi, how are you?”. Never” Can Ihelp you?” (Yeesshhh!, I hate thatopening!!)We always wear nice shirts that havethe company name and our nameprinted in gold. It helps create a senseof “team” and consistency:



Chapter 4

How to target a million dollar

market and create a database of eager clients for mere pennies.

Using displays and affiliationmarketing to skyrocket your studio’s

volume.

Displays in other stores:Once I decided the demographic marketI was after I simply made a list of theplaces they shop. I was now going to goafter these stores and create apartnership of sorts. They wouldbecome valuable alliance for me and mygrowing business. One such a place wasa high end children’s clothing store. Iapproached them and asked them if Icould either display prints or have adraw box where I could donate a prize.

They said yes. Actually they asked howmuch it would cost them. I think myimpression had a positive effect as Ipresented my pitch and described thebenefits to them. I told them it was onme, all I wanted was to be able to haveaccess to their clients.

Let me note here that displays are one of the best ways to promote a photographystudio. However, not every business iseager to let you put your prints on theirwalls, even if your stuff is outstanding.There will be resistance. The key is topersist. I try to approach every store thatI wish to display in very carefully and

with the utmost tact. Once I get in, it’simportant to me that I maintain a greatrelationship. I want them to like me somuch that if another came and tried to

tempt them, they would feel a sense of loyalty towards me. Call me paranoid,but I believe it is important to have abond with these people as a safeguard.

So once I had permission I quickly wentout and purchased a nice clear acrylicdraw box. I put together a small leatheralbum, something really eye catchingwith many samples of my child and

baby portraits, and created a sign for thebox and put it on the counter at thisstore. The sign said there was going tobe a weekly draw for one these albumsand membership to our famous KreativeKids Klub. Now here’s the catch. Notonly did I want to show off a potentiallycreate new clients, but I wanted theirnames and I wanted to have theirpermission to actively pursue them. So,on the draw ballots I added an extra linethat asked “Would you be interested inreceiving specials and updates in themail?” This worked great. Withinseveral weeks the box was filling up. Iwas excited.

Those names were gold to me. It wastime to act on them. I added them to mygrowing in house list and many of thembecame good steady clients over thenext year or more. Again, databasemarketing is by far one of the mostpowerful targeting methods available.Using another stores established client



base, and matching their clients with theprofile of the client you are after, istarget marketing at it’s finest. And itcost peanuts.

If I really want to get into a place, andcan’t, I won’t give up. I’ll try and figureout what it is that would make it work.One such a place is a small, upscalefood market near our studio. It’s a verypopular place and very well run.However they won’t let me displayanything because it is not conducive totheir decor, which admittedly is a key

element to their presentation. I did findout however that they would let me hangprints that had “farmer” type themes tothem. OK. I can do that. So you canguess what I’m working on now. In timeI’ll have framed prints that willharmonize with their decor. Then oncethat happens I’ll have access to thethousands who frequent the storeeveryday.

Displays in shopping malls I’ve done many displays in our localshopping center. This has proven to be awinner over and over. But a word of caution. It is expensive, not only in rents,but in display costs, hours...etcI strongly recommend that if you chooseto use mall displays, which in myopinion you must, follow a fewguidelines that I use:♦ make sure you’re work is in top form.

It must stop ‘em in their tracks. Iwaited until my work was at a levelthat I felt comfortable. I always

wanted to be in a mall, but waiteduntil that time.

♦ pay the extra dollars and get in thebest and busiest mall.

♦

create a self-liquidating program thatwill help you with costs, maybe eventurn a profit while gaining theexposure.

♦ have a name capture device (draws,etc...)

When I finally went into our local mall itwas a bit of a gamble, but it paid off. Iwent in for three days as a test. Here’s

what I concluded: The display was sucha hit, I could create enough of a self-liquidating program that would,combined with the right season virtuallypay for itself. So I returned to the mall,this time in December, leading right upto Christmas. Total of three weeks. Itcost a fortune. But my efforts paid off.The program I created was based onselling gift certificates. I sold so many,

not only did I pay the total cost of rents, but I made a profit equal by a factor of 200%. This is not to mention theexposure I received. This mall has up to30,000 people through it on a busy dayin December. Many remembered us foryears. This program was so successfulwe did it again several times over theyears. Now we’re too busy and werearen’t in the “building” stage anymore.

In the toolskit is a sample of the specialsthat we sold as gift certificates. We solda ton of them, paid our rents and made aton of extra dough. Please note that the



original was nicely done up. Our giftcertificates were very nice looking aswell. We also had our credit cardmachine with us to accept differentmethods of payment.

Portrait displays in a mall willmagnetically attract many, manypeople to your booth, especiallyportraits of babies and families. I’m ahuge believer in letting peopleapproach my display with littleintervention on my part.

There is no need for any type of aggressive sales tactics. I’ve tried itover and over, and compared to lettingpeople be, and letting my display dothe selling for me, pro active sellingdoesn’t work. This probably goesagainst the grain, but I can’t argue withsuccess. If done properly, people willmagnetically be drawn to your display,

many will read the “specials” conspicuously placed on every wall in the display, and they will approachyou ready to hand over their hardearned cash for your promise of aportrait experience. I’ve tried walkingaway from the display and watchedfrom a short distance. Almost withoutfail the display would fill up. If I stoodbehind the main table, hardly anybody

would walk up to the display.

It is important to create a display thatsells. If done properly you will gain alot of exposure, you could make somemoney while doing so, and, you could

add many names of qualified prospectsto your database for future contact.



Rules for display success

An overview

♦ have a name capture mechanism and qualify strategy♦ choose the right location. Mall or cross marketing at another

store, make sure the demographics are in your target marketdescription

♦ be sure your work is ready. If not, wait until it is at the levelyou want to show the world your goods

♦ have a display that stops them in their tracks♦ do not hard sell♦

in mall displays, sell something to offset costs, maybe evenmake a profit♦ add the names you collect to your database. This is GOLD.

You must stay in touch with these qualified leads throughinexpensive, yet powerful direct mail strategies discussed inthis manual

♦ create and maintain a positive relationship with the owners,workers at the stores that you display at

♦ if you’ve targeted certain stores that you would like to displayat and they are not interested, don’t give up. Keep in touch,find innovative ways that might eventually interest them

♦ offer special gifts and/or freebies to the owners of the store ormall. Perhaps a staff portrait gallery where you will donate theportraits as a freebie. If you can give them something theywant or need that will help cement your bond



Affiliation through clubs,organizations or groups.

Affiliation marketing is one of the bestkept secrets and strategies available.It’s by far one of my favorites. I’llshow you many examples, but first letme explain what it means.

It all started for me when I analyzedwhat does my typical target market doin their lifes. Where do they go forleisure? What sort of things do theypar t ic ipa te in? What c lubs ,organizations do they belong to?

I started a list. I’m always aware of this strategy so I’m always adding tothe list, but when I first started it Icame up with these areas:♦ they might attend the symphony♦ they might like professional theatre♦ Rotary clubs, and similar type

business clubs♦ they are active members the YMCA♦ many send their children to private

schools

The symphony Once I started my list I started a gameplan. I contacted the local symphonyand asked if they had a photographer.

They sort of had one, they told me, butnothing too committed. I offered thema deal they couldn’t refuse. I explainedthat I could offer them freephotography. All I wanted was thehonor of proclaiming that I was the

“official photographer” to thesymphony.

They jumped at it. As a matter of factthey offered me a free ad in theiryearly program. They also threw infour season’s tickets. And they allowme to display in the lobby onsymphony nights. They would bendover backwards for me because I havecreated a strong bond of respectbetween us.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m don’tthink it’s a good idea to give awayyour services. You must choose wiselywho you are going to affiliate yourself with. Most organizations arerespectful, professional and run bytalented and intelligent people. If youtry this and are not getting anything inreturn, if you haven’t reached a levelof mutual respect, than you should

consider dumping them and movingon.

I like the symphony. It looks good onme. It brings in business. People think it’s a prestigious place to be calledtheir “official photographer.” I get aton of exposure because of it. I spoilthem, and they spoil me. I wouldn’tgive it up for anything.

What do I have to give them in return?Not a whole lot actually.Every summer I photograph thesummer quartet and supply about 5-5”x7”s.



I’ve photographed the main quartet,who by the way are hugely popularwith many weddings, so guess whichstudio they promote to their weddingclientele? They’ve also given me alink on their website.I’ve photographed a symphonyrehearsal for publicity shots theyneeded for local newspaper pressreleases.Photo shoots of main players,ie...conductor, concertmaster, or anyperson who needs a shot for theprogram. I’ve done about five so far.All in all it’s been great fun and agreat affiliation. I made many friendsthrough the experience, and receiveda lot of exposure to a group of peoplethat are well suited for my particulartarget market. And, it’s been greatfun taking all the pictures. I get tophotograph something different thenfamilies, weddings and babies.



VICTOR SAWAConductor for the Sudbury Symphony

One of the photographs I’ve taken as part of my “affiliation” with the symphony.♦ I’ve received a nice size ad in their program♦ I’ve received four season’s tickets every year♦ “Official photographer” status is widely perceived as prestigious♦ Displays in lobby on concert nights♦ Exposure at their local fundraiser



The theatreI knew getting the local professionaltheatre wasn’t going to be as easy as

getting the symphony, but I persisted.They had a guy that they had used foryears. Every so often I’d show myface, ask around, see if I could help. Ieven purchased an ad in their program.Eventually my break came. Theycalled me when their guy wasn’twilling to photograph a certainrehearsal on a Friday night at eleven,which was a very unusual set of circumstances. Would I be willing tohelp? Of course. I’m ambitious, I don’tmind at all. I show up, get to know theartistic director, do my stuff. Now I’venever done theatre photography before.I had no idea what was required so Iwinged it. I knew that they neededstuff FAST.

