Managing Expectations & Deadlines for Creative Work

Establishing deadlines and expectations for a creative service or product keep both the client and the creative happy in their working arrangements.  Without clear deadlines or expectations, the creative can infinitely revise their own work, or the client can continually expect service without an end point.  Many contracts outline the basics of payment expectations and deliverables, but a great creative working relationship will make sure to outline the following considerations before working together...

When the work will begin:

Let's say you have 10 projects on your plate and you can't even think about the client's project until the end of the month.  Discuss this in advance with the client, and what they can do to prepare themselves before the working arrangement begins so they aren't expecting you to be on call with their project right out of the gate.

When online or in-person meetings will happen for progress updates:

If your project has multiple steps that require client feedback or updates, establish a calendar of when those updates and check-ins will happen up front.  Get the dates into your calendar and into the client's calendar.  This way, even if your schedule or the client's schedule changes over time, you can renegotiate the check-in dates and expectations for updates and feedback.  Just having regular check-ins on creative work can help put a client more at ease than having nothing.

When middle parts of the project are due:

Consider the wedding photography internal deadline like the client family who needs engagement photos to send newspapers, or a framed photo order they want to place before the wedding.  Consider the website design client who may have a deadline for a landing page before the full site is ready, or a deadline for a product logo before the rest of the work is completed.  By discussing project deadlines that need to happen in the middle of the project, the creative creates more clarity around the process and internal deadlines that the client is expecting to have ready in advance.

When client contributions are due:

How many times have projects been delayed because the creative was waiting on the client to deliver something necessary for the creative to move forward?  By establishing client deadlines and expectations for contributions - AS WELL AS late fees and late consequence expectations for not delivering on deadline - the client and creative have opportunities to discuss the importance of the client contribution in advance of working together and signing a contract.  This also gives the client an opportunity to be better prepared to contribute in advance.

What are the communication expectations (video, phone, or email?)
In the age of a million ways to communicate, we now have to address HOW we should expect people to communicate with us.  If your client is a phone person and you hate talking on the phone as a creative, is the Video Call the next best solution for both of you, or do you need the client to send emails only?  What should the expected turn around response time be before a client asks if you received their email?  These things actually need to be discussed in advance now so that the creative and the client can have the best understanding of what communication method they should expect to be the most effective for working together.

When updates should be expected:

By scheduling project updates into your creative work calendar, you can help regularly reassure clients, who do not understand what happens the creative process behind the scenes, that in the silent moments between the time they hear from you and the time they don't hear from you, you're still working on their project.  This also helps set appropriate expectations that help the client know how often they should expect to hear from you, so that they don't expect project updates to be sent just because they want to check in regularly.

When creative or client won't be available (in case of vacations):

If there are periods where you simply won't be available or the client won't be available for long stretches of time due to vacations scheduled in advance, those should be outlined in advance to set the expectation of when someone should not expect to hear from you.  By putting it in the contract or in an advance schedule, the client will have a reference document to turn to rather than asking the creative random questions about why they aren't getting in touch.

When the project or contract will be finished:

Establishing the deadline for when all work will be completed and provided helps make sure that clients and creatives are not wasting each other's time with additional requests above and beyond the contracted arrangements.  Setting both a deadline as a date, as well as a full outline of what will be provided by that date, means establishing expectations that both the client and the creative agree upon in advance before beginning the work.  This also creates a clear and clean cut-off as to when the work and the contract have ended, so that a new contract for work can be established, or so that the creative and client can walk clean and clear away from a working arrangement they don't want to have anymore.

Have any other deadlines or expectations you think need to be discussed up front?  Comment and let us know!

Anne Ruthmann helps creatives find smarter solutions to common business problems as a Creative Business Strategist and author of the Pricing Workbook for Creatives.  Her wisdom is steeped in the experience of managing her own creative businesses since 2004.  Stay in touch on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Toxic Email Replies that Hurt Your Business

Into every business, a series of problems will fall.  HOW business owners and service teams deal with problems when they arise is often MORE important than the problems and solutions themselves.  Let's look at some common creative business owner replies that lead to toxic client interactions, resentment, and lack of referrals for service businesses:

Client Email Example: "Hi, Just checking in on my project progress... can you give an update?"

In the client's mind, this is an innocent email that helps them understand where everything is in the process, what they may need to be aware of or how they may need to manage their schedule and expectations moving forward.  However, if a business owner is mired in stress, dealing with other difficulties, or feeling guilty about not making enough progress on a project, they may feel defensive and use one of the toxic email replies below that end up causing more harm to their client relationship, potential referrals, and future business success.

1. Business Owner Reply: "I'm sorry I was really busy on another project"

How client feels inside:
Well, thanks for letting me know you have another client who is more important and gets higher project priority than I do.  Glad to know my project is being put on the back burner while you deal with other people- not.
Client's actual email reply:
"I understand, thanks for letting me know.  When do you think we can sync up again?"

2. Business Owner Reply: "Life has been really hectic lately"

How client feels inside:
Uh oh, if life is so hectic that he needs to say something, does this mean my project is going to be delayed or given less attention?  Does he have the resources to manage life and business right now?
Client's actual email reply:
"I'm sorry to hear things aren't going well, I really hope things get better soon!"

3. Business Owner Reply: "A client/family member had an emergency"

How client feels inside:
I wonder what kind of emergency?  How long does it take to fix emergencies?  Is this going to delay my project?  Does this mean my project and deadlines are less important because they aren't emergencies?  What if I have an emergency?
Client's actual email reply:
"Oh no!  I hope everything is OK!  Let me know when you can chat again."

What's the BEST reply a business owner can give instead?

