ksmahgrts wrote:
the appearance of success, in all it forms, is definitely a piece of the puzzle.
yes..... my point exactly. It is reinforcing the constistent message, nice looking studio, great images, high prices. The expectation will have been created that they will be paying top dollar & getting a fabulous result.
I recently did a wedding shoot in Paris, you can bet for sure the images will be the cornerstone of my marketing for a while.
Oh Yeah - I am loving this thread - I am such a car girl - !
Here is my Monte Carlo SS - it's an HDR shot (-:
I am proud to show up in my car - I love it's look and it has room for my equip.
I previously had a Toyota Previa that I loved also - but I don't have to haul kids around as much anymore - so a car makes more sense.
I agree that it is crucial for high-end shooters to maintain an overall image of class and success for the clients. This doesn't necessarily mean driving a BMW or Porche, but keeping your doors shut with duct tape can have a negative effect on the clients' perceptions of you. I'm skeptical of whether a "cool" car can help, but a beater could probably hurt.
Marcus Watts wrote:
Yes they do. This isn't even debateable amongst the top end of the market. Wether you think they should or not is a different thing.
Did someone say a car was a substitute for you and your experience? Perhaps you should read the original thread.
Intersting that you say rent a Porche, that's what i do but for the weekend.
How many HERE on this forum are in the top end ? If you are Yervant, Mike Colon and charge 10,000.00 and up, then yes you have a perception to uphold.....but for the rest of us NORMAL shooters, it's a non issue.....
For those who consider themselves HIGH END, please raise your hand....
As i stated, a car, your clothes, your sunglasses, your race, the way you look, do you have a moustache, clean cut, long hair, short hair....it doesn't REALLY matter.....your work is all that matters.......if having a NICE car gets you bookings, then so be it.....but it's not a priority to being successful.........that's such a fallacy.
And i'm not talking about a Dodge Magnum or 300M......if it really matters, then roll up in your Lamborghini or Rolls Royce...anything else is just par for the course.
ksmahgrts wrote:
you nailed it. any great marketer will tell you it's not enough to just deliver superior product; it's the service you deliver and the overall experience that creates buzz, yields results, and keeps people coming back for more.
the most successful folks are the ones who take the time to pay attention to the little details that create the whole package.
the appearance of success, in all it forms, is definitely a piece of the puzzle.
Well of course it does....but for this thread, what type of car reflects YOUR style, your success ?
Toyota, Honda, BMW, Chevy, Ford, Range Rover, Jaguar, Lamborghini ? What's stylish to one is crass to another......judging one by their car is silly......i know many people who drive BMW's who are pigs.......live in dumps, act like jerks, but hey, they drive that BMW.......
If we think that just because a person is driving a nice car that it gives him instant credibility, then there's something really wrong, no matter what profession they are in.
Why stop there ? If that's the case, if we are not wearing anything less that an Armani suit and Gucci shoes, 10,000 diamond pinky ring and designer shades, then we don't radiate success.............more people will see you while you are working as opposed to what car you drive up in.........do we do donuts in the parking lot honking the horn for everyone to see what car we are in ? Puzzling......very puzzling.......
Does anyone display their photography business on their car? My x-teacher from the local college has "EMC Photo" on the doors of his jeep - I couldn't believe that he had that - I would think that it would be an invitation for thieves to break in!!!
Hassy, normally I agree with you but in this case, I can't. If a set of twins pull into your office building at the same time, one driving a BMW the other driving a 15 year old Ford Explorer, what will you automatically assume? How about when the BMW twin is wearing a nicely tailored suit and the explorer twin is wearing a t-shirt and jeans? You're going to assume the BMW twin is more successful and probably has more going for him then the other.
It's the same reason that studies have shown good looking people tend to get promoted faster & make higher salaries. I'm not saying its fair or right, but it is reality.
