Wow! 4 weddings in 3 days! Book a massage! And on a separate note, you had 20 (or so) good responses, and one maybe not so good in your opinion, focus on the good ones! (So easy to focus on the negative...) AND BUY an IPHONE, you won't be disappointed! I love my iphone!
form wrote:
But I feel guilty, like I let them down.
You must be either Catholic or Presbyterian. Why in the world would you feel guilty about someone who waits to the last minute and then can't follow through in a timely manner?
It was my experience that last minute bookings almost always turned out bad. You might have dodged a bullet.
I believe they followed through from the beginning and my ISP failed to deliver the emails and that it was not their fault that my ISP is dropping emails from Canada. I don't feel they deserve to be punished for the internet's failure, so I have made arrangements to be available to shoot their wedding.
dmacmillan wrote:
You must be either Catholic or Presbyterian. Why in the world would you feel guilty about someone who waits to the last minute and then can't follow through in a timely manner?
It was my experience that last minute bookings almost always turned out bad. You might have dodged a bullet.
I haven't shared this experience: Last-minute bookings go either way for me, but the vast majority of my clients are good.
eephoto wrote:
Wow! 4 weddings in 3 days! Book a massage! And on a separate note, you had 20 (or so) good responses, and one maybe not so good in your opinion, focus on the good ones! (So easy to focus on the negative...) AND BUY an IPHONE, you won't be disappointed! I love my iphone!
No iphone, no massage. I don't buy luxuries for myself. The only things I buy for myself outside necessities are overpriced camera equipment, musical instruments, and computer upgrades.
form wrote:
No iphone, no massage. I don't buy luxuries for myself. The only things I buy for myself outside necessities are overpriced camera equipment, musical instruments, and computer upgrades.
Yeah, but if you're missing emails and not being able to make international phone calls. A smart phone isn't a luxury. It's just a better tool for your business.
that's just one aspect of a smart phone. i couldn't run my business without one. but that's just me. but you sound like you like what you've got going on. so keep on keeping on.
The smartphone, to me, is a bunch of extra cost for nothing I need. I can live without every little convenience that it has to offer without any difficulty. Remember when cell phones didn't exist, yet somehow we managed to live anyway?
I choose not to become highly dependent on such a device. I am already dependent enough on a plain cell phone, and I don't need any of the other features.
You felt guilty and that your potential client was "punished" because your ISP system failed Really Guilty to me is a fault. This wasn't fault on your part. I would think anger, not guilt. Then figuring out how to minimize this from happening again.
Smartphones are not just for play (luxury as you call it). They also help with communication.
form wrote:
The smartphone, to me, is a bunch of extra cost for nothing I need. I can live without every little convenience that it has to offer without any difficulty. Remember when cell phones didn't exist, yet somehow we managed to live anyway?
I choose not to become highly dependent on such a device. I am already dependent enough on a plain cell phone, and I don't need any of the other features.
That's an odd argument. Remember when computers and digital cameras didn't exist either? You chose to become dependent on those for your business. A smart phone is no different. The technological advances can aid your business, it's not a detriment. But who am I to say how you should run your business? Just trying to help. I'll bow out now.
form wrote:
The smartphone, to me, is a bunch of extra cost for nothing I need. I can live without every little convenience that it has to offer without any difficulty. Remember when cell phones didn't exist, yet somehow we managed to live anyway?
I choose not to become highly dependent on such a device. I am already dependent enough on a plain cell phone, and I don't need any of the other features.
I know the title of this post isn't "smartphone", but I'd have to agree that a smartphone will only help to advance your business, not hinder it. It pays for itself...
-I've found that brides like quick responses, and it's helped me to book weddings, because they feel communication is excellent.
-Often I've needed to retrieve important info from an email the day of a wedding, and I'm able to do that with a smartphone.
-I use the GPS all of the time.
-When GPS fails, I have google maps. Saturday GPS brought me to the wrong location and I was able to google the right spot and noticed it was only 5 minutes away.