Best Business Owner Reply:
"Thank you for checking in!  I'd love to connect over the phone or zoom so we can make sure we're both on the same page for the timing ahead.  Which of the times below will work for you to sync up over the phone and talk about the next steps?
4/4  Monday 4pm
4/6 Wednesday 10am
4/7 Thursday  2pm"

The important ingredients of this reply are:

1. Gratitude that makes the client feel seen and acknowledges their desire for an update.
2. Affirmation of desire to work with client and move the project forward.
3. Specific, detailed, date and time calendar options that give the business owner control of when they can offer headspace and time to focus on communication with client, to help the client manage the time until they feel like they will have undivided attention.

By keeping the response simple, light, and free of outside drama or issues, the business retains a high service standard without causing their client any alarms or insecurities about the business owner's ability to do or complete the work.  When a business engages the client in drama by sharing personal or client issues that don't have anything to do with the client's project, it creates a sense of doubt and concern about whether or not a project will be completed.  This creates a snowball of more fears and concerns that span not just one client project, but all projects the business is currently managing, which can lead to even more drama and toxic gossip that ends up hurting a business in the long run.

So, even if you're experiencing drama or issues that feel out of control in your business or life, save as many business relationships as you can by not spreading the drama or problems around your business.  It may make the difference between one client relationship blowing up and ten client relationships blowing up.  Minimize the damage by minimizing the spread of drama.

Anne Ruthmann helps creatives find smarter solutions to common business problems as a Creative Business Strategist and author of the Pricing Workbook for Creatives.  Her wisdom is steeped in the experience of managing her own creative businesses since 2004.  Stay in touch on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Managing The Fame Monster

Fame can create a type of PTSD (post-traumatic-stress-disorder) when you don't know how to deal with it and respond to it appropriately, or at least it did for me.  If you've witnessed someone else's journey close enough to the surface of fame, you may have a better chance of dealing with the public response as it arrives, but it took me about 10 years to really recover from a period of fame that I got early on in my career and felt very unprepared for.

I thought I was just entering contests and submitting work to get feedback and a response around what I was doing well, but it also turned into awards, publications, special features, speaking invitations, and things that started putting me in the spotlight before I was really ready to handle all the other negative stuff that came with being in the spotlight.  I didn't realize there'd be an entirely other element of reputation management that I'd need to deal with as well.  So I ended up taking a huge step back once all the attention got to be too much to manage and started taking me away from my clients and the work that was paying the bills.  I realized I just wanted to get back to doing what I loved: creating images for clients who valued my work without all the fame nonsense.  I gave myself a lot of time to consider what I could do differently if it happened again, and I hope sharing this helps you walk a slightly easier road through any moments of fame that come your way...


1. When You Finally Win Some Awards
People will hate you and people will admire you.  People will talk bad about you and they'll say you're the best they've ever seen.  They'll talk about how they can create better work than you, and they'll talk about how they wish they could create work like you.  They'll say they should have won the award you won, and they'll say they'd never be able to win the award you won.  They'll do this behind your back, to other people, online in comments, in forums, etc.

You really just have to let them do this without defending yourself.  You've already won the award and received the recognition that you were aiming for.  Any defense makes you seem insecure about your win.  Any boasting makes you seem cocky about your win. This is just part of what comes with winning. The only response people want to hear is how grateful you are that the judges liked what you sent them. (People know it's all judge preference anyway.) 


2. When You're Finally Published in Magazines
People will say you bought your way in.  People will say they wish they had your skill.  They'll say your work is too trendy or too posed or too staged.  They'll say you're amazingly creative and a genius for thinking of something so unique.  They'll say you copied them and it's all been done before and that you just rip off other people's ideas.  They'll say you're brilliant and inspiring and they want to be just like you.  People will take your work and try repeating the same results.  People will call you a fake.  People will say you have an inside relationship.  People will assume you can get them published too.  People will put you on a pedestal.  People will try to knock you off a pedestal.

Let them think what they want to think.  Being published and recognized means you don't need to prove anything to anyone.  The only response that people want to hear is that you feel really lucky your work was chosen out of all the great work they could have chosen from.  (People don't blame lottery winners, just their own luck of the draw.)


3. When You Finally Get Invited To Speak
People will say you don't have enough experience.  People will think you know everything there is to know.  People will suggest you need to teach because your work isn't good enough.  People will say you're teaching because your work is amazing.  They'll think your ideas are rubbish and uninspiring.  They'll think you've opened up an entirely new way of seeing things.  They'll walk out in the middle of your talk.  They'll stay after and want your signature.  They'll tell you what a fan they've been all along even though you're meeting them for the first time.  They'll become someone you once knew really well and now refuses to acknowledge you.  They'll think you're a hack.  They'll think you're an expert.

These are all a matter of their own varied perspectives and you have to go in knowing your message is only going to be heard and liked by about half of the room, much like running for American Presidency.  Remember that your message is less about you and more about what other people make of it even if it's not at all what you meant.  You're just the messenger who happens to be the one brave enough to stand on the stage.  The only response people want to hear after commenting on your speech is how you tried your best and were honored to have the opportunity.  (People honor the process of being selected and showing up, no matter the message.)


4. When Strangers Start Recognizing You In Public
I think it was Gary Fong who once said, you aren't really famous until the bagger in a grocery store recognizes you in the check-out lane.  It's a great way to put "fame" of any kind back into perspective of the larger world out there.  That being said, in the world of the internet, if you put yourself out there often enough, you may gain some stalkers or fans who do actually recognize you in places you'd least expect it, even when you don't have any makeup on or just walked out of the gym.  At first, you feel totally weird that a complete stranger is coming up to you and acting like they've known you forever and yet you know nothing about them.  However, if you know how to handle it in advance, you can level the playing field by responding really down to earth and friendly, rather than standoffish and rude because you felt attacked.

The response I've found