Aspiring Photographer: Photography Advice and Inspiration

Customer Service: Penny-Wise and Pound Foolish

Recently, I had two dramatically different customer service experiences on the same day, and felt the need to share the contrast between the two. The two examples show the awareness, and alternatively, the lack thereof, of the lifetime value of a customer.

I'd started out the day deciding to take my daughter out for a little treat at my favorite little neighborhood coffee shop. I had a small standing credit at the shop from a gift certificate a friend had purchased for me a while back, and figured that would let us order what we wanted without guilt. Just a fun special treat for the two of us. Here, I need to point out that the shop changed hands several months earlier, and the previous owners, who had become dear to my heart, are no longer there. The new owner greeted us in a fake half smile. No recognition that I had ever been in the shop before. She silently, and somewhat glumly, made our order. I then told her I was using up the rest of my gift certificate. They have an "old fashioned" way of accounting for these in a little file box, so I prepared to tell her my name so she could look it up. She very matter of factly told me that she had given people a deadline to use their credits from the old owner, but that they had all expired a few months ago. Just sort of "sorry, that's the way it is," as I expressed my disappointment. So all of a sudden, our little treat, which I'd thought was going to be on my generous friend who had purchased the gift certificate, was now on me. So that brought us down a notch, and we sat at our little table, whispering about how mean the girl was. I decided right then and there that I wouldn't be going back! Does she care? No. But that's the problem. She should. She had no understanding about the lifetime value of a customer. Had she been a little more friendly and honored my little $20 gift certificate when I asked, she could have totally turned things around. But she was more concerned about saving a couple dollars in that one transaction than she was about saving me for the long term. People don't spend much in a coffee shop at any one time, but we all know how much a coffee shop can eek out of us over the course of a year. And she lost every future penny from me. Not to mention those of my friends who I used to always bring along with me. Bummer for me. Bummer for her.

Later that day I made my way to the Apple Store due to some problems with my laptop. Not only did my power cord not work, but I also had a cracked screen! Yikes, I wasn't looking forward to how much this was going to cost me. I'd purchased Apple Care, so I figured they'd probably replace the cord since there no visible damage, but I knew better about the cracked screen. I'd signed up for my appointment on their easy-to-use website, and they were right there to help me at my assigned time. Perfectly friendly and welcoming, too, although they'd never seen me before in their life. The guy took a few minutes to look over the problems and told me they'd be happy to give me a new cord. The cracked screen was not covered by Apple Care and had a hefty price of nearly $500 ... bummer!..., but, he said, he'd go ahead and cover it for me anyway. Of course, I was jumping for joy (well, inside my head, anyway) and left the store a super happy camper. I love Apple, in large part because they did the same thing several years earlier when I dropped my iPhone and it cracked. Not covered, but they covered it anyway. They know that over the years I'll spend many more thousands of dollars on their products. It's worth it to them to go the extra mile and me happy now, even if it costs them a little more. With customer service like that, is it any wonder they're one of the top-valued companies in the world?

Part of me wants to explain to the new owner of my ex-favorite coffee shop how should could have handled things differently, and why I won't be coming back, and why a lot of her former customers won't be coming back, but she wasn't even warm enough to make me want to bother. I have a new favorite coffee shop where the owner knows my name. I'll be taking my laptop with shiny new screen there from now on.

Do You Accept Credit Cards? Consider the Square Card Reader

When I first started my photography business I accepted only cash or checks. Finally, one of my clients convinced me that I needed to accept credit cards. Since then, I've gone through several merchant accounts. Quite honestly, I think it is the sleasiest business around. They sell you the service on their supposedly low rates, which are invalid as soon as you accept cards that get miles or points, or when the whim strikes them. They sneak in all sorts of hidden fees without telling you they're doing it. An extra $5 statement fee per month for this card or that starts showing up, high fees for keying in a card rather than swiping it, and other fees that they just add without telling you.  They make their statements just about impossible to decipher, and I really think they do so intentionally so that you will throw up your hands and avoid questioning them about the fees. For several years I worked with a merchant credit card company who NEVER EVER answered their customer service number. I learned that the only way to get someone on the phone was to call their sales office.

