The Daily Mentor Minute Blog | Bruce Hudson

“That will be me in 30 years!”
Monday, Jun 28, 2010

Saturday morning I had the opportunity to photograph one of my long time clients, fellow Rotarian, and one of my wine buddies on his 85th birthday. This session really resonated with me because my birthday was only 2 days later on June 28th. I’m exactly 30 years younger than Russ. Yes, do the math, I’m 55! Wait, that can’t be possible? How did that happen? Watching Russ with his grandkids and now even great grandkids simply warmed my heart. “That will be me in 30 years”, I said to Josh, my son who was assisting me. After packing up from the session I came into the house to wish Russ a happy birthday and to apologize for not being able to attend his party later in the day. Many of the past portraits I have created were displayed proudly in his home. I took a moment to study each of them. Some were 5, 10, 15, even 20 years old! No matter how challenging business can get at times, take solace in knowing that we truly have the best job in the whole world! We create priceless pieces of art for our clients that are cherished for generations to come. Russ’s 6 month old great granddaughter will be enjoying the photographs I created on Saturday for many years. Think of this, she might be proudly displaying one of the portraits at her 85th birthday someday. How many lives have you touched as a photographer? How many memories have you given your clients and their loved ones? Even if you are just starting your journey in this business, you’ve already touched 100’s on lives. For me, its 100’s of thousands of lives and with the next 30 years of shooting, I think it will be in the millions! Just something to think about people! Take care everyone and thank you for all the birthday wishes today! -Bruce

“A few years ago if my coffee was cold I would have sent it back. Now I pay $4 for it! LOL!” Modifying your products to keep your clients coming back more often!
Tuesday, Jun 22, 2010

This profound statement was from my coffee loving stepfather-in-law Merle. This of course got my marketing mind thinking of how that statement could be applied to the photography industry and the products we offer our clients. I would say that the basic photographic products that all of us offer can be categorized in Family, Children, Wedding, HS Senior, and Commercial. From here, there are many sub categories in which we brand our services, such as Babies under Children, Engagement under Weddings, and Headshots under Commercial. Over the years of spending time learning from my dad and interacting with our clients, the VAST majority of them have no idea what is even possible when it comes image creation. I don’t mean your artistic eye or Photoshop skills, but simply the type of photography you offer. It’s important to brand little niches into your broader product categories. For example, under our Family Portrait category we also offer Portrait Safaris, Legacy Portraits, and The Art of Your Family. Under Children we offer First Year Baby Plans, 100 Days Portrait, Mommy and Me, Daddy and Me, and KGrads. If most consumers think in terms of black and white (hot coffee), how are they going to learn about the other “color” products you offer (iced coffee, fraps, teas, etc.)? A few months ago we interviewed Tim Walden for our Monthly Mentor Subscription Program, he had the same feelings. So did Charles Lewis, who was also interviewed few months back. It’s important to brand products within products and create niches for your clients to invest in. It gives specific reasons for your clients to return and invest their hard earned dollars with you more often. Here’s another example of how our client lifecycle works and how we’ve incorporated these niches: *First session- HS Senior Portrait *6 Months Later- Family Portrait Before the Nest is Empty *5 Years Later- Wedding and Engagement Portraits *2-5Years Later- First Year Baby Plans, Mommy and Me, Daddy and Me, and Legacy Portraits with Grandparents *2-5 Years Later- KGrad Portraits *Few Years Later- Art of Your Family Wall Portrait Session…and the cycle continues as the kids get older! I’m photographing Seniors of Seniors and Brides of Brides now! If you want to be in this business for the long, develop products that keep your clients coming back and maintain the relationship. How many people asked for iced coffee before Starbucks advertised they had it? How many baby plans and first year albums did you sell before you advertised that was an option? Just some thoughts! In my Relationographer Seminar and book I actually have a case study of a client who has spent in excess of $200,000 over a 25 year span with me. How do you think Starbuck’s initial summer sales were after announcing they have iced coffee? Does it pay to give your clients a reason to come back? You bet it does! Have a great Tuesday everyone! Bruce

