Bev's Blog

You can listen to the audio version of this blog by clicking on the title below.

 10 Ground Rules success with kids

Photographing children is one of the toughest things we do, even after more than three decades of “practice!”. Whether you are a professional photographer, an amateur or just a father with a point and shoot, kids bring to your doorstep some of the most challenging aspects of photography. They move fast, they don’t take modeling instructions, they touch your gear and in general, create mayhem all around them.

So, what do you do? Kids! They can be charming, frustrating, laughing, crying, independent and clingy…and all in a short time! Here are a few tricks we have discovered to win these young subjects over.

ONE: You MUST have a pleasant personality and be at ease with people in general.

Kids know when you are nervous or are not comfortable with them and they will react accordingly. If you are not a person who communicates with a wide range of personalities easily and quickly, maybe this isn’t the best profession for you. Just like dogs and horses, kids will size you up immediately and smell your “fear.”

 TWO: Greet the kids first when a family comes through the door.

And yes, we  pretty much ignore the parents (for now.) If we can win the kids over, we will automatically have the parents on our side. We don’t try to get them too comfortable where they will want to get down, run and play. This backfires when you ask the parents to then pick them up and snuggle. It is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

 THREE: We work FAST!

Never, never do we make kids wait!  Their threshold of attention is very short and we don’t want to waste time getting them into the camera room to get started. This means being prepared for every appointment. We stage the dressing room 15 minutes before we expect the client to arrive. We put out cold bottles of private label spring water out for the family and a Serendipity goodie bag that we provide for each child is prepared along with a personal note, written to the children or child. Restrooms are clean and all mirrors are wiped down. 

 FOUR: We are not silly with the kids during the photographic session.

Kids will mirror us and what we want, at least in the beginning, is a pensive expression, not a silly one. We may get a bit silly late in the session if we need to get smiles. However, if you come out loud and explosive, you will get them so excited (or scared), it will be difficult to contain them to get any intimate imagery.

 FIVE: We don’t get toys out unless forced. The trick is to engage the mind.

Kids reach for the toys you are holding, and if they cannot have them, they get MAD!  We use our personalities to get the expressions we want and we feel we can engage their minds much more effectively this way.When we are working to get expressions from the kids, we are intense in how we speak. If you speak to them quietly or without much oomph, you will not hold their attention, especially if they are wanting to get down and run!  

SIX: We get kids off their feet!

We often stand kids on short blocks or furniture (like the pew you see here) just to get their feet off the ground to keep them from wanting to get down and run. BTW, they will never, ever run their energy out, so we ask parents NOT to put them down before the session. They even are asked to carry their kids into the studio from the car and then carry them out of the dressing room. Once they are allowed to get down, the parents will not be able to pick them up again and the session becomes candids in a catch as you can mode.

 SEVEN: Ask your way to success.

We ask questions that are not answered by a YES or NO and that are appropriate to the age. Toddlers respond to, “What is your favorite food?” while older kids respond to, “What is your best friend’s name?” With elementary ages, you can ask mom or dad to whisper something in their ear that they would NEVER want you to know. This is a great way to get an expressive, fun expression.

 EIGHT: Singing is a great secret weapon.

Often, when nothing else can get a kid’s attention, singing their favorite song or a popular kid’s song can. If you can’t sing, whisper a story to them, barely letting them hear just bits and pieces. They will engage with you, lean forward and be completely mesmerized if you have a great story you are telling. Practice a story to keep as a “weapon” in your arsenal if you are having a difficult time with a child. Keeping them intrigued and engaged with you is the key.

 NINE: We limit changes of clothing.

We advise parents to select and stay with one outfit, especially on toddlers. Changing clothes upsets the child and we can get all the variety we need through changing angles and sets. PLUS it gives us something different to do for their next appointment and gives the client a reason to come back.

 TEN: When all else fails, bribe them.

As a last resort, we will bribe kids with Smarties with the parents’ permission. Smarties won’t ruin clothes and their color blends in with our sets, so if they hold one, it doesn’t show or is easy to remove later. They also dissolve almost instantly and are never a choking hazard. After all, safety is our number one concern when we have kids in our facility.

Even after doing all of these things, the bottom line to us is love…love for the children that grace us with their presence. We are indeed blessed to be doing what we do!