I've most recently been using a merchant account that wasn't too terribly sleazy, but I still felt somewhat in the dark about what I was being charged. The guy who signed me up said "these are the fees today, but I can't promise you they won't change them or add new fees after you sign the papers." What the heck is that? And because the only way to use this service is through their credit card terminal that needs to be plugged into a phone line, I was being charged the higher keyed-in fee for every transaction because I would have to write down the client's card info while at my studio and then come home and key it in. I don't have a phone line at my current studio.

So, I was really excited when I started hearing rumblings about Square. Their website is www.squareup.com. When you sign up they send you a nifty little plastic square thing that plugs into your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Android. This little square thing is free, by the way. You download their app, sign up for an account, verify your bank account, and you're good to go. For swiped transactions in which you swipe your client's card through the little plastic thing, your fee is 2.75% of the transaction. If, on the other hand, you enter credit cards manually, it is 3.15% + 15 cents per transaction. And by the way, they're not some little rinky-dink start up but were founded by one of the guys who started Twitter.

I started using Square a few weeks ago, and I still get excited every time I run a card through the little thing and hand over the iPad to my client to sign their name with their finger. I love it that the client immediately gets an email receipt of the transaction, and that I receive an email telling me the exact amount of the transaction fee so I can enter it into my Quickbooks account right away. You can stop using Square at any time and there is no cancellation fee. No startup fee, no cancellation fee. No monthly statement fee. Which is completely opposite most merchant account vendors, who can hit you with huge startup and cancellation fees. When I called my merchant account provider to cancel a couple weeks ago they tole me it would be $175 to cancel. That is, until I told them my contract says "no cancellation fee," and then they backed off. I told you merchant account vendors are sleazy.

So, is Square right for you? I think it probably depends on how many credit card transactions you do, and the size of them. Regular merchant accounts can offer much lower rates on swiped transactions, which can be huge if you frequently run large orders. These days, I'm finding more and more of my clients paying by check, and since I didn't have a way to plug in my terminal at my studio, I wasn't getting the advantage of lower rates on swiped cards. If you're thinking about accepting credit cards, and Paypal doesn't cut it for you, I think it's definitely worth looking into Square.

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Mary Lynne Ashley is a professional photographer specializing in creating portraits of newborns, babies, children, maternity and families in her Colorado Springs photography studio.

Imaging USA 2011

 Whew! What an awesome time. I had such a blast at Imaging USA 2011 in San Antonio last week, the first time I've ever attended in my 10 years as a professional photographer. And I didn't even attend the classes. I filled up my time there with a couple parties, the certification exam, the trade show, the print exhibition, and catching up with old friends. And that was plenty! Still holding my breath for the results of the exam. We were told to expect results in 3 weeks. I'm hoping that was their attempt to "under promise and over deliver," and that maybe just maybe we'll hear something before that. I was disappointed that it rained the whole time I was there, but the beautiful convention center and inspiration overload made up for the lousy weather.

So, I thought I'd share just a few of the highlights of the convention from my perspective.

Booth That Extracted The Most Money From Me

Oh yes, that would have to be Barbour Backdrops. Wow. The quality of these backgrounds is simply remarkable. They have developed a process that enables them to create the look and feel of a faux wall right on canvas. With many years of experience creating faux finishes, they are creating a product of the highest quality and craftsmanship. They tested it and got it right until they could create and roll the backgrounds, keeping them flexible and not cracking. I've looked a good deal online at the faux backgrounds that are computer generated onto a wrinkle-free poly fabric background, and am disappointed when I get up close and touch and feel them. Although people seem to like them and love the lightweight wrinkle free versatility, I can't get past the cheap look when they're hanging there, but the backgrounds from Barbour look really upscale and expensive. I think you really have to see them in person to appreciate the quality and texture. They almost have the look and finish of leather.

What I also love about Barbour Backdrops is the fact that this is a family run business, so it makes me happy to have my little family-run business support their family run business (which is not nearly as little as mine at this point!). One of the owners spent a lot of time with me telling me all about the product, and it's clear that he's enthusiastic about what they do.

I picked out a couple of backgrounds that I feel will both be universally great with families, boys and girls. It it so hard for me to commit to a background, but I feel these will provide me with good versatility while helping to set me apart from other local photographers. I really expected these backgrounds to be more expensive given the quality.

