Get Powerful Info for Pricing Jobs

[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 of budget he or she might have for photography.

Lack of pleasing design and imagery might be a good indicator that I am talking with someone who has likely not historically spent money for higher end professional design or art.  It might mean they’re used to working with budgets that are small or doing the work in-house.

Ideally, the client’s website makes good use of color, makes use of an attractive font, and it’s navigation is intuitive.  It will also look as if it was created specifically for them instead of being made from a template.

Most of all, I’m trying to determine to what extent they use excellent photography.  Does it look as though they’ve done a lot of it in house using a point-and-shoot with no lighting?  Does it look professional? Do they credit the photographer?

This analysis takes just seconds and can be done during the initial part of the conversation.  If it appears they haven’t worked with a photographer of your skills, you’ll know you have to spend a lot of time talking about the value you bring to the project.  Put another way, you’ll need to convince them that you’re the correct person for the job and worth the money.

Remember, if you focus the conversation of price, the price will likely go down.  Instead, focus the conversation on value, what you can offer that everyone else cannot, the price will likely go up.

Good luck!

Please Release Me

[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.  That way, even if I’m carrying a point and shoot while visiting a park with my son, I have releases handy.

Read These!

[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 be inspired to greatness as you view any of the TEDTalks.  The TED folks have a blog that I read just so I know when a new recording is posted to the site for viewing.  If you’re after some immediate creative inspiration, check out this TED talk.

Flash Site? Use Off-Page Optimization

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 you have a Flash site?  That probably means you have minimal control over your page’s text content, or body copy, and that is exactly what search engines need to index your site.  See my related Strictly Business Blog post, “Content is King.”

I know, Google and Adobe recently announced a partnering effort to help the search engine index Flash content, but it relies on true text in the Flash element, not bitmapped text created in an image editing program such as Photoshop; not a perfect solution.  And yes, they’re now reading the data contained in .xml files that sometimes accompany Flash elements, but it’s still a bit clumsy at this point.

So what to do if your site relies heavily on Flash?  Consider utilizing what’s generally referred to as off-page optimization.  One method of off-page optimization involves getting links to your site from other websites.  Ideally, they’ll need to be from “relevant” websites, or more specifically, from other photographers or sites that are about photography.

Here are two things you can do to get incoming links that don’t require a lot of effort.  First, when you produce images that will be used on your client’s website, request not just a credit, but a credit that is a link back to your site.  These end up being one-way links, and from an SEO standpoint, they’re very valuable indeed.

Second, exchange links with other photographers.  These links to your competitors should of course be somewhat discreet, but note I didn’t say invisible, that will get you penalized by Google.  My site has three pages of these reciprocal links to other photographer’s sites and all of us are benefiting from the exchange. Be sure to build your incoming links slowly over time, and ideally exchange links with photographers who already rank highly in the search engines.

Good luck!

Didn’t Get the Job? Say Thanks!

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 for the opportunity to provide an estimate for your upcoming project.  Although we couldn’t work together this time, please keep me in mind for future projects.  I am confident that together we would create compelling photographs that show off the best that [insert company name here] has to offer.”

These days, very few photographers take the time to use the US Postal System, instead opting for the more impersonal, faster-to-send, email message.  This sort of tasteful, snail-mail contact after a  failed negotiation will differentiate you from your competitors and provide another opportunity to show your work to the client.  I’ve done this for years and it works; I’ve been contacted for subsequent job estimates and was awarded the work.  Good luck!

Content is King

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 photographer might have repeated the word “photographer” or “photography” many times in the tag in their effort to rank on the first page of the search engine results page, or SERP.

So what do search engines analyze to determine what a web site is all about, and in turn determine where it should rank?  Human readable text.  This puts a visual artist such as photographers in a sort of quandary:  should I design my site for aesthetic appeal or search engine friendliness?

I think the answer depends on which segment of our industry you work in.  If it’s editorial, PR, or corporate, I think internet search is a crucial piece of your overall marketing plan and your site should be designed with search in mind.  And that means including body copy on the home page.

