Alan (not his real name) and his wife were long-standing clients of one of our competitors. They came to us because they didn't like the way they'd been treated. Unlike Katherine, who likes us (even if she's frustrated), we haven't earned anything from Alan and his wife except a chance to win their business. Alan's customers really like our Duos, which of course they couldn't get before, but he finds designing and ordering them difficult. Alan designs them on paper and his wife recreates them in Remix. Alan's designs are reasonably complex, his wife is a fan of her old software (which can't To View More >>

Customer service edicts state that the customer is always right. Sometimes we disagree ... out of self defense. We don't like the implication that because the customer is right then we must be wrong. We defend our innocence and integrity!  Step back for a moment. There is a principle in Tai Chi that states that you can use your adversary's energy on themselves. Imagine saying the customer is always right. If you stop defending yourself and ask the client for a realistic solution to their own problem (a solution that, if they were you, they would see as fair)  you move away from being wrong To View More >>

I read Ian's post on the Kodak Carousel and immediately wanted to put my hand up .... (a sling back to the days of discipline at a Catholic school). I'm probably stating the obvious but I felt the message was SO important that it deserved emphasising.  Yes, I understand the business side of the message but there was this other thing that became important too. The post has a video clip from Mad Men, a sublime tv program about an advertising agency in the States in the 60's. It's about the launch of the Carousel .... Forgetting the wonderfully clever pitch, the ability to turn an electromechanical To View More >>

"Previously we were offering albums we knew our competitors were also offering, but we’ve realised we can use the album to separate us from our competitors." That quote from Nigel's interview with the Youngrens reflects Queensberry's key message to photographers and it got me thinking... A while ago I posted about album companies in trouble – and not hitching your own wagon to dying stars. Today I'm suggesting you be wary of the latest and greatest too ;) In the US and UK markets of 2000, Queensberry albums were revolutionary because we hand-made every album to order. That meant photographers, To View More >>

There are times as photographers that we get approached by people to do a favour for them. Sometimes it is to talk at a photographic society, sometimes it is a request for help. We are happy to help people but we tell them that we work on the Genie Principle. We don't mind helping, but we don't like to be taken advantage of. We tell people that they have three wishes - only three. We remind them that they need to use those wishes well. Cheers, Johannes To View More >>