Booth With the Cutest Stuff

Design Revolution. Totally. And I got away with spending only $35 with them! Not quite sure how I pulled that off. Their booth was jam-packed with all these adorable little hats, tutus, tops and other baby clothing you feel like you have to buy right that second or else you'll die. I never actually really even got inside their booth because it was so crammed with female photographers clawing their way to the goods that you could barely turn around. But I got to see their stuff the night before in a little pre-show hospital suite hosted by Lori Nordstrom's PhotoTalk Forum, so that was cool. I thought I'd gotten some shots of the Design Revolution booth, but I'm not finding them, so you'll have to settle for this photo of Julie Klaasmeyer (famous baby photographer extraordinaire) being sweet and pretending she's my BFF while I hold up the super-cute newborn hat I bought from her.

Coolest Booth Design

Finao totally dominated the "coolest booth" category in my opinion. When you're walking the trade show floor for hours with a bag full of heavy promotional materials, you get exahasted. Coming across this huge booth with loads of  ottomans, sofas and papasan chairs was like finding an oasis in the desert! It was all set up to look like some hip hookah bar, and you could stay as long as you wanted by grabbing a seat and pouring through the countless albums that were on tables and shelves throughout the booth. The only problem is that they were a little off the beaten path, on the very far edge of the expo floor, so I didn't discover them right away.

 

Best Convention Inspiration

Since I did not attend any of the classes, which I'm sure were terrific, I drew most of my inspiration from the print exhibition, which contains the merit-winning and Loan Collection images from last year. It had me crying and laughing and staring in wonder. Wish I'd had a lot more time to go back through the exhibit a couple more times.

We observed that low-key character studies seem to do especially well in competition, and there were lots and lots of images of animals. Babies not so much! There was also lots of digital composite work that is totally beyond me, but way cool to look at.

[Mary Lynne Ashley is a Colorado Springs portrait photographer specializing in babies, children and maternity photography.]

How NOT to Market Your Photography Business

So a few days ago I was at my studio listening to podcasts and painting away. We always have this need to redecorate our studios in January, it seems! Unshowered, dressed in my grubbies and covered in paint, I heard a knock at my door. I only take sessions by appointment, so I figured it was the landlord or the tenant next door needing something. I opened the door to find a guy standing out there. "Are you Ashley?" I said "Well, sort of. My last name is Ashley." So he says "well, what's your first name?" And I say "who are you?" He tells me his first name, and that he's from a company that helps photographers get more business. I tell him my name, and he says "Okay, well I just wanted you to be able to place a face with a name." He'd called and left a message on my phone the day before, and had sent me a postcard a week or two before that. I told him I was really in the middle of something, so he left.

I went back into the studio and thought "this guy went to the effort to find my studio's address and drive over here, but he didn't even bother to find out my name before he showed up?" Couldn't he have just checked out my website for two minutes? " How about approaching me this way instead?: "Hi, are you Mary Lynne? I was checking out your website, and you sure have some beautiful baby photography on there. January's sure a slow month for photographers, isn't it? Do you have a few minutes to talk about how our company might be able to help you with that?" Of course, I still wouldn't have been thrilled about him just showing up without an appointment, but he might have had a chance with me. A few days later I received an e-mail from a woman trying to sell me an Internet/phone bundle, and the first thing she said in the e-mail was how impressed she was with my photography, and how she wished she lived closer so she could bring her kids to me. I didn't need Internet service, but she at least earned a polite decline from me.

How would this lesson apply to your photography business? It took me back to the time I had a client show up to pick up her prints, and my new employee gave her a blank look and said "and your name is...?" completely acting like she hadn't just recently spent a couple hours in a session with her and another hour or two in the sales room! Knowing our clients' names is HUGE. They certainly deserve it after making the important decision to choose us as their photographer.

Well, that's my little rant for today! It just seemed like a relevant experience to share.

-Mary Lynne

How to Become a Certified Professional Photographer

This is an updated version of a post I made earlier this year about becoming a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP). I recently put it together in video format and added more information. Certification is a more important way than ever to set yourself apart in this competitive industry.