Since my darkroom was removed theyear prior, (I ripped it out so I coulddelegate that work and spend moretime doing the stuff that makes money,marketing) my only option was toshoot it on the 400 ASA, C41 black and white film, and have my local labprocess in an hour, which I did. Idelivered the proofs Monday morning,they needed so many 8x10’s which I

shipped to my lab, which doesn’t doblack and white, but they do do sepiaprints, which I took a chance on andhad them make for me (theatrephotography has been traditionallydone in black and white).

I delivered the finished 8x10 sepiatoned looking prints and waited.Several months went by, I heardnothing. I figured I blew it. I imaginedthat they hated it. Hated the work,hated the sepia.

Then something happened that justblew me away. The artistic directorcalled me. He said “Rob, we just hadrehearsal shots done by our regularphotographer. The actors and crew andmyself have decided that we love yourwork, so we are pooling our moneytogether to get you to come back soyou can re-shoot it so we can get someprints from you”.

I nearly fell off my chair.

“Oh, that brown look-thing you do,what is that. Sepia? Wow. It’s

amazing.”So I went back and reshot thatrehearsal that they hired me on theirown. This was not an easy task forthem. They had to set up time,technical team, wardrobe, lightsetc...etc for another shoot.

Problem was, I still wasn’t in. The

main photographer was still their mainguy. Well, luck would have it, he didleave town the next year and guesswho they called?

So I have been the “official



photographer” for the Sudbury TheatreCenter for about three years at thiswriting with no end in sight. It’sanother beautiful relationship. I havefree season’s tickets, a big ad in theprogram, print displays in the lobby,access to their audience, my target market, and the prestigious title of “official photographer”. All I do inreturn is photograph each rehearsal.There are about 6 plays a year and Iknow the schedule a full year inadvance. It takes about an hour, and allI provide is a CD ROM with theimages on them. (since I’ve gonedigital). I do make reprints for eachplay and this only takes about 20minutes and some cost which theygladly re-reimburse us for.

Many other benefits and opportunitieshave occurred since I started takingpictures for the symphony and the

theatre. I can’t imagine a more excitingand dynamic way to affiliate myself tothis market.



YMCAI’ve always been a member of the localY and decided to try them out as anaffiliation. The Y in our city is a brandnew, one of a kind, world class place.It has gained recognition throughoutthe world because of it’s new andunique approach to health. Itincorporates three local colleges, theuniversity, the hospitals, cancer center,heart program, to name a few partnersinvolved in this truly dynamic place.

Our new Y even has a section

completely dedicated to nurseryschooling and another dedicated toolder adults.

When the fundraising began about 6years ago for this new facility I startedby being involved on the publicitycommittee. I would offer theoccasional photo shoot, and I wouldparticipate in any fund raising events.Many of my clients and prospects wereat these events and were regularmembers of the Y.

One event that I completely donatedmy time to was a formal evening withfood and dance. I offered tophotograph each couple as they arrivedin their best finery and donated the feeof $15.00 to the campaign. After thefirst year it really caught on and thesecond year was a huge success. Igained a whole lot of exposure andmany ideal clients.

You may think that to donate so muchtime is foolish, but it is my opinionthat the ways in which I approach anyof these situations is with high

expectations that will benefit me. I alsoget to do some good in our community.

When you look at the most successful,prosperous people, they seem to offermore of their time, brains and cash tocauses. It seems the busier, moresuccessful they are, the more they give.I like to give too, but at least with alittle strategy involved. That’s why it is

important to choose wisely where youoffer your time and talent. Don’t let itgo to waste. Choose wisely.

Our YMCA is a busy place and I haveaccess to it. Right now I amnegotiating placing a portrait displayon a wall in the lobby. This will bringtons of exposure and won’t cost me adime. I also was able to negotiate ahalf page ad in their program to helpwith another fund raiser. It worked outvery well. See the next page for asample of it along with my scribbledanalysis.



Affiliation with schools,business’s and other ideas.

I photograph a lot of private schools in

our city. They are like gold to me sincethe children in them are typical of mytarget market. I make sure to keep astrong connection with the staff andmanagement of these schools,therefore when I need to market to theparents using the school as a mediumit usually isn’t a problem. I likefundraisers since it also helps theschools out. I even use this sameapproach at our daughters school,which is not a private school, but isclose to our studio. What schooldoesn’t need more money for theirfundraising efforts?

Once you’ve affiliated yourself with aschool you can tackle the marketing toit with just about any idea. Some mightinclude a full donation, or a partdonation from gift certificate sales.Maybe a portrait shoot on a weekendright at the school, appointmentsbooked through the school. Charge afew dollars and donate it to the school.

I try to stay active in the local schoolsas well. I’ve given many presentationsand speeches to high schools.

Connecting with schools and keepingthem as important affiliations not onlyis good for the immediate business thata school will create, but off shoot andfuture business as a direct result fromyour present affiliation. It also bolsters

your image within the community.Sponsoring special awards andoffering bursaries is a great way tostart making in roads into senior level

high schools or collegesYou could use this same techniquethrough a local bank, or a church, evena grocery store. I photographed theclients of a local credit union and allthe sessions were booked duringbusiness hours and taken in the bank after hours. Another twist on this ideais going into a smaller town and

affiliating yourself with their localschool, church or any business for thatmatter. I tried this one year. I had alocal hardware store in a town about100 miles from my city book sessionsfor me. I agreed to give them the entiresession fee if they simply let me putposters up and took the appointmentsfor me. They promoted this sessionidea to every client and it was a hugesuccess since their was no studio inthat town.

Of course I had to go back and makesales presentations once the proofswere ready, and I had to create betterpackages and prices that reflected thehigher volume aspect that this kind of a venture takes on, but all in all it wasa success with a nice net profit at theend of the day. It is typically moregrueling work but a wonderful way tomake money if you are just starting outlike I was at that time.



Final thoughts on displays andaffiliation strategies.

Create a list of all the places you coulddisplay in, including malls where youwould have to pay a fee, otherbusiness’s where you could haveaccess to the clientele or target groupsalready established and to groups thatyou could potentially be affiliatedwith. Do not skip this step . Dedicatepen to paper and start brainstorming.Don’t edit or censor your list, younever know where your ideas will bearfruit. It’s important to write this outbecause relying on your memory is justplain braindead-dumb. I’ve tried andforgotten more ideas that way. I startedorganizing my ideas and thoughts andafter some time would go back to mylist and realized, “Oh yeah, I forgotabout that!! Good thing I wrote itdown!”. Besides their often is magic

associated with committing one’s ideasto paper, as if the power of goal settingwill sometimes magically movecircumstances to create small gifts.

Work displays and affiliations into along term strategy. Don’t make themarketing mistake so many fall preyto, the “ Oh, I tried that once, it doesn’twork for me”. This attitude is the

wrong path to success. Take the pro-active success path attitude that alsodepends on you being 100%responsible for all your actions andoutcomes.

Displays work if you work them.Affiliation works and is hardly used byanyone out there. If I had to pick onlyone marketing strategy it would beaffiliation. I prefer to combine it withall my marketing mix, to strengthenmy overall marketing army, and it isone of the best all around sources of clients and profits.

Many critics feel that affiliation iswrong for several reasons. The twobiggest reasons I hear the most are:“Why should I give anything to thesegroups for free?” or “I’m an artist, andI have to maintain my image of hard-to-reach, sublime mystery person”.

Fine, be an artist. Starve while your atit. Or refuse to give anything to yourcommunity, even if you know that it isreally a marketing effort and will payoff if you believe in it enough, but to

remain tight fisted with your time andmoney will only do more long termharm than good. I see no other option.You’re in business for yourself andyou must pro-actively pursueeverything with a sense of purpose,dignity, ambition and focus.



Chapter 5

How to get all the clients you

need using target marketingand direct response advertising.

Okay, let’s get into the fun stuff. Orthe grunt work. Depends how you look at it. This is a big chapter and we willexplore many ideas and strategies.Remember, it takes discipline andinnovation. Never delegate the job of marketing to anyone else. It is the one

thing that will create more businessand profit than anything else can. Usesmart and sensible direction and youwill be able to strategically and onestep at a time build a business as big asyou want it to be.

In no particular order let’s look atsome strategies that have worked

wonderfully for me.

Postcard mailings

One of my favorites. I love postcardmailings. And having them printednowadays is so much easier andcheaper than days gone by. There aremany printers that will print full colorcards for a fraction of what it used tocost.Post card mailing is a direct mailtechnique and the rules of direct mailapply here. You are basically trying to

jam your foot in the door and get heardin a medium that typically is treated

with automatic disdain. Look at moststuff you get in the mail. Do you reachin your mailbox and grab a handful of unsolicited mail and say, “Oh boy, Ican hardly wait to read this stuff andsee what I can spend my money on!!.”Of course not. Most, if not all, makesit’s way straight to the wastebasket.It’s a mystery why most companiesdon’t at least try to improve their oddsof at least getting read by using thesame strategies that I will outline here.Over and over they pollute theenvironment with junk mail that isloud, gaudy, obscure, witty, and reeksof “junk mail”. This is the environmentthat any mailing is brought to, so it’simportant that you try and increaseyour odds of being effective.

