Value Added – Buzz Words Or Real Service?

 

It seems of late I am constantly hearing the term “Value Added”. To get the upper hand on your competition you need to have a message that shows your Value Added proposition or something that helps you stand out from a crowd. So is this just a new buzz word or is it a new way of doing business?

 

For many it is a new way of doing business. For far too long you got what you got and that is what you paid for. Photographers, writers, advertisers, suppliers, whoever always gave you what you ordered or contracted and that was that. The value was in the service or product they delivered. Today the idea is to add more to what you are giving your clients hence adding value to your service or product. For me this seems like customer service.

 

I was raised in a family business, a seafood restaurant, my first tasks were gutting fish and peeling potatoes and it was all I did all day. My father instilled the old adages of “the customer is always right” and “take care of your customers and they will take care of you.” In a family business you are expected to do twice as much work for half the pay and none of the glory. But it teaches you a lot. (That is my father in the image below. Hey it is a photography blog.)

 

I swore a long time ago that I would never gut another fish or peel a potato. I never stopped giving customer service though and I never will. I’m not sure how often the customer is actually right but they will take care of you if you take care of them.

 

I do my best to promise the right service in my photography business and I try to over deliver whenever I can. I want my clients to be not only happy with the quality of my work but impressed with how I do business. For me that is customer service.

 

Is customer service a value added proposition?  I wish it weren’t but it seems that in today’s world it can be. Going the extra mile (another of my father’s sayings) is not a bother or even a choice for me. Doing the extra is what my clients deserve. They are paying for quality and quality comes in many forms. Quality is in the images I deliver, it is the service I give and it grows into the partnerships I have and will have.

 

Taking the time to grow and foster a relationship with my clients does what my father taught me; take care of your clients. In turn I hope my clients stay my clients for a long time to come. I want to build relationships with them and get to know them and their businesses so I can give them more the next time I work with them. I want them to value my skills and services as much as I value their business.

 

Does all this become a “Value Added Service”? Beats me. For me it’s just good old fashioned business.

Made You Look

 

If you are a client of mine you are probably hiring me to get the attention of your clients. That is what imagery does; it captures the attention of viewers faster and hopefully, more powerfully, than the written word.

 

With the addition of the internet as a strong marketing tool all, marketing has changed. Your clients paging through a magazine, online or in print, make choices in nanoseconds. Images, text, and all marketing, needs to capture their attention in a maximum of 7 seconds. Online advertising is getting bolder with pop-ups and flashing ads that tend to annoy more than they attract. All this does is make potential clients more and more jaded, in turn making it harder and harder to get your message to them.
So what can you do?  Do you take the risk of putting up an ad that may annoy your client?  Do you reserve web browser real estate for an advertising toolbar? For print, do you resort to loud colors and bold text to get a subtle message across to the client?  What does actually work?

 

In my case creativity, originality and old fashioned style works.

See?  You looked at the entire ad, not just the model’s face. You probably looked at her, then glanced at the text, then back to her and after deciding if you liked her image, then you looked at my logo. After you did all of that you started reading this paragraph; you did all of that in about 6 or 7 seconds.

 

So how do you capture your client’s attention?  Give me a call or click here and let’s figure it out together.

Cheese With Your Whine?

 

You may as well have some cheese with your whine because it may be all you get. The days of whining are over. My clients don’t need whining, they need results.

 

Recently I was contracted to shoot portraits of some award winners at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. As is the norm for a larger city, not all the winners could be at the shoot at the same time. One winner, Taylor Fernley of Fernley & Fernley could not attend, yet the chamber still needed a portrait. I offered to go to his office at Mr. Fernley’s convenience and get the shot needed. Although my client said that would be going above and beyond I did anyway; for no extra charge.

 

My contact at the chamber said the day of the shoot that I didn’t need to go to their office for the shot and that they would just make due. ‘Make due’ usually means they will have an intern go over with a point and shoot and take a snapshot of the subject. That snapshot would be included with all the other winners, problem solved. Wrong.
I want the client to have consistent quality. I want my name to be known as the photographer that will go above and beyond; the one that will do whatever it takes to get the job done and done right. So I spoke to Mr. Fernley’s representative and told them to call me when he was available and I would be there. Last week I got the call.

