One of the coolest sites on the internet for photographers of all levels is Photojojo.com. (read my previous profile on them)

I love them because they’re always adding awesome new products practically every week but this one (being a avid coffee drinker myself) I thought was one of the best.

Just make sure that the next time you ask your assistant for the EF 24 – 105 before you unscrew that lens cap.  Be sure it’s an actual lens cap and not a half cap no foam:-) Sorry I just couldn’t resist.

Actually I’m so taken with this company that I’m trying to arrange a visit of their offices while I’m in the bay area in a couple of weeks.  Stay tuned.

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The first way obviously is visually, meaning how you compose the shot, light it, and most importantly the subject you select are three elements that create the perfect visual story.

But the mistake many photographers make when it comes to marketing is the way they talk about themselves and how they serve clients. Saying “I’m just a photographer” doesn’t tell a prospect a story that entices them to work with you.

I believe that “why” you do what you do is just as important if not more so than “what” you do.

Photographers are natural born story tellers, learn the steps to leverage your story into powerful marketing messages that attracts clients and sells more of your images in a special FREE tele-class I’m giving tomorrow evening titled:
The Recession Proof Photographer: 5 Steps To Moving From Struggle And Confusion To Clarity & Profits.

Again it’s totally free to attend and it’s a topic that is rarely spoken about. The power of story and how it can transform your marketing.

To learn more and secure a seat please go here to register.

==> http://bit.ly/9AcgFh

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These highly motivated individuals (myself in included) were all in various stages of entrepreneurship from start up to many years in business.

Regardless of the length of time the common denominator we all shared is that at some point in our business career we fell prey to slipping into an “employee mentality.” This is especially true during times of financial crises as many of us are experiencing at the moment.

What do I mean by employee mentality? What I’m talking about is making a decision either consciously or unconsciously to take a passive back seat role in your business.

Think about it, when you were a paycheck employee generally your income (unless you’re in commission sales) is not dependent upon things like sales conversion and lead generation. Essentially when you’re employee you’re hired to perform an assigned task and as long as do as expected you’re okay to continue to work for that employer.

But when it’s your own show, the rules of the game are quite different. Not only are you responsible for lead generation and sales conversion, but you also have to perform the task you sold to the client. In addition, you’re responsible for all of the postproduction responsibilities, client follow-up and service delivery. It’s a lot to handle, right?

So when your business is stifled it’s easy to slip into apathy around sales and marketing tasks which is essentially nothing more than your own unique system of sales and lead generation.

The key to combating this of course is always having a steady pipeline of new prospects that can be converted into new sales. Seems fairly simple correct? Well in actually it is, not so much so for creative types like photographers, illustrators and graphics designers for example.

Generally for creative entrepreneurs our focus in not centered on marketing, lead generation and sales conversion. Why? Because these tasks typically do not speak to our creative spirit. So, as a result these tasks tend to fall by the way side.

Let’s face it, you didn’t start a business to focus on these mundane tasks, or so you thought, right?

You have a passion for your craft, skill or trade and made the decision not to do it under the controlled watchful gaze of an employer so you decided to go out on your own and going out on your own meant starting a business.

Perhaps in the honeymoon phase of your new enterprise you picked up paying gigs fairly quickly from referrals sources close to you, usually family members and close friends. But at some point the honeymoon ended and those referrals sources dried up. So what do you do?

Well, you began looking for new lead sources (you may not call them that, but that’s what they are) and so the thing that you loved to do has now become all too real and sometimes not so much fun.

At this point generally this is where apathy towards marketing kicks in and we start viewing our business from an employee mentality. You’ll know if you’re in this mindset because you begin having money struggles. Often you’ll find yourself day dreaming about that elusive magic bullet that is going to handle all of the things (that your previous employer took care of) so your focus can be on being creative, right?

That day dreaming about “someone else” charging in to save the day is what I call having an employee mentality.

You see when you made the decision to start a business centered on your creativity you did everything that was necessary to support that decision.