First an overview Your postcard mailing strategy shouldinclude:♦

headline with a distinct promise♦ irresistible offer♦ your very best work, “stop ‘em in

their tracks”♦ use the biggest, ugliest stamps you

can, never bulk mail♦ hand written when possible♦ use BOTH SIDES. Always!♦ use as much space as possible to get

your message across. Do not get

trapped into the “they will neverread all that, better to use more“white space” lies

♦ high gloss on photos wheneverpossible

♦ deadlines



♦ several offers (bronze, silver andgold)

♦ use a targeted mailing list of qualified prospects or carefullyanalyze the area you are mailing to.Does it fit the demographic orgeographic criteria? Don’t mailblind. Less is often more.

Postcards are ideal for the portraitphotographer because it is a visualmedium in one respect. You willattract the attention of the recipient byvirtue of your photography. It shouldat least do that, the rest of thepostcard should entice them withoffers, widgets and reasons to callyou.

See samples in your toolskit.



Endorsement letterThis technique was inspired by a truestory I heard about a plumber. Thisguy would mail out letters to names hereceived as referrals from his clientsand contacts. And he asked everyonefor referrals. What he would do is maila letter that started something like:

“Why is a __________ writing to youabout a plumber?” Of course he wrotethe letter but it appeared to come fromthe person who gave him the referral.You can use this strategy effectively.Firstly, you must choose a list of names from a business that is willingto let you mail to their list. Secondly,you must make certain the list is aqualified list. Make sure they are inyour target market.

I mailed over 1,000 names to the list of repeat clients from our local carpet

cleaner guy. I effectively got my letterread because they knew this guy. Theyused his services for years. Mythinking was that these people wouldbe within my target market becausethey had clean homes, respected themand wanted to spend the money tohave it professionally cleaned. Not the“rent the cleaner from your local supermarket and do it yourself to save a few

bucks” client.

One reason this strategy is a challengeis because most business owners aren’tsmart enough to create and effectively

use their own in house database. Someideas and places that I am working onin my city include a high end furniturestore, car dealers, a plastic surgeon, toname a few.

It’s a great way to have access to atarget market. All you have to spend isthe cost of a letter, envelope andstamp.

Other ideas would be to offer somesort of freebie. Maybe a free report. Ora free consultation. Or a free in-homeframing decor analysis. Whatever, itmust entice them to call you, since youare being endorsed by the personsending the letter.

There is a sample of the endorsementletter I created with the local ChemDry franchise in your marketingtoolskit. It is ideal to model from.

Who in your town or area can you useas an effective and credibleendorsement campaign?



Yellow pagesThe yellow pages are oftenmisunderstood and ill-accused a beinga waste of money. The fact is it can be

great source of leads and clients if usedproperly.

Remember that when a person islooking in the yellow pages, they areshopping , which makes them apotential client. They’re looking foranswers. “Who should I call?” .

If they wanted a certain person orplace they would look directly at thewhite pages most of the time.

Statistics reveal that if a person doesgo to the yellow pages with a certainplace in mind, over 50% of them canbe swayed to at least call someoneelse. Hopefully it’s you .

But most are at the yellow pages for areason, they are “shopping” for aphotographic service and they are atthe very least qualified to spend.

Your yellow page ad should be a salesletter that flags and talks to your targetmarket. It should follow all the rules of direct response marketing. By virtue of this alone it will stand out. But more so

because of the strategies thateffectively urge them to take actionand call you.

Years ago when I created my firstyellow page ad in which I started

using direct response strategies- Iloaded it with copy, headline, offers,

reasons and descriptions - I initiallyresearched yellow pages extensively,even looking up photo studio ads in

just about every yellow pages fromevery country and city around theworld, (most main city referencelibraries have all the yellow pagedirectories), and I was amazed to findthat virtually all ads were simple,“listing style” ads, with little or no sell .

This is typical of what we see in manybusiness’s yellow page ads. Yellowpage ads can be used as an effectiveselling tool, especially when you arestarting out and are in the “building”stage of your business and need leads.If you can’t afford a big ad, simplystart small, but pack it with punch.

I progressively made my yellow page

ad smaller as my business grew and nolonger needed to build a database. Onequestion that comes up is “whichyellow page directory do I choose?”.My belief is that you should choose themost used directory and focus on it.Use the secondary directories forsmaller punchier ads.

Another question that I get from others

is “The rep from the other telephonedirectory wants to sell me an ad andthe price is very attractive. Should I gofor it?”.

Unless you can afford to be in them all



in a big way, it’s much safer and morereliable to stick with the maindirectory, which is often the moreexpensive choice, but still worth it.

Do not get suckered in by great dealson yellow page ad sales reps. There isa reason why they are cheaper. Theysound very tempting, and will lure youwith great prices and inflated statistics.Most ad reps will also object to thestyle ad I recommend. The more theyrant and rave about all the things youare doing wrong in your ad, the morethis is a sign that you are on the righttrack. Ignore them and go againstconvention.

Remember your yellow page ad hasone purpose and one purpose only:To get people to call you. Oncethey’ve done that, it’s up to you toturn them into clients.

The lawyer who has the small yellowpage ad that I’ve included in thetoolskit was tempted to purchase a newad in her city’s other phone directory.Of course the rep was doing a job onher, so she called me and wanted somekind of affirmation as to whether ornot she should give in to hertemptation and the pitch the rep was

luring her with.

My first question to her was, ”Do youneed new leads and deal flow”. “Notreally”, she answered. She admittedthat she was busy beyond anything she

had ever imagined and her tiny littleyellow page played a majorcontribution to her success.

I asked her where most of her dealswere coming from. She received a tonof referrals from brokers and otheraffiliated services in her specialty.

My suggestion to her, unless sheplanned on growing even more, whichshe didn’t want or need to do, was todrop the idea altogether and go evensmaller with her current ad. She didn’texpect this answer but understoodonce I pointed out her plans for thefuture and how getting a new yellowpage ad would not be congruent.

I further suggested she send thank youcards and gifts and stay in contact withthose that sent her referrals on aregular basis. Focusing her energy on

these affiliations and using gratitude,appreciation and acknowledgmentwould be far more sensible. Sheagreed.

Yellow page ads are great tools to adto your flow of new leads andprospective clients.

Make it work hard for you and

stand out amongst all the otherboring, bland, listing style ads thatonly offer a bunch of “buy me, buyme!!”. In a sea of mediocre yellowpage ads its easy to scream attentionto yours with offers that speak to



your prospect, not the usual bloatedego driven ad stuff that is soprevalent. Give it life, a voice.

See samples in your toolkit andfollow these guidelines:• A headline that communicates a

benefit to a target market• A sales story• A call to action• Easy way to respond• Maybe a premium if they

respond• Phone, and other relevant “stuff”

about your studio that they needto know

I’m a big believer in using the sametype that people are used to seeing innewspaper and magazines.

T h i s i s Ti m e s R o m a n a n doccasionally Arial



Newsletters

By far one of the best ways to keep intouch with clients is by sending outnewsletters. It takes work and initiativebut this strategy works. Ideally anybusiness should be in touch with theirclient list at least 10 times ayear....thank you cards, birthday cards,postcards, specials, and of coursenewsletters.

Four times a year, one newsletter foreach season, with other mailings is agood mix. It won’t be nearly as hardfor you as it was for me, since I’veoutlined everything you need to do tocreate a newsletter that will get readand will create sales for you.

I’ve had so many positive experiencesfrom my newsletter that it’s made meinto a huge fan of them. Here’s what

I’ve learned about creating dynamicnewsletters:♦ takes discipline- plan early (start

months ahead)♦ subject matter need not, and should

not be related to your business, butshould be targeted to your audience

♦ news content is good. People loveto know “what’s new?”

♦ inspiring- stories, poems, quotes♦ write in a conversational style-VERY IMPORTANT. Do not

wor ry abou t g rammar o rcomposition. Write like you talk.People tell me: “I love yournewsletters. It’s so earthy”.

♦ have offers- inconspicuous andblatant

I also like to use big gaudy themestamps. This way it looks less like junk mail and more like a personal letter.When possible I will have the plainwhite letters that I prefer to use handaddressed to further give it a personallook. The last thing you want is tohave your newsletter, the thing thatyou put your heart and soul into, bemistaken for junk mail.

Or, worse yet, have your newsletteropened, and the reaction being totalindifference . You don’t want to be tooslick and too formal, like a lot of ineffective corporate junk mail is.

To get ideas for your newsletter it’simportant to start a file early enough sothat you can add ideas as you progress

on each issue. Plan it early. I start onmy next newsletter as soon as one goesout. Simply adding ideas, jotting downthoughts as I come up with them, oreven “borrowing” from othernewsletters or magazines.

Keep an active file folder where youcan quickly throw in your findings foryour next newsletter. Look in

magazines, on the web, unrelatedindustries, interesting news andhappenings in your own life or even inthe lives of some of your clients. Oncethe time comes to sit down and puttogether an issue you’ll have several



months of accumulated ideas to drawfrom.

Writing the newsletter gets real easyafter some practice. I simply sit downand start writing. No editing orstalling, just write anything andeverything that comes to my mind. Ikeep it conversational, like as if I’msitting across from a good friend at aki tchen table and having aconversation. I usually find when I dothis I end up with too much and haveto cut some out to make it fit. Youdon’t have to be a good writer to dothis.

You don’t have to have perfectgrammar and a great vocabulary either.In reality, the more real your writingis, the more effective it will be. If youover-edit and over-perfect yournewsletter copy it will be lack luster

and dead. You don’t want this happen.I’ve added many samples of myprevious newsletters and others thatI’ve collected from other industries.“Borrow” any ideas and if you haveany ideas, suggestions or questions feelfree to contact me anytime.



“How to create a newsletter for profit and impact.”An easy-to-follow guide.

