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Archive 2014 · networking with other photographers in your area?

  
 
Prettym1k3
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · networking with other photographers in your area?


Networking has been invaluable to me. To date, I've never had to call in someone a day before wedding due to death, illness, injury, etc., but I have a list of people I COULD call upon.

I also have multiple bookings this year and last year (and an engagement from last year) due to networking. And it's been awesome.

At the end of the day, each of the 7 or 8 photographers on my "go-to" list of referrals can only take on one wedding per day. I'd like to be the guy they refer to because they think I have skill, they think I'm nice, and they think I'm professional.

Or maybe I just have a style that betters suits the potential client than they do.

Networking is awesome.



Sep 02, 2014 at 01:40 PM
dhp_sf
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · networking with other photographers in your area?


maxwell1295 wrote:
I met the vast majority of wedding photographers right here in this forum. I guess that's a benefit of living/working in a large metro area. We meet in person when time permits. I gotten referrals from some of them and have passed couples on to them as well. Meeting online is one thing, but there's no replacement for hanging out with like-minded people in person.


I'd hang out with you Alan!

Yeah I have met up with a few people that I've met through FM (Prettymk, Scott Mosher, SloPhoto, J&ALight, Ari, loosetrucks and a few others). It's pretty cool. I've also found good 2nd shooters/assistants from here as well. I try to attend vendor networking events every once in a while, and recently went to a Fearless meet up in SF that was pretty great. Got to meet some people who's work I greatly admire and find that they're super down-to-earth as well.



Sep 02, 2014 at 01:58 PM
glort
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · networking with other photographers in your area?


giddyup wrote:
I am actually taking a few business classes part time at the university. The classes are already making me reconsider how to do some things more efficiently and effectively.


Good For you!

You'll look back on it in 5,10 or 20 years time and say " That was one of the smartest things I ever did!".

I find I use business skills pretty much every day. I certainly don't pull my camera out every day.
And when I say every day, I'm not talking about for business reasons either.

Earlier this year I sold my house. I sold it in a month for $50K more than the real estate agent that had it for 18 months told me was too much. Yeah, right!
I went to visit my father the other week and sold something for him $600 more than he normally gets for it. Client was so happy she rang him a week later and thanked him. I also went with him to take something back to a store he bought by mistake and they werent going to refund. I stepped in and pointed out a few things and suddenly what they couldn't do they did. I was visiting a friend and a council ranger turned up to fine him (heavily) for something his kids had done unkowing to him. The guy was being pretty pig headed but after a discussion of how this could reflect badly on him and the council if the press got wind of it, with a promoise of taking steps to make sure it never happend again, the matter was dropped with a warning.
I call that " Unselling" but it's the same skills and tactics being applied.

I'm always doing things and pointing out to my kids " See why having business/ sales skills helps you in life?"
I'm no super salesman and I'm not professing anyone has to be but just knowing the fundamental basics puts you so far ahead of everyone else, particularly in the photography game it's not funny.
What can be funny is playing with people that think they have things sussed out and shooting them down with single, relevant questions which they can't answer but can't argue with either because they know they are entierly legitimate and relevant inquirys.

My favourite is to simply ask someone " Why should someone book/ buy from/ use you over your competitor?" You then add, they can't answer "service and quality" because that's the exact cop out trained response their competition will use as well so it's not a valid answer.
When I ask this question I'm lucky to get 1 in 10 people give me any sort of answer no matter how lame. It simply throws them because they just have no idea and have never considered it.

When you do keep that in mind however, it changes so many things you do and takes your outlook from that of your own view to looking at things more from a customers perspective and that is the really important one.

IF you are in the early stages of your business, bridal fairs are a great way to get things kicking along. You don't have to be a great shooter or worry about if you are good enough, being competent is enough. You also need to be personable. People buy the person, the product and the price in that order. If they don't like you, there better be one hell of a compelling reason to hire you over someone they do like or you'll lose out every time.

Don't worry as much about your work as getting your marketing and presentation sorted. IF you have good competent shots, Focussed, well exposed, captureing expression and feeling rather than just recordings of what was in front of you, that's enough, you don't need to worry about having evertyting you show a work of art to behold. You do need to practice your answers and responses. People are going to largely ask the same questions. How much, how long, waddwegit? etc.
This is where sales is easy. You know what most of the questions are going to be so you can sit down, think up wording for compelling and effective answers in advance and practice them so when they come, you can reply with great confidence, enthusiasm and satisfaction to the potential client.
If there is something you hate people asking, that's the most important one to work on of all!

When you have a great answer worked out, you won't be dreading the question comeing up, you'll be hoping for them because you know you have a great reply thats going to knock the people out of the park and get you that much closer to a deposit and signed contract.
You also know that most other shooters are still going to be floundering on that same question and giving very ordinary answers.

Anyway, good luck with it, You are on the right track and show a lot more smarts and foresight than most in this game. It will help you a lot and be a skill you'll use throughout your life no matter what you do personaly or professionaly.



Sep 02, 2014 at 06:50 PM
giddyup
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · networking with other photographers in your area?


Prettym1k3 wrote:
Networking has been invaluable to me. To date, I've never had to call in someone a day before wedding due to death, illness, injury, etc., but I have a list of people I COULD call upon.

I also have multiple bookings this year and last year (and an engagement from last year) due to networking. And it's been awesome.

At the end of the day, each of the 7 or 8 photographers on my "go-to" list of referrals can only take on one wedding per day. I'd like to be the guy they refer to because they think I have skill, they
...Show more


Thanks for your experience! Yes, for me it is about having a list I COULD call upon if there was an emergency. I just feel it is very important. Things can happen that we have no control over, and I'd rather have a solid backup plan then leaving a client to scramble for photographers on one of the most important days of their lives. Referrals are definitely a bonus, but I suppose that comes with time and building solid relationships with other photographers.


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dhp_sf wrote:
I'd hang out with you Alan!

Yeah I have met up with a few people that I've met through FM (Prettymk, Scott Mosher, SloPhoto, J&ALight, Ari, loosetrucks and a few others). It's pretty cool. I've also found good 2nd shooters/assistants from here as well. I try to attend vendor networking events every once in a while, and recently went to a Fearless meet up in SF that was pretty great. Got to meet some people who's work I greatly admire and find that they're super down-to-earth as well.


Vendor meetups are a good idea! I'll have to do some research and see what I can find ... thanks!

---------------------------------------------

glort wrote:
Good For you!

You'll look back on it in 5,10 or 20 years time and say " That was one of the smartest things I ever did!".

I find I use business skills pretty much every day. I certainly don't pull my camera out every day.
And when I say every day, I'm not talking about for business reasons either.

Earlier this year I sold my house. I sold it in a month for $50K more than the real estate agent that had it for 18 months told me was too much. Yeah, right!
I went to visit my father the other
...Show more

Thank you for the informative response! Yes, I feel the business classes are extremely important, and in the end they will help me build the kind of business and relationships that I want.

Still, that microeconomics test last night was a killer! I think my professor is a sadist!






Sep 03, 2014 at 07:22 AM
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