Johannes has been talking about the power and effectiveness of simplicity here on the blog lately. It's an excellent message and one I want to expand on a little by explaining how Queensberry can help you simplify your business. You've got a complicated job. You're a photographer, a marketer,  a salesperson, a designer, a manager, an entrepreneur... And you're offering a complicated service, and complex products. It's not surprising then, that achieving simplicity would involve an investment in time and money. Take purchasing a new camera for example. That involves an investment in both time To View More >>

Alan (not his real name) and his wife were long-standing clients of one of our competitors. They came to us because they didn't like the way they'd been treated. Unlike Katherine, who likes us (even if she's frustrated), we haven't earned anything from Alan and his wife except a chance to win their business. Alan's customers really like our Duos, which of course they couldn't get before, but he finds designing and ordering them difficult. Alan designs them on paper and his wife recreates them in Remix. Alan's designs are reasonably complex, his wife is a fan of her old software (which can't handle 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 >>

Three things I love... Metaphors ("Remix 'Collections' are like iTunes Playlists"). Stories (like Danny's PJ speed test). One-liners ("Colour management used to be just calling the lab to complain about your prints.") Words, that's all... But they make you think. They illuminate what you're saying and make it memorable. They use the familiar to explain the unfamiliar. They're gems of great price if you polish them till they shine, and really awkward if you don't. Cheers, Ian A few more from Bob Tulloch's seminar in Auckland last Wednesday: Our clients have two motivations, love and pride. We're To View More >>

There's a man on the side of the road selling dreams ... a guy comes up to him and says, "How much for a dream?" The Dream salesman says, "That depends, do you want a good dream, or a bad dream?" "I want the best dream I can get." "Did you know that your dreams are drawn from your own experiences?" asks the salesman. "Now I do. Maybe I could have somebody else's dream then," says the guy, hoping for a happy experience, and realising that his lacklustre life was not the material of amazing dreams. "Funny you should ask – I have a brother who sells books and lottery tickets, maybe he can help you." To View More >>

Where do I find templates? In the Photojunction Store. You'll find the link to it on the Photojunction home screen (bottom right corner in case you missed it). You can search for templates by size (14x10), orientation (Horizontal) and style (simple), or by the template designer if you know who they are. Here's a bit more info about the Photojunction Store. And if you're interested in selling your own templates, here's a blog post worth reading. HTH PJ Support Team PS Check out Danny's 437 tips to boosting your template sales! To View More >>

Have a range of products to buy. Good. Better. Best. Or do combo deals. Three for the price of two etc. (You'll need to create a separate "product" as the store won't let you discount.) Next tip. Danny (sales coach) To View More >>

Our newest little feature has really helped promote the PJ Store, which pleases our bean counters. The store has been going long enough to start noticing trends, things that are working and things that aren't. If you're interested in promoting templates, over the next few days I'll blog about stuff I've noticed (mainly anecdotal but I think they'll help). Next post. Talk soon Danny 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 >>

This felt good to read over our Full Scottish Breakfast before another day presenting. Thank you Lisa. Cheers, Ian PS Sales strategies and up-sell techniques are important but it'd be a sad world if they were all that drove us. To View More >>