The Winning Path
[by Rosh Sillars]
People generally take the path of least resistance. Opportunities arise all the time, but we don’t always follow through on them.
Think about the great opportunities you have missed. What were your excuses? Did you have too much on your plate already? A scheduling conflict? You simply forgot? Most likely the root cause was that you didn’t have the information necessary to follow through quickly. Opportunity lost.
I’ll bet many of the opportunities you let slip away only required a few simple things. Maybe it was a biography, a photograph, pricing information or connections. You didn’t miss the opportunity for business promotion or a unique job because you didn’t have these things. You lost the opportunity because they weren’t easily available.
Don’t let that happen again. Create a folder on your desktop. Write three personal biographies. One should be a quick paragraph, another should be about three paragraphs long and the last should be a full page of highlights about you and your career.
Next, make sure you have a current photograph. Update it every few years. It sounds funny to say that to a photographer, but you and I know the reality.
Place a least two lists in your folder. One list should contain your basic pricing for most expenses and every type of job you would accept. This way you have a reference and will not procrastinate or delay trying to figure out where to start. Most importantly, you don’t want to undervalue your work.
The other list should contain names and phone numbers of people you’ve met with specialized services that may be of benefit when a unique job becomes available.
Last, create a folder within your folder of images for both Web and print of your best photographs for promotion. Make sure you have at least five to share.
Knowing you have this information will give you the confidence to act quickly. Now, when opportunities arise, you will be prepared to respond immediately. Don’t give your prospects the chance to take the path of least resistance and call on someone else who is prepared.
2 Responses to 'The Winning Path'
Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'The Winning Path'.
Great tips, this is exactly what I needed! Thank you!
.honeyhuckabee
*raises hand*
Guilty of not following most of these excellent tips. I’m off to update my own info (I love the folder idea). Thanks.