Building relationships - key to life in all facets

Building Relationships to further the business.

     So this so blindingly obvious it screams at you when you think about it, however it is something that we all forget.  It bears remembering when meeting with current and old clients, especially when they don't have any new work for you to pickup.  It doesn't take much to put someone off you when you pull a disappointed face about the situation.  However if you can manage it, then developing the relationship with this key person in your business, can lead to log term payoffs.  

Using work that clients might not have seen can add a positive
talking point to your conversation. Always try to inspire them.

"It doesn't take much 

to put someone off 

you when you pull 

a disappointed face 

about the situation"

     You know what I mean, so perhaps this obvious.  How you do that can be as simple as continuing on the conversation, and talking about their situation, their goals, you get my drift.  Or you can show them other work that might be relevant, (or perhaps not) that might inspire them.  If you don't have new work to show them, then come prepared.  You should be creating new content off your own bat, whether it's shooting food that you creatively shot and bought in the supermarket as part of your weekly shop, or a pet project that you're working on as part of your bigger picture.

Self driven work in things you like to shoot will create
opportunities if you have it in your portfolio. 

"Keep the conversation upbeat, pleasant, and hopefully you can inspire your client, and keep that 

relationship positive." 

     Other ideas can be to ask for leads to other friends, but keep the conversation upbeat, pleasant, and hopefully you can inspire you client, and keep that relationship positive.  Key for me is to share a little of my life, goals, etc, that lets them share and get involved with you.  Now I say a little, and that's completely up to you.  For me it's not that much, I'm a private person.  However you have to find your own level of connection with your clients on a case-by-case basis.

For me is an example of a relationship I have with a client. we had just finished a long term project that took nearly 14 months to complete.  We went out to lunch, and started talking about our businesses and shared out thoughts on where we were going and how we wanted to get there.  We found common ground and it was nice to develop the relationship outside the bounds of the work we had done together.  This might not pay off in the short term, however in the longer picture a stronger relationship with clients will lead them to remember you in a positive light when they have a conversation with a friend about your type of work.  Fantastic!

So there you go, perhaps just a reminder for you, but we all need it. Even me.

Getting lost

So last year was my first one in business.  Things were pretty hard, not many clients and not much work (= not much money).  But sticking with it, things got better.  Then.. Christmas and New Year, dead quiet with all my clients going on holiday.

So now it's the end of March, hoping that things are getting better, but it's still pretty quiet.  I have jobs coming through and money too, however not the level I've imagined.  So reaching out to everyone I can with new material and hoping to connect.   It almost feels like starting again.  It's hard not to feel down.   So obvious questions come to mind, am I doing the right thing?

This is easy to do, hard to stop, and if you don't it becomes a habit and a spiral down to crash bang, go work at McDonalds.

So what to do?

PUSH ON!  I have to keep moving forward, creating new work, inspiring yourself and potential clients.  Take the time to relax, find your inspiration, meet new people extending your network.   You need to do the small steps, keep believing in what you're doing.   If you can't get perspective, perhaps you think it's all going to shit, then find a business mentor.  But above all, be honest with yourself.

Keep shooting and doing what you love.

1 year up ... and I'm still here AND I still have more work coming.

SURPRISE!  
I'm still here!

(Big Smile)

It's been just over a year since I started this journey of freelancing (although I've read that it's not good to call yourself a freelancer).  It's been full of highs and lows.  I've learnt a lot about myself, business, life, etc.

"I'm very happy to say that 

I'm still working, projects 

are still being done, and 

money is still coming in!"

I'm starting to feel a little bit more comfortable with it all.  9-5 seems a long time ago.  I still have to confess that I'm still learning about this way of living and working, but it definitely is good for me.  There is a lot I want to achieve.  The goals have stayed strong and grown.

So here's some quick thoughts about what I have learnt so far.

1. Be clear on what you are trying to do.  
This might sound obvious and it is, however it's something that you need to look at every month, week, day if you have to.  It's part of the keeping your eyes on the prize and helps a lot in those down moments.

2. It's not about the hard problems you face, it's about the solutions you find.
It's not easy running a small business, especially from scratch.  I have had problems and problems and problems.  The thing that has gotten me through is finding solutions.  You have to enjoy the process of find solutions that work.  You might not even find the solution on the first try, but you must persist.

3. Think think think.
Think about what you're doing, from making the work, to buying the right gear, to inter-acting with clients, subjects, friends, family.  Let me clarify, not the obsessive turn yourself inside out, but considered objective stuff.  A moment taken to think things through can pay off in getting the results.  If you don't, you will suffer.


So here's to working hard, making good decisions, supportive family, believing in yourself, building relationships, finding solutions, and just going for it.

I have some new goals, write more, create more, sleep more, and enjoy more.  I truely believe that it's all there for you to take.  I'd like to thank my friends and family, and people that have kept me inspired, Chase Jarvis, is one example I need to point out.

Good shooting everyone.

Notes from my business mentor

So I've obtained a business mentor, like I've mentioned before.  

I thought I'd note out some of the things we talked about to see if is any help to you.

Marketing

• Turn one meeting in to two, at initial meeting talk about projects underway (don’t talk about sending a link to the finished product)
• Send thank you for the meeting email and include link to projects talked about.
• Third contact to get their thoughts on the videos.
• Fourth contact "I’ve been thinking about your business and thought you might interest you (example of something I’ve done if possible).  