What’s working, what’s not, and who moved my dam cheese?!
Thursday, Jun 17, 2010

I just finished writing the article for the next Monthly Mentor Studio Success Guide; it discusses my take on what kind of marketing is working right now. And of course, I also cover what’s not working! Over the last two years in this economic climate, all of us have had to become extremely flexible in the way we do business, especially in the way we market ourselves. The strategies that used to be effective a few years ago simple don’t work anymore. Luckily, most of us are smaller operations and we can change course quickly if needed. A few years ago I did some consulting for Life Touch back at their corporate office. Changing a marketing plan for them is like trying to turn a battleship around! There’s a book that incapacitates this concept very well, it’s called “Who Moved My Cheese?” If you haven’t read this book, I would highly recommend it! For us we’ve been going back and analyzing what forms of marketing have brought us clients the last 18 months or so. You really need to take the time to do this because I guarantee you’ll be surprised with the results. I’ll give you a clue to what one of our most effective strategies has been- They’re really cute, they have 4 legs, and are a little furry! That’s right, pet portraits we did last March! In addition to the pet portraits, a lot of the people are now booking family session this summer. Just getting them into the studio began to spark interest about our other services in addition to our new line of high end pet portraiture. Just thought that was interesting and decided to share it with you! Make sure you read the book I talked about above, we can all relate to problems and solutions presented in it! -Bruce

The original viral marketing
Sunday, Jun 13, 2010

I was driving through my neighborhood this morning on my way to Starbucks and noticed a sign in the front yard of one of my neighbors. The sign was stuck in the ground and read, “Another New Roof from State Roofing! Ask our Guys for a Free Estimate and how you can Save 10%!” This of course got me thinking about marketing; it seems that my dad cursed me with business mind that never shuts off. Is this the original form of viral marketing? When you think about it, the “keep up with the Joneses” mentality is really just viral marketing. My mother-in-law’s plumbing company does the same thing; whenever they conduct a service in a neighborhood they put up a sign, talk to neighbors, and put out door hangers. Everyone wants to know what their neighbors are up too. Creating custom family wall décor can have the same effect. We’re not putting up door hangers, but the buzz created by our clients when their friends and neighbors see the 30, 40, 50, or 60 inch portrait hanging in their home can be just as powerful. This same concept is now being used effectively with social media, mainly Facebook. In addition to posting images and video and tagging our client’s, we now do the same thing with the finished products. Part of our studio workflow is hand delivering the finished wall portraits and hanging them for our clients. We bring them a bottle of wine and even encourage them to invite their neighbors over. While we are there, we take photographs of the portraits on the walls and even some Flip video now. These are used for future marketing pieces and we post them on Facebook. Social media now makes it easier to spread our message to the people who our clients interact with, thus, building up a never ending referral network. It is just like the yard sign I saw this morning, but even more viral. For those of you who invested in my Facebook DVD set, I talk quite a bit in discs 2 and 3 about this concept. We finished mailing out all of the pre-orders last week; let me know if you have any questions! Have a great Sunday everyone, I’m off to do some yard work! -Josh