Have a great week, everyone!

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

Continuation from last week…

You can listen to the audio version of this blog by clicking on the title below.

Obsession with Impression-Final

For the past few years, we have been collecting unique pieces of history and then using them as part of our decor. When our opera house decided to replace their chairs, they gave away the old ones  if you could haul them off. We raced downtown and picked up three and installed them into our front gallery.

A friend from Cincinnati rented a space in what used to be the factory that made the Masters Gold Tournament green jackets and they left all of the old fitting mannequins behind. She called us one day and asked if we wanted one as she was given two. Of course, we jumped on it and now, it graces our front gallery as well. Hanging around her neck is a Russian light meter another friend picked up for us in Cuba! What is nice about these pieces; they are conversation starters and help relax our clients!

The Sales Room must have a warm, inviting presence while still being functional, showing your products, different portrait sizes, and framing. We do both Relationship Black and White sales as well as Color Study sales in this room, so we segregated them per wall space instead of spreading them out.  We project our images with a Canon projector onto a screen that pulls down from the ceiling and use a Mac Mini to run the Sales Room program which is ProSelect. I sit where I can see the clients react to the images…watching their faces tells me exactly what I need to know to continue in the right direction. In fact, I often lightly touch their arm when making a point. It comes very naturally to me-I love our clients and feel a strong bond with them!

One of two restrooms that are for clients showcases our artwork from Italy that is for sale.  We have literature about the studio in a brochure holder that the clients can take with them. Tim’s waterfall was a dream that came true in our new facility. He wanted our clients to hear the gentle sound of water splashing when they came through the doors.  It has been a huge hit with our clients and several have since installed them in their homes!

 This is what we want our clients to feel when they walk into our facility…

 *Comfortable seating and atmosphere

*Art gallery atmosphere with no clutter

*Nice music that is relaxing

*Pleasant scent to set the mood

*Clean (yes, your client notices even the tiniest details)

*Branded style in the decor that matches your marketing personality

Let’s list some other ways we can stand out, impress and draw potential clients into our businesses…

*Service that is over the top

*Employee interaction with clients that is very positive and friendly (and sincere)

*Products that are both quality-driven and innovative

*Vision for the future to keep us relevant

*Website design that is cutting edge

*Marketing materials that are consistent with our brand

*Sales procedures that ensure success

*Community involvement that shows we care

*Follow-up procedures and gifts to let your clients know we are thinking of them

You must stand out from the crowd and make an impression in order to have a long-lasting business and create client evangelists. Go through your studio, whether it is in your home or a retail location, and make an honest assessment of the appearance and changes you would like to see made. Once that is decided, go through your list and label everything A, B and C to indicate the order of importance for change and then start with the A’s on your list and work through to C as time and money allow.

 “The best of the best are extraordinarily grounded people; they are compulsive about detail, pragmatic, down-to-earth, in touch with the seamy reality of life.  They know that a business doesn’t miss the mark by failing to achieve greatness in some lofty, principled way, but in the stuff that goes on in every nook and cranny of the business-on the telephone, between the customer and a salesperson, on the shipping dock, at the cash register.  Yes, the simple truth about the greatest business people I have known is that they have a genuine fascination for the truly astonishing impact little things done exactly right can have on the world.”

 Michael Gerber, “The E Myth”

Be grand…create the WOW factor and see the difference in how it makes your clients feel! Have a wonderful week everyone!

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

You can listen to the audio version of this blog by clicking on the title below.

Obsession with Impression

The environment you provide your clients, whether your business is in a retail location or in your home, needs to tell your story and align with your brand. Clients build their impression of you using all five senses and all must be touched in some way.

Our front entrance and gallery is GRAND yet comfortable with beautiful chairs and a soothing waterfall!  There are only large prints on the wall and we got rid of all clutter. We recently installed a plasma and put it on a small mantle shelf. Many think we did it to show our work, but we actually did it to show old movies. Why old movies? We are really focused on the ambiance of our studio when you walk in, and old movies set the tone. Now playing at Walden’s…An American in Paris. Throughout the Christmas holidays, we play some of the old Christmas movies and it does change the atmosphere in the room. We run the movies from Apple TV which is connected on the other side of the gallery wall.

