Wednesday Wisdoms

Once your foot is in the triple bidding door, the creative call has the most impact on landing you the job. Listen for the moments to interject, not based on their inviting pause, but because you relate or understand the scene they are describing and know how to make it happen.

The most important way to stand out in a job interview, especially in the creative industry, is through the creative call. It is an opportunity for you to showcase your ideas and connect with the client on their story and concept. The portfolio and bid are important but the creative call is where you can have the most influence as you’re on the call with them and able to share your ideas and add to their story. Clients want to hear your ideas being added to their own and want to know that you will join them in bringing their vision to life. It’s important to speak up and share your thoughts and ideas, whether it’s through a question or a statement. This is where you can show how you think and stand out from other candidates.

Business problems require business responses.

Please do yourself a favor, and cut to the chase by pinpointing the issue you want to solve by addressing the facts, gains, and losses speaking directly to their business sensibility.

Business challenges will come up, and they are naturally going to tap into our emotions. How do we handle this? We shouldn’t respond emotionally, even though that’s our instinct and feeling. Instead, our reaction should be business-based if we want to solve the problem and address what’s really happening.

We need to focus on how the issue is affecting our business—whether it’s causing a gain or a loss. By tapping into their business mindset, we can ensure the discussion remains rational and professional, rather than personal.

Creative calls are the one bidding opportunity to be human to human. 

Clients want a sense of you; even if they already know you, they will want a clear grasp of how you perceive this project. An expression is not always through your comments, as you may be listening to the majority of the call. Be the active listener as they will hear your reactions of nodding in agreement and overall upbeat presence. 

The creative call is your chance to grab the client’s attention—it’s one of the three key ways to secure the job you’re bidding on. How do you make the most of it?

Create a strong presence, as if you’re sitting across from them at a table. React and respond actively, mirroring their cues to connect on a personal level. Tilt your head, smile, and maintain eye contact to show you’re engaged. Avoid looking bored, tired, or distracted. Use this opportunity to capture their attention and increase your chances of getting the job.

Photographers don’t have to be loners. Staying active with others in our business can tap into that business place in ourselves we all look to recharge. It’s there, at our fingertips, ready for us to relate to those who get the intricate subtleties that keep our business afloat. 

Why, oh why, do photographers feel they have to be so alone in our business? That’s a misconception. When you’re regularly connected with people—whether it’s on Clubhouse, Zoom, or in person with a group—you’re engaging with your business on a deeper level. It’s important to make your work communal; it’s about culture and community. You need to create this for yourself. We don’t have to keep our careers so isolated. Engaging with others brings excitement and is incredibly valuable. Trust me, it’s worth doing.

One benefit of having a rep bid on your job is this world of secret handshakes. It requires us to pick up on the right time to indirectly ask about pricing amounts + totals. I’m not sure why it goes down this way, but clients usually do not come out and tell us what needs to be changed to get the job. Reps get used to this negotiation system and can often find out information that is a bit hidden. I call it the “rep’s language.”

Having a rep on your side when bidding for a job can be incredibly helpful. I recently experienced this during a bidding situation on Zoom. Before speaking with the producer and photographer, they wanted to chat with me alone—almost like a secret language between us. They know that a rep will ask the right questions and uncover key details.

Clients often don’t feel comfortable directly saying, “We need you to be this much lower because we really want you to get the job,” especially in a triple-bid situation. The secrecy and indirect communication can be challenging. A rep understands this dynamic and can step in to ask the crucial questions, such as whether we need to adjust our bid by a specific amount.

Clients might not feel correct giving us all the information directly, but they are usually more open to a rep asking. It’s all about mastering this negotiation tactic—the “secret handshake” that a rep can expertly navigate. If you don’t have a rep, consider finding a temporary one. And if you do have one, make sure to appreciate their invaluable support.

You know when your business is not lining up and things are off track. Instead of throwing in the towel, look around for available support options. Reach out to those who can bring in a fresh new perspective, helping you see further beyond what you already know. 

When business gets tough—when you’re bidding on jobs but not winning them, writing treatments that aren’t hitting the mark, or facing slow times with few emails coming in—you might feel disconnected from your clients or uncertain about who your dream clients are. It’s time to shake things up. Keep your business active by reaching out and exploring new perspectives if you want to stay relevant and fresh.