 

What this did was give my client, and subsequently their client, the confidence that they would consistently have quality photography for the publication and they didn’t have to do anything, not even ask.

 

For me there was no whining or complaining to be done. It was about just doing what was needed to get the shots needed, no matter how convenient or inconvenient.  I did my job and I did it with a smile. My client was happy, Fernley & Fernley was happy and I was proud of the work I delivered before the deadline for the printer.

 

No whine, no cheese. Just results.

Lead, Follow Or Get The ‘F’ Out Of The Way

 

Recently my business coach (View article here) created a video article for photographers that is a tough love type of video that asked photographers if they needed to get out of the photography business or if they were willing to do what it takes to make it work. I have to admit that I loved it.

 

I agree with her and many others that some photographers have gotten very negative about the business and about their clients, not to mention other photographers. For me, this is not the way to win the confidence of my clients. Sure it has gotten harder to make a living in the photography business. But it has gotten harder to make a living in any business! Business in general has changed all across the board.

 

Times are difficult. Just yesterday my 72 year old mother was laid off from a job she had for over 20 years. Her entire Human Resource department was outsourced. She is lucky, she has been contemplating retirement. Others she worked with are now in the market for work. They have to be prepared for change and so do companies looking to grow their business.
My clients are looking for photography services that are faster, cheaper and of higher quality. An example is one of my top clients. This past Sunday I had a shoot of a 15 bedroom, 34 acre estate where the images were needed by Tuesday for layout of a publication. Due to a short budget I had to shoot the estate alone. Normally I would have at least an assistant and hopefully a second photographer. In this case that was just not an option. Editing the images alone was going to take 25+ hours. The shoot took almost 8 hours in itself.

So what did do to solve it? The client agreed to receive un-retouched images in a low resolution just so they could use them as place holders. They understood that of the filtered images only about half of what they saw on Tuesday would be delivered as final images. However they were able to do their layout and have something to work with. I made sure to deliver as many images as possible (65% of those un-retouched images) in the highest quality as possible and by Wednesday end of business.

 

Together my client and I worked out a solution that just a few years ago would not have been an option. Why? Because so many photographers would not be willing to give anything but the final images. Sure I did what I didn’t want to do, let my client see my work only half done, but we came to an agreement, wrote it up in a contract and met halfway to assure that they got the product they needed in a way that worked for both of us. The client is happy. Their client is happy (or will be) with the publication and I got the work that keeps me working.

Together we took the lead to create a mutually beneficial solution. If you can’t lead your client to a creative win/win solution, or if you aren’t willing to follow those that do, then why are you in business?  Either get positive and get creative or get the ‘F’ out of the way of those that are.

Coming Soon! Fall Colors!

It is officially fall! Time for the leaves to start changing and the time for sweaters and long sleeves. Well, in the Northeast US we are holding off on the sweaters; it’s going to be 90 degrees today. But before you know it the leaves will start to change and the wonders of nature will show the blush from the cooler air.

 

Why am I pointing out the obvious? My wife calls me ‘Captain Obvious’ and as per my rank, I thought I should mention that this is the best time of year to have all your images created. Think of the beautiful, natural backdrop of the warm colors of autumn. It is as if you can feel the cool breeze on your cheeks. But it’s not just you that looks good this time of year. Everything looks wonderful with the red, yellow and orange leaves complimenting them.
Nature has a beauty that can’t be matched. I love this time of year and I adore photographing it. The saturation of color, the anticipation of winter, children getting excited about their costumes for Halloween, Apple Cider, apple pie! Yumm! Getting portraits done outside, having your home memorialized, or just getting some beautiful prints for your walls, Autumn is a wonderful time of year.

 

To celebrate I am going to offer a 10% discount on all photographic services for clients just for mentioning this blog post. As Autumn is a short season and time is quickly slipping by, you have to set an appointment soon to get the discount. You can schedule your photo shoot for anytime this fall but the appointment has to be set by Friday October 1st.