For example, you invested in purchasing new equipment; training and you’re probably still doing so to this very day. But think about it, when was the time you invested into your mindset and in learning how to set up business and marketing systems that are going to allow you to live your passion full out?

If you never have, can’t remember or you don’t know it’s now time to make a new decision, one that supports you operating a successful enterprise around your creative passion.

The bottom line is simple, you’re no longer a hired hand but an entrepreneur! To me the true definition of an entrepreneur is that of an innovator, a creator, a risk taker, and an employer, not an employee.

I invite you to begin to view your passion from this position. Now is the time to invest in yourself, and that means your mindset as well as your sales and marketing systems.

I’ll close with this, now probably more than any other time in the last three decades our financial future it’s totally up to us.  Meaning jobs that were once plentiful are not so much any more.  On the flip side because of the internet we have access to more resources than ever before in history to not only embrace but navigate the choppy waters of entrepreneurship.

What does this mean for you?  Truly for the first time in modern history we as individuals have more control over our creative and financial destinies than ever before. Think about this for a moment if there is no job at McDonald’s to fall back what are you going to do?

If you’re ready to drop your employee mentality and step into your own inner entrepreneur I invite you contact me to schedule a complimentary get acquainted strategy session.

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Eye On Marketing: 41 Days From Struggle And Confusion To Clarity & Profits (click on the new cover!!)

So I’m almost finished, I’m literally less than three weeks away from publishing. But I could really use your help with something.

I really want this book to be a tool and resource that you can really use, not just another book that collects dust on the shelf.

So I’m writing this post today to ask you for a simple favor.

All I need is for you to answer three simple questions, here goes:

1. Tell me your biggest problem, concern or frustration you’re currently experiencing in your business.

2.  Tell me what you need most right now that would help you either find more paying clients or secure more print sales.

3. What is your photographic speciality, is it commercial, portrait, fine art etc?

Plus+ One final question, would you be interesting in learning how you could receive a scholarship private coaching session?

So if you could please take a few moments and type your responses in the comments field below -or- if you prefer you can email me privately and tell me your most pressing problem, concern or issue you’re currently experiencing with your photography business.

Your questions could be about anything, pricing, find new clients, motivation issues, navigating social media, creating a client attractive website whatever.

For taking time out of your busy day to respond to this post I want to offer you a couple of bonus gifts as a thank you for your time. Hint: One of them is based on one of my most popular programs. (So make sure you provide me with your correct email address and I send those bonuses out to you right away:-)

So again I want to thank you for your feedback and I look to hearing from you.

Cheers! Rodney

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As with all of these conversations I generally start by asking the following questions: “What do you struggle with most?” “What do you want to achieve?” and finally, “What’s currently stopping you?”

I ask these three questions to help paint a clearer picture about what’s going on for the person I’m speaking with, first for me and then for the caller. You know the saying, ‘can’t see the forest for the trees?’ Well never is that statement truer than when you’re trying to run a business. Especially a photography business.

Think about it, it’s very challenging to run a business that not only requires that you do the marketing to find clients, but then you have to execute and the deliver the work that you’re hired for.

Essentially it’s the equivalent of operating 4 businesses at once; first as a marketing consultant, second as a creative director, and finally as a digitization technician and customer service representative. To say running a photography business is challenging is putting it mildly.

So anyway after our conversation it got me thinking, why do so many photographers and creative entrepreneurs in general struggle so much when comes to marketing? The following article is the result of that conversation and the three conclusions I drew from it.

“Struggle is generally about more than the thing we’re fighting for or against”

In terms of marketing the struggle is generally never about the “marketing tactic” it’s almost always about something deeper, much deeper. Listen you don’t need me to tell you that there is tons of information out there about marketing tactics and strategies, I know, I write a great deal of myself.

What I find in working with photographers is that lack of information is not the problem; if all it took to be a successful working photographer was a website and a Facebook fan page we’d all be wealthy and spending summers on the French Riviera right?