This is our fourth studio location, and each time, we have been able to do more to make it more impressive.  However, if you are just starting out, there are many things you can do to make your space beautiful that won’t cost a great amount.

1. Painting your facility in beautiful colors is one of the most cost-effective things you can do. The color of your walls will set the tone for your clients and their expectations of what they can expect and it can enhance your brand.  If you have trouble knowing what colors to use, check with your local paint store to ask their advice as to the popular colors used in today’s homes.  Be sure to stay aware of your brand and the appropriate colors that reflect it.

2. Beautiful lighting can now be purchased at home improvement stores. Lighting sets the mood, shows off your work and it vitally important as it affects how clients feel when they walk through your doors. Be sure to light the work on your walls in the most beautiful way you can.

3. Floor coverings can be purchased at clubs like Sam’s Club and they will spruce up your gallery area.

4. Music that reflects the brand of your studio can now be played through your computer and heard via blue tooth speakers for a small price and it has the power to change the atmosphere.

5. Scent should be pleasant, not too flowery or sweet, but a clean and fresh smell. Scent touches the senses in deeper ways than you think. We freshen our scent twice a day and even after 15 years, we are vigilant.

To have an art gallery feel, you must get rid of clutter!  Take small prints, folios and small frames out of your front gallery. If you have small products to sell, think like a merchandiser and set up a beautiful display in a separate part of the studio so that they won’t compete with your front gallery. People buy what they see, so make sure your clients see your premier products in the sizes you  want to sell when they first walk in.

Designate certain rooms as “client” areas and dress those up while keeping the doors closed (and locked) on “employee” areas, which don’t have to look as nice.  Touch pad locks insure our clients and their children don’t enter into our private work spaces. To us, this would be like entering a fine restaurant through the kitchen! The magic would be completely lost! We practice this principal every day as we feel the client’s experience can be controlled more completely if the space is controlled. The Disney corporation calls this “onstage” and “backstage” and following this principle controls the experience of their guests to the fullest. This is a great way to think about it!

Our office manager comes in one-half hour early every day to clean the “client” areas, put scent out and make sure these areas are presentable.  Every other week or once a month, the office manager cleans employee areas.  We wrote out a cleaning schedule that is followed to insure every part of the studio gets cleaned on a rotating basis, however, the main emphasis is on the areas that our clients see.

We installed a self-serve coffee/tea center when we realized that our clients felt we were going to too much trouble when offered a refreshment. Before, when we asked them if we could get them a cup of coffee or tea and they would always say no. Now, they can access it themselves and they use it much more often, making themselves an individual cup of coffee with our Keurig coffee maker. During Christmas, we put cookies and chocolates out as well as coffee and we make sure we have Apple Cider pods as well as Hot Chocolate and Chai Tea pods when it is cold outside. As a small snack, we offer a cookie (Biscoff) that we purchase in individual packages with two per package. This keeps them fresh, sanitary and easy to display.

Be sure to evaluate your space often to make sure you are creating the BEST impression you can! Bad first impressions are very hard to take back!

Have a great week, everyone!

www.timandbevwalden.com

You can listen to the audio version of this blog by clicking on the title below.

Getting to the 4th realm…experience

To see the business you have created become successful, I believe you need to go beyond a Commodity and Transaction realm, then beyond the Service realm and enter into the fourth realm which holds the highest value…the Experience Realm.

Think about this illustration of the lowly coffee bean (how many photography courses teach you a lesson with a coffee bean?) It is grown and then sold as a Commodity to a middleman where, per cup, it is at its lowest price. Once it goes from middleman to the manufacturer who roasts and packages it, it is at the Transaction realm and a consumer can purchase it at a grocery store for a bit higher price, exchanging money for a product. Now serve that coffee at a diner, street cart or corner restaurant, and the price may be a dollar per cup. That is the realm of Service where a server takes your order and fulfills it and perhaps starts forming a relationship if a client is a “regular.” Now let’s take that same cup of coffee and put it in a Starbucks, expresso bar or high-end restaurant and that same cup of coffee gains value in the Experience environment and now is priced at $3.00 to $5.00 per cup. This Experience realm is one we are looking for at our studio and is critical for every high end, boutique level business in order to charge appropriately for their goods and services.