Putting together your newsletter will bea cinch if you follow these steps. Plan tomake it at least four pages, more if youcan handle it, with at least one insert andcoupons.

Four pages can be photocopied on an11”x17” page which will be folded tocreate a total of four sides. I alwayshave this photocopied, since most of it

is text, with a few photos to enhance thenewsy stuff.

I always include a professionally printedloose 8.5”x11” with many photos toshow off new samples of my work. Thispage has proven to be a big hit.

If you are sending out a minimal amountyou could easily print them yourself onany color printer. I print out and mailwell over 1,000 everytime, so it isimpractical to print them myself,preferring to delegate it to our localcopy shop and printing house. Eventhough my cost for each newslettermailing creeps close to $1,000.00 eachtime, I almost always make enoughsales from each mailer to more thancover the costs

I will always print something on bothsides, perhaps adding a page of specialswith photos. Always use every side of any printed materials. It cost very little

extra to have an entire page at yourdisposal to add to your sales story. Thecoupons are added since they, again,will give me more space to sell andoffer more specials at very little addedcost. It all cost the same stamp andenvelope.

StartingAlways start writing the first page of

your newsletter about 4 to 6 weeksbefore you plan to mail it. The otherthree pages I will start loosely laying outand switching things around as Iprogress.

The first page should be all copy.Interesting and conversational. I try totalk about family and community items,keeping it fun, light, and sometimes atad sarcastic.

Do not try to make everyone happywhen you’re writing. Most willappreciate an open, witty style filledwith personality and charisma. Somemay be offended.

Don’t worry about them, write to themajority. The idea isn’t to offend, butyou might risk it if you are writing in anatural, conversational style. A generic,

sterilized newsletter will fall on deaf ears and you will not benefit from

taking that approach.



When it comes time to write it out,simply sit and write. DON’T THINK!!!Just write.

Write as much as you can. You’ll haveitems you want to write about, sinceyou’ve been making notes and addingideas to your newsletter folder. Use yournewsletter file that you’ve been keepingideas in.

I try to write about my family,community happenings that I’maffiliated with, studio related news or

anything else that I might considernewsworthy.

If you start writing like as if you aretalking to good friend, and you’reenthused, this will inject life into yourcopy. If you over edit it will kill any lifein your copy, so edit very sparingly.

I almost always have too much copyafter I’ve started writing my first pageof any newsletter. This is good. All Ithen do is take out any repetitiveness oritems that are lower priority.Throughout the next three pages I willbegin laying out specials, little bits hereand there, and eventually, after havingthe newsletter in progress it begins totake shape.

I always print out and tape together amock version of my newsletter and let itsit around the house for a few days. Mywife will review, I will make notes in it,constantly breathing new life into it, and

eventually it gets done.

IDEAS:

For many ideas I will look through and“borrow” from sources that areappropriate to my target audience;parents magazines, supplementsetc.........



Newsletters

An overviewBenefits of sending out newsletters:♦ target marketed, using your database of clients♦ keep in touch- avoid indifference, the #1 killer of repeat sales♦ inexpensive♦ creates sales and profits♦ creates new clients

Components of an effective newsletter:♦ takes discipline-start early, collect ideas for the next issue as soon as you’re

done the present newsletter♦ regularity- send out a newsletter at least four times a year-OR-use a postcard

size newsletter and send one out every other month♦ include interesting news♦ include content that is inspiring in nature- stories, quotes, poems, lists etc...♦ write in a conversational tone- be very down to earth♦ include offers, both obvious and inconspicuous♦ insert credibility enhancers peppered throughout, discreetly♦ subject matter need not be industry related, but interesting to your target

audience♦ create a file for adding ideas that you collect♦ “borrow” content ideas from magazines, other newsletters, websites etc.....♦

use theme stamps, not bulk mail♦ print it cheaply. The message is in your content, not the design or the media♦ add present clients and prospects to your database♦ offer to send a newsletter in your ads and on your website etc....♦ use four pages as the main newsletter, add a coupon and an insert, always

using both sides to further your sales message♦



Chapter 6

How to create and use killerads for maximum results.

Print ads are expensive. This is not anarea where you want to take anychances or leave your marketing to thewhims of chance. It’s no place for theclassic shotgun approach we see sooften in newspapers and such.

Even slick, ad agency created ads are

using the false approach of using“image” building as their premise.

This is just an excuse because theycannot, nor would they have thewherewithal to use ads that actually sell,ads that are measurable, ads that areaccountable etc.....

An ad that works, that actually growsyour business is never an image ad. Itdoes not use lies like “white space” or“they’ll never read all that copy”. Thesemyths are designed to keep you in thedark and to increase commissions for adreps and agencies alike, mostly becausethey themselves don’t know how tobest create an ad that sells.

This takes sales ability, innovation, anin-depth knowledge of what makes yourclients tick. Honestly, what couldanyone else possibly know aboutwriting an ad to your target audience?

So the first step to creating great ads

that work is to tune out what thesepeople will try and tell you, especiallythe ad reps when you go to place the ad.

Write the ad yourself, always. It’s reallynot that difficult once you understandcertain steps you need to take.

In my opinion any print ad should beused to capture leads or to promote anevent or sale.

Whatever you choose, every ad shouldcontain within it the following:♦ a headline (flags your target market)♦ a reason to call (offer, free

something, information)♦ where to contact you (phone,

website)

Larger ads will also include:♦ subhead♦ copy (editorial look)♦ photographs♦ several offers

Classified adsYou could use classifieds on a regularbasis and create a steady flow of prospects. I did this for my first years inbusiness and it worked great.



Classifieds can be used for just aboutanything, but the main purpose for aclassified is to acquire names of qualified prospects that have a very

high probability of becoming a client.

The ad must flag your target and givethem a reason to call you. Do notattempt to tell your sales story usingclassifieds, instead you want to offer a“magnet” that will interest them andgive them reasons to call. The beauty of classifieds is they are fairly cheap and

many people do read the classifiedsection. It is important to follow throughwith a great sales pitch to further theprocess along.

I’ve even used classified ads to promotea special or event. For example:Small, cheap and easy to make thephone ring. All you have to do is createthe sale once the prospect calls you.

You’ll find a selection of ads in mytoolskit. Some are from other industriesand many that I’ve used in my ownstudio.

Notice the same approach that I like oruse consistently:• Headline• Copy intensive• Attractive photographs• Times Roman type style to match

newspaper• Offer or offers• Call to action

Keep these points in mind:♦ Does your headline attract your

target market?♦ Does it arouse curiosity?♦

Does it have a sub-head thatenlarges on your main benefit oroffer?

♦ Are your offers clear?♦ Does it make the prospect want to

rush to the phone and call you?♦ Do you show the “benefits” as well

as the features of your offer?♦ If you have room, can you show

several benefits in a bulleted list?

♦ Does it have a “premium”.

♦ A dynamic guarantee?

When creating ads never put it off to thelast minute. Plan, plan, plan. Create alist of benefits and features as well asoffers and narrow your focus down.Decide what exactly your ads job is.Use the samples I’ve included in thetoolskit.

One of the great things about using adsthat are direct response is the fact thatyou can measure results. If an addoesn’t work the first time it generallywon’t the second time or third. Youcan’t do this with image ads. There is noway of knowing whether peopleresponded to an image ad.

They generally don’t since they do nothave much sell or response mechanismor call to action.

Creativity



Beware of creativity. Especially forphotographers who are so inclined tofall into the false belief that everythingthey create with their marketing mustbe ultra creative and ultra cool. This isa mistake.

There is not a stitch of evidence thatcreativity sells. However, there isample evidence that the style of ads,copy and other marketing materials inthis systems works like gangbusters if done properly and with due diligence.

It is so tempting to fall prey to thesiren song that the reps and theagencies try and lull you into. One of the biggest problems with creativity,besides it not being measurable, is theidea that you have to re-inventovertime you create a new marketingor ad idea. This sucks!

Why bother when all you need to do is

follow the fundamentals and use goodold fashioned direct marketingstrategies that are measurable and areproven to solicit sales. It makes thecreation of ads so much easier.

Besides, in every media, where justabout everybody out there usescreativity, (and most are terrible) it’srefreshing to try ads like the ones I use.

They also have a better chance for thisreason alone, they don’t get lostamongst the clutter of all the other“creativity”.

Ask yourself, and be honest: “Are we

being creative just for creativity's sake?”We tend to use creativity in ourpromotions for several reasons:

♦

boredom♦ t h i n k i n g o u r c l i e n t s a r e

“sophisticated”

♦ thinking it sells

♦ thinking the agency has “magical”creative powers

Fact is most do not know how to sell

your product. How could they? I ask everyone who wants to use an ad agencyor otherwise: “ What do they knowabout your photography business?”

In actuality the designers are swampedwith a dozen other ads they’ve got tocreate for completely unrelatedindustries. And they know nothingabout your business, that’s why they try

to delude you into the idea that“creativity” sells.

It’s a hoax, plain and simple.

The best person for the job is you. Onlyyou know your product, your serviceand your clients the way you do . That’swhy I am convinced the best ad peopleare those working their own business’s.All you have to do is discipline yourself,align yourself with some passionategoals and a vision and tap into themarketing person you were truly meantto be.

It’s okay to be in complete charge of



marketing. In my humble opinion if youcall yourself a marketer of photographicservices firstly, and a photographersecond, several things begin to happen.

You make more money and you becomea better photographer.

Amazing, kind weird, but true. I livethis everyday and every year in mystudio.

Chapter 7

Killer marketing strategiesand success principles.

