Is it just me or are we all (suppliers to the wedding industry) suffering from our clients' "fear of commitment"? The numbers of bookings are down, the time between booking and getting married is getting shorter. "It's the Recession," we cry, and it's almost true. It's not the recession, it's the fear of it. How can we overcome that fear? This is just a question, but ... are we better to say, "We'll give you a 20% discount" or, "We can be flexible?" What does "flexible" mean? It might refer to payment terms. It might mean they can start with a 'shoot only' package and add the trimmings later – To View More >>

Bob had another noteworthy one-liner in his seminar: "Gen Y is about to discover the difference between a Want and a Need." You need to understand that Bob was sharing the stage with young Danny, and there were plenty more Gen Y in the audience... I'm a Boomer like Bob, so I was fine with it, but Danny said, "I wonder whether he offended anyone?" FWIW it made me think about two aspects of "framing" your photography. Bob used certain words to describe his role (artist, historian) and what motivated his clients (love, pride). He's framing his photography as a Need, not a Want. Something they can't To View More >>

Every time I go out to buy something I start thinking about ... Marketing. Sorry. Anyway, a new camera is on the cards, a point-and-shoot (I'm not a photographer, OK!) I know what I want in a camera, I've done my homework and I've whittled down the list to a couple or three that all fit my criteria. They all offer me great image quality, enough control and they cost about the same. I'm not a camera brand 'fan-boy' so I'd be happy with any of them. How do I decide which one to buy? I don't know. But when I go out to buy, one of them will tip the scales in some way. Reputation, customer service To View More >>

Do you know how many people are too busy to design albums? Or are under-confident about album design? Or can't figure out the PJ alignment tools (surely not)? ;) And do you know how many people have downloaded Photojunction since we made it free? I didn't think so. But that adds up to a big market ... and you already have the templates. All you need to do is add them to the Store. Just do it. Cheers, Danny (motivational expert). There you go ... #437 ... just a few gaps to fill in. Got more? To View More >>

On my trip to the UK I had the opportunity to visit the studio of Alan and Jackie Rankine. Their work is aimed at a high end market. Their sales are substantial. They don't aim to be the latest newest thing. They do work to stay current but they have cleverly understood the needs of their clients. Their formula is simple and effective. Know your clients, produce consistently good work, back up your promise to perform with the quality of your presentation (including coffee and cake), always have something bigger and better for the client to buy, and have your studio in a castle. They don't chase To View More >>