I just love this time of year. If you get lucky you may just end up trying my special cider concoction too. I make it throughout the season. It is a mixture of fresh apple cider, cranberry juice, cinnamon and pink lemonade, served hot or cold (I like it hot) it brings all the wonders of fall into a cup. I will even give you the recipe so you can make some yourself.

 

Ingredients:
1 gallon of fresh apple cider
1 gallon of cranberry juice
6 cinnamon sticks
1 ten ounce can of frozen pink lemonade

 

Pour the apple cider and cranberry juice into a large pot.
Add frozen lemonade and cinnamon sticks.
Bring to a rolling boil.
Reduce the heat to just above a simmer.
Simmer for 2-3 hours until reduced by 20%.

 

That’s it! It makes the house smell wonderful too! Serve hot or cold. Store in the refrigerator. It will last about 2-3 weeks depending on the freshness of the cider and cranberry juice.

 

Enjoy! I hope to hear from you soon so we can share some of the fall concoction and the colors too!

Passion

 

Vacation is almost over. One more full day and then a long scenic drive home to Philadelphia and our time in Vermont will be gone for another year. But it’s good to go home.

While we have been here, we have met new friends and we have seen places we will never forget. As a photographer I often wonder which is richer, the memory or the images that spark it? The view from behind the Whiting Community Church (above) was astounding. Behind us and beyond the church grounds, lay the Green Mountains in the distance. Before us is the Champlain Valley with the Adirondacks in the distance (below).

I make photographs as an artist and as a professional. It is how I make my living. For me though it is more than a job, or even a career; it is my passion. Getting the image that my client wants and needs; capturing the moment so that it will last a lifetime and beyond is what I love to do. It is what I need to do.

 

I always seek the best possible image. I am continuously watching the light, seeing how it plays with the subject, watching how a simple shadow can change the mood of the moment. The trick is to capture it at just the right time. Although it is my job, it hardly seems like work.

 

The same is true for some of the people we have met here. The owners of Taylor Farm (http://www.taylorfarmvermont.com/) for example, they love the farm and the animals. The owner was coming in from cutting firewood yesterday as we were shopping in the store on the farm. I mentioned to him that gathering a wagon load of wood is a heck of a chore. A simple, “We love it” was his reply. You can tell that they do. His wife was in the store and she was putting out fresh vegetables smiling and humming the whole time.  I made mention of the refrigerator case that was new since we were here last year and they were there with the story of how it didn’t fit through the doors. He was kind, polite and enjoyed sharing the delightful story of how they had to take out the door to get the case in.

Mr. Taylor was showing his passion. The passion he has for his farm. It showed too, in the wonderful fresh foods they sell here. Even the cows here are passionate about their work. They are happy and friendly and even the baby heifers in the front pen greeted us with smiles and licks.

 

Down the road is Stoddard’s Restaurant, a tiny little diner with 5 booths and a few seats at the counter. Linda Stoddard is working the grill and Lori is her friend waiting the tables. Lori remembered us from last year, even remember that I was a photographer. She said, “You’re the photographer. I remember you because you said how much you love your work.”  And I do, it is my passion.

 

If your job involves your passion, your desire and dreams, it’s not like work. It gives you a joy and satisfaction that can’t be described. Even here on vacation in Vermont I cannot put the camera down. My wife is thinking of writing an essay or short book on “How To Survive As A Photographer’s Wife.” If she ever actually puts pen to paper, I will make sure it is available here. I live to get the right shot whether it’s for a client or my own memories. I am told it shows in my work.

 

But it’s not work, it is my passion.

How To Retire At 11

Some of my regular readers may already know that I am on vacation this week. My wife and I are taking our time exploring the beautiful state of Vermont. My wife Amy has become very accustomed to stopping in the oddest places as we drive from point to point because I may see something and say, “Oh! Great shot!” and I pull over.  In fact she has even started looking for places for me.

 

Stopping at beautiful vistas and along lakesides has its advantages too. I have met some wonderful people and made new friends too. Monday we were driving along VT 30 (I think) and I saw a beautiful lake view that I had to shoot.  Conveniently there was a boat ramp that provided a place to safely pull over.

