The Daily Mentor Minute Blog | Bruce Hudson

Shooting Blind
Saturday, Nov 29, 2008

I Hope you and your family had a memorable Thanksgiving! For us it was the beginning of a new tradition at our new house. Terri and I both did our own turkeys with our own favorite version of stuffing. I guess you could call it a stuffing smack down! Yesterday was a day of doing nothing, it felt really good. But, today we had a family session with a very important Microsoft person. The logistics of the session were a little different because I had never met family before today. The session came from a good friend and fellow photographer of mine who just had surgery last week and was not able to do the session. He had just met the family from a guide dog association he belonged to and had promised to photograph them this weekend. All in all the session went well for not meeting and discussing their needs, wants, and expectations before hand. It was sort of like shooting in the dark. This is the reason why I require a consultation at the studio and a meeting at a client’s home prior to the first session. This is the only way to find out what your client is truly looking for. Don’t get me wrong, a blind squirrel finds an acorn eventually, but why risk it? This is an essential at my studio and I hope you require the same. I know my buddy and his friends will be happy with today’s session, but it felt a little weird trying to build rapport while at the same time creating images that will command top dollar. For me it’s a lot easier to have something to aim for rather than just shooting from the hip. Just a thought! See you tomorrow! B.H.

My Favorite Part of the Puzzle!
Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008

This business has many pieces in the portrait puzzle. For me, I love the marketing piece; especially marketing that attracts the perfect client. I also love to create images that make my clients cry when they see them for the first time in the projection room. Then, my favorite piece of the puzzle is by far what I did today, delivering the final product to my clients home. I have always enjoyed the whole “from concept to completion” way of business. It is from their initial vision to a beautiful portrait hanging on the wall. Not to mention all the hugs and kisses from the family as they received their family master piece just before Thanksgiving, as was the case with today. It was a good day! If you want to separate yourself from other photographers in your area, all you need to do is see your clients through the entire portrait process. How many studios in your area really service their clients? I am not just selling a digital file or a picture; I am selling a total portrait experience. It’s a no brainer for me! This “total service” concept is a staple for other high-end businesses, why can’t it work for a portrait studio? I am here to tell you that it does! I am able to build a stronger, longer lasting relationship with my clients as well as charge a heck of a lot more for my service! I am truly thankful as I sit at home with my family right now enjoying my own 50 inch family portrait; I must feel like my clients do. This Thanksgiving I want all of you to sit back and reflect on what is important to you. Chances are they are the same things you cherish. Remember that when you work with them! Have a great Turkey Day tomorrow and check back on the site, I will be updating the Daily Mentor Minute. B.H.

A Major Seed Sprouted- Part Two…Mission Accomplished!
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008

The meeting this morning went awesome! I am scheduled to do the job during the first part of January, great timing for everyone! I love creating cash flow during the first quarter. Anyway, I have two questions for you? (1) Who are the easiest people to sell too? Answer- Your existing clients! (2) Who are the second easiest people to sell too? Answer- A referral from an existing client! Immediately after the meeting at the eye clinic I went up one floor to thank the orthopedic office manager for the great referral. It only took me a minute and thank you’s go a long way! While I was up there chatting I asked the office manager if they were in need of any up-dating or some new portraits. Bingo! They have 2 new surgeons that need wall portraits for their offices. There was also an existing doctor that wants to update his 24x30 as well. “No problem” I said! I booked them on the same day in January as the eye clinic. The beauty of all this is when you are working with a referral, money is not an issue. “But why”, you are asking yourself? Because the referral usually asks the referrer how much it costs! Everyone is on the same page. Marketing is an illusive thing, but there are something’s you can take control of. Where are you putting your marketing dollars towards right now? Are you maximizing your referrals? Yes sometimes it will take a while for them to pay off but, when they do, watch out! As I said yesterday, the longer a seed takes to sprout, the more the crop will yield. See you tomorrow! B.H. PS. Our New Directions Tour DVD Special Expires Today! If you haven’t called 800-952-6609 to order your copy yet, you have till 12pm PST tonight to save some money!

