Archive for Blake Discher
Are You Really the Buyer?
Posted: September 1st, 2011
[by Blake Discher] Of course, you can’t ask the person on the other end of the phone that question; at least I’d advise against that sort of blunt questioning. But when a prospective client calls on the telephone to ask about your rates for an upcoming project she has, it’s imperative to know you are [...]
Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat
Posted: November 19th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] I have an expression I tell anyone who assists for me, “Never let ‘em see you sweat.” in other words, regardless of what happens on a shoot, let’s keep it entirely professional in the eyes of the client. I recall a young assistant working with me on an annual report shoot in [...]
Don’t be a One Hit Wonder
Posted: October 22nd, 2010
[by Blake Discher] By now, it’s very likely that every client you shoot for knows about Flickr and other crowd-sourcing photo sites. Look at crowd-sourcing photography from a client’s perspective. Think about why some clients look to Flickr for photography instead of seeking out a photographer. I suspect one of the reasons they even [...]
I am a Salesperson
Posted: September 24th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] Repeating my mantra “photographers are salespeople first, image creators second”, I thought I’d share two of my favorite blogs on the topic of sales. The first, written by S. Anthony Iannarino of Columbus, Ohio, offers straightforward suggestions and tips to help you with just about every aspect of the sales process including [...]
Sweet Dreams
Posted: August 13th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] Suddenly you’re wide awake in the middle of the night. The nightmare was horrible, worse that that monster you thought was under your bed when you were six years old. In the dream, you received a call from a potential client, all they said was, “Good morning, we need a photographer for [...]
Non-marketing Uses of Social Media
Posted: July 29th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] Most of us are now using Twitter and Facebook as marketing tools with varying degrees of dedication and success. Did you know you can use social media to keep current about industry news or any other topic that interests you? I remember at first being overwhelmed by the vast amount of “information” [...]
Setting Sales Goals
Posted: June 11th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] In my negotiating seminars I always make a point of letting my audience know that in order to be successful, I think we must be salespersons first and photographers second. My sales career began when I sold franchises for a quick-print franchise. One of the first things I learned was that all [...]
Are You a Good Listener?
Posted: May 6th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] When you’re on that call talking to a potential new client, remember to count to two before you answer any questions or ask new ones. This two-second buffer will help you to be a better listener because you won’t need to be thinking about what you’re going to say next while the [...]
You Need to be a Salesperson First
Posted: April 8th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] Even in these stressful economic times, your business will be more successful if you are willing to recognize one fact: you need to be a salesperson first, and a photographer second. Many photographers take great photographs, but far fewer excel at sales. When I speak to audiences about negotiating, I’m always quick [...]
Don’t Forget to Ask For Referrals
Posted: April 1st, 2010
[by Blake Discher] One of the best and least expensive ways to grow your business is through referrals. But for a variety of reasons, most people are reluctant to ask for them. Maybe it’s fear of hearing “no”. Maybe they think happy clients will just spread the word about “their favorite photographer” without any prompting [...]
Get Powerful Info for Pricing Jobs
Posted: March 8th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] When a new potential client calls on the telephone, one of the first things I do is look up the caller’s website. What I’m looking for are two things: their level of design sophistication and how they’re currently using photography. These two bits of information can give valuable clues to what sort [...]
Please Release Me
Posted: February 19th, 2010
[by Blake Discher] Many photographers forget that their websites are a form of advertising and as such the individuals in the images must be released. ASMP has Property and Model Releases on it’s site, available to anyone, at www.asmp.org/releases. I keep copies of the simplified release in my camera bag and in my car’s glovebox. [...]
Read These!
Posted: October 30th, 2009
[by Blake Discher] Non photo-centric blogs that get my nod: Photographer Bruce DeBoer (@brucedeboer) writes an absolutely superb blog about creativity. Marketing guru Seth Godin’s blog at is read by just about every member of ASMP’s National board. And for the latest in technology, both current and speculative, check out www.gizmodo.com. It’s hard to not [...]
Flash Site? Use Off-Page Optimization
Posted: August 14th, 2009
For me, the search engines (primarily Google) bring me about 60-percent of my new clients each year. I work hard to keep my site high in the rankings. You should optimize your site for the keyword phrase that you think clients needing your type of photography will enter into the search engine. But what if [...]
Didn’t Get the Job? Say Thanks!
Posted: June 19th, 2009
Want to be remembered by the potential client with whom you’ve just had an unsuccessful negotiation? Take the time to send a “Thank You” card. That’s right, a snail-mail Thank You card. Create a one off, nice looking card on your color printer on nice paper, and hand write a note, something like, “Thank you [...]
Content is King
Posted: June 3rd, 2009
In the world of search engine optimization, or SEO, content is king. What we’re talking about is human readable HTML text on your home page. One of the major search engines has stopped considering the “Keyword” META tag because of keyword spamming by website owners in an attempt to manipulate their search rankings. For example, [...]
A Common Website Mistake
Posted: May 22nd, 2009
Speaking of Search Engine Optimization (SEO): The content of a website’s <title> tag is what is displayed in the top-most bar of a browser window when someone is looking at your site. The tag is given significant weight by search engines in their effort to figure out exactly what a site is about. As I [...]
Don’t Ignore This Book Review
Posted: May 1st, 2009
The second edition of Tom Reilly’s Value Added Selling: how to sell more profitably, confidently, and professionally by completing of value, not price (McGraw-Hill ISBN: 0-0714088-19, 256 pages) boasts 70-percent new content from the first edition. I was given my copy by a fellow airline passenger who had finished it while on a flight we [...]
Are You Talking With The Boss?
Posted: April 17th, 2009
A sometimes overlooked, but very important factor in any negotiation is making sure the person to whom you are speaking is in fact the decision maker. If he isn’t you ideally need to get that decision maker involved in the negotiation. One method I use to tactfully determine if the person I’m talking with is [...]
Knowledge is Power in a Negotiation
Posted: March 30th, 2009
Part of preparing for any negotiation is preparing yourself. Knowing the market, both geographic and specialty, in which you’ll be competing is critically important. A very handy tool right on your desktop is your computer. Mine is always on, always connected to the Internet, and I use it when a new client calls for a quote. As [...]