When Tim and I were in Florence, Italy, we were taken with how awesome the cappuccinos were. In our hotel, there was a breakfast room where we could dine privately every morning. Now, here in America, we would expect to pay $5.00-$8.00 for a light, continental breakfast, which is what they served in our hotel. No waffles, omelettes made by a chef, or any hot items were served. In this hotel, it was a flat rate of $15.00 per person every morning and most of the time, all we wanted were the cappuccinos! Did we complain? No! That’s how much we loved them; that’s how much we valued them and the fact that we were in Florence, Italy, was a huge factor as it provided an amazing backdrop of experiences and memories for which we were willing to pay a higher price than we were used to here in the USA for a cappuccino.

This illustrates what I consider the Experience realm, where services and goods have high value, high emotion, are memorable and can demand more money for a variety of reasons that I will lay out later. First, let’s look at the Commodities/Transaction realm, the first two of four realms in business. I have put these two together as they are not ones I want to concentrate on and they have many similarities.

Commodity/Transaction Realm…

Performs a function for a price or

Exchanges money for a product or service

Does not create loyalty

Based heavily on best price in the market

Based on supply and demand

No relationships are formed

Of course, none of us want to be in this realm as photographers and entrepreneurs. I wanted to include it in this discussion to show the comparisons to this realm vs the other realms.  Next, let’s look at the Service Realm where some of us may be.

 Service Realm…

Good manners and etiquette are used

May create a low level of loyalty if there is no competition

Gets the basics of the job done

Always looking for the easiest or cheapest way of doing things

Little vision is seen in this level

Clients are thought of as clients only

Has employees who are happy with status quo

 At our local mall, the above describes what I feel when I look at some of the businesses that are on the carts in the middle of the mall. Employees at the carts exhibit little excitement for what they are selling and although they do the basics, they don’t do anything above the call of duty. Most often, they are playing or texting on their cell phones! I can see where no loyalty would ever be created just by observing these carts in the mall.

As we continue with our discussion in the next blog of the most important realm, Experience, I want you to think about your business and where it currently is within these four realms.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

Join us at Walden U, July 27-28, for an amazing experience at our studio located in Lexington, Ky. Click here to go to the information page and/or to register.

Years ago, I read a book called Trading Up by Neil Fiske and Michael Silverstein, and it was an eye opener. Basically, he spoke of schizophrenic consumers who would willingly spend their money for luxury goods, but then scrimp on other goods they deemed not important in their lives. This book was written before the recession that began in 2008, so I was curious as to how the recession, now in its 5th year, has affected the “trading up” consumer. According to these authors, it has become a stronger trend, not a weaker one.

Below are the five reasons they give for the strength of what they describe as a continuing phenomenon.

• The buoyancy of spending. Consumers continue to spend on premium goods, no matter what is happening in the political, economic, or social environment. 
• The fact that trading up does not depend on increasing home values. Many observers have argued that the trend is fueled largely by an unsustainable increase in housing prices. But even when housing valuations took a hit, trading up continued. Consumers have simply become more discriminating in their choices—trading up only for goods that mean the most to them. 
• Continued real income growth as a result of higher levels of education. There is a direct correlation between education and income. Consumers who trade up tend to be well educated and therefore command higher incomes and maintain higher spending levels. In addition, they save money even while “protecting” the most meaningful luxury items in their household budgets. 
• The impact of younger and older consumers on trading up. Teenagers, who have as much as $600 a month to spend on whatever pleases them, and baby boomers, whose wealth is increasing and expenses are decreasing, are big trading-up consumers. 
• The vigor with which women have driven and defined the market. This has occurred as a result of their rising education levels and earning power.

Underlying the appeal of the New Luxury are four emotional needs: to “take care of me,” to connect with others, to quest for adventure, and to seek an individual style. Trading up, as the world has come to understand, is not about wanton self-indulgence, materialist lust, or thoughtless consumerism. It’s about consumers buying a few products that make a difference in their lives.”