A Major Seed Sprouted!
Monday, Nov 24, 2008

I have always said that marketing is nothing more than planting seeds. Some seeds take weeks, months, or even years to sprout! The phone rang this morning from an office manager of an eye clinic down the road from the studio. She had just seen some of our images on display at a local orthopedic surgery center. This office is where my hip replacement doctor is located with 14 other surgeons. Outside each of the examining rooms is a portrait (20x24 to 30x40) of one of the doctors during a real surgery…or a “pretend” surgery! It has been a great display that has also brought us some steady reoccurring revenue. I usually photograph all of the new doctors as well as update a few of the old ones each year. Anyway, the office manager from the eye clinic saw these images and said to Josh, “I want those in my office!” This is exactly the way displays are supposed to work! This is also one of the examples I will be sharing with you in detail during my up-coming webinar next week on Displaying in YOUR Community! Josh booked an appointment for me to meet with office manager and discuss further their needs for this project. The meeting is for tomorrow at 10am. I’ll let you know how it went tomorrow afternoon! Always remember that the older seeds are, the more they tend to produce a larger crop! Wish me luck! B.H. –PS. Josh and I are thinking of having photo contest for our members, what do you guys and gals think? Email me at bruce@mystudiomentor.com with your thoughts!

Thanks Everyone!
Friday, Nov 21, 2008

Thanks for all the positive comments from our last E-Newsletter on displaying in your community! All this marketing stuff I have been preaching for years really does work if you implement it. Speaking of that, our first issue of the Première Portrait Club Newsletter just hit mailboxes this week and our phones have been ringing off the hook! It’s been fun hearing the responses to my corn and crab chowder recipe and my wine pick of the month. Also, I would like some feedback from all of you Platinum Members out there; you should be getting your copy any day! This newsletter is a little different than my general 4 color newsletter that goes out to all my clients twice a year. The PPC newsletter is designed to cater specifically to my top clients. This issue we featured one of my recipes, reviewed a local winery, featured a PPC client, introduced our Truce Fine Art line, and promoted our Santa Portraits that are for PPC members only! A lot of you might be thinking, “This has nothing to do with photography, what are you trying to accomplish?” Anytime you can personalize, not commercialize your newsletter, it will hit home with your clients. At Hudson’s we are creating a culture, a family. My clients are as deeply entrenched in my life as I am in there’s. This newsletter serves as way for me to connect even more personally with my clients instead of just sending them my monthly portrait specials. Plus, anytime you can narrow your marketing focus I feel that your message becomes that much more powerful. This exclusive newsletter gives my Premières an opportunity to connect back with me. I actually had a client call and book a session today after just getting the newsletter. She also wanted to let me know that she is trying the recipe out this weekend. How cool! It looks as if our latest marketing study has hit a home run! We will keep you posted! In the meantime, I will leave you with this: What are you doing in your business to connect with your clients on a more personal level? What are you doing to create a fun, family like culture? And finally, when was the last time you made your top clients feel special in some way? Thanks once again for all the positive emails, have a great weekend! B.H.

Customers for Life- Part Two
Thursday, Nov 20, 2008

Yesterday I talked about creating customers for life and what it takes to do that. As I pointed out, sometimes it is the little things, even sweet pickles! So what can we do as photographers to create clients for life without breaking the bank with lavish marketing incentives? First of all, everything you say and do needs to be heartfelt and sincere. Be honest and passionate for your clients, don’t just tell them why they should use your services, show them. Here’s a short list of some things you can start doing today…or tomorrow if you are reading this late: (1) Show that you have passion for what you are doing. Get excited, you make a living preserving memories and capturing family’s legacies! When you are excited, your clients will get excited! (2) Understand that you are not taking “pictures” but creating heirlooms that will be around longer than you will! Reflect this sentiment when you meet with your clients and a build a lasting relationship from it. (3) Be thankful for the opportunities your clients present to you, and I am not talking about just opportunities to make money, this profession is about more than that. Think about it, clients ask us to be a part of some of the biggest milestones in their lives! Documenting a new baby, the 4 generation portrait, a wedding, senior portrait, wow! Sometimes no amount of money can be as rewarding as just being there for your clients. (4) Always, I mean always say thank you! They go along way. Ok, let’s try to sum-up what it takes to create a client for life. For me it comes down to the goal of each encounter I have with both present and future clients. My goal is not to achieve the largest sale possible but the best sale possible for my clients needs. I even let this been known during the pre-portrait consultation by saying, “It is not my goal to sell you the largest wall portrait possible; it is my goal to build a long lasting relationship with you and your family. This means being there for your specific needs.” I know what you are thinking, “But Bruce, that is all fine and dandy, but I am trying to make a living here! How do you get the averages that you do if you don’t sell?” Trust me, I give plenty of size recommendations, but this builds trust with my clients and they reward me for it. For me it is all about creating and maintaining the relationship for life. When you truly let your guard down and show how devoted you are to them, you’re no longer just a photographer; you become THEIR family photographer for life. I guess my advice is to be honest and sincere with your clients! Just doing this won’t cost you a dime but will yield big financial and artistic rewards. See you tomorrow! B.H.

