The Daily Mentor Minute Blog | Bruce Hudson

If the machine breaks down we break down!
Wednesday, Oct 27, 2010

This classic line is from the Oscar winning movie Platoon and Sgt. Barnes, played by Tom Berenger, is a great way to sum up the recent boom at our studio. I know this is a little random for a photography business blog, but stick with me here. This movie quote has come to mind lately due to our own business machine breaking down a little bit. We’re the busiest and most profitable we’ve been in several years, much of it due to our Living Social and Fresh Guide online deals. Honestly, we are about 2 employees short right now and everyone at the studio is on work overload. But, our studio machine is designed to handle this increase in volume, but we have to stick to our client workflow. When I say “machine” I am referring to the daily routines and systems that have been developed, implemented, and tweaked over the last 28 years. Your business needs to have a system, even if you are just a one person photographer. After a client calls to book a consultation, x-y-z happens. After the session, what are the next steps in the process? After the projection sale, how is the invoice handled and the portraits ordered? You get my drift here! The other day we were so slammed that no one was able to check our voicemail for 48 hours, a major breakdown in our studio machine. The result was over 60 voicemail messages! But, sometimes being overloaded can be a good thing, we are now seeing some of the holes in our system and we are able to change it accordingly. This means tweaking a little bit or even hiring some new to help out, like my Aunt Patty! The moral of this story is that in order to run a successful and profitable photography business…you have to run it like a business! You need systems in place to keep you on task and allow you to grow. Even after 28 years we are still finding new ways to become more efficient and service more clients, even with our small, hands on studio model. –Josh Hudson

Shame on me for breaking my own rule!
Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010

Haven’t we all been taught in life and especially in business to never judge a book by its cover? Well, yesterday I did just that- shame on me! Here’s how things went down: On Saturday I received a call from a gentleman that purchased one of our Living Social coupons. He said he didn’t have time for the consultation and he needed the session to be on Monday or Tuesday, because his wife had to fly home to California. With the tone in his voice I thought to myself, “screw it, he’s just going to do the deal and nothing more.” So, I booked the session with a consultation, a major violation of our studio policy. He and his wife came in yesterday for the session. Long story short, I judged this client before I ever met him in person. Oh course, Josh called me on this, “Dad, what have you always taught us- always book a consultation, don’t judge a book by its cover, and you just never know sometimes!” The client ended up being a successful dentist, newly married, has a house in Seattle and one in California wine country, loves photography, loves to travel, loves scuba (I showed him an image I took of a lemon shark in Tahiti), and he is going to be a great lifelong client! Even though his session was at the studio, I think it’s going to be a great first sale, not to mention he got to experience my work first hand in our lobby. He also commented about our commercial page on our website and we know have a dialog going for a half day commercial shoot at his practice. The moral of this story is to follow your plan (consultations before sessions) and never assume or judge anyone before you actually meet them. Yesterday was a good lesson for me and a reminder of why I choose to do business the way I do. Treat every client that calls you, emails you, and comes through your door like with respect, it will pay off! Have a great week everyone without pre-judging your clients. -Bruce Hudson

Building trust throughout the entire portrait process!
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2010

We are in a visual business, or are we? Yesterday we signed 3 new commercial clients, one of them is a construction company that specializes in corporate renovations. Believe it or not, this 2 year old company is actually busy and thriving within their niche, even in this economy. They accredit this to hard work, being more professional then there competitors, and taking the time to build a lasting relationship. This kind of sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Anyway, Josh and I met with the 3 partners and discussed their options for some commercial photography. Long story short, the meeting went very well and we are looking at some dates to start their half day commercial shoot. The funny thing was, we didn’t have to show them a single image. On the drive home Josh and I debriefed ourselves and talked about this extensively. Our conclusion was that no matter what business you are in, your integrity, professionalism, and genuine nature is more important than anything else. In the beginning of my career, I was a mediocre photographer at best. Clients choose Sue and I because they liked us, that was the main factor. Now, I am good enough to charge what I want for my talent, but there is still a major element of trust my clients need to have with me, and vice versa. Always remember that this business is more than just pretty pictures, its about gaining rapport, having a mutual respect for one another (between you and your client), and building trust which will turn into a long lasting relationship someday.