CopywritingThe first step to mastering the ability toturn words into sales is to recognizewhat it is you have to say about it. If you've at a loss, here's a strategy that Ilike I use and suggest to others whoneed advice on how to get a handle oncreating a sales message.

Imagine yourself at a kitchen table witha friend. Someone you know, respectand trust.Now, you're about to tell them about

your product, or service. In effect, sellthem on it.

You're pumped, you know in your heartthat it’s a great product, that they willbenefit from it.

Now, create a conversation out of thisscenario and start making notes. List allthe things you would say. Do not edit or

analyze. Just imagine and write. Use allthe enthusiasm you can muster. You'reexcited about it. You want your friendto see it clearly the way you do.

This little exercise is a great way to getstarted when trying to craft a salesmessage, however it does have one bigflaw. Not a problem. Once yourecognize this flaw, there is a way

around it.

The flaw is simple. You see when youwrite to a prospect, if you've done agood job, they will understand yoursales story, feel enthused about it andperhaps be willing to consider forkingover their hard earned dollars to have it,but one thing could possibly hold themback. Credibility. Why should theybelieve you?

The answer of course is one of the mostpowerful and ignored tools available:testimonials.

I include them everywhere. Notice themin the tools kit. What another personsays about you will be for morebelievable than what you say about you.You should actively seek out and usetestimonials. It’s really simple to do. Inour studio, when someone is excited andfull of praise I ask “Can I quote you onthat? They always say yes so I write out



what I heard in the best way possibleand ask them if I can attach their nameto it.

Also our staff is trained to grab these allthe time and we reward them with smallgifts.

Another way is to write or e-mail abunch of clients, or put a call out in oneof your newsletters for testimonials andoffer small gifts for their efforts.

Of course thank you cards will

occasionally arrive at the studio,especially from wedding clients. Theseare great testimonials as well.

Marketing is tough without somethingunique to say. You should make everyeffort to clearly and concisely state whatit is that makes you different fromeveryone else. Add onto that how theywill benefit and making it very easy tounderstand. This is part of the processthat I wrote about at the start of thismanual. The part on innovation. It isnothing more than creating uniqueangles and messages from your productand services so that you will beunderstood and you will have somethingto offer and write about.

Ask : “Why should I, your prospectivecustomer, choose you versus every otherstudio out there?”

If you are the same as everyone else,one of you is unnecessary.

When you communicate the messageand your offers to prospective clients orto current or past clients, keep in mind

that you don’t want to sound like everyother studio out there who is trying therebest to sound like a big corporation. Idon’t know why so many think it’s sodesirable to sound all corporate andsterile.

Use your own distinctive voice, yourown personality and your ownemotions. You’ll have the designers all

up in arms, and you might even offend afew people, but to cleanse it for the veryfew who are offended is too big a priceto pay. Let yourself show and shinethrough. Fact is people love buyingfrom real people. Personality sells.

Be brutally honest and sincere. If youadd this element alone to yourmarketing it will improve responserates. The worst sin of all is to beboring. Ads that “didn’t work” aretypically not only overly creative andlacking innovative offers, but thebiggest killer of all is the fact that itbored everyone.

Add some zest and fire to your style andwatch people respond. But only you cando it. It’s hard to replicate by delegatingto a second party.

Long copyContrary to what the advertising worldbelieves, and in spite of irrefutable



evidence that supports the use of longcopy, many still buy into the notionthat a prospect will not read long copy.The fact is long copy works, as long asyou tell your story the very best way itcan be told. The worst mistake you cando is to write long copy that is boring.It must be interesting, informative andof value to the prospect. If you do thiseffectively it will get read and it willproduce results.

Focus your attack on a narrow frontThe worst slogan I ever read is this:

“For all your photographic needs.”

How boring and meaningless! Thistranslates to absolutely nothing in theprospects mind. Obviously it tries toohard to be everything, and it waschosen by the owner because their egoor pride felt it was the “answer” .

You should look at your competition,and look for a narrow focus to attack,rather than going after every servicepossible. Mind you it’s possible to goafter several fronts and create theimpression to those that matter thatyou “specialize” in that area.

In my city I have very effectively

created a solid reputation as a childand baby portrait photographer with a“knack” for capturing poses that people love and talk about.We also innovated many offerings toreflect this.

We also have marketed ourselves as“the” wedding photographer. Also“the” family photographer, and evenhave marketing, innovations andpackages designed exclusively for thematernity portrait market. It’s easy todo. But to try and simply go after theentire population and be all things toall people...ain’t gonna work!

I photograph a lot of babies. This inturn has created a lot of off-shootbusiness and good will. There arebenefits to specializing, or at leastappearing like you specialize. Otherscan specialize in boudoir, or sportsphotography, or industrial. Whatever.The point is you need to narrow yourfocus. It works. But don’t spreadyourself too thin. Be careful not toover-indulge and say yes to everything.You’ll loose focus and risk burning

out.Besides, to operate as a generalist costsa whole heap more of dough.Remember, “when everyone is yourmarket, than no one is your market”.You want your target market to be bigenough to get your arms around.

Make your products easy to

understandand desirable

You might accuse me of beingrepetitive but I make this point toremind you of not only of theimportance of innovation, but making



sure you have created something theywant. I know a guy who offers 3Dwedding photos. Does anybody reallywant that? If you have something theywant, write about it, innovate it, createeverything in your message that willmake it sound as easy as possible tounderstand and to purchase it. Theymust want it.

CourageSometimes it takes courage to say whatwe need to say in our marketing. I lovethe saying: “Courage is the rung thatall other virtues are hung on.”

Sometimes you just got go for it inyour marketing. Have guts. You risk loosing when you take the safe road.Every product or service has a flaw.When you fees up and own up, youactually gain power and strength, notthe other way around. But you must be

the one who says it first. By pointingout flaws, you also become morebelievable.

Adding ValueOne of my favorite marketing angles ispromoting free money. How? Listeverything your client will receive andadd a value to it. This is turn makes itappear as if they are receiving far

greater value for their money.

For example, I sell an item called theCreative Kids Club (I’ve soldhundreds!! ...it’s in the toolkit). When Ifirst created it years ago it included a

child portrait session every six months,small leather album and a 5”x7” fromeach session. The child also receives afree toy from our treasure box and jellybeans. I would add the regular cost of each session, each 5”x7” and thealbum and what they would pay if theypurchased it separately. That total farexceeded the membership cost of $99.00 (at that time, now it’s $169.00and a total of 6 sessions, but still abargain!!).

Try to do this with every promotionpossible or every selling angle.

Another example: Our 4”x6” reprintsare $30.00. Our wedding clients get alltheir 4”x6” proofs, which are allreprint quality. We tell them this andnote that if they had to purchase thewhole pile of 350 proofs the pricewould be almost $10,000. Wow. It

simply adds value, even though it isout of proportion.

Apples to orangesWhy play fair? Another way to buildperceived value is through an apples-to-oranges comparison. You have tocreate comparisons that favor yourstudio. Example: When we promoteour wedding packages we include an

engagement portrait, a free notice withphoto in the local daily newspaper,bonus portrait for bride’s family andgroom’s family, free table photoreception cards (to promote onlineproofing to the guests), bonus gift



certificate for first baby...total this upand you have a high value comparable.This pricing technique puts you in aposition where they cannot “compare”the basic service or product.“REALITY IS ONLY FOR THOSEWITH NO IMAGINATION”-Sign ona wall

Determining the right priceYou have to know your customer andyour product to get a solid grip on howimportant price is. Often other factorswill totally obscure whether or notprice is an issue. There are guidelinesand other variables that will control theprice. You must get to know yours.One important point: The lousier the“selling” and presentation, the lowerthe price. This will come together withexperience and testing.

Proof

It’s very important to prove why youare selling what you are selling and useevery means possible to prove it.Believability is a big issue with manypeople, even if they won’t admit it.Credibility is important whether youare offering a special that is too goodto be true or is perceived as expensive.One of the best ways to prove yourcase is with testimonials. I also believe

in “showing it to sell it”. People wantto see and feel. Some studios smartlyplace portraits of important people orcelebrities as the first thing people seewhen they walk in. This is one way toinstantly say something very strong by

association. It’s also great to haveawards to enhance your status, butdon’t into the trap of believing thatawards are in and of themselvessufficient to give you credibility. Intoday’s day and age, where everyoneand everything is viewed with asuspicious slant, it’s important tounleash every possible tool within yourgrasp in order to be believed.

GuaranteesPhotographers are afraid to guaranteetheir work. They worry sick thateveryone will take advantage of them.If you can’t stand behind yourservice and back it up 100% thenstop selling it. Find something thatyou can be proud of.Here’s a little known fact: Thestronger, bolder and more outrageousthe guarantee, the fewer thecomplaints. Using a powerful

guarantee gives you a tremendousmarketing edge.

Direct MailEvery studio should use direct mail asone of their main marketing tools.How and why?1 Generate “leads”. Calls into the

studio that can than be converted tosales. A postcard or sales letter

works like dynamite if put togetherproperly. See samples in yourtoolskit. It’s the very best way toget maximum return on yourmarketing dollar. Nothing beats itwhen done right, meaning, targeting



the right group of people with thevery best offer and message. It cana lso genera te leads f romunexpected sources. Mailings toplaces like other business’s,targeted neighborhoods, schools, orunusual prospects can easilyachieve results.

2 Staying in touch with currentclients. Newsletters, postcards,letters, brochures, statementstuffers....Anything works whenyou are mailing to satisfiedcustomers.

3 To boost other media. If youhappen to be doing TV, radio orother media you could stress the “asseen on TV” theme.

4 To create a stream of referrals frompast or current customers

Give direct mail serious consideration.It works like no other. Always follow

the guidelines:♦ Real live stamp (commemorativestamps are great), not a printed“bulk” indicia. This screams“JUNK” mail. Hand writtenwhenever possible.