It's human nature to "classify" everyone and everything around us. I went to a marketing seminar a long time ago and, if you put your defenses aside, it's absolutely amazing how open we are to the tiniest of suggestions, especially when trying to make a decision about "quality" (in this case, about a quality photographer). From what you drive down to the type of pen you give your clients to use tells them what to expect from you.
hassy501 wrote:
Well of course it does....but for this thread, what type of car reflects YOUR style, your success ?
Toyota, Honda, BMW, Chevy, Ford, Range Rover, Jaguar, Lamborghini ? What's stylish to one is crass to another......judging one by their car is silly......i know many people who drive BMW's who are pigs.......live in dumps, act like jerks, but hey, they drive that BMW.......
If we think that just because a person is driving a nice car that it gives him instant credibility, then there's something really wrong, no matter what profession they are in.
Why stop there ? If that's the case, if we are not wearing anything less that an Armani suit and Gucci shoes, 10,000 diamond pinky ring and designer shades, then we don't radiate success.............more people will see you while you are working as opposed to what car you drive up in.........do we do donuts in the parking lot honking the horn for everyone to see what car we are in ? Puzzling......very puzzling....... ...Show more →
hassy501....I don't think we have ever agreed on anything yet...but that's about to change with this topic...as I agree with you 110%
If I were getting married and I was searching for a photographer, trust me the car would be the LAST thing I would take into account. As long as they have a reliable vehicle that will get them to my wedding on time to make great images..then who cares, I am more concerned with them as a person and the images they can create.
I lease a 2007 Honda Civic..nothing fancy, but great on gas and it's reliable and I pretty sure I haven't lost a wedding because of it. As for am I a "high end" WP....not sure if I'd call myself that. Our weddings this year average from $4500 for 6 hours to our largest one this year of $9350 for 9 hours...and believe they hired me for my photography, not my ride
My multimillionaire boss wears no bling bling and dresses with blue jeans to work, drives a Honda CRV (2002) and yet has thousands of clients buying the stuff his company produces.
That's just a dumb example, but to say that clients are not exactly gonna remember what you drove. Maybe the brides, who have a good memory in details. But you don't want to show up with your muddy minivan full of mosquitoes and duct tape attached to the windshield.
The industry is ultra competitive the marketing ploys, the personal presentation, the showroom, the albums, the clothes, the music, the advertising, and yes even the car play a role they all independently sway a potential clients perception of you as a person and that of your product and business.
Fake it til you make it i know of colleagues that have hired a porsche or a mercedes in order to make a good impression on a wedding day its not just about the couple you are shooting it's also about the hundreds of guests seeing you roll up in a "Top shelf ride"
Image is everything in this business...Your work is ultimately the determining factor however it's the optional extras that can help clinch a deal! and to be perfectly honest in our current economic climate we need all the help we can get
I don't see why it has to be an all-or-nothing proposition, folks.
If you show up in a 1971 Ford Pinto belching black smoke and making rattling noises, that can make an impact on the clients' perceptions of how your business is going.
A "standard car" is unlikely to make an impact one way or another. No + or - points.... fine!
A nice car *might* make increase the perception of your success, but the real question is whether the additional cost of that ride would have been more profitably spent on other advertising and/or presentation materials.
I bet the cleanliness and and upkeep on the car can matter just as much if not more than the model.
neridah wrote:
The industry is ultra competitive the marketing ploys, the personal presentation, the showroom, the albums, the clothes, the music, the advertising, and yes even the car play a role they all independently sway a potential clients perception of you as a person and that of your product and business.
Fake it til you make it i know of colleagues that have hired a porsche or a mercedes in order to make a good impression on a wedding day its not just about the couple you are shooting it's also about the hundreds of guests seeing you roll up in a "Top shelf ride"
Image is everything in this business...Your work is ultimately the determining factor however it's the optional extras that can help clinch a deal! and to be perfectly honest in our current economic climate we need all the help we can get ...Show more →
'hundreds of guests seeing you roll up in a top shelf ride"........really ? I don't know about you, but i'm usually at my weddings way before the guests are there, and when driving to the receptions if they are in a separate location, the guests are usually there, inside already......so do YOUR guests line up to watch you drive in ?
gabemc wrote:
hassy501....I don't think we have ever agreed on anything yet...but that's about to change with this topic...as I agree with you 110%
If I were getting married and I was searching for a photographer, trust me the car would be the LAST thing I would take into account. As long as they have a reliable vehicle that will get them to my wedding on time to make great images..then who cares, I am more concerned with them as a person and the images they can create.