Years ago, when we took over the studio, we knew we wanted to be a luxury good and at the high end of the marketplace, and we continue to believe we are correctly positioned. I remember that we called it a “carriage trade” business back then. We have seen many in the middle markets go out of business and we knew we didn’t want to be in the lower end of the spectrum. After all, our motto has always been, “Work smarter, not harder” and with our smaller staff, we decided long ago we would rather do less sessions for more money than the other way around. As consumers continue to live in recessionary times, they are looking for places to trade down as well as up, purchasing paper goods at the dollar store and taking them home in their BMW. Or how about the consumers who pack their own lunch, but wear shoes that cost $350.00?

“The intensity of both trading-up and trading-down activity has led to another phenomenon, which is called death in the middle.”

The one thing we knew, from the beginning, was that we didn’t want to be in the middle, even when we didn’t understand why!

But what about the recession and credit crunch? Consumers have read the news and are cautious. Yet, despite the sometimes hysterical tone of the media, they are taking the economy’s adjustments in stride and continuing to spend, although with more caution and less frequency. They continue to seek luxury goods that tickle their fancy and have emotional appeal as well as substance underneath. That is why we recently decided to go back to our emotional roots in marketing as well as continue to improve our skills so that our clients receive the best our industry has to offer that is beautifully crafted and emotionally gratifying. We want our work to make a difference in their lives.

This is the challenge: to create premium, luxury goods and match them to consumers’ interests.

A word of caution here…in a polarized market, low-cost goods become better and more available. Pressure from the most affluent consumers stimulates and accelerates innovation, particularly at the high end; innovation then cascades down to lower-priced products and becomes more affordable and available to more people. As low end goods get better and better, are we getting better and better? Honing your skills, now more than ever before, is vital to success in today’s marketplace.

What should you do now to stay out of the middle?

Take photography courses in areas that you need work, evaluate your skills to improve them, meet with like minded people to challenge each other and continue to hold to your high standards and principles.

Have a great week, everyone!

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

You can listen to the audio version of this blog by clicking on the title below.

SWOT Analysis

What is a SWOT analysis? I had never heard the term, even after taking many, many photography courses. One day, Tim came in and said while he was at a PPA (Professional Photographers of America) board meeting, they had done a SWOT analysis for PPA and that we should plan a meeting for us to do one for our studio.

SWOT analysis or SWOT Matrix is a structured planning method used to evaluate STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS.

It can be used when deciding on a new product, a new path for your business or for evaluating your industry and involves specifying the objective and identifying internal and external factors, both favorable and unfavorable. In other words, it forces you to look at all sides of any decision you are planning on making.

Let’s delve into each of the 4 categories.

     Strengths: these are the characteristics of a business project or product that gives it an advantage over others.

     Weaknesses: these are the characteristics that could be or become a disadvantage.

     Opportunities: these are the elements that could be used to create a successful outcome.

     Threats: these are the elements that could cause trouble for the business, project or product.

As you meet, plan and start to make decisions, having this list will help you decide if the objective is attainable or if no, a different plan should be implemented and the process repeated. Users of this tool need to ask and answer questions that generate meaningful information for each category in order for this analysis to be useful.

Really thinking about and then listing both the internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and the external factors (opportunities and threats) will be a great help when making decisions that are not immediately clear to you. In the end, you should have some valuable strategies and ideas in hand from doing this exercise.

Example: Should we offer Groupons?

Who hasn’t thought about this whenever a soft economy starts affecting the bottom line? Let’s do the SWOT analysis now for Walden’s Photography and Groupons. Though most of you know who we are, if you don’t, we are a boutique, high end photography studio specializing in fine art, hand-printed wall portraits of babies, children and families. We are a second generation business and very well known and respected in our community and have never offered discounts on our portraiture. Come into our meeting now as we evaluate Groupons for Walden’s Photography.

     Strengths: quick influx of cash, introduction of our services to those who may not know us, fills the calendar with more appointments, increases our data base of names for emails

     Weaknesses: goes against 35 years of never discounting our work, could destroy our brand we have built over many years, perception of a boutique studio doesn’t mesh with Groupons, drawing the wrong clients(those searching for a deal) brings discontent to both us and them

     Opportunities: could increase our competitive advantage to reach those looking for deals, culture is changing quickly due to technology changing so quickly…are we being left behind?

