Here’s my topic for this morning…it’s not original but it’s certainly near and dear.  I’m tired of photographers who blame everything bad on their business, but the person in the mirror.  Yes, I’ll admit I’m the perpetual cheerleader and I’m a complete optimist, but how about if you guys slow it down for a little and look at all the things you should be doing to build your business, instead of blaming it all on the economy, competitors and the “Uncle Harry’s” of the world. 

1) Do people know who you are?   Remember, it’s not who you know it’s who knows you.  Press releases, being involved in the community, giving something back, advertising, marketing – they all play a role in building brand awareness.

2) How’s your reputation in your community?  If it’s bad then you need to back off for a little while, get involved in some charity events and look for ways to change your “rating”.

3) Are you producing outstanding images? This is all about the finished product.  Are you a great photographer or does your work look like everybody else’s?

4) Are you a one trick pony?  I still believe you need a little diversity in your skill set so that you can expand a little outside your specialty.  You never know who’s going to walk through your door and what kind of help they’re going to need.

5) Are you competitive on what you offer for your services, prices and finished products?  Everyone always thinks they need to lower prices to beat their competitors, but lower prices simply change the dynamics of the entire market and most often, NOT for the better. In an earlier post, my good buddy Cliff Mautner wrote:

“I felt the need to add a bit of value to their collection in lieu of reducing my pricing – which I was dead set against. An added hour here, a flexible payment plan there, and things fell into place nicely.”

6) Are you involved in your photographic community?  Virtually every community has a group of photographers who get together once a month, just to talk about the business.  Often there’s a guest speaker.  I’m on my way to Dallas to speak tomorrow night at the Dallas PPA meeting.  Marathon Press offers a whole series of marketing programs. In fact, they’re in Dallas a week after I am.  Follow Mike Larson and you’ll find him at Pictage meetings.  Check on Candice Cunningham and she’s out there with SmugMug meetings.  Dane Sanders is out there with FastTrackPhotographers and doing his own monthly coaching meetings.  And there are dozens more out there – all offering you an opportunity to get some help.

7) Do you follow a few different blogs?  There are so many different resources and some of the best are photographers who are writing about the challenges of being on the front line every day.  Yes, I’m self-motivated, but check out some of the material Scott Bourne writes at www.PhotoFocus.com and also the new www.GoingPro2010.com.   There are even free blog tips starting to build at www.GhostRighters.com.  

8  Are you attending every possible program and workshop you can?  There’s no excuse for not attending on this one – check out the new educational venue that Chase Jarvis put together, www.CreativeLive.com.  This whole week is dedicated to CS5. 

9) Last but not least and I know it isn’t easy, but are you spending too much time “negative selling”?  Negative selling is simply talking more about how bad your competitor’s work is instead of talking about how good you are.  Don’t compare yourself to your competitors, it’ll only back fire.  

Years ago Rollei ran an ad in the major professional photographic magazines.  The headline said, “While Hasselblad has slept, Rollei turned dreams into reality!”   They even showed a picture of a Hasselblad in the background, on a pillow!  Remember, I was president of Hasselblad at the time and couldn’t have loved the ad more.  I even called their agency and offered to pay for more runs of the ad.  The ad was a big contributor that year to helping us continue to build awareness for Hasselblad!

I know how frustrating it is to have competitors in your face, but that’s what keeps you on your toes too.   If you’re a tennis player, people always say your game gets better when you play with somebody better than you.  Well, in business it’s the same.    A tough economy and competition forces us to look at things we should have looked at a long time ago in our marketing efforts, running our business and even the way we photograph.

10) How’s your customer service skill set?  Check out Saturday’s blog as it relates to your phone skills.  Read the guest post by Gene Ho about how service plays a critical part in his close rate on new bookings.   It’s all about exceeding your client’s expectations.   If your customer service is bad or perceived as bad because you didn’t respond fast enough or people feel bounced around, then you’ve lost the battle before you even had a chance to fight it.

I guess it’s just a great day for the world according to Cliff Mautner and I can’t think of a better close than his quote:

…”I still believe there’s no substitute for busting your ass. I’m working harder than ever to stay working hard. I don’t think that will change. It’s the survival of the fittest out there and this is no time to chill. Sharp skill sets, innovative marketing, and top notch customer service will always prevail…”