Customers for Life! –Part One
Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that win your affections. This is so true when it comes to a service or a business. One of these “customer for life” incidents happened to me yesterday at a burger joint called Carl’s Jr. I had never been to this particular fast food place and a new one just opened up not far from my home. Anyway, back to my story here. We all have little quirks, I have many! When it comes to my burgers, I love sweet pickle relish! Every since I was a little guy, I always have loved sweet pickles. You hardly ever see them anymore! Most fast food places have only dill pickle relish, how boring. Yesterday to my surprise at Carl’s Jr. they asked me if I wanted sweet or dill pickle relish. No way! I have never been asked that question at a fast food joint. Seriously, how hard would it be to carry both sweet and dill pickle relish? Not very, but look at the impact it had on one quirky customer like me. I am a Carl’s Jr. customer for life now because of some stupid sweet pickles! Always remember that sometimes it’s the little things that win and keep your clients coming back for life! In fact I devoted an entire chapter in my book “The Relationographer” on what you can do to wow your quirkiest clients like me- The Sweet Pickle Guy! If you haven’t read it yet, go to check it out on the Educational Investments page on this site. I’ll even pay for the shipping and save you $7 bucks, just use the promo code “Pickle Guy” at check out. See you tomorrow with Part 2 where I will be sharing some ideas you can start using immediately in your studio to win customers for life! See ya! B.H.

Happy 80th!
Tuesday, Nov 18, 2008

Who would have thought that when Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse 80 years ago that an empire would also be born! We all have ideas, incredible ideas that somehow tend to fade away. Eventually they are forgotten. But not everyone’s ideas are unrealized; some of the most successful people I know understand the key elements needed to go from concept to completion. One of these people is a good friend and mentor of mine, Stephen Sheanin. Stephen is the publisher of Rangefinder Magazine and also the founder and president of Wedding and Portrait Photographers International. By chance, I was at the very first WPPI convention over 20 years ago. Who would have thought that at that first convention this new organization would eventually become one of the largest in the world today? I am sure Stephen saw the potential. Another one of these visionaries is a client of mine named Rob Angel from Seattle, WA. Rob invented a little game called Pictionary! I have been privileged to know this man and hear firsthand how he and his buddies took a game they used to play on bar napkins in college, developing it, and then selling the final product for millions! So what is the secret to connecting the dots from A to Z? I feel it comes down to these 7 things: (1) Believing in an idea (2) Believing in yourself (3) Persistence (4) Testing, refining, and changing course if necessary (5) Marketing the hell out of it (6) Never being satisfied and always looking for improvement (7) Being passionate with everything you do! I am excited to share both of these amazing men with you in an up-coming Monthly Mentor Issue! Happy 80th Mickey, who could have imagined? I bet Walt Disney did! B.H.