♦ Use headline with clear, distinct,powerful offer. It has to promise aclear benefit and your strongestbenefit. Maybe two or more

benefits. Sub-heads etc...Must beeasily understood. Grammar is notimportant. Write like you talk.Cur ios i ty he lps .Avoid b igconvoluted words. never try to becute, sublime, creative or witty with

your headline. Often the bestheadlines are very simple andstraightforward-to-the-point.

♦ Write with personality. Infuse yourletters with real, no-nonsense styleand personality. It sells and isbelievable.

♦ Get your mail into the right hands.This alone will make or break acampaign. Wrong market is worsethan wrong media.

♦ Do it often and don’t be afraid tomail 3 to 5 times to the samepeople.

♦ Use inserts- “lumpy mail” it’ssometimes refereed to. Items suchas a key, a fake collar bill, coins,tokens, fake checks, post-its, faketelegram, gigantic hand-writtenmemo, extra letter from yourspouse, child, accountant.....

One of the best kept secrets when

creating and working with direct mailis the use of your swipe file. Gothrough it and find an idea or an adthat you think might work. Recycle theidea into your own promotion.

Factors that increase responsein direct mail.

1 First class mail, live stamps and

hand-written2 Offer specific and precise promise3 Strong testimonials-include names

and c i ty e tc . .when us ingtestimonials. Never use “blindtestimonials”



4 Powerful guarantee. Find a way toexpress their satisfaction or youwill offer something in return(watch out for “weasel clauses”-they will do more harm than good).Take away their doubts that youwill do a good job. A statedguarantee is a great way to furtheryour sales message

5 Coupons or gift certificates6 Use simple, easy to understand

language7 Short sentences, short paragraphs8 Exciting graphics or photo that

“lead” the reader through the copy9 Premiums10 Celebrity or affiliation endorsement

AdviceWatch who you take advice from.You’ve got to be very careful. You canlisten to as many people as you like,you might even get a good idea, but

remember that everyone’s got anopinion. As a reminder, be verycautious when the sales reps try to tellyou what’s best.

PremiumsAdding free gifts or premiums withyour offers is a great way to give youroffers that extra “kick in the pants”.See the Mother’s Day offer in the

toolskit as a classic example of a freegift offer.

Note that:♦ the gift is somewhat relevant, yet

not something that I would

normally sell.♦ it has perceived value.

Free gifts do not have to cost you afortune. I was able to negotiate a verygood wholesale rate for the Mother’sDay charms that I used as a premium,and the retail value was more thandouble what I paid. Other areas includegift certificates for future sessions, giftcertificates at a local restaurant orother merchants that have a desirableservice or product that would resonatewith your target market .

For example, I have a great workingrelationship with one of our mostpopular local restaurants. Theyactually give me free dollar value giftcertificates from their restaurant, and,they let me display my prints in thererestaurant all year long. I routinelygive out those certificates as a gift for

referrals or as part of other promotions.Use your imagination and trypremiums as a powerful “bribe”.Besides, chances are nobody else islikely to use this type of marketing andyou will certainly gain the advantagesof being unique and distinctive.

Your present customer base

It is absolutely amazing andoutrageous at the same time at howcompanies spend so much time andmoney to get a new client and spend so



little keeping them.

As a rule of thumb keep this in mind:You should spend as much on currentclients as you do on getting new ones.Unless of course you are just startingout.

The most important asset in yourbusiness is not one that you will find inyour accountants balance sheet. It’sintangible yet very powerful-yourrelationship with your client.We’ve focused a lot in our studio onsending out newsletters and creating“membershi p” programs that allow us to“adopt” our customers. It’s alsoimportant to never take your satisfiedclients for granted. This includes yousales presentation. Just because theymay have seen it and heard it before,never assume anything. Never take“shortcuts”.

The inner game of marketingWe are our own worst enemies. Everystudio is a reflection of you, the owner.If something is sick, than the owner issick. Marketing is as much a game thatincludes all the outer activities, asmuch as the inner game we play withinourselves. The inner game requires thatyou have your head screwed on right

while working on marketing projectsso that you create and gather the bestpossible stuff you can. School is neverout for the marketer. Recognize thatand stay active, read, and fill yourmind with ambition and energy.

DesireIn the book “Think and Grow Rich”,(one of my personal favorites and amust read for any serious businessperson) Napoleon Hill dedicated acomplete chapter to the subject of “desire”. What does this have to dowith your success as a marketingexpert and successful studio owner?Everything!!

Without desire you are dead in thewater. How much time and money doyou spend on your goals, your plansand your marketing ideas? Many wishthey could succeed or wish they couldbe better at marketing. However, very,very, very few are willing to get betterand take the actual steps required. Fewpeople are willing to get better. Wayfewer are willing to get great. Winning

takes a lot more than just wanting to.What is marketing anyway?

Twice in a row this happened to mevery recently. I had two clients in thestudio within days of each other thathad almost said the same thing, outloud, word for word: “I love cominghere”. I love it when they visit too! Itmeans sales and profits and the

realization of my dreams andambitions. It also means that they willgo home, yet again, happy andsatisfied, and, if we did our job right,they will be moved to the point wherethey cannot resist telling everybody



they know. This is marketing. If youfeel wrong about marketing, or insome twisted way feel marketing iswrong, then you risk a lot.

Bottom line is, we can be all lovey-dovey, altruistic and philosophical asmuch as we want, but when you getright down to it we cannot deny ourbasic human make-up, and a large partof that make-up is greed. Our job andmain objective is and should be tomotivate others to reach into theirwallets and give us as much as we canpossibly get from them, and have themdo so willingly, repeatedly and with asmile on their face.

I have discovered and amazingtransformation not only in the qualityof my life, my personal finances andoverall general well-being, but havebenefited immensely in an area that

totally surprised me when I started totake the job of marketing as serious asI do now. I was able to enhance myphotographic skills.

Yes, oddly enough, my artistic skillswere lifted to a new level, partly I’mcertain because I am busier than ever,thus giving me more experience, butmostly, I believe, my skills have

improved because I now focus onmarketing first. Weird, but true.

Somehow, when you succeed as abusiness person, your photographicskills get better. It’s probably to do

with the old saying “success attractsmore success”. When you get yourpriorities straight about being abusiness and marketing person first,you place yourself in the right place totruly succeed in all areas.

I’ve noticed that many photographersget caught up in the “art” of photography. They get suckered intosome convoluted and distorted mind-set that suggests there is some sublimea n d m y s t e r i o u s e l e m e n t t ophotography.

I certainly do not want to get into atreatise on the subject of art andphotography, but my personal opinionis that we need to be business personsfirst. We need to be marketers of photographic services first andforemost before anything else.

Doing photography for the “art” isheading down the wrong road. Youmay by default do okay, or you mayend up doing a lot of the right thingsnecessary to bring in business, but toreally guarantee a consistent, steadyand rock solid business you must takethe business approach first. I alsobelieve that photography is not an art.It has, in my opinion, artistic elements,

but in and of itself it is not a true artfrom. Some of you may take offense atthat, but we need agree on it. It doesn’tmatter if we do or not. What onlymatters is if you agree and if youdecide to make marketing your



photographic services a priority,whether or not it’s called “art”.

Keep it simpleIt’s been said that genius is the abilityto make the complex simple. That’swhat I hope this marketing systemdoes for you. I hope you find geniusinside it and use it within your ownstudio. Sometimes all we need is onegreat idea and it alone can and willopen big doors for us. Hopefully youwill discover many such ideas.

What I have found amazing is that thegenius is in making things simple. Thisincludes marketing. When you stepback and look at it all, it really issimple. Choose a market, define it andlocate it, create a message and createoffers for that market; then get themessage to that market using theleanest, meanest most economical way

possible. It really is simple.We become our own worst enemieswhen we try to take shortcuts toachieve something that is ridiculouslysimply to start with. Imagine, hiring anad agency to charge you outrageoussums of money, all based on yourbudget, not your goals, and lettingthem create ads totally based on blind

creativity. Does this make any sense?Of course not. But it is the way of theworld. It is conventional and we havebecome immune to our own stupidity.

It’s time to wake up and take charge.

It’s all about being responsible. And,as it happens, you’ll be contrarian.You’ll stand out in a sea of mediocrityand sameness.

Here are some key points to remember:♦ Be organized- You must present

your message in a thought out,organized and prepared fashion.This includes deciding whether ornot there is a real need for yourservice.

♦ Yo u r m e s s a g e m u s t b eunderstandable. Never overestimate the intelligence of theaverage client. Don’t assume yourprospect or client will know all theterms and “buzz” words. Confusedpeople do not buy. Nor does theintimidated or frightened person.

♦ Make your message interesting.Boring is suicide. Use ways to

make your service dramatic andexciting. Your packages, plans,p r o d u c t s , m e m b e r s h i p s ,promotions, all should be exciting.Make it so they can hardly resistbuying from you. Don’t be boring!

♦ Demand action. Tell your client orprospect what it is you expect fromthem. You cannot afford to besubtle or wimpy.

AfterwardsAs I look back at all that I wrote in thismanual I realize how hard it is to try tosay so much in so limited a space.



Truth is, when it comes to success andmarketing, if you had to boil it down toone theme, one idea, that would be: doit. Do something, anything.

That principle alone will put you in theminority. Most don’t give it anythought let alone take action. Whenyou do take action, might as well makeit as effective as possible. Increaseyour odds and use the principles that Ihave found have worked for me.