At the first meeting ask them questions - “I’m interested in your business can I come and talk to you about it?”

“I was interested in how you talk to you clients, this video might help you achieve you goals.”

• Completed jobs - follow up and check to see all is good.
• Send links to potential and previous clients of work, with note - thought this kid of work might help you get to you customers.
• Target - Smaller communities for businesses (Te Awamutu, Morrinsville, Cambridge, Matamata) - find clients that might not have good access to professional photography.
• Keep notes on contact with clients,  when, what, why, result, positive/negative, notes on things to work on / do.
• When asking for for clients to refer, ask them to sell a meeting only, “meet with Chris, he might have a solution for you”.
• Testimonials on completion of the job, Ask - do you might putting this positive feedback in to an email.
• Don’t mention the next job, ask more about what issues they are facing.

Homework

• Cost of no work and not looking
• Cost of no work and marketing
• Up date and pass on books.
• Up date on marketing techniques.

The War of Art - recommended reading

Ok, reading list time.

The War of Art  by Steven Pressfield was a very good read.  He has some other books about this subject that review very well, but I haven't read them at this point.

It helped me understand what goes on with my head.  It's an old one but a good one and worth it.

Good shooting 

Sometimes you win sometimes .. well ... just muck things up

Some days you win and some days things don't go the way you thought.  

It doesn't take much to put you off your game, well we all have things that rock the boat and we loose the happy place.  That zone when you're on fire, and creative, and F.I.G.A.M.  
The other day I had a blinder, I got the brief done and then some.  I'd prepped the client for a delivery date that was easy and I knew that I could turn around the project in quick time to blow them away with my service.  Things went very well.  The next day I had everything editing and post production done so I delivered and they were well please.  So was I, happy clients make me happy that's for sure.  

The following day was different.  I can't tell you why, perhaps I got out of bed the wrong side, socks on the wrong feet, I don't know.  But the day didn't start well, and I knew that it was all down hill from here.  I had to stop myself a couple of times and reset my mindset.  Get myself in the right place to start being creative again.  The first time it worked, I got back in the grove, but on the second job I couldn't find my happy place.  I tried eating my favourite food, and listen to some good sounds that usually pick me up but I was in a funk.

I got the second job done just fine, but I wasn't in that creative space that I love.  It's hard too when you know you're there.  It's a funk that you need to identify and kick yourself out of.  It might be easier said than done but you need to know what things do that for you.

Here's my Top 5 things that help me restart the motor:

1. Listen to some good music (preferably up beat and positive stuff  - Six60, Salmonela Dub, Sola Rosa, Shapeshifter, stuff like that.)
2. Eat food that I love, and that's a list that is too big for this post.
3. Get on the cycle and ride, (however this needs to be for about an hour, shorter just doesn't fix the problem however good it is for me).
4. Watch some inspirational youtube stuff like Chase Jarvis's Creative Live.  Some good stuff there from other creatives talking about their art and life.
5. Go and play with the camera, no matter what it is, even a spider at the bottom of the garden.  (In other words, rediscover what I love about photography, play and push the boundaries.  Do a style of photography that I like and have never done before.  That's the best one)

I have to say that the top two are short-term fixes that I can do on the fly and when I'm on a project or on the way to a project.  The others I obviously can't.  

What are your things that help you get out of that funk?

Good shooting everyone.

Professional / Photographic associations .. where would you be without them.

Big learning curve today. 

I joined the AIPA (Advertising and Illustrative Photographers Association) this month and jump in on a pricing workshop.  It was like opening my eyes to see how far out from industry standards I was.  I can totally recommend a helpful association for this kind of support and education.

Knowing the lay of the land means you and see where you fit in the business landscape and get the jobs, and money that you deserve.  These days everyone, and I mean EVERYONE has a camera.  Either on their phone, or even a DSLR that can take some pretty mean resolution pics for under a $1000.  This is something that should make you stop and think.  

Should you be panicked?  No, and here's why.  If you're a professional, and I don't mean you do jobs for shits & giggles, then you take this seriously.  Here's my quote, please quote me.. go on!

"Any job is easy if you don't care about it."

It's true for anything that you do.  The more you care the more effort you put into it.  That for me is the difference between an amateur and a professional.  The time you stayed and extra hour or three to get that shot that no one else did.  The extra distance you walked, waded out in to the sea, climbed the hill, getting there that little bit earlier, you get the picture.  

So this care and effort means your work, your creativity is already miles ahead of the part-timers.  For potential clients who know they need a good image, and one that works for them, then you are the kind of person they're looking for.  Nothing can help those who are price driven.  They don't know or care what message the imagery they use says about their projects or business, and good luck to them.

The effort you put in can be for the actual physical effort you put in to your work, to the continuing education you engage in, whether that's in the creative side or the business side.  It all counts.

Joining the AIPA is one of those things that means I'm making the effort to be more professional.  I go to courses, national meetings, Image Nation, read the newsletter, etc etc.  I've even organised a coffee for the local A.I.P.A.'ers here in my district, just to put faces to names, make connections, and make the effort.

I think the sit down and talk with a coffee in your hands was great because we started talking shop, business, what's it been like out there for you.  I can't say we spilled the beans on what each one of us is doing, but it was great to get a feel for how the market place is doing.  It also gave me a feeling on who I could pass jobs that I can't do on to, and who I couldn't.

SO here's to professional associations.    

Good shooting.