 

Here are the links I mention in the video:

Professional Photographers of America (PPA)

Professional Photographic Certification Commission

Certify with Sandy

Photography by Barbara London, John Upton, Jim Stone

 

Interview with Sarah Petty ::: How to Sell Your Photography

What a great way to start the week. I had the pleasure of chatting with Sarah Petty of thejoyofmarketing.com and Sarah Petty Photography this morning. If you're not familiar with Sarah, she is one of the most prominent marketing gurus in the world of portrait photography, not to mention a really sweet person. I've been a huge fan of Sarah for several years, so it was exciting for me to get the opportunity to talk to her. We talked about sales, and how to differentiate yourself in this increasingly highly competitive market. You can listen to our entire chat right here, and I've also made note of some of the highlights of our conversation below.

Click to hear my conversation with Sarah

How Can a Photographer Compete These Days? One of Sarah's points that really struck me was that just because there are thousands of other photographers out there competing with us, we each only need to worry about attracting somewhere in the vicinity of maybe 200 or 300 clients a year, depending on our pricing structure and business model. The other photographers can have the rest of them! So when photographers start getting depressed about all the competition, this is a great thought to keep in mind.

So what does one do when there are so many photographers offering their work at impossibly low prices? Take the decision off of price! Let people know what's unique about your business before price enters the equation. That first conversation is important -- don't just send out a price list (like I do all-too-often!), but work on establishing rapport during that initial contact.

Sarah always does an in-person consultation prior to her sessions, which helps make sure you know exactly what your client wants before you get into the session, and helps weed out the people who are not a mutually good fit. In fact, she does the consultation, the photography and the sales presentation herself, and leaves everything else to her staff -- she doesn't handle the images anywhere in between. She pointed out that sometimes someone else is better at editing your images than you are, since they're not as emotionally attached to the images. She makes a sales plan based on the images that are left. She thinks about what will go on the wall as she shoots, knowing what the client wants from the consultation they had prior to their session.

What About Digital Files? I asked Sarah how she handles the sale of digital files. She finds much of the time that people just want the digital files so that they can share them on Facebook or elsewhere online. So she finds a way to say "yes, we do offer digital files, which we provide in a size suitable for sharing online." She then goes on to explain that because she is so picky about how her work will appear when printed, that she's just not comfortable selling the high-res files. The consumer labs you might use aren't going to make those tweaks for color and exposure, etc., and she's generally found that she's not happy with the results when the printing is out of her hands. Let them know "We'll create an amazing wall portrait for you, and you'll have the image to share online." She pointed out that if all they want is a disk of 20 high res images for 200 bucks, then you may just not be the photographer for them. She also noted that most people who buy the disk of the images from their wedding, for example, never end up printing them. She says "We don't even print the images from our own little point and shoot, do we?" So her main point on selling the digital files was that it is good to be able to say "yes," but not at the expense of how you make your money.

Sales Education. To help photographers become profitable and perhaps even save their businesses, Sarah and other big names in the industry are holding a free online sales summit on 10/10/10. Speakers include some of my favorites like Kevin Kubota and Tim & Bev Walden, plus a whole batch of others. Each is taking one little chunk of the sales process, and they're talking about 10 different things that will help you become successful. The theme is "10" and they are offering various promotions surrounding that theme. The event is free to listen to from 10am - 10pm on 10/10/10. (Totally unrelated, but I love dates like this one -- last year my birthday fell on 9/9/9!) You can also pre-purchase the recording for $59. I listened to the last two tele-summits that Sarah put together, and found valuable tips from each that I was able to implement in my own business right away.

Help Your Business by Helping Others Through Charitable Marketing

Everyone's abuzz about charitable marketing these days, and with good reason. Charities are running on tighter budgets than ever as people's discretionary income dries up. More than ever, your local charities appreciate any help they can get.

There are all sorts of creative ways you can approach raising money for charities. One popular approach is to offer portrait sessions for which part or all of the session fee is donated to the charity. A lot of photographers, myself included, have tried this on with dog photography in the past few years. I'll tell you -- photographing dogs all day is a crazy departure from photographing kids and families, but is totally fun and rewarding. I recently ran a fundraiser for our local animal rescue organization, and you can catch the news clip of it below. I'll talk more about raising money for charity in the days ahead.

Oh no! Watch your lab order closely!

Imagine my dismay today when I opened the box from my lab only to find that I had accidentally ordered 76 copies of a print instead of the 6 that I was supposed to order! And the sad thing is that this is not the first time I've done this over the years. I would suspect that the labs don't have any sympathy for that sort of stupidity, so I guess I'm going to have to eat this one. Has this ever happened to anyone else out there?