Rainy Day Blues from Seattle
Monday, Jun 07, 2010

It has been raining pretty much non-stop for weeks. This really sucks because the majority of our photography is done on-location outside. It can get frustrating at times and also slowdown the cash-flow process at the studio. Does it sound like I am crying the blues? Well, kind of, but being a born and raised Seattle native, I’m used to it. I’m also used to having a plan B. A few weekends ago is a great example of this! I had three sessions, one at 10, 2, and 4pm. All 3 sets of clients were in town for Memorial Day weekend. I mentioned to each of my clients that the weather was a little iffy, and asked if they would be available on Sunday or even Monday, just in case. All of them were in agreement. Our 10am senior started out fairly dry but ended in a misty rain- great light though! Next we traveled 40 minutes north to the University of Washington campus to photograph a family of die hard Husky fans inside the football stadium. This family’s last portrait was 7 years ago at Safe Co. Field, where the Seattle Mariners baseball team plays. Luckily the rain held off but it was a little windy and cold. None the less, my clients were happy to be there and joked about the cold as being, “part of the Seattle experience!” The last session was one of our 2011 senior models at a traditional vista landmark in Seattle- Kerry Park. It was actually the backdrop used in the popular TV show Fraser. Remember the view he had from his condo? The rain again held off until the end of the session and the senior and I were happy with the results. What’s the moral of this story? (1) Always have strong communication with your clients and stay open for multiple options. This is a key with affluent clients; they want to be kept in the loop! (2) Always have a plan B or even a plan C ready to go. This will make you look more organized and professional. Once again, these are biggies with affluent clientele. (3) Try to schedule appointments on the earliest day first, like Saturday. That way, if the session has to be moved, it’s not to another weekend, just the next day. Yes, for us living in the northwest, sometimes we cry the blues when it seems the rain will never quit. But all you really have to do is be prepared and plan ahead. Then sometimes, like last Saturday, you’ll get lucky and have a gorgeous day to photograph! Although, why is it when the weather finally gets nice I ending up having more projections than sessions that day? Oh well, the one high school senior session I had sure enjoyed it! Take care everyone and have a great start to your week! -Bruce

Time is money! Some tips for spending less time behind the computer and making more money in your photography business!
Thursday, Jun 03, 2010

Wow, it’s been a busy week! Sorry for the delay in getting this follow-up blog posted. These three tips are not rock science, but take them to heart and think about how you can implement them better in your business. The first one is a biggie; it will save you countless hours in production. What is this magic bullet? You have to “get it in the camera!” Call me old school, but I get my images in the camera. Proper lighting, exposure, composition, by getting all the basic elements in the camera, it saves my staff and I countless hours in production. After a session the images are virtually ready for the projection appointment. It takes Kelly my production manager about 10 minutes to upload the images, do a quick edit (take out blinks, etc.), and size down the images for our projection program. Yes, you are correct in assuming that we do not retouch the images before we show them to the client. Any retouching that is needed will be done after the viewing. But, sometimes we’ll play with an image or 2 by adding some actions just to show the client what is possible. For the most part, my images go from camera to projection. I’m also shooting high JPG, not raw. Call me old school, but if you learn how to shoot better and more efficient, there is no need for all nighters in front of the computer. And in this business, time is money! Ok, with that point out of the way, number two is managing your production costs when it comes to the products that you sell. For instance, there are a lot of fun products out there that the labs are offering these days. Leather albums, coffee table books, cards, you name it! Be careful though, just because these products are new and cool doesn’t make them profitable. How much are you going to charge for a coffee table book of senior images? How much CAN you charge- ie. What are your clients willing to pay for this? Now, take into consideration the amount of time you’ll be spending making the book. Always keep your labor costs in mind. For us, we do offer products like this, but they are more of an added value option for our larger packages. Let’s say a senior mom is on the fence about investing in an album. I’ll throw in 2 coffee table books if she invests in a 10x10 custom leather. At that point, she is investing in a premium product and paying a premium price, which justifies my labor costs for producing the album. We’re producing the album anyway now and being nicely compensated for it, why not through in a few extras that don’t cost us much as far as hard costs go to seal the deal? I hope this is making some sense. Also, be mindful of your profit centers. Dollars to donuts, wall portraiture is still the most profitable product we offer, and it is what our studio specializes in. Lastly, I feel that photographers are charging far too little for their talent and art. Am I saying raise your prices? You bet! But, you have to justify it to your clients. When was the last time you were in an art gallery? Have you seen what a 30, 40, 50 inch piece of art goes for? How much are you charging? I don’t mean to harp on this, but it just seems that now with the advent of digital, everyone is in a race to the bottom when it comes to pricing. Stop thinking about what the cost of the paper is, do lawyers justify their hourly rate based on the paper cost that they are producing a will on? As far as saving time and making more money, would you rather photograph one family for $1,000 or 10 families for $1,000? More on this concept in another blog! Have a great Thursday everyone! -Bruce