 

As we were standing there and I was shooting the scenery, up comes Gary, Judy and Morgan to the water’s edge.  Delightful conversation followed and we enjoyed each other’s company for a bit.  While talking to Gary I learned that Morgan had retired. She is only 11! How can that be!?

 

Morgan retired (very) early because she was an expert. She did her job well and she worked at being the best all the time, from dawn until dusk she practiced and worked constantly. She was dedicated to her job and now it is only a hobby. The important part is, she is very happy.

 

This has reinforced that which I knew and believed. Follow your passion, your instincts, and commit to it completely. Even while on vacation I have a camera in my hand. Photography is a part of me. Some call me an expert. I say I am passionate, like Morgan.

 

Although retired, Morgan cannot stop. She has to do what is natural for her and she has to keep following her passion. Although I am not ready to retire, I definitely have to follow my passions as well. I am happiest when I am shooting. Just as Morgan is happiest when she is retrieving; well, she is a Champion Golden Retriever after all.

Keeping Pace

 

In today’s digital world everyone expects things to be either instantaneous or at least fast. Your clients expect results almost as soon as they express their desires. You in turn need your suppliers to anticipate your needs so you can meet those of your customers. Yet it still takes time to provide services and products.  So how do you keep up with the pace?

Often executives tell you to “anticipate the customer’s needs,” and use your sales skills and tell the client what they need based on what you have available. Anticipating your customer’s needs is the goal of every business in the world. The whole idea to starting a business is seeing a need and filling that need. To grow that same business you have to start to anticipate.

 

So how do you foresee the future? How can you know that your plan is the one that will grow your business and keep you successful in the years to come? By learning your customer’s business.

 

I have taken the time to learn business and not just in the sense of supplies in and products out. I have spent over 20 years in the corporate and business world before I established my company. I understand the pressures and the needs of my clients. But even that isn’t enough.

 

My business is a service business that delivers a product which makes it unique in many ways. I need to perform the photography services that I offer in a professional and timely manner. At the same time I have to deliver the end product faster than ever before and with higher quality. With the photography industry changing almost hourly and my clients’ needs changing almost as fast, how can I keep delivering the highest quality of service and the best possible product?

 

Not only have I learned business, but I spend time keeping up with my clients business. I take the time to learn the struggles they have on a daily basis. I don’t work beside them 8 hours a day because then I couldn’t run my business. I do however ask them about what are their biggest issues. I talk to them about new ideas and new technologies that are available to them and why to, or not to, take advantage of them.

 

In that sense, you may even think that business is moving back in time. Back to a time when relationships are what mattered. That seems to be the big buzz word in business, social media, marketing and everywhere else now. “Marketing is about relationships.” “Networking is about building relationships not marketing.” “To get the work you have to have a relationship with [insert any name here].”

 

I am all about relationships and I always have been. Although I use contracts and estimates and all the modern paperwork that we all use today, it’s not about the legalese for me. All that paperwork boils down to my word and a handshake. If I say I am there for you, I am, and I will be there as fast as our modern world allows me to be.

Transformations

 

In the news lately you have heard that in many ways our economy has to transform itself, it needs to morph into something new. I have also heard that each of us has to transform ourselves too. It is said that the careers of our parents and grandparents, where you could look forward to finding a position with a company and spending your entire career there, are gone. With the world as it is today each person just starting out can expect to change employers 13 times in a 40 year career. Each time they may have to transform themselves into something new.

 

Transformation has become the norm rather than the exception. For each new client your company has to change and adapt to the needs of that situation. As the driving force to those adaptations you have to think in ways that are challenging and different. To make change the norm, not just a constant, you have to remain pliable and innovative. You have to see opportunity at every turn and with each challenge you have to welcome new ideas so that each becomes an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

 

Just last week I was photographing two locations for a construction company. Each had its own challenges. None of the preparation had me expecting the challenge of a memory card going bad ¾ of the way through the shoot.
Here I was with the creative director of this company shadowing me for the first time and when we are within sight of calling it a wrap, I have to tell her that everything we had done to that point was gone. After hanging my head for a moment I looked up and told her what happened and said that I would need to reshoot the first location over again as well as all of the shots we had gotten at this location.