Your body copy should include your “keyword phrase” which is the search term you believe potential clients would use to find a photographer such as yourself.  Keyword density refers to the frequency that a keyword phrase appears in the body text.  Generally speaking, to avoid keyword spamming, your text should be naturally flowing and result in a keyword density of about two to seven percent.  There are a number of keyword density checkers available online to assist you with determining the keyword density of a page.

I get about 60-percent of my new clients each year as a result of my SEO efforts.  If you suspect your potential clients are using search to locate photographers, you should consider optimizing your site to help them find you.  Good luck!

A Common Website Mistake

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 speak to photographers around the country about search engine optimization, or SEO, I notice quite a lot of studio names (such as “XYZ Studio”) or the photographer’s own name (such as “John Smith”) in the tag.

Unless your name is nationally recognized by photo buyers, you’d be better off thinking about what keyword phrase potential clients would use to find a photographer that produces work such as you create.  So for example, your <title> tag might better consist of “Seattle Editorial Photographer John Smith.”  Place the most important keywords toward the left of the sentence.  About eight to ten words is good.

It is important to make certain your <title> matches your page content, the <description> META tag, and is unique for your website. Every page’s title and content should be unique, otherwise it will be ranked supplemental.

Don’t Ignore This Book Review

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 shared.  He said, “You won’t believe how valuable this information is.”  When I asked him if he was sure he wanted to give it away, he said, “I want you to have it, it sounds like your industry could benefit by what the author talks about, and I’ll buy another copy for myself.”

Was he right!  Reilly’s “Value Added Selling Philosophy” is based on demonstrating your value to clients during the early stages of the sales presentation, instead of waiting until the time in the sales process that you have to overcome price objections presented by the client.

Reilly helps you to identify your value added, what it is that you bring to the table that perhaps your competition won’t or can’t.  He talks about differentiation: what are your definable and defendable differences?

Reilly challenges you to look at what he calls process support: how easy do you make it for your customers to do business with you.  But perhaps the most valuable part of the book is his seven strategies for dealing with price resistance.

So, somewhere out there is a traveling salesman I didn’t thank enough for his gift of Tom Reilly’s book. In today’s difficult economy, this book is a must read.  I’ve read it and re-read it, and it has definitely helped my business.

Are You Talking With The Boss?

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 the decision maker is to ask him, “Is there anyone else I should email samples of my work to?” Or, perhaps, “Can you suggest any other persons in your company I should send a few samples of my work to?”

Your goal is to try to get the ultimate decision maker involved in the negotiation.  If you still can’t get to that person, then it’s best to “empower” the person to whom you’re talking with “talking points” or “bullet points” so they can talk about your value and essentially sell you to the person hiring the photographer.

Remember, that initial phone conversation is the time when you have to talk about what it is that makes you different from your competitors.  How do you differentiate yourself?  What do you “bring to the party” that others may not?   What I’m really saying is what value do you provide this potential client?

The inability to show your value will only put downward pressure on the total price of the job.  Only with differentiation can you command higher fees, primarily because you will be providing a look, or style, or service that is not easily found elsewhere.

Knowledge is Power in a Negotiation

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 soon as the person identifies the company he or she works for, I can “Google” the company’s name, click on the link to their website, and see how they use photography, and their level of marketing sophistication.  In general, you want to get a quick overview of what the company is all about.

During that initial telephone conversation, gather as much information as you can about the client’s needs and wants. Ask open ended questions that will help you to ascertain her level of authority, her motivation?  You need to be an attentive listener; don’t interrupt.  Like my dad told me, “you have two ears and one mouth, use them in proportion.”

It’s impossible to listen and speak at the same time.  If you have to speak, ask open ended question.  Again, your job is to get as much information (read: knowledge) as possible about the client to help you to put together an estimate.  Remember, to understand you must hear and to hear you must listen.

And finally, don’t trust your memory.  Take notes, I use a “telephone cheat sheet” that keeps me on track during that initial phone call.  It’s just a list of questions that I know I want to have answered by the potential client.  My cheat sheet is available in the ASMP Business Practices Book.

Good luck!