Fine Art Calendars = Great Marketing Tool!
Monday, Nov 17, 2008

Apologizes for not having yesterday’s Daily Mentor Minute up! I was also supposed to give a review for the new James Bond movie but Terri and I opted to go home after working most of Saturday and attending a birthday party that night instead of seeing the film. I promise that once I see the movie, you’ll get the full review! Anyway, what an exciting day at the studio! I just finished the first volume in our new DVD series The Art of Family! I burnt the master copy last night and we will be mass producing it shortly! But today I want to talk about our new Truce Fine Art Calendar entitled “Images of the Northwest.” Above is what the cover looks like and I also posted the month of October’s image for this week’s featured image. Go to Image of the Week and check it out! This calendar concept has been a home run for our business in the past and I am expecting it to be a grand slam this year! Here is a condensed version of how we create and distribute our calendars throughout the community: (1) The images in the calendar are from our Truce Fine Art Collection. “Truce” stands for Terri and Bruce…get it? Basically they are some fine art images I have taken the past few years that we are now selling to my clients. (2) We distribute the calendars to our 400 Premiere Portrait Club Members. What a great way to keep me and my company in front of my best clients year round! (3) This year we will be holding an unveiling reception on Sunday December 14th at a restaurant not far from the studio. (4) At that reception we will also have larger examples of the images featured in the calendar. (5) Its our goal to pre-sell these limited addition prints to our clients for their home or office!- I have just given you the “cliff notes” version, I will be going into greater detail in December’s Monthly Mentor publication with Part Two of Working with the Affluent Client! If you are a member, be watching for it the first or second week of December! If you are still not a member…you should be! Check out the Join the Monthly Mentor Page right now! For less than 75 cents a day you can be part of the hottest educational community in the industry…Guaranteed! Sign-up using the Promo Code “Angela” and we will even send you a FREE back issue. See you tomorrow! B.H.

Giving Back!
Saturday, Nov 15, 2008

In these challenging times when all we can think about is ourselves and our family, maybe we could give back to the community and the less fortunate. This is what I had the opportunity to do today before my afternoon appointments. My Renton Rotary club does a program this time of year called “Operation Warm” where we distribute as many as a 1000 warm coats to people in need. It is so cool seeing the faces of the kids as they get to pick out a brand new colorful jacket! One of the ways we raise the money for this program is through our annual auction in March. I always provide a power-point during the auction to add some color to the evening and this year I’m creating a video to show how and where we spend the money we raise! Sometimes giving back doesn’t always mean to “write a check.” Donate your time and talents to help the less fortunate. It does come back to you in many ways. In fact, one of my follow Rotarians today mentioned that seeing me there today reminded him that it’s time to update his family portrait! Have a great evening! Terri and I are going to see 007 tonight! I’ll let you know how it is tomorrow! BH

Catering to the Affluent
Friday, Nov 14, 2008

Good day everyone, I hope you had a great week! Josh here with another edition of The Daily Mentor Minute. So my dad is once again off having fun, leaving his over worked son to post the blog. Just kidding dad, I asked to do it today because I wanted to discuss an important topic with you. I will be discussing catering your studio to the affluent buyer. As we all know, times are a little tough out there. But even in these crazy economic times we are living through, there are still businesses that are doing just fine…even photography studios believe it or not. There are certain industries that are recession proof like doctors, dentists, and a bunch others. I dedicated a whole Mentor Minute to this topic back on August 29th; it’s a good read if I may say so. But today I wanted to focus on successful photography businesses, even during this recent economic downturn. But how recent is this? When my dad and I where on tour last year we heard from studios all over the country that were crying the blues then. The economy is just another log in fire from the digital revolution if you ask me. As your competition continues to grow in numbers and your potential clients tighten their belts, how are you going to survive? This is not an easy straight forward answer, but here are some things I have observed the past few years: (1) You have to offer premium products and sell them, period. Just having wall portraits and nice leather albums on your pricelist is not enough; you have to gear your clientele towards them. This is done in the consultation; it’s all about educating your clients. (2) You have to go the extra mile for you clients. Show them that you are into the whole portrait process; create an incredible experience that no one else can. (3) You have to cater to people who have extra income. Even if you are in a small town, someone has to have the money around there! (4) Stay in touch with your clients and give them a reason to think about you and your studio! I am not talking about sending an e-newsletter with your monthly specials on it, but really do something fun for your clients. These 4 points I just made are just a small part of what I wanted to say tonight, but I am sure that none of you want to listen to me rant for another 10 pages, so I will leave you with these closing thoughts. There will always be a need for photography no matter what is happening in our financial worlds. And people will still spend large amounts of money on photography, even in hard times. Case in point, today my dad spoke to one of his long time friends Angela Carson in Detroit, MI. You may have remembered Angela from a Monthly Mentor Issue a few months back. She is an amazing photographer and an amazing business woman. My dad and her were chatting and he asked how business was. She said that it was fantastic, she just had the best month of October she had ever had. How did she do this? My dad decided to postpone this month’s scheduled Monthly Mentor interview to pick Angela’s brain about this. So December’s issue will feature Angela Carson…part 2! This is what is so cool about The Monthly Mentor, my dad and I are able to share with all of you some of the most current marketing and sales tools that the top photographers in the country are using to not only survive, but thrive in today’s market. Also in December’s issue my dad will be writing part two of the Marketing and Selling to the Affluent Buyer article, where he will share with you some of the things that we are implementing right now to make the phone ring with clients that have money to spend! I’ll give you a sneak peek, one of them is doing a calendar! A calendar is going to make the phone ring? Yep, you’ll have to read it to believe in next month’s issue! If you’re not a member, click on Join the Monthly Mentor on the homepage, type “Angela” in the promo box and hit apply. I will send all new members Angela Carson’s first issue for FREE until December 1st. Thank you for joining me today and I hope all of you have a great weekend! Josh