     Threats: brings the wrong prospects to us who are looking for a deal rather than loving what we do (wrong stimulus for us), causes our clients to wait for the next Groupon instead of coming in without one, changes our brand to one of a discounter rather than an artist, creates more issues in the sales due to mismatch of client with our products and prices

Overall, we have rejected Groupons as the way we would do business. Though we knew in our “gut” that it wasn’t right for us, doing this analysis helped us pinpoint why!

This week, schedule a meeting with your staff, your spouse or a friend to do a SWOT analysis on a product you are thinking about or a marketing path you may be considering. Believe me, it will be an eye opener! Have a great week everyone!

Download a free template here!

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

You can listen to the audio version of this blog by clicking on the title below.

How to Maximize Portrait Planning Sessions

As we work on photography course materials for the Coaching Community, questions about our portrait planning sessions always seem to be of interest. This week, I thought I would share our future designs that we are working on for our planning sessions, or as they are called at Walden’s, the Design Appointment.

We will be implementing this as an ezine that we will send out prior to visiting them in their homes or their appointment at the studio. This is NOT meant to take the place of face to face meetings…it is simply a tool to help narrow down the many roads we could travel. Each client comes with a pre-conceived idea for their portrait. It is up to us to see what they are envisioning and steer it to mesh with our style or in rare cases, to discover what they want is not at all what you do or are willing to do.

The first idea is to get everyone on the same page as far as color palettes go. I sat down and made a color guide to help our clients figure out how to coordinate clothing among their family members which seems to be the most difficult task for mom (she is usually the one left with this). For us, the idea is not to have our clients dress all in the same color, but in the same “intensity” of color. In other words, if one is wearing light, pastel pink and another hot, vibrant pink, it fractures the cohesive look. If one is in pastels, the others need to also be in pastels. If one is in darker tones, the others need to be in darker tones as well. Intensity of color is what matters most.

The second part of this ezine deals with frame styles. What our clients prefer tells us what their style is. From sassy, brights to baroque and dark, frames reflect their “owners” taste and this bit of information helps us determine the style (within our studio) we will suggest for them. Notice we tagged on the word “classic” to all four styles. Why? To continue the message we constantly promote that we produce work that is classic, investment worthy and timeless.

As we continue working to understand our clients who may not be able to make it into the studio for a face to face meeting, this next page in the ezine helps us…house styles. You may live in an area that has different style homes than these. I picked out four homes that are most often seen in our area so our clients can relate.

A few years ago, we designed this little piece that relates portrait photography sizes to pieces of furniture and their impact in a room.

As portrait photographers, we must raise ourselves up to the level of interior designers as we design our portraits to be used as wall decor. I LOVE this piece as it lays this premise out visually and it very easy to understand.

This ezine concludes with our three styles along with examples and descriptive words which echo the same message as the imagery. Every time you can repeat your message, it is more easily remembered. Redundancy is key here if you want your message firmly implanted.

As we go into this week, feel free take these ideas and wording and use them to fit your business. Add, subtract…the important thing is to create these types of documents that create a successful outcome for both you and your clients.

Have a great week everyone!  Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

You can listen to the audio version of this blog by clicking on the title below.

Do’s and Don’t to improve your portrait sales

As I took over the postion of sales person years ago, I have learned so much about what to do and not to do in this area, especially in a boutique portrait photography business. I thought I would share my faves here in the hopes that it will help you or your salesperson as well.

1. Be confident and never let them see you sweat as the old commercial used to say. The more I am in the sales room, the more confidence I have which allows me to control the sale and not the other way around. This takes time and experience and is a critical factor to succeed. I remember Tim telling me when I was a budding photographer to always act like I know what I am doing, even when I don’t. There is nothing that can destroy the faith a client has in you than a lack of confidence in any area. Be brave! Be confident!

2. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you (and your financial circumstances) represent your clients’ ability to spend. You may not be a perfect client for yourself, but don’t let that sway you in the sales room. I see this over and over when I train others. If you are not careful, you will put yourself in their shoes and talk them out of their original purchase intentions.

3. Plant seeds for future visits as you chat throughout the sale. We call this “Seed Marketing.” Talk about their children, their circumstance, any upcoming events and then put it on the calendar or if they are not ready for that, put a reminder on the calendar. Sales is an ongoing process and it never ends!