-I'm horrible with remembering names, and a few times I've seen past couples out in public and quickly found their name on Facebook so that I didn't look like a dweeb.
-I can voice command reminders into my phone when I'm out and about, because things tend to pop into my head that I don't want to forget.
-I have a bunch of wedding photos on my phone that I can show people when they ask about my photography.
On and on, there are countless ways that my iPhone has served me well and I'm so thankful for it.
...To answer your original post, I sometimes feel bad as well. I've had a few couples with slow response time and I booked with someone else. I'm not super pushy, so if they don't seem to show interest I usually back off, and then they come back later interested.
Smart phone IS different: I could not hope to keep up with modern photography methods, and I certainly could not afford to do any kind of photography business, if I used film and had no computer. The computer is useful for communication and photo editing, both of which are necessities to me based on the way I work. The digital cameras are virtual necessities for someone doing the line and style of work I do. A phone is also necessary to me. However, a smart phone's extra features - all of which I can easily access on my own computer in advance - are not necessary to me. In many cases, they are either redundant or of limited use to me.
morby pointed out SEVERAL reasons a smartphone is worthy and NOT redundant at all. I have a GPS in my car, GPS on my phone, and I printout MapQuest maps to locations. Redundant...yes. Helpful, fosho!! I've used all of them because of any number of reasons and I got there on time without issue.
A smartphone (Android, Windows, Apple) can be useful beyond what you seem to believe. Instant communication with clients via any form they use is great. I will be the first to respond to them (new potential clients) because I choose to.
Not saying you can't do without them, just saying it's a great assistance in multiple ways.
I understand the guilty feeling, I've had it a couple of times when that happened, especially when I preferred the couple that missed out to the couple who got their booking in first, but you have to let it go. We're running a business, not a day care centre.
I've stopped sending contracts out in paper form and do it all electronically now. If they want to book they should fill in the form NOW along with sending the retainer. Another five minutes and some one else could get their slot.
form wrote:
Unnecessary. You didn't have to respond at all. And incidentally, I don't own either one. I don't have a smartphone. I have an old stupidphone.
Seriously, you are one of the most well-respected and skilled photographers on this forum, so I wish you wouldn't lower yourself to that kind of demeaning response...or am I simply so vile or worthless or bothersome to you that you just had to do it?
I know the internet doesn't communicate tone, but that really sounds like it was in jest. Besides, maybe this incident shows that out is time for a phone upgrade. There are no contract options, or you.can.even go with a google voice number which.OS totally.free and transcribes voicemails to email.
cordellwillis wrote:
morby pointed out SEVERAL reasons a smartphone is worthy and NOT redundant at all. I have a GPS in my car, GPS on my phone, and I printout MapQuest maps to locations. Redundant...yes. Helpful, fosho!! I've used all of them because of any number of reasons and I got there on time without issue.
A smartphone (Android, Windows, Apple) can be useful beyond what you seem to believe. Instant communication with clients via any form they use is great. I will be the first to respond to them (new potential clients) because I choose to.
Not saying you can't do without them, just saying it's a great assistance in multiple ways....Show more →
I continue to live life without awareness of GPS. Get me a few rocks and some sticks and I will be equally amused.
Dave_EP wrote:
I've stopped sending contracts out in paper form and do it all electronically now.
I prefer to send out contracts in paper form (to help with branding) but for a year I've been asking clients how they want it and - to my surprise - I think all of them have said they want it electronically. If someone were to ask me, I would prefer to have it mailed out as it's much "easier" in that I don't have to print out the contract, myself.
eephoto wrote:
BUY an IPHONE, you won't be disappointed! I love my iphone!
I have zero interest in a smart phone. Heck, it's rare that I even have even a dumb phone on me and, actually, barely know how to even use it. Basically, I don't carry a portable telephone on my person. I use my portable telephone as a land line.
I love my iphone!
Really
I use my portable telephone as a land line.