The Four P’s to a Successful Session- Part 4
Thursday, Nov 13, 2008

The fourth and final P is Persistence! A lot of times I would equate persistence more in the marketing/sales realm of the photography business, not so much the actual session. But being persistent and having a set goal is important when capturing portraiture. Persistence during session is the string that ties all the other P’s together. I focus on what my clients need and never let anything get in my way of that. I’m persistent in capturing the images my clients are going to be most happy with. Because of this my re-shoot ratio is nearly zero. Basically, I get it right the first time. I know what you are thinking, “Bruce, this is a no-brainer, right?” I don’t know, is it? Each stage of the session has a specific goal. The initial phone contact has one goal- to book the consultation. The consultation has one goal- to book the session. The go-see has one goal- to fine tune what my clients are truly looking for! The style, the size, and what is really important to them. My one goal of a session is to create the most incredible images that my clients will ever experience. But this one goal of the session would be nearly impossible to accomplish if the other goals, or P’s, were never met. I am convinced that one of the best ways to make a living in this business is to truly service your clients every need. My clients trust me because I am truly committed to their vision. After all, these are their portraits! I am persistent when it comes to accomplishing the goal of my client’s session by creating a piece of art that they will not be able to live without. To conclude this 4 day series, it takes all Four P’s to make a session work! So the next time you are starting the portrait journey with a new client, be mindful of the Four P’s and always be persistent when accomplishing your goals! B.H. –PS. I am proud to announce that the New Directions Tour DVD Collection is now available! Thank you to all the photographers out there who contacted Josh today to place your order! The DVD Collection is so new that we don’t even have a webpage for it yet! But we are taking phone orders for the time being with some great savings. Call us at 800-952-6609 for any questions about the DVD’s or to order!

The Four P’s to a Successful Session- Part 3
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008

Happy birthday Josh! 26 years ago after 30 hours of labor, Joshua Bradley Hudson was born! 6 hours later I photographed 2 weddings! I can’t believe it’s been 26 years, the same amount of time I have been in business. A lot of photographers ask me, “Bruce, how have you been able to stay in business for so long?” The answer is pretty simple actually! For years I have preached that this business is all about creating a memorable experience and building relationships. The memorable experience should occur throughout the entire portrait process- The consultation, the go-see, the session, the projection, the portrait delivery, etc! I feel that during the actual portrait session is where creating this experience can have the most impact! It should be the most enjoyable part of the journey. How can you guarantee this? Use your personality, the third P! Have fun and show your clients that you are having fun- sincere fun! Try to exhibit an upbeat, bubbly, positive, outgoing, and a truly “loving what I do” personality. The tone of your personality is contagious to all those around you. I hate to say this but if you are not a people person, you probably shouldn’t be photographing people. Your personality can make or break any session. Here are a few things I try to do naturally during every session: (1) Smile- show your clients that you are a happy person. (2) Use eye contact. (3) Shake hands firmly. (4) Give the shy little ones time to warm up. When you do see them warming up to you, try the “high 5”, it works with the littlest kids. (5) Keep an upbeat tempo during the session. (6) Display as much confidence as you can when it comes to posing and technical issues. (7) Try and get to know your subjects, this is an art in itself! The best way I have found to do this is by asking open ended questions. Many of these are prompted by information that I learned during the consultation. “How’s school going?” “How long have you been married?” (8) This is an easy one; show them some of the images during the session. This adds to the excitement! (9) Have fun and enjoy yourself! Like I mentioned before, your personality is contagious! To conclude, here’s the bottom-line: The more confident and comfortable your clients are, the better their expressions will be. The result, a successful session and some great images! Join me tomorrow for the final “P” Persistence! See ya- B.H. –PS. Happy birthday again Josh, keep up the good work bud!