Common marketing advice tries to sell you on tactics as the ‘key’ to success, but the truth is no marketing technique is going to perform to your desired expectations if you don’t put ‘you’ into it. Let me explain:

Point Number #1 – Know Your Value:

You are the value your client receives and therefore you’re valuable, in other words what you think and most importantly how you ‘feel’ about yourself is how your client connects with you. Too many photographers mistakenly believe that their book, or their body of work is supposed to do the marketing for them. That’s wrong, your book doesn’t do the marketing, YOU do.

So what does this mean for the photographer struggling with marketing? It means that you have to know your true worth and then stand in that truth with complete conviction backed up with ACTION!

Sorry there are no shortcuts here. Action means picking up the phone and cold calling that gallery, that rep, that art director, that prospect that’s been sitting on the fence. Does it matter if they don’t respond in the way you hoped? Not as much as YOU taking the action in the first place.

So with that said this moves us on to what do you what to achieve?

Point Number #2 – Clarity Is Key:

You can’t get to where you want to go if you don’t know where ‘there’ is. So if your goal is to have a successful turnout for your next gallery exhibition, to be signed with a top advertising agency, to have a full calendar of private clients then that’s your goal.  Whatever it is decide now!

Now, you work backward to achieve this goal. How? By asking yourself “what actions do I need to take now (today), to achieve the result I desire tomorrow?” Tony Robbins was quoted as saying if you want better results you need ask better questions. Often we ask ourselves questions that don’t empower us, questions like, “Why is it such a struggle to find new clients? Why do I constantly attract prospects that challenge me on my fees? Etc. Etc.

These types of questions don’t empower you; instead they reinforce what you don’t want. Questions that empower you would be: Who needs what I have to offer? Who do I need to attract or how can I connect with the type of prospect truly needs what I offer and be willing and able to pay my rates? Do you see the difference?

Once you’re clear on what you want, and what you need to do, the final piece of the puzzle becomes “what’s stopping you?” This question goes all the back to point number one on knowing your value.

Point Number #3 – Know What’s Stopping You:

In my conversation with the young photographer we discussed at great length the internal stuff that was standing in her way. Not just the external marketing stuff. For example once we determined her target goal, we discussed what needed to happen both internally as well as externally to accomplish her goal .

Next we discussed what was going on internally that consistently presented road blocks, the road block in this case was, not standing in her truth, not acknowledging her value. When you know your value and what you bring to the table, the internal stuff doesn’t carry as much weight.

In other words, if marketing turns you off, it’s typically because you’ve been taught, (in my opinion) somewhere in your childhood to “remain silent”, to not speak up or out. In other words, don’t toot your own horn!  Ask yourself; did you shy away from activities where you excelled growing up? Were you encouraged, supported as a child to follow your creative impulses?

If not, this could be the key as to why “marketing” (which is nothing more than communication) feels alien to you.

Let me give a piece of homework, take a note pad and pen, grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea, or glass of wine if need necessary and sit down and really look into your past and ask yourself the following questions:

• Were my creative inclinations encouraged as a child?
• Was there anything that I excelled at that really made me feel good about myself?
• What was the mentality in the household around achievement, goals, creativity and encouragement?
• Did I feel validated?
• Do I currently have a support system?

You see these types of questions empower, they force you to think about the environment that you had growing up and with a little work you can begin to reconcile it.

Next, this exercise forces you to take a hard look at what you have in your life currently. Ever notice how we often recreate the same people in our adult life that mirror what we had growing up?

Even if it wasn’t supportive back then, you are in complete control of what’s going on now.

As I mentioned earlier in this article, marketing is nothing more than communication, yes, marketing strategy allows us to communicate with our target audience, but more importantly true marketing is how you communicate to yourself.

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Well, if you’re a portrait photographer you’re in luck because if you’re active on Facebook (or even considering it) boy do I have an opportunity for you!

Facebook is a brilliant platform for photographers of any genre but none better than those who shoot portraits.

With just a little ingenuity you can set up a very simple and affordable event offering Facebook Avatar portraits for your fans and friends on and off Facebook that can yield you a very nice return for a day’s work. Even if you aren’t currently active on Facebook (and why aren’t you?) setting up a presence on the popular social media platform is quite simple.

