Wednesday Wisdoms

My Assignment For You:

Take a holiday. Notice how it feels to STOP carrying the everyday subliminal undercurrent of freelancing. Take a break. 

The holiday season is a good time to take a break from running your own business and relax. Even though January 1st is rapidly approaching, it is important to take a break and let yourself be recharged. Set a goal for the holiday season, such as cleaning off your desk and organizing your office, but only if you have the time for it. The main focus should be on taking a break and enjoying the holiday season. This will help you to come back in January with full energy and inspiration.

TWO TOP RECOMMENDATIONS WHEN SEARCHING FOR A REP:

1. Your reasons for needing a rep should lead to the questions you cover with agents to ensure they supply the specific areas you need help with. 

2. Who are the clientele you want to be in front of? Go for the reps who are already in your client’s mix. Whoever the rep works with is where you will be getting attention.

We provide two key recommendations for photographers looking to find the right representation. Firstly, photographers need to evaluate whether they actually need a rep in the first place. While reps were once invaluable for getting into clients and photographers, there are now many other ways that photographers can promote themselves and get their work seen. Therefore, photographers should assess their needs and determine whether a rep is necessary for them. Secondly, photographers need to consider the clients that the rep covers. Different reps specialize in different areas and have relationships with specific clients. Therefore, photographers should look for a rep that handles the areas that they need and has relationships with clients that would be a good fit for their portfolio. Photographers need to ask reps about the clients they cover and whether they handle the areas that the photographer needs. Ultimately, finding the right rep is about finding someone who can help the photographer get their work seen by the right clients.

STOP WASTING TIME DOING ESTIMATES YOU DON’T NEED TO DO!

It’s wild how many bidding requests we get from random clients that don’t even pertain to us. We must find out the budget before we waste our time. Even though that is the exact info clients usually refuse to give us, we have to push through by asking if their budget is between certain amounts. That type of “yes/no” question usually sparks a client to respond if it’s over what they have available to spend. Give it a try.

Do not waste your time doing estimates you don’t need to do. Photographers should avoid wasting time on estimates and calculations for clients who may not have the budget for their services. Instead, photographers should ask for a budget range upfront, so they can quickly determine if the client’s budget aligns with their own rates. By doing this, photographers can avoid spending time on clients who cannot afford their services and focus on those who can. Self-employed photographers need to be mindful of their time and avoid wasting it on unproductive activities.

My Nip + Tuck THANKFULNESS Assignment For You:

1. Take a cold, hard look and evaluate where you need a healthy attitude boost in your career. 

2. Which area of your work-world can you adjust the frustrations with an optimistic slant?

3. What positive may you be missing because of an old inner theme that may not work for you anymore?

Thanksgiving holiday provides an opportunity to reflect on what we are thankful for and adjust our attitudes in our careers. It is essential to stay positive and fuel ourselves with positivity to stay creative and achieve long-term career goals. As we navigate the rat race of our careers, we may face challenges, but we must accept how things are and find ways to be grateful for our careers. Thanksgiving week is an excellent time to check in and ensure that we have the right attitude to achieve our long-term career goals. Staying positive and grateful is crucial to staying creative, and it is why we Stern rep, and hopefully, you can connect with that enthusiasm.

The BEST SALES PITCH I can recommend is to humanize what we call “sales” by listening. So simple and yet the most powerful way to negotiate, stay in front of clients, or sell ourselves. Take the first hello moment on a Zoom call, notice something about them, and ask a question. Connect by listening to get your foot in the doors. 

The best sales pitch is to humanize the clients and be real, honest, and listen to them. Humanizing the clients means to understand them, empathize with them, and treat them as individuals, not just as potential customers. Being real and honest means to not make false promises or exaggerate the product’s capabilities. Listening to the clients is crucial as people want to be heard and understood. It doesn’t take very long to notice something about them and ask them a question, which can help build a rapport and establish a relationship. The best sales pitch is to recommend the product or service that meets the client’s needs and wants, not just to sell something for the sake of making a sale. The key is to build trust and credibility with the clients, which can lead to long-term relationships and referrals.

An estimate term that should be on the top of all bids:  “Estimate is valid for 15 days from date of issue.” Don’t get stuck with prices that are no longer accurate. 

The validity of an estimate for music services is only for 15 days from the date of issue. The pricing mentioned in the estimate cannot be regarded as valid for a year since prices can change due to various reasons. For example, if a client has a hold on a particular stylist and talent and they come in after three weeks, the prices might not be the same, and the people on hold might not be available. The estimate’s validity is crucial since there are many elements at play, and clients need to be aware of the timeline.

Photographers wanting to bring in clients with larger budgets must ask where low-budget clients find you. Where are you putting yourself that gets noticed, and how to reach out further? Marketing is not something we do one time, spend our marketing budget, and sit back and wait. It has to be this ongoing trial of new ways, new unproven avenues of networking exploration changing over time to bring in an assortment of mixed-budget clientele.

Some photographers are being offered lower usage and creative fees than their day rates by their repeat clients. If photographers want higher rates, they should focus on attracting clients who value their work and are willing to pay a premium for it. The importance of marketing oneself across all platforms to attract a diverse range of clients with varying budgets. We also receive requests for lower amounts than we find acceptable, but we also receive larger requests, indicating a mix of clientele. The key takeaway is that photographers should focus on marketing themselves to attract clients who value their work and are willing to pay a fair price for it.

Email Promos are the way to go. 

Years ago we would diversify with mailer promos, but nowadays, it’s challenging with many remote clients. The unsuccessful percentage of clicks and opened emails may discourage us, but how many opportunities do we have for 100 or 1000 potential clients to view our work? I invest in email promos even as many don’t get opened; the ones that do can be priceless.

We are so excited about a recent successful email promotion. We sent out a lot of email promos using a list called the Bikinilist and received two immediate responses to bid on this photographer. While the numbers may not always be on their side, sending out a big list can really pay off.

USAGE TERMS values fluctuate depending on how long an image will hold its value. When a product or look is not changing over time, the term “unlimited duration” should be priced higher, knowing it has longer usability.

In the world of image licensing, the usage terms and values are not always consistent across the board. For instance, the term “unlimited duration” may hold different values for different clients, depending on the rate of change in their products over time. For example, if a company is advertising cars that change every couple of years, the value of an unlimited duration license is not as high as it would be for a client whose product is relatively stable. Therefore, it is important to structure pricing based on the client’s needs and intended use of the licensed image. The value of the license needs to measure up to the client’s requirements.

Let’s learn from my mistake. A client’s fast turnaround request for a creative call to review their creative deck had us moving quickly, assuming the bid would be due shortly after that. Why wouldn’t we start the treatment asap? Days later, I knew it was a false alarm when I didn’t hear a peep about the bid specs. Very reputable client, so no funny business, just me reacting too fast with many assumptions. Their creative call was to choose their three bidders. Lesson learned.

A lesson learned from a missed opportunity to bid on a job in the creative industry due to a lack of bid specs. We received at the last minute a request to bid on a job, but did not receive bid specifications until after we had already spent time and money on creating a treatment. Ultimately, the client chose other photographers to bid on the job, leaving us with wasted resources. The lesson learned is that without bid specs, one may not actually be officially bidding on a job.