The Four P’s to a Successful Session -Part 2
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008

(2) Patience! I’ve been told by many that when it comes to photographing in challenging situations, I have tremendous patience. However, in my day to day living, I am completely 180 degrees in the opposite! I am sure it drives my staff crazy, but when I get an idea in my head, I want to implement it as quickly as possible. Ok, back to the topic here! Why is patience so important during a session? It comes down to how your client feels during the session. The more comfortable and relaxed your client is the better the expressions will be. If you are rushing and displaying lack of patience to your clients, their frustrations build and they will tense up. In my 26 years of experience I have even noticed this with young babies. They can sense when you are stressed and frustrated. Where did I learn to have patience? Well, I feel most of it came from my past life as a junior high and high school band director! Working with 150 kids that all had instruments while on a muddy football field in the rain will either build patience or drive you to the psycho ward! I landed somewhere in the middle I guess. To find the patience needed for a successful session I do the following 3 things: (1) I always realize that if you can’t get the perfect shot, there’s usually another time I can. If it happens to be a “worse case” scenario and I need to perform, I am confident that I will get the job done. You have to believe in yourself and be confident. (2) I try and keep my respirations and heart rate at a moderate level. Basically stay calm and remember to breath! (3) I stay relaxed! By remaining relaxed as possible, you will hopefully send the same vibes to your subjects. People can sense one another. If you are frustrated, don’t show it! Conclusion: They say patience is a virtue. Well, “they” are right! It’s a virtue that will help you get through even the toughest sessions. The next time you have a situation that requires patience, I hope you can use some of the ideas I just shared with you. Being able to conduct yourself in a calm and cool manor during a tough session will set you apart from other photographers in your area. You will also be able to command top dollar for your photography by performing during seemly impossible situations. One of the situations came this summer for me when I photographed nighttime radio celebrity Delilah’s family. The session took 3 hours and there were children as young as 4 months and groups as large as 23. Plus there were dogs, horses, utter chaos! Josh filmed this entire session and it will be volume one of our new DVD series The Art of Family! It will be available in the next few weeks. Want to pre-order a copy from the first batch and save some money? Email Josh at josh@mystudiomentor.com and he will take care of you! I hope you enjoyed today’s blog, tomorrow I will discuss the third “P”- Personality! See you tomorrow! B.H. –PS. Talk about patience, check out the new image of the week!

The Four P’s to a Successful Session- Part One
Monday, Nov 10, 2008

Wow, what a busy weekend! I am sorry for not having the blog updated this weekend, I spent all day Saturday and Sunday catching up on sessions that were rained out the weekend before. I’ll make it up to you with The Four P’s to a Successful Session- Preparation, Patience, Personality, and Persistence! (1) Preparation- Communication is one of the keys to a successful session. Meet with your clients to discuss what they are looking for in their portrait. For me there are 4 different steps to this process. (a) Show them all the possibilities! This is done with a slide show that has music with recorded testimonials. I get my music from www.brucetunz.com- shameless plug, I know! (b) Start asking questions and building rapport. Try to relate to them on some level, this will help you get to know them. This is essential if you want to capture their true personalities through the lens. (c) Educate them! Show them various sizes and talk about what the proper size should be based on where it will be hanging in the home. This step is also when you talk about clothing, price, art work, etc. (d) The Go-See. If the client is ok after the first 3 steps and is excited to continue the journey, then schedule a time to go-see their home. This is where you can fine tune the size (or sizes) of the wall portraits, get a feel for the color/style of the home, and give a more extensive clothing recommendation! To conclude, I have just given you a brief summary of our pre-portrait consultation process or preparation stage, which is the first of The Four P’s to a Successful Session. This really is an important step, it takes all the speculation out of the session and the sales process afterwards. See you tomorrow for part two- Patience! B.H. –PS. New Image of the Week is posted, it is from one of the sessions I did on Sunday! Difficulty 9.5! Check it out…

