Clients

Q:

 I know you have mentioned client contact list companies like Bikini and Agency Access, and I’m wondering if you still recommend these lists or any others? It seems our world is changing with AI and social media in ways that may render the info these lists provide obsolete. Do you still use them?

A:

This will be my first year trying not to use these companies, since AI seems to handle a lot of this info. Also, a lot of this info is changing faster than ever, which we can handle more quickly on our own. I’d say if you need large lists quickly, then these companies can still be helpful, but if we have time to sort through names/clients to specific places, we are doing that on our own right now. I’m curious about what others are doing these days, so please share your list-building process.

Doing the RESEARCH on potential clients is the difference between allowing your career to be guided by the calls you receive vs. shaping your future by going out there to get the clients you want. 

One of the biggest, most important things to do is research. It is difficult. It’s a way to educate ourselves on the clients we want to get to bring our careers to the next level. We must keep a good database and keep researching on LinkedIn. We have to know who to contact, who to engage with, and who to stay in front of. It’s really simple, but difficult. Research and contact people on LinkedIn. It can’t be like a mass email kind of feeling from you. You have to use their name and add a note. It takes time, but it’s probably the most important thing to do if you want to advance your career. 

Q:

What are the do’s and don’ts of cold emailing or DM’ing potential clients and reps?

A:

1. Contact the correct people who are looking for your type of work; don’t waste their time.

2. Use their name (and spell it correctly). 

3. Keep it short. 

4. If you are copying and pasting, make sure it doesn’t look reused or obviously generic. 

5. Sound human; imagine if you were receiving this email or dm. 

6. If you’re asking for something, limit it to one clear request. 

7. Ask a simple question that’s easy to respond to so we don’t have to overthink how to answer.

Q:

If you had to name one of the most thoughtless or foolish ways to offend a client, what would it be? 

A:

One of the surefire ways to turn off a client is to misspell their name or call them the wrong name. How many seconds would it take to check their name before clicking “send?”

Negotiation points to use when clients ask specifically for a reduction in Creative Fees:

1. Scaling down any area of their usage terms.
2. Trimming the number of images, variation, and angles on the shot list. 
3. Reducing the number of final images included in usage terms.
4. Limiting shoot days hours maximum.
5. Time-saving production tasks they take over, like prop shopping, producing, retouching, casting, scouting, etc. 
6. Predetermined creative concepts/shot list they supply before the shoot day begins.
7. Guaranteed faster final payment and/or larger advance payment before the shoot begins.
8. Bulk discounted rate based on future projects. 

A client call needs you. You are on the call as if it were just the two of you. Engage, interact, and jump in during a quick lull or when you can join in on what’s being said. It’s like a normal conversation, and you are not the audience. Be the active, attentive listener in tune with the convo when you are there to “sell” your ideas.

When bidding on a job, clients may ask us to dive deeper into the basis of the costs. Put your business mind to work by understanding what the client needs to hear from you. 

Our estimates cover us for unexpected real-life additions like grip truck availability, insurance changes, overtime, etc. 

Our bids are not as black and white as a client would assume, so get ready to explain the gray areas in ways that speak their language.

Q:

What steps should you take if you failed to fully deliver on a client project, and how do you bounce back?

A:

 I assume an issue arose, and communication had not relayed the proper message. What caused this? How could you have handled this differently? The real fix to this situation is understanding and learning from the experience. React to this client in the manner you wish you had done initially, address this with expertise and professional know-how. Any time we mess up, it can work in your favor by shedding light on an area of our business that needs our attention.

Q:

What is the importance of a “one-sheet” attachment promo in an email sent to a potential client? How many images? And should this promo include any descriptive text about the images, background/bio, pitch, etc., or should all of the text be in the body of the email?

A:

When saying hello in an email, it can be good to have a fast visual sampling that looks like it belongs in that email. The key to a one-sheet promo is that it’s a quick, relatable read of a small number of images only, and does not need that extra step of being clicked to open. 

Q:

Do you always expect clients to negotiate? Or do they just walk away sometimes if the price is automatically too high?

A:

 Unfortunately, clients walk away for so many reasons beyond our control. I like to feel out the situation to hear the temperature of their response before fully committing to a price. Odds are more in our favor if we can create a human connection off the bat, helping us open the doors of communication. The conversation can include the openness to flexibility by discussing a price range before we officially submit an estimate. If clients know we are willing to budge, they may be more apt to negotiate.