Business Building Tips and Strategies

In This Issue:                                                                                                                                               

• A Note From Doug
• Feature Article: "In Order to Sell Your Photography, You Need to Sell Yourself" Part 1 of 3
• Productivity Tip of the Week
• About Doug

A Note From Doug

Hello Doug,

I hope you and your family are enjoying Spring Break! Were you able to take some time to relax and enjoy the "cool" weather? Mine was not very good as my daughter spent four days of her break in the hospital with a severe kidney infection. You don't know how well you have it until things go wrong. She is doing much better now and has returned to school.

On the positive side, my son who just returned from Afghanistan (Marine Corp) in February, purchased his first car....a black Camaro! He is enjoying it very much and it is fun to see him growing up and becoming more independent. It seems like only yesterday that both of my kids were assisting me in my portrait business by holding the reflector and following me around on location shoots. Now I get my wife to help me whenever I can.

How is your business going now that the weather has improved? If things are not quite right, I highly encourage you to read the feature article series on how to "sell yourself" before selling your products and services. I think you will find this series very beneficial and informative.

Remember,  I am here as a resource for you and your business. Please send me an email or schedule a call with me if you would like to go deeper into thinking about your business.

Talk with you soon!

Doug Mattice

Onward to Excellence Coaching

(703) 505-6766

Feature Article

In Order To Sell Your Photography,

You Need to Sell Yourself!

I think you would agree that to be successful in business, we must be able to sell our products and services. Learning how to sell takes practice, and you should be spending as much time on learning how to sell your work as you do in perfecting your photography.

Before you can sell your products and services to a client, you have to be able to sell yourself. People have to know, like and trust you before they will commit to hiring you and purchasing your products.

Over the next three issues, I will be covering the twelve ways to help you do a better job of selling yourself. Study them carefully, and watch your business profits grow!

1. Dress professionally! This is very important especially when meeting a prospective client for the first time. People judge you by your appearance. It is especially important in this profession, since your clients want to look their best, and they will select a photographer who they feel will best be able to do that. How can you expect them to trust that you can help them look great if you don’t look as good as you possibly can yourself? So dress based on the type of clientele you want to attract. Jeans and a tee shirt don’t cut it if the person you are talking with is dressed better than you are. Remember people are going to be investing in YOU so make your appearance be something they would want to invest in. 

2. Learn the proper way to greet people and communicate with them!  In order to do this effectively, you must show respect for yourself. You do this by leading with your name each time you initially come in contact with someone, either in person or on the telephone. For example, when you walk out to greet a client for the first time, you might say this as you smile and extend your hand to shake the hand of your client: “Hello, I’m (YOUR NAME), welcome to my studio!” By leading with your name, you have quietly let the person know that you have respect and confidence in yourself. 

The same principle applies when you are on the telephone. When you answer the phone, state the name of your studio and then your name. For example: “Mattice Signature Portraits this is Doug”. By leading with your name, you are showing respect for yourself, and are selling yourself!

The other important tip with regards to greeting people is to smile. When you greet people with a smile, it sells you as a friendly, trustworthy person.

3. Don’t ask the question “How are you!”  Why? Because that is what everyone asks. It really isn’t a real question because more than likely the person isn’t going to answer it truthfully. Instead of asking, “How are you?” say “Hello, Debbie, it’s good to see you!” I think you will find this statement carries more energy and results in a more positive interaction with you and the client. Try it out and let me know what you think!

4. Use a “Terrific” Reply in front of a prospect or client. No matter how you greet others, most people will still ask you how you are. Therefore, you must have a standard answer for this question that separates you from other people. Instead of saying, “Fine, how are you?” say “Terrific” when you respond. This shows confidence and projects positive energy into the conversation. Again, a simple technique that yields great results.

Next week I will continue this article with four more tips and techniques that will help sell you more successfully.

Productivity Tip of the Week:

To reach our goals, we must have some, and we must have them in writing. Research shows that approximately 95% of people in this country do not have any specific goals set for themselves, so be setting goals for yourself, you will be placing yourself in the top 5%!

So if I came up to you and asked what your number one goal is in your life, would you be able to easily answer that question? What are you doing each and every week to get you closer to achieving this goal? What barriers are you running into that are preventing you from receiving this goal? How do you push through when things get tough or you have an unexpected emergency come into your life?

Spend time this week coming up with three goals that you want to accomplish between now and the end of the year. I would love to hear what you came up with! Just send me an email at dougmattice@o2ecoaching.com and I will see if I can help you get there!

About Doug    

If you think you can't make money and live life on your terms, I would like you to  "think again". I specialize in teaching photographers how to make more money more easily while enjoying a business and lifestyle that they desire. 

I know all to well that too many photographers today are working themselves to death in order to achieve the business success that's going to allow them to have a comfortable life. That's why I have dedicated myself to helping my clients in the fastest and most strategic methods in business building so they can Be Financially Profitable, Live Fully, and continue to Pursue the Passion they LOVE! 

I offer a variety of business development and coaching services to meet your needs. To learn more CLICK HERE to be taken to my website.