4. Be careful not to judge anyone based on the kind of car that pulls up or the clothing a client is wearing. We have had many wonderful clients spend more than they looked like they could because they loved photography and treasured it. And, we have had the reverse as well. We value ALL of our clients and treat them all equally.

5. Build a system into your studio where you can randomly send gifts and cards to clients who are celebrating a good event or have had a hard time with something. One on one marketing is the hardest, but the highest quality of keeping up with clients and it builds strong relationships with them. Continue to strengthen your relationships with your clients after the sale is over!

6. Make it a point not to speak negatively about a client…EVER! Especially before a sales appointment, don’t give your opinion of whether the client coming in will or will not spend much or is nice or not. This sets a bad tone for the salesperson and changes the expectation of a positive outcome.

7. Have the photographer step into the sales room at some point during the sale to speak to the client. I see their eyes light up when Tim steps into the sales room and tells them how much he appreciates them! Of course, he waits outside the door and listens for the exact right moment to step in so he doesn’t interrupt an important moment. This is like the owner or chef at a fine restaurant coming to your table during the meal and making sure you are happy with everything.

If you have staff doing your sales, take a few minutes this week and read over this blog together and talk about it. It will be worth your time.

Have a great week, everyone.

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

You can listen to the audio version of this blog by clicking on the title below.

Colors and their meanings 

When a Coaching Community member and friend sent me a link that laid out colors and their meanings plus how to apply them to your business, I thought the topic was perfect for this week’s blog for photographers. For as long as I can remember, I have been studying colors, their meanings in a photograph and how to properly use them to tell the story I wanted to tell. During my formative years as a portrait photographer, I quickly learned which color palettes I was drawn to and even today, I am still stimulated by those same color palettes.

For me, my favorite color palette to use was the sand-colored, monochromatic palette which placed all emphasis on my subject’s face. It was soothing, peaceful and it made my heart sing when it all came together. Usually, I would place the subject at our window, which was painted in ivory tones, and then dress the subject in ivory, bone or off-white. I almost never shot pure white backgrounds with subjects in white clothing as it felt sterile to me and I loved images that had warmth in them. An old, antique typing chair is often used to raise our subjects up in the window set in order to more fully light both their face and body. I am careful to turn it sideways so it doesn’t “bulk” up and cause too much distraction.

After I realized how much I used the sand-colored palette, I wanted to expand my choices, and I found I loved certain pastels together, especially soft pinks mixed with darker pinks along with soft greens. This worked beautifully with portraits of children which were my main subject. Boys could dress in whisper-soft blues and girls in pinks, holding fresh flowers that were pink with green stems and leaves. I always added a satin ribbon to the flowers to add movement and interest.

When we started the Beau Visage painted portraits, I knew color choices would either make or break these paintings, so I made bead strands, each representing a color palette for the client to choose. They took the beaded strands home to see what fit in their environment the best and we would them meet and go over clothing. Knowing colors and their meanings and grouping them in palettes helped our clients understand why this decision was so important.

Seeing the success with the Beau Visage beads, I decided to add a color palette page to our Color Study design appointments as well. Again, seeing colors that work well together in a palette helps our clients, especially moms, get a handle on clothing choices for their family portraits. This seems to be the most stressful for the moms who are coordinating the entire experience and in charge of getting the clothing together.

A favorite palette in our studio since our color work is classic is black, located in the “Millionaire’s” palette. Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner and is classic, stylish and timeless. It implies sophistication and is always in style.

A palette I rarely use, but has immense impact, it in the “Hot and Sassy” palette; bright  RED. Red is passion, it is hot and shouts at us! The color red evokes extreme emotions in everyone.

It is a passionate color that can lead to violence and warfare, or the flush of love that transcends time. It is power, the banner that leads the troops to war, and a warning of danger up ahead. Red is the symbol of courage and sacrifice, life and death.

It is Cupid on one end and the Devil on the other.

Red roses are a symbol of one’s undying love.

The blood of life is red.

So angry he sees red.

Smart color choices don’t end in the camera room. You need to think about colors when you design your logo, paint your facility, package your images and so forth. Consistency in color will carry your message much further than picking colors that you like and then, the next week, picking another color from an entirely different family.

Color is a form of non verbal communication. Colors are complicated. We respond to them on a subconscious and emotional level. As portrait photographers, we need to have at least a basic understanding of how color affects our clients in order to product the best imagery we can to match both their homes and their personalities!

