Photo Marketing Mentor

It is said that is easier to get business from someone who’s already given some, than to find a new client.

Think about how much it costs you in terms of time as well as money to acquire a new client. As it becomes more challenging to acquire new clients (especially in this current economic climate) it is far easier to go back to former clients and ask for new business.

Unfortunately many photographers tend to be on the side of the fence where they are constantly prospecting and searching for new clients. Nothing wrong with it, but it can be an awful time consuming process. If find yourself in this situation one way to break free of it is to ask yourself, “how can I serve my existing clients or former clients in new ways?”

In this article I am going to give you three suggestions you can use to keep your calendar full with additional work from existing clients while resurrecting relationships from former clients for new work. The key is to position yourself as your clients “in house” photographer.

1. Ask - I know it sound simple, but you’d be surprised how many photographers fail to ask for additional work while they are working with existing accounts. There several ways to do this with finesse for example; you can have your new clients fill out a questionnaire at the start of the job. The questions should relate to the job you’ve been hired to do.

Let’s say for example you are an architecture photographer then you could ask if they need printing work done like annual reports and other collateral materials. You could inquire about photographing other buildings or residential properties they have in their portfolio (including interiors).

Once you get to this level other possibilities could include photographing the principal owners in the companies family portraits and events. The key is to allow additional opportunities to flow naturally, but not let them slip through your fingers because you failed to ask.

2. Court former clients you can do this by dropping notes about your interest in working with them again via hand written note cards, handwritten works better because it shows that you took the time to contact them and not just send a form letter. Handwritten letters are often referred to as a warm letters. Think of it like the holiday letter that your aunt writes to update everyone of the families previous years accomplishments and activities.

In addition if you’ve won any awards, received any significant press coverage or been acknowledged in any way there is nothing wrong with dropping a note about your achievements or perhaps even a tear sheet.

3. Offer to schedule a lunch or coffee date nothing gets your prospects attention faster than a face-to-face meeting. As a matter of fact when you send your warm letters you can place a pre-addressed stamped card to inquire if the recipient would be in interested in scheduling such a date. This is great way to follow up with your notes and/or warm letter.

Again nothing demonstrates your intention to be of service than sitting down one-on-one with someone. Remember to keep the conversation focused on their needs, not yours. You don’t want to come across like you’re desperate for work. And finally ask, ask for referrals, ask for recommendations and finally be sure to offer a referral fee or a discount on the next job you do for the person who referred you.

I realize in this article that I have touched on some issues that could raise concerns for some photographers reading this regarding spreading yourself too thin. For example, “If I offer to shoot anything and everything for my clients won’t that dilute my marketing message?” I say, not necessarily. Let’s look at it from two perspectives.

Let’s first address the issue concerning your skills; I mean it may easier for an architectural photographer to shoot portraits than for a wedding photographer to shoot architecture. I don’t know you know your capabilities more than I, the bottom line, if you don’t feel comfortable working in an area outside of your marketed specialty then don’t offer the service.

On the other hand if you are confidant you can execute the assignment I say, go for it.

The second point addresses positioning yourself from a marketing prospective. Let’s say you are an architectural photographer obviously you’ll want your portfolio, website and conversation with prospective clients to be centered on architecture. This applies to any photographer in any specialty.

The key to becoming your clients “in house photographer” is to present yourself as well as you possibly can in your chosen specialty, then once you’re “in” with the client, continue to probe and uncover how you can be of further service. Finally, do, deliver, rinse and repeat.

Bonus Info: Are you an entrepreneurial minded photographer? Would you like to learn how to Attract More Clients & GROW your business in the next 12 months? Guaranteed!

To find out how I’d like to offer you my Client Attraction Starter Kit that includes: a 5-part mini audio course, “5 Secrets To Attract More Clients & Grow Your Photography Business!” Plus a complimentary subscription to my bi-weekly ezine “Eye On Marketing”. You can claim your FREE Client Attraction Starter Kit by visiting: www.Photo-Marketing-Mentor.com

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Realize That You Have Cash Sitting On Your Hard Drive    - If you’ve been shooting for anything length of time it’s probably safe to assume that you have an extensive library of images on your hard drive just sitting there collecting virtual dust. Now is the time to go through work, print samples and breathe new life into your library.

Offer them on your website for sale -or- contact a small local gallery or perhaps even a coffee shop. Anyway you can get your work in front of eyes can be great way to raise your visibility. The benefits can range from direct print sales all the way to private commissions.

Expand Your Reach By Marketing Online As Well As Off - If you’re stuck on print marketing i.e. taking ads in physical publications or direct mail perhaps it’s time to start marketing your services online. Today we have so many options for getting the word out about our services from personal blogs to social media networking websites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter just to name a few. I urge you not to dismiss these tools as the domain of high school kids, trust me when I say that major business is being conducted via these sites.

I’m personally constructing educational programs for photographers and making deals with prospects that I’ve never physically met. Get online and expand your reach, it’s practically free and the benefits can be business transformational.

Adopt An Attitude of Bold-Thinking - When times are tight financially our natural inclination is tighten our purse strings, understandably. And while you don’t want to be fool hardly with your spending you don’t want to be stingy in your thinking. (What I mean is that now is time to adopt an out-of-the-box attitude, don’t automatically assume that you have “spend” more money.

Think how can I make better investments? Sometimes your investment will require a financial commitment, but in my experience I’ve found that some of the most powerful investments you can make are in “Relationships”. (So now is the time to think bolder, resist retreat and encourage reaching out. Contact individuals that you can create joint ventures with. These relationships can be other businesses that can use your images, or photographic expertise to promote their services and vice versa.

For example, a small hotel or resort may be interested in promoting a weekend photo workshop, especially if you can bring in new customers for them. Going back to the first point I made in this article about cash on your hard drive, see if you have images that you could print and offer for sale in local boutique or shop. I recently brokered a deal like this for a client and it was great opportunity for both the photographer and the shop owner.

Finally, don’t allow today’s challenging economic climate to knock the wind out of your business. Use this opportunity to think bigger. Money likes speed, don’t wait; get started today. Create a list of potential joint venture partners and see how you create an offer that combines what you love to shoot as a photographer with businesses that need to bring in new customers.

And now I’d like to invite you to get instant access to my free Client Attraction Starter Package that includes my 5-part training audio course and special report: 5 Secrets To Attracting More Clients & Grow Your Photography Business.  You can pick this course and several other valuable bonuses when you visit:

http://www.photo-marketing-mentor.com

You’ll receive tips, tools, techniques and strategies to help you either get your photography business off the ground -or- increase your existing business by opening new markets today!

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