Johannes wrote a post last week about a restaurant going the extra mile, but in the wrong direction. I thought it was real food for thought ... so to speak. Justine pasted it on DWF and people got the point. But Adrienne reckoned it was a bit harsh – didn't the restaurant deserve marks for trying? Absolutely, and I'm sure Johannes was out to make a point rather than beat up on them. But... It's a harsh world. Your customers probably don't care how hard you try, whether you can make payroll, how much you like oysters. Sometimes the toughest thing about being in business is that you can't make To View More >>

I was upsold to in the weekend and didn't even know it. Now that I do though, I'm ok with it. Over the last few weeks my fiancee and I have been looking out wedding bands for us both. We'd again done our homework, been put off by another raft of useless sales people and ended up where we always knew we would, with the same jeweller I'd bought her engagement ring from. I blogged about that experience a while back. An hour later I walked out of the shop with a quote for a wedding band thicker, wider, with a bigger diamond and in higher quality gold than I'd gone in thinking I wanted. Kayla made To View More >>

Is it just me or are we all (suppliers to the wedding industry) suffering from our clients' "fear of commitment"? The numbers of bookings are down, the time between booking and getting married is getting shorter. "It's the Recession," we cry, and it's almost true. It's not the recession, it's the fear of it. How can we overcome that fear? This is just a question, but ... are we better to say, "We'll give you a 20% discount" or, "We can be flexible?" What does "flexible" mean? It might refer to payment terms. It might mean they can start with a 'shoot only' package and add the trimmings later – To View More >>

Every time I go out to buy something I start thinking about ... Marketing. Sorry. Anyway, a new camera is on the cards, a point-and-shoot (I'm not a photographer, OK!) I know what I want in a camera, I've done my homework and I've whittled down the list to a couple or three that all fit my criteria. They all offer me great image quality, enough control and they cost about the same. I'm not a camera brand 'fan-boy' so I'd be happy with any of them. How do I decide which one to buy? I don't know. But when I go out to buy, one of them will tip the scales in some way. Reputation, customer service To View More >>

As a soon-to-be groom, here are a few questions I've asked myself while looking through some photographer websites... How do I know whether I can afford you if you don't give me an indication of how much you cost? How do I know whether I can use you if you don't tell me where you are? How do I talk to you if you don't give me your phone number or email address? Couples looking for a photographer want to know whether you're a possibility or not. And if you are... we want to talk to you (not fill out an online contact form and wait for your reply). Why frustrate us by hiding the precise information To View More >>

On my trip to the UK I had the opportunity to visit the studio of Alan and Jackie Rankine. Their work is aimed at a high end market. Their sales are substantial. They don't aim to be the latest newest thing. They do work to stay current but they have cleverly understood the needs of their clients. Their formula is simple and effective. Know your clients, produce consistently good work, back up your promise to perform with the quality of your presentation (including coffee and cake), always have something bigger and better for the client to buy, and have your studio in a castle. They don't chase To View More >>

While talking to photographers in the UK, I realised that what I really wanted to get across, was a simple but important message. The album is for the clients. Our part is to gather collateral and write a story for them. Here's the tip: Step back from the design and pause deliberately... Then start  with the idea that this album is not a showpiece for you, the photographer, but is a story for the bride and groom. We can apply our own 'signature' to the imagery, but they own the love and the history that we're writing the story about. We are the story tellers, and it's our sensitivity to them To View More >>

How much is an experience worth? (Contains a movie plot spoiler...) If I said to you, "Yeah, in the end the shark gets it," would you still go to the Jaws movie? I could tell you there was blood, pretty girls, lots of really stupid people in boats and a very big angry shark. It could never match the experience, just spoil it. What is that experience worth? Apparently it was worth $260,000,000 in the US alone. If you give your clients a good experience, what is it worth? What is it worth when they tell their friends? I can't tell you enough how valuable the experience of you is to the Bride and To View More >>

Tupperware 'fan boys' are everywhere. Prodding the skeptical, hosting Tupperware parties, and enthusiastically trying to convince their peers of the benefits. Their argument: Once you try it, you'll understand. And most people do. The experience of using Tupperware's product is usually enough to quickly switch a sceptic's loyalties, and soon enough they'll be passionately promoting the product themselves. That's (loosely) Tupperware's business model, and you can see how it would have a snowball effect. They've built a brand around positive customer experience and word of mouth marketing.  As To View More >>

Tom Waits has a cranky, croaky voice. I am listening to his CD 'Orphans Brawlers and Bastards' as I write this post. You could argue that his voice lacks 'quality' ... The words are often run together, mumbled, and broken. That collection of imperfections is the quality that makes his work so unique. It's a different type of 'quality' to the one we describe to sell our albums. We talk about the personal elements in the creation of the book. We talk proudly of the craft involved and the quality of the raw materials used in the album construction. We do this because we are proud of their perfections To View More >>