When $1,200 is like $12,000!
Friday, Nov 07, 2008

My last appointment yesterday was a projection sale for some clients I photographed on Monday. This young couple is new to our Hudson’s family. Last week during their consultation, immediately after my family slideshow they said to me, “We love your work but I don’t think we can afford you!” This was even before I presented the pricing to them. I could have easily written them off right there, but this is not what I am about. I went through my entire consultation process including the pricing. I figured at least when they walked out of my studio, they would be educated consumers. And you just never know, they may come back in a few years after saving up some money. I was defiantly out of their budget range but you know what, they booked a session with me anyway! They came in on Monday for an extended studio session and yesterday was their projection appointment. The moment of truth was when they saw their images. They were absolutely ecstatic and invested in much more than they or I expected! This is one of those times when $1,200 from them felt like $12,000! It might sound crazy but I’ll take an extremely appreciative client with a small budget over a big budget snob any day. Yes we all want the high dollar jobs but sometimes rewards don’t always have to come with dollar signs attached. B.H. –PS. Another client for life has just been created! And you are probably wondering why there is an image of Reno, NV up top. Josh is flying to Reno to celebrate his birthday with his beautiful girlfriend Melissa for the weekend! Email him to wish him luck at the tables! Have fun Josh!

State of the Studio Address
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008

Today the staff and I are going to take a long lunch to discuss the “State of the Studio.” We will go over where we are right now as well as setting goals and looking to the future. Basically what direction are we heading in and what is the best way to get there as a team? This is also my opportunity to share what’s inside my brain in the way of up coming marketing strategies and also brainstorm some of their ideas. Normally I have this meeting after the Christmas rush but this year I have decided to do it now. One of the main reasons why I am doing the meeting earlier this year is because I want to start getting all the elements in place for the 1st quarter. When January roles around I want to make sure all of our marketing ideas can hit the ground running. So what’s on the agenda for today? (1) Back to basics- Following up with phone calls, getting correspondence out the same day, and modifying our studio work flow system to be more efficient. (2) Streamlining our thank you cards system with www.sendoutcards.com/hudsons. (3) Capturing more emails. (4) Our Truce Fine Art 2009 calendar and rollout party December 14th. (5) Our new High School Senior brochure. (6) Our new family brochure. (7) Brainstorm 2009 promotions and the best ways to implement them into the marketing mix, etc. Well, this should fill up an afternoon! Once again, the whole purpose of this meeting today is to provide some direction and communicate my thoughts to the staff. One thing I have learned over the years is that no one can read your mind! You really need to share the vision! If you don’t have a staff to convey your message to, I would still recommend doing something like this for yourself. Get out of your day to day environment with all the distractions and get your goals down on paper. Well I am off to the meeting! Organizing your thoughts and setting goals will not only help you make the phone ring today but in the future as well! Bruce

It’s a New World Out There
Wednesday, Nov 05, 2008

Hopefully now that the election is over the media will start painting a prettier picture of the economy. When all you hear is doom, gloom, and constant negativity, that’s what people start believing. No matter who you voted for, the “change” that both candidates mentioned needs to be created by each and every one of us. Sometimes we don’t feel as if we have any control in our lives. In some cases this is true. But the one thing that we do have control over is our attitude. We can choose to be a victim or a victor. One of the most powerful quotes that I live by everyday came from my amazing late wife Sue. She would always say, “When you run out of people to blame for your problems, it’s time to look in the mirror!” It’s a new world out there; maybe it is time to look in the mirror. Bruce -PS. Thank you for all the positive feedback from this week’s featured image! If you haven’t seen it, check it out!