 

Of course I told her that this was a technical problem and because of that it is 100% my issue and that the reshoots would be at no charge. She opted to call it a day as would have I in her position. I then proceeded to reshoot the location where we were.

 

As an architectural and estate photographer, I often find myself waiting for the light. Waiting for the sun to reach the right place in the sky to compliment the building in that perfect way to show everything the architect meant to be seen. In the case of the first location of the day, we had arrived at 7am to catch the morning sun so that we could use the evening to highlight the second location. Now I had to shoot midday and make it look, not just good but great. The only way to do this was to shoot interiors during the day and squeeze time in to do both exteriors in the latter hours of the day.

 

Before Transformation

 

So it was that I had to adapt the way I had planned the shoots. I was able to get back to the first location and reshoot the interior without incident. The sky was helpful as were the trees near the entrance. This gave me the chance to shoot fast and get the shots needed and still make it back to the second location. Here was the challenge.

 

The second location was behind schedule to begin with. At a local university there was a rush to get the building complete prior to the students coming back to school in 3 days. The construction company pulled out all the stops and had crews everywhere doing everything. I had to get shots of a building to make the construction company and the architect proud. I had to do it around electricians, plumbers and maintenance crews putting on the finishing touches.  I had no time to wait for the light. For that matter, I had no time to wait for the grass to grow. There wasn’t any yet due to the heavy equipment being there longer than anticipated.

I was able to clear away the work trucks and vans, set up lights inside the location and grab a few quick shots. I also took shots of the lawn across the street so I could virtually “move” it to the new building.  I think the image was transformed from a snapshot to a true image showing the architects vision and the construction company’s ability.

After transformation

Because the companies, the university and I were able to be flexible, adapt and think around problems the students have a beautiful new art center to grow their education. A place where they can transform their creative ideas into reality.

 

Until next time…

Perspective

 

pərˈspektiv

  1. a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view
  2. true understanding of the relative importance of things; a sense of proportion

In any given project we can see the positives and the difficulties. The differences between those that succeed and those that fail is how we translate them. A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity yet an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.  It’s just a matter of perspective.



Not long ago I was sent on a job to shoot a recently completed rehabilitation center. The marketing director wanted an image of the front of the building showing the grand entrance way and the wonderful design of the new building.  After driving the 4 hours to the job site, I arrived to see that the old building was still intact and in fact occupied as the residents had not yet moved into the new building. Until the moving was complete the old structure obviously had to remain. Normally that would be too much of a problem. I could take a selective angle and shoot what I can and work with what I had. In this case however, the old building was only 24 inches from the new, not yet completed, entryway.

 

Even with my widest angle lens 24 inches is a bit tight. My assistant for the day was saying that we should just drive the 4 hours back and then return to reshoot when the building was occupied. Being the stubborn person my wife says I am, I wanted to see what we could shoot.

 

Once we were able to find the site foreman, we gained access to the building. Inside the space was technically completed. Although the furniture had been delivered, unless it actually needed to be installed, it was not even unpacked. The floors had not yet been cleaned from the construction phase and the place was still a bit messy. My creative mind went nuts!

Suddenly I saw opportunity all over the place. Here was an interior that was not setup as the designers and architects had planned, the place is basically a mess and I was lucky if I could even find a lamp among all the boxes. A clean creative canvas!  I got to shoot what I wanted and not just what I found.

 

I couldn’t actually shoot the entrance as requested as there wasn’t even a door there let alone anything “grand”.  However as we walked the floors I found that there was furniture for the dining area and for most of the common areas too.  I asked the site foreman for a broom and a box cutter and we went to work.

 

Out of nothing came something. We were able to create images that so impressed the client that they submitted them as examples of their project for a state recognized award.

 

My assistant that day was ready to pack it in and call it a day. I on the other hand wanted to see the opportunities at hand. By doing so we were able to complete the job and do it in a way that thrilled my client.

 

It’s all just a matter of pərˈspektiv.