Success also has many otherdimensions that are worth exploring.One of my favorites, and I would beremiss by not talking about it here, isthe subject of self esteem and self image. I believe this area offers moreclues, more answers and moreexplanations than any other.

People fail for no other reasons other

than their own self image. The wayyou see yourself, from the very rootsof your being, starting with your sub-conscious all the way to your self-image, will determine more about yourchances for success than any otherarea.

You are not born to succeed. It is alearned behavior. Nature Vs nurture.

Everything and everyone that you’veexperienced in your life will determineyour level of self esteem which in turnre-creates your self-image. It’s not inthe genes or DNA, but it’s in yourexperiences, and it’s totally unique for

each and every one of us.

There is no accounting for why somepeople reach great heights and yet theysuffered through some of the mostadverse upbringings, while others werehanded everything they could ask forand yet they cannot rise to the occasionof their true potential.

This human quirkiness, although hardto express and make sense of, is apowerful angle that we can and shoulduse as leverage to our success andpossibilities.

Let me give you what I know to betrue about self-esteem and self -image.I believe in all my heart that this is theone success factor of all factors. Letme put it this way. Your self-esteem islike putty. It’s almost hard, yet stillmoldable. It is the link, the key to

success, true success. The door way toyour self-esteem is through your self-image, which is what you think aboutyourself. Now you can’t simply jumpinto your self-esteem and start moldingit into whatever you wish it to be. Thatwould be ideal, but it takes more, but itis possible.

To affect your self-image, you must

take another step: self-confidence. Thismeans everything you do, every actionyou take to increase your self-confidence will help improve yourself-image.



It is the doorway to your self-image,which in turn is the path to your self-esteem. This may sound weird, but itworks. And it takes time. In otherwords, whatever you do to improveyour self-confidence will affect yourself-image and ultimately your self-esteem.

It’s important to understand this anduse it in your life. It’s a successprinciple that is rarely talked about yetit is attributed to the greatest successstories in the history of mankind.

Take whatever steps you feel areneeded to increase your self-confidence and watch the growth.Never let negative self talk get in theway either. Being totally self-assuredis the goal. When you improve yourself-confidence you give yourself thegreatest gift of all.

I you understand and benefit from thissuccess principle. It really is simple. Ialso hope you learned a lot from thismanual. I encourage you to start your

journey today. Listen to the tapes overand over and read the manual manytimes. Get in touch with me with anyquestions. I welcome your ideas, yourinput and challenges.

Thank youRobert Provencher

[email protected]



Chapter 8Favorite Articles

By me and others(reprinted with permission)



How To SucceedRobert Provencher

Would you like to know how to succeed? It’s simple really, all you have to do issucceed. Really. Once you succeed you attract more success. It’s like magic and very powerful.

Ah, but how do you succeed in the first place you ask? How can you get success if youain’t got none? Okay, that’s a fair question and it certainly sounds like a catch-22 doesn’t it. Inorder to create success out of thin air you must start with a vision, an idea, a goal, a clear mentalpicture of what it is you see yourself succeeding at. You must convince yourself of this on anhourly, daily, weekly and monthly basis. Without this you are wandering aimlessly.

At your deepest unconscious level you have a success barometer. It tells you how wellyou will do. It’s like a ladder with only so many rungs on it. Everyone has their own uniquebarometer and we are limited by the possibilities this sets for us. Why are so many people stuck

earning $40,000.00 a year, year after year? It’s their internal success barometer. This barometercontrols us and if we head for any opportunity or success it will pull us back, drag us down.

So how do we get over any limits our own barometers may have placed on our owndestiny? By using our imaginations we can slowly increase the level of our own barometer. Ittakes work but it will have an effect and when opportunities come your way you will be able totake advantage of them instead of sabotaging them. You must imagine what it will be like to bein that place that you call success. A clear mental picture remember.

Other ways to work you barometer is by doing the very things that scare you. Fear isparalyzing. It serves no useful purpose other than killing your dreams, or telling to not put yourhand on a red hot stove. Now you don’t have to be logical about this, go after any fear. Whenyou confront them you grow. It increases your inner barometer overall. Seems simple doesn’tit? But we choose to stay stuck and let our fears hold us back.

What about talents? You may feel you lack certain skills or pre-dispositions. Or worseyet you bought into the biggest lie, that you had be born with talent. This I am happy to reportto you is one of the biggest lies ever uttered by pompous, never-well-meaning and arrogantmisguided souls. It’s used by these poor, self absorbed windbags to try and push you down andhold you back. Don’t buy it for a second.

I will concede that people are born with certain pre-dispositions, such as body typesthat may be suitable for athletics and if you are born blind you may never take up career as apilot, but these are the exceptions to the rule. And even so many people have done incrediblefeats in spite of serious setbacks. The idea that you are born a certain way is preposterous. It’s aload of crap who’s time has come to an end. You can do and be anything you want.

You get good at something by getting good. It’s that simple. It takes work. That’s whyso many hang their hat on the “I-wasn’t-born-with-it excuse”. They’re lazy. Everybody wants tobe rich or famous but few are willing to do whatever is necessary to get there.



If you want to learn or enhance a new skill start it now, and learn it every day, day afterday and you will get good. And keep learning new things. It’s good for the brain. Keeps youyoung and vibrant. When you learn new things don’t give up because it seems hard at first.

Every new skill, new passage has the same basic steps it must follow: unconsciousincompetence, where you suck at it and you don’t even know you suck at it. Consciouscompetence, where you suck at it but at least you know you suck at it. Conscious competence,where you are good at it and you know it, you have to make conscious effort to maintain thatlevel of being good at it, and finally, unconscious competence, mastery, where you seem tohave that natural talent. It just flows. This is where others will tell you you are born with it.Like as if it was that easy.

Another one of the great, often ignored success principles is that of total responsibility.Always take the position that everything that happens in your life is all your fault. No I’mserious on this. This will keep you sharp and in the right mindset, never defaulting to blaming.

So success seems to happen to others. On the outside this may certainly seem so, but if we look deeper we will find years of struggle and effort. And always a vision. If you want tosucceed you must have your own vision. If you offer up excuses you’re being a pessimistic,negative cry baby and nobody likes a cry baby. If you see success in someone else ask themhow they did it, and listen, I mean really listen. There’s gold in the answers. Likewise, nevertake advice from anyone who hasn’t been there.

Let me finish with a few quotes that I have pasted by my desk. I think they areapplicable to my message in this article:

“Most people waste their entire lives trying desperately to “get out of” or avoid exactlywhat is required for success and happiness.”

“You are what you think.”

“The mind is always sharpest when there is a hanging at dawn.”

YCDBSOYA(you can’t do business sitting on your ass)

“Never take advice from anyone who hasn’t been there.”



Are You A Cannibal?By Robert Provencher

Without a doubt the biggest marketing sin is being boring. You can have the greatest adwriting skills in the world but if your offers are boring you’ll likely stumble and fail. You canhave the greatest photographic talent in the world but if your offers, copy and promotions areboring you’re doomed. Being boring in any way shape or form is considered marketing suicide.Maybe that’s why so business’s fail. Simply because they use boring, run-of-the-mill, seen- it-a-million-times, looks-like-everything-else out there marketing. I have no doubt that this is trueand it is so often ignored by so many business’s it actually creates opportunity for those of uswho decide to do something about it.

But first, let’s look at the obvious question: Why do we fall into the habit of creatingmarketing suicide with boring promotions, boring ads, boring offers, boring copy etc...in thefirst place....? Simple. We are human beings. We like to copy each other and copy others whowe think are successful. We take on the “monkey-see monkey-do” way of thinking. It probably

has something to do with peer pressure and other social conditionings, fear of trying somethingnew or radical, fear of ridicule....whatever it is, the pressure is great. There are probably manyreasons and ways of explaining it, and since humans are basically lazy it only compounds theproblem.

This is a behavior that makes no exception. It applies equally to all industries and is socommon it can be considered the true cause of failure. It’s what I like to call cannibalism.Yousee it everywhere. Everyone starts doing what everyone else is doing and we all start lookingalike. What this ultimately amounts to is suicide because the marketing that results fromcannibalism is so boring it has virtually no effect on that target group that we are trying to getinto our studios.

Okay, so why don’t we simply take the opposite approach and copy the successfulmodels such as Starbucks and The Body Shop to name only a few. The rules they play by aresimple, but they did something amazingly simple that we too can us in our own business. Theydidn’t look at what all the other business’s in their industry are doing and duplicate. They didn’tgo to a coffee convention and notice what all the other coffee places were doing so they coulduse those same old and tired ideas. Did they? As a matter of fact they did the opposite. Theysimply innovated new and exciting ways to sell their boring coffee and boring soap products.Think about it. They succeed, many fail. Look any other industry. Pick any and you’ll see thesame behaviors over and over.

Joe Girard, in his book “How To Sell Anything To Anyone”, (excellent read by theway) talks about when he first started selling cars. He noticed how all the other salesmen wouldcome into work and hang out drinking coffee waiting for their turn at the next showroom walk-in prospect. He decided to do something different and not duplicate the efforts of all the othersalesmen. They were, in his opinion, wasting their time and effort, so he created a system tostart using his time and his own marketing strategies in a very distinctive and unique way.