I lease a 2007 Honda Civic..nothing fancy, but great on gas and it's reliable and I pretty sure I haven't lost a wedding because of it. As for am I a "high end" WP....not sure if I'd call myself that. Our weddings this year average from $4500 for 6 hours to our largest one this year of $9350 for 9 hours...and believe they hired me for my photography, not my ride
You mean they didn't hire you because of the car you drove ? No way.....i can't believe that.....
Yeah it's a silly concept, but hey, if it works for some, more power to them.....in my 19 years of shooting weddings, i have yet to have ONE bride ask me what type of car I drive or to have GUESTS lined up waiting to see what kind of car i drive up in.
Depending on the event and the arrangements yes there are a no of receptions where guests will propagate and loiter outside a venue smoking sipping on champagne eating away on nibblies etc.. awaiting the arrival of the bride and groom...You dont necessarily do it to take centre stage or to hog the limelight however it sure wont hurt your image or the perception you project.
I have to go with Hassy, Mike, and Gabe on this one.
It is true that people make judgments and assessments about a person as soon as they see him/her - before that person even opens their mouth. It's life and we all do it. However, there are things that matter more than others. The things a person pays attention to and gives value to tell a lot about that person. If someone is going to have any type of negative feelings because I rolled up in my 2004 Toyota Corolla and not a 2008 3-series BMW, it shows something about their upbringing.
Also, it is a false assumption that people in the higher end will always notice your car, suit, etc. I know poor people AND rich people that make riches and worldly things mean everything in their lives. I also know poor AND rich people who are content and don't let these things matter. There are rich kids that won't talk to other kids whose parents aren't well off and there are rich kids who hang out with inner city youth and can care less about their friend's income.
Also, we might not be at the high-end of the market in terms of us being photographers - however, half my family are doctors and the other half are engineers. The company they keep are of equal or higher success. I've seen two people from the same social class have two different outlooks on life - upbringing.
If a car plays such a role, then you have to worry about everything else as well. Some people might not like you because you're fat or ethnic or whatever else. At the end of the day, all these things are trivial. I think one should just worry about presenting themselves in a clean cut and nice manner. Get a car wash, wear clean professional clothes, be charming, and show top notch work.
All in all, EVEN IF you're right and you get a client who sees you pull up in an average car and gets a bad taste in their mouth - it doesn't mean that's game over. Your personality, presentation, service, and portfolio should impress them so much that by the end of the meeting they won't even remember what you drove up in. That's my outlook on it. Ok, you don't like my car, but by the time you get to know me, you'll like me so much it won't matter.
I remember reading in a car mag about some high-flying city guy who also shot weddings at weekends who used to drive his grooms to the church in a purple Diablo 6.0
You can be pretty sure that made an impression
But on the whole I agree that if you drive a standard car, as long as it's not filthy, dented, rattling etc no-one will notice, or think anything about you one way or the other, it's certainly not the reason I bought mine, I just love sports cars
Evan Baines wrote:
I don't see why it has to be an all-or-nothing proposition, folks.
exactly evan. the generalizing around this place is a bit much at times.
it's about creating an image of SUCCESS not EXCESS.
no one is saying you need to be dripping in diamonds and i don't think anyone has implied that a client would hire you FOR your vehicle - only that the way you present yourself has much to do with the kind of client you attract ant the kind of client you consistently book.
it's like the old adage - dress for the job you want, not the job you have.
big or small scale presentation matters. if it didn't i'd be happy to roll right out of bed in my jammies with my hair in a ponytail and my teeth unbrushed in my hubby's mud-covered silverado to meet a client (ok maybe not the teeth thing )
Edited by ksmahgrts on Jul 04, 2008 at 10:54 AM GMT
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