Change things up by considering hiring a consultant; you can find listings on sites like AskSternRep.com. You might also look for a new mentor, do some research on websites, or explore new ways to improve. For example, consider hiring an intern or experimenting with new email promo strategies. Look at new design features and shake things up. Use the slower times as an opportunity to enhance your business and make it even better.

Requests for nondescript day rate fees from unknown clients can be tricky. We don’t want to waste our time, but of course, we don’t want to push away potential clients. 

My fast and easy way of handling this is to give them an immediate minimum to maximum price range, clarifying this is often our day rate range depending on shot count, usage, and types of shots. 

This rate spectrum allows them to continue the conversation if their budget is close to our prices. 

Day rate requests from unknown clients can be very tricky because we often lack crucial information about what they’re asking for. When they ask, “How much are you?” it can be challenging to provide a precise answer without knowing their needs.

Today, I responded by saying that the rate typically ranges from $5,000 to $12,000, but it really depends on factors like usage, the number of shots, and what we’re shooting. I made it clear that I’m available and invited them to let me know if they’re interested. This approach allows for further discussion without limiting the conversation. If their budget is, say, $4,000 or $4,500 and my photographer is interested in the project, we can still explore the possibility without being constrained by a fixed rate.

A Marketing Misconception is to think of self-promotion material as needing to be new unseen work. Not true. 

Self-promotion means utilizing your branded portfolio style to catch the attention of YOUR client market. 

Create different groupings of themed images that fit together with a new catchy phrase that will inspire clients to dive deeper into your existing portfolio.

A marketing misconception that could be hindering us is the idea that we can only showcase new, recently shot, unseen images. That’s not true. Self-promotion is about utilizing the branded style of our portfolio to catch the attention of our target market.

So, how do we present images we’ve already shown? Consider introducing a new theme, category, or reframing the existing group of images. Perhaps you present them in a more editorial, artistic, or personal context than before. For example, you could organize them by seasons like summer or fall/winter to show old images in a new way.

Find a way to reframe what you’re showcasing because the goal of our marketing is to encourage clients to dive deeply into our existing portfolio—whether on our website or Instagram feed. Utilize what we already have to get them to explore further.

Overage estimates get us paid for any financial changes after the job amount is officially approved via signature or purchase order. Be careful not to approximately declare an overage amount until officially sending in the overage estimate for approval. This overage estimate requires approval of its own PO or a revised original PO reflecting the revised costs. 

Protect yourself with an overage estimate. After bidding on a job and securing it, production begins, but the job might not have started yet. If the client makes changes, you need to provide an overage estimate.

Here’s a lesson I learned the hard way this morning: We made some changes, and I gave the client an immediate amount based on my initial thoughts. I should have waited to complete the full estimate process, as that’s when you consider additional details and costs. The client received approval from their ad agency based on the initial amount I provided, and I didn’t realize they would act on that before I finalized the estimate.

To avoid this situation, don’t provide a specific price immediately. Always present an overage estimate first to ensure you’re covered for any additional costs.

Getting back on track requires more than hopping back to where we were before. Fine-tuning the business tools*, making sure they are up to par, and matching the level of achievement we are setting our sights on. What we put into this is what we get out of it. 

*See our Marketing Strategy Planner on AskSternRep.com

Setting our goals and understanding our intentions are crucial. We need to determine where we want to go and ensure that the path we are on aligns with our current objectives. To get back on track and move forward, we need to evaluate the tools that will help us reach our goals.

Assess the following:

1. Website: Is it current and effective?
2. Branding Identity: Does the branding, including the logo, still represent who you are and who you want to be?
3. Social Media: How is your engagement on Instagram? What about LinkedIn?
4. Lists and Email Promos: Are your lists and email campaigns performing well?

Conduct a comprehensive review of what you’re putting out there. Identify what’s working, what’s not, and what needs attention. Determine where you can get the necessary help and whether you’re working with the right designer. Assess your budget for these tools and resources.

By evaluating these areas, you can lay out a clear plan to get your business to where you want it to be.