Once your account is active all you need to do is invite your colleagues, current and former clients and associates to join your fan page. Next, invite your associates to your studio or to a central location, I know of one photographer who recently held a Facebook Portrait day at a local furniture store.

You’re clients come in to have their portrait taken, of course you take more than one, and you deliver one freebie pre-formatted for their Facebook Avatar and of course they’ll want more and that’s where you’ll make money. The originator of this program made well over four figures for a day’s work hosting a Free Photos For Facebook Day.

These events are so easy to set up and run, that once you do it you’ll be hooked!

6 Benefits of Hosting a FREE Photos for Facebook Day:

1. You’ll be building good will within your community
2. Attract new potential long-term clients into your sales funnel
3. They’re a built in promotional opportunity that if done properly can actually pay for itself
4. Increase in cash flow, everybody needs a cash flow injection now more than ever
5. You’ll be providing a much needed service, (many local business leaders don’t even have one good photo let alone one for social media)
6. Some of your clients will definitely want to work you for a higher ticket 1-on-1 session

As I mentioned earlier these events are fast, fun and very affordable to set-up especially when you know the in and outs of how to do it. And speaking of that I have a wonderful product called FREE Photos For Facebook “Step-by-Step Quick Start Action System”. Last year I was introduced to the idea via the very talented portrait photographer Monica Sigmon.

Monica got the inspiration to host a free-photos for Facebook portrait session day at her studio in Williamsburg Virginia at a time when sales as well as the morale of her staff were down.

Sigmon took a look at her assets one of which was a growing presence on Facebook. The idea evolved when she made note of the “crappy” avatars of many of her fans and the light bulb went off. So she decided to invite her growing fan base to come into her studio to have their avatar’s updated.

Initially the idea to host the event was just a way to bring some energy into her studio. But once her clients begun arriving they got caught up in the excitement and that led to the success of the event. Of course as a photographer Monica provided many images to choose from and so as clients viewed their shots they wanted more than the promised freebie, much more. To tune of well over four figures!

The event was so successful that Monica and I got on the telephone where she revealed the entire process soup to nuts. I then took that audio recording and had it transcribed, we then added her templates that she actually used in customizable Photoshop PSD format, and I laid out the entire process visually using a process map.

Since then many portrait photographers have purchased this system and used it with similar stealer results. I’d love for you to get you’re hands on it and implement it in your business. Visit my page to get more information and to secure a copy.

For the ridiculously low price of $47 dollars this program is a steal. We wanted to keep the price low because we understand that times are still tight for photographers and didn’t want price to be a barrier.

Special Bonus: If you purchase the FREE Photos For Facebook Step-by-Step Quick Start Action System by Wednesday June 16th, I will throw in a personal 1-on-1, 30 minute telephone consult to answer any questions you may have. I generally charge $197 dollars for a strategy session so to get 30 minutes of personal time with me PLUS+ the course that can increase your income immediately you’re getting an unheard of opportunity at $47! So don’t wait. Act FAST…

Remember you have until Wednesday June 16th to get the private consultation with me plus a proven step-by-step system that will actually show you how to make money doing something you love while providing a much needed service to your clients all delivered via social media!

Order your copy TODAY!

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DeBoer is the founder of Permission To Suck who started the blog as a “think tank” if you will of creative folks and their musings about what it takes to keep fresh and motivated.

Whether it be photography, music, writing or fine art every creative individual struggles with coming up fresh ideas and remaining relevant to their audience.

Using an an interview process PTS provides a platform for creatives to learn and become inspired. Deboer’s goal is to provide his readers with an insiders view into the rarely seen world of the artist, their process, and what’s required to live their passion.

The video clip provided today is of the blogs editor Bruce DeBoer. Listen closely as he shares his own personal process and the insights he’s gained over the years, first as a photographer and then as a publisher and then back to photography.

As you watch pay close attention to the insights you glean and can perhaps apply to your own process.

Talking with Professional Photographer Bruce DeBoer from PermissionToSuck.com on Vimeo.

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