Auctions: It’s ALL About Perceived Value!
Monday, Nov 03, 2008

Hi everyone, Josh here! I convinced my dad to let me do the Mentor Minute today. I wanted to share with my experience from Saturday night. My wonderful girlfriend Melissa asked me if I would be her date for her chamber of commerce’s annual auction. I of course was honored and said yes! So after a long day of 7 sessions at our Portraits in the Leaves Safari I got all dolled up and met Melissa for the auction. I have attended a lot of these over the years for Rotary’s, Chambers, and charities. Auctions are a great place to meet potential clients! This was Melissa’s first one as a representative for her company, so I pretty much showed her the ropes on how these things work. Basically you check in, grab a drink, and walk through the silent auction area while you wait for the live auction and dinner to start. Here is where my story relates back to photography in case you were wondering. I noticed that there were 3 studios that had auction items. I thought to myself, “Great! These photographers are getting their work out in the community!” Auctions are a great source of marketing and I can’t tell you how many fantastic clients we have acquired over the years from them. But with auctions I feel there is a right way and a wrong way to donate. I don’t mean to be harsh, but I saw first hand the value that the auction participants put on the studio’s donations. It wasn’t pretty. Just doing an auction is not enough, you need to bring the total package to the table! One thing my dad has always preached is to get your donation in the live auction portion. This is key! Have a bio prepared about you, your studio, and what the donation entails. You also need to display a portrait (30x40 or larger) on an a stand with a light. You need to show the value of what you can create. People have a hard time seeing the “big picture” unless you show them. My dad also suggests that you have the gift certificate in a nice box with tissue, information about family portraits, a newsletter, and any other relevant brochures and marketing pieces. The whole package has a high perceived value. Educating the organization about the auction item will help as well. In the image above you see Debbie our office manager explaining how the item should be set up. He also suggests that you donate a portrait credit instead of a specific size and a session fee. Number one rule of sales, never put a limit on what a consumer can buy! At Saturday’s auction all three of the donations were a session fee and a specific size. All three were in the silent auction. And all three were nothing more than a piece of paper. I am sure that these studios do great work and I commend them for their marketing efforts. But just doing an auction isn’t enough! This was a very nice auction and several of the items in the live portion were going for thousands of dollars. Not a bad place to market yourself! Just before the silent auction ended I went to see how many people bid on each of studios donation and how much they went for. Sadly only one of them had a minimum bid and the other two did not sell at all. Out of several hundred participants only one person saw some value, that’s it. And not much considering the item was valued at $350 and sold for $45. The Seahawk’s tickets went for $300 next to them and so did the wine cooler gift basket for over $500. Never assume that people see the value in your work or what you do, they have to be shown. Considering that the vast majority of people have never had a real family portrait created, let alone seen one, it is hard for people to invest in it. So the next time you donate to an auction be sure to display your work with the perceived value that it is worth. You will find that the person who bids on it will more than likely be the type of client you want to work with! Have a great Monday everyone and don’t forget to vote tomorrow!

Ducks Enjoy It!
Sunday, Nov 02, 2008

Yesterday we had a moist but productive day at our annual Portraits in the Leaves Safari. However, today we were not so lucky, it’s pouring right now. At least the ducks seem to be having a good time! Isn’t it amazing that a terrible situation for some can be enjoyable for others? That is my “glass is half full” mentality I guess. So how are we working with this “worse case scenario?” (1) We always try to plan a backup day or a weekend. We set aside next Saturday and Sunday for spill over appointments from this weekend. We will reschedule today’s cancellations for next weekend and add them to the rest of the sessions. (2) We always make sure to have all the home and cell phone numbers of our clients. As I sit here and watch the rain fall, I am making phone calls to all my clients letting them know about the situation and suggesting they move their sessions to next weekend’s option. (3) Tomorrow (Monday) I will call everyone and make sure that I have them rescheduled for next weekend. The key here is to keep the momentum going. I’ve spent a lot of time and money marketing, going through the consultation processes, and booking these appointments to not follow through! For the clients I photographed on Saturday I will be calling them to book their projection appointments and sending them custom thank you cards with an image from their session on it! Always remember to keep the momentum going and always move forward! A little rain is not going to stop me from creating some one of a kind portraiture for my clients or hinder my ability to make some good sales before the Christmas rush. Thanks everyone, Bruce. –PS. Look for some highlights of Saturday’s Portraits in the Leaves experience tomorrow on the Image of the Week!