Perfecting our craft takes energy, education and motivation. My hope is that my blogs provide all of these things to you as we all continue our journey to success!

Have a great week everyone!

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com

{Click on the link below to hear the audio version of this blog}

Passion for portrait photographers is a must

“There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality, and then, there are some who turn one into the other. ”  

In our industry, passion is a critical element for long term success. We always told our girls to choose their career path wisely and look deep inside of their hearts when doing this. When they asked why, we told them that when the going gets tough, it’s their passion that will keep them going. Passion is like the fuel in a rocket, boosting with great energy when everything looks lost.

Recently, my niece, who lives in Loveland, Colorado and wrote some of this blog post, visited an intriguing store whose owner was passionate about what she did and how she merchandised her store. So now, let’s go visit The Merchant Trader together and see one woman’s definition of passion exhibited in every corner, nook and cranny.

When you walk into this store, you walk into a dream and fantasy land! The owner has the most beautiful items on display and what makes this store such a treat is that the displays are flights of fancy. They are incredible! My photos can barely do them justice, but they are filled with whimsy and delight. She has dress forms that are costumed in fabric, jewelry and art pieces. She has an old claw foot tub filled with pillows and fabric. If you spend enough time, you will see small labels and sayings pinned to displays that tell a story, interwoven throughout the entire store. She changes the displays in the windows with the seasons, and people come from all over just to see what she has done!

Once you start looking at everything, you get ideas on decorating…for displays…and of course, you then want to BUY everything she has! ( or ask her to come over and decorate your own place! ) To me, her store is the perfect embodiment of my definition listed above. She has taken her dream world and made it into a reality! This beautiful space is something that inspires me to find beauty in things that seem ordinary at first glance.

In ancient Greek times, when a person passed away, the town council would meet and vote on if that person had lived a life of passion. If they had, they were buried in a beautiful place, honored by the community and their lives were celebrated. If the council voted that the person had not lived a life of passion, they were buried in an unmarked grave, with no funeral service, no celebration and no honor. I have always found this to be an interesting story because it shows how important it is to be passionate about life and how it has been celebrated throughout history.

My wish is for every entrepreneur to follow their passion instead of following the crowd and ending up terribly disappointed in their career choice and path. One cannot teach the intangible quality that separates average business people from passionate people obsessed with what they do. What I can tell you is all the successful business stars that I know are passionate about their product, service, company, or cause. Instead of doing what someone else told them they should do, they went with the feeling in their gut—and made a business out of the one thing that consumed their thoughts.

I remember Tim’s father telling me I should work somewhere else, just in case Walden’s Photography failed. He instructed us to NOT put all of our eggs in one basket! Instead, we have both worked in our field of passion, photography, for over thirty years and though it has been hard at times, would not go back and do anything else.

How do you find your true passion? Bill Strickland, author of Make the Impossible Possible offers some clues, writing, “Passions are irresistible.… If you’re paying attention to your life at all, the things you are passionate about won’t leave you alone. They’re the ideas, hopes, and possibilities your mind naturally gravitates to, the things you would focus your time and attention on for no other reason than that doing them feels right.” Strickland believes that only by following your passion will you unlock your deepest potential. “I never saw a meaningful life that wasn’t based on passion. And I never saw a life full of passion that wasn’t, in some important way, extraordinary.”

How many of you use a Dyson vacuum cleaner? We have one and love it, but look what James Dyson says about the struggles he had in the process of bringing it to market, “Enjoy failure and learn from it,” Dyson once said. “You can never learn from success.”

Don’t let your obsession die. Embrace it, revel in it, and use it to stand apart. Follow your heart and not the crowd.

How many of you out there have begun 2013 with great intentions, only to be sucked into the “same old same old”? Are you already back in your rut? Are you making decisions based on what you have ALWAYS done, or are you looking at things through fresh eyes?

My personal challenge to you…take a look at your space and business and look at it through the eyes of a person who lives with PASSION. Think about your dreams, your hopes and your ideas. Have they become your reality? Or is your reality scaring those dreams away? I would love to hear about your journey.

Have a great week, everyone!

Bev

www.timandbevwalden.com