You see he didn’t have much, other than time, so what he started phoning peoplestraight from the phone book, cold. Yea, that’s right, right from the “A’s” on through and he



used every moment of his work to make as many connections with as many people as possible.He tracked every call and every possible lead. When he made a sale he started a database andkept in touch with every client, every month, month after month, year after year, without fail,without le up, tirelessly working his marketing plan. And it worked for him. Boy did it ever.He built his reputation up to the point where he eventually became recognized as the best

salesman in the world by the Guinness Book Of World Records. He sold more than anyone andwon this incredible status, as well as all the other perks that go with success, many years in arow. He even made it as guest on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

So, what made Joe so successful? It’s simple really. He avoided the copy-cat approachand added effort to create a success formula uniquely his own. He had an excellent plan and heworked it. You might say to yourself “yea but this is photography we’re talking about, it’sdifferent.” Fine, go ahead and feed yourself one of the biggest lies. Taking the “but our businessis different” attitude is no better than using any old excuse for avoiding the success ingredientsthat works in any industry.

I’m not suggesting you get on the phone and start calling people cold, but at least have aplan, and create a database and keep in touch with all your clients on a regular basis. Are yousending out newsletters? Thank you cards? If things aren’t going your way it’s because youaren’t taking enough responsibility for your situation. We tend to do that as humans. Avoidresponsibility, especially when it comes marketing. We think there is a simple way to getbusiness such as throwing money at images ads or copying the competition.

When a prospective client walks in the door and everything they experience looks, feelsand seems the same as what they’ve seen and experienced at all the other studios, it will havevery little impact on them. I like to go for this reaction when a client visits “I’ve been to othersand I like what you had to say”.

Strive to find your own voice and your own message. I know we are all selling the samecommodity with our own style of shooting as the only way to differentiating from one another,but if we avoid cannibalism by not copying what all the other photographers are doing and bydoing something totally different, totally outrageous (yes, going through the phone book andcalling people cold is considered outrageous in my books...could you do it?? I’m not suggestingthat we use that as a marketing strategy but as a source of inspiration, a guide post, a virtue,ultimately asking ourselves: do I have the guts, determination, discipline and willingness tostand above the crowd and not look like everyone else in my field?)

So how do we do this? Where do we start? Simple, take the basics and work from there.Your offers and packages in all your services should be exciting. Never boring, Start with your

basic menu of services. If you are a “a la carte” photo studio then get off your high horse andcreate packages at different levels. Thinking is hard work so make it real easy for clients tounderstand what it is you are offering them. And please, don’t forget the golden rule: make allyour offers speak in terms of how they will benefit the client (not an ego massage for you).

Look at everything your studio stands for. Is it unique? What areas can you improve?How about your personality? Your shooting style? Your skills? The studio smells? Your staff?Attitudes? Everything is a potential area for improvement and could be polished with that extra



sparkle that you could call your own, not a copy of what you saw at the convention last month.Inject big and small ideas. Infuse personality into all your marketing, your personality.

Why do you think Wendy’s used Dave Thomas in their ads? Simple, sales went downwhen they stopped using him. He was a lovable, believable human being. Not a cold, corporate

and sterile message like most ads out there. When you stop being a cannibal and stop feedingthe same message over and over you start the right path to marketing.

You won’t find the answer in any textbook. However you can follow guidelines. Thebiggest job you have in your studio is that of being a marketer. A strategist first and foremost.Your life depends it and your business too. It is the only way to not becoming a cannibal.

There are only five ways to stand out in the marketplace:1-Price, 2- Product, 3-Process, 4-Service and 5-Marketing

◊ Price. If you compete on price you are asking for heartache and headaches. I guarantee it.Charge what YOU WANT, and find ways to justify it. Never stay stuck in the price warcompetition. It is very, very frustrating. I talk to many photographers who stay stuck andfail to work on other areas to strengthen. I believe it often is a sign of deeper problems andself -image. I am not suggesting avoiding it altogether, but it certainly is a prime focus fortoo many.

◊ Product. I’ve always felt that if you can make people look good and create great photosthey will tolerate just about kind of abuse or otherwise appalling behavior that would neverbe tolerated in other industries. If you are a great photographer why not be a great marketertoo? And a good person. You will only have everything to gain by it and if you treat peoplebadly, in time you are bound to pay a price. How exactly? Who knows? But why be a jerk?Likewise if you take okay photographs it will help you immensely by being a memorableperson. I know average photographers who earn good money and get a ton of businesslargely because they are likeable. This factor really helps in this business. If you take okayphotographs you should be personable and likeable, and you should create a lot of excitement with your marketing and innovativeness.

◊ Process, service and marketing. These are the three areas that will give you the bestleverage and ability to stand out from the rest.

I was once asked if location was important for the photographer. My answer was and isthat location is a very, very small factor, unless you are building a franchise mall type studioand plan to expand it. This type of store depends on location to a much larger degree. If youfocus on location and make it a primary strategy without making process’, service andmarketing your main focus, you are creating a very weak plan.

Be grounded, realistic and focused on what is important and deserving of your attentionand efforts. Your success depends on it.



Brass Balls And Other Street SmartMarketing And Business Strategies

By Robert Provencher

I recently created a new product based on those very popular theme portraits, you know,the ones with fairies and mushrooms in the forest and all that. You can see the actual price list Icreated for it in the toolskit manual. My wife and I decided this would be an interesting additionto our children’s portrait services and we could market it to our current list of clients. We alsopriced it as a premium service.

There are several interesting elements to this story that are important reminders of basicmarketing principles. First off, that of finding a product that people want. Secondly, usestrategies that have been proven and you know with enough confidence they will work againand gain, assuming they want the product. Why bother reinventing the wheel? Right?

Let’s break this down a little further. Finding something they want. When we createdthis new service my wife was excited and had great expectations. I held the belief that when the

phone started to ring with bookings, or at the very least inquiries about it, which at the veryleast shows there is an interest ( a good sign), then, and only then, would I know we hadsomething. Sure, it’s easy to make all kinds of assumptions and get excited about what youthink your clients would want, but the verdict is always out until, and only until, they show youthe money.

Our strategy initially was to have a very visually attractive product and to attach ahigher than normal price tag on it. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy by defaulting tothe good old, “they will buy on price” attitude. This is wrong, wrong , wrong!!!!! If you areprone, like I was for too many years, to marketing your product and service based on what theprice is you are shooting yourself in the foot. Get over it. The sooner the better.

There is very little evidence that people buy on price. As a matter of fact I recall readinga very reliable statistic from a very reliable and respected marketing expert who said that only20% of the population buy based on price. The other 80% make their buying decisions based onVALUE. If you’ve been marketing to, and all your clients, or the vast majority of your clientsbuy on price, then you are effectively, or ineffectively, avoiding the other 80% who buy onvalue.

When someone who has the money and desire for your product sees your price they mayvery well say to themselves, even at a sub-conscious level “there must something wrong withthis product, why’s it so cheap?” Get it?

They won’t want it. One of the most important lessons in business is one that was taughtto me by my favorite marketing guru, Dan Kennedy. In one of his day long seminars, formallycalled his “ Customer Appreciation Seminar”, which he presented to his clients (of which I amone) as a gift, as a show of appreciation, and in which he shared every single success andmarketing principle that he learned from many years of hard experience. This seminar becamequickly known as the “Brass Balls Seminar”, because Dan talked about the importance of beingconfident, strong and having the ability to ask for whatever price you want. How successful youwill become is largely determined by how little you flinch when you quote your price, he says.The market will “take you at your own appraisal”.

When I told another photographer friend what I was doing he was quick to point out that



it wasn’t going to work. He tried it, bought all the props and never made a sale. Grumbled aboutone possible client who was obviously not the type of person he wanted as a client in the firstplace.

I have to admit, I was somewhat discouraged with his experience and what he told me,but I went ahead anyway, which leads me to another point. You are your own marketing expert,

not your friends, spouse or family. Most of these people will tell you that the ads I use don’twork. Everyone has an opinion, and that’s all it is. You can listen to them and smile politely andgo about doing what your doing, building an empire.

After we finished the price list we put them into the hands of our target market andplaced a display print at a local market place. We booked several sessions instantly and hadseveral people call us requesting more information. Need I say more?

Now, there are several points to all this and let me summarize them in a simple, easy tofollow list of success and marketing points:♦ Believe in what you sell. If you don’t, you will fail and struggle with your advertising.♦ Stick with what works.♦ Use ads and promotions not based on clever, witty or cute. Be factual and drive home the

benefits to your clients.♦ Never listen to anyone, even sales reps, about will and what will not work.♦ Never think your clients are smarter or dumber or won’t buy on value over price. People are

people no matter what class they belong to.♦ Always market to those who have bought from you before.♦ Sell based on value, not price. GET PAID!!!♦ Have brass b***. Be strong, firm and remain polite and likeable. `The market will take you

at your own appraisal.♦ Ask your customers what they want.♦ Tell your customers reasons why.♦ Find and develop that that makes you unique in all your offers.

I could go on and on but I believe the most important point is that of having the rightthoughts in your head in order to succeed and prosper. If you don’t believe in your product itwill seep out some way and poison your efforts. If you don’t believe you deep down insidedeserve to earn a certain amount your attempts at premium selling may be self-sabotaged. Theanswer of course is self-improvement. You will get better, stronger and richer if you work at it.Oh, that’s my final point. Work. It always takes effort and works. Nothing is ever achievedwithout it, but if love what your doing, and are getting well paid for it, it ain’t work, it’s fun.



This is by far the best article written on innovating your products. Loaded with instruction and great examples.



On the next few pages I’ve included a few articles from others. Please excuse

the look, as I had to scan them in. This shouldn't detract from the messagewithin the article. It’s the point I want you to get, which is very instructive to

operation photo studios.

Reprinted with the authors permission.



More insider secrets in these articles by John Palma article. John gives these newsletters away from his website. They arevaluable and very, very insightful. You’ll notice I already talk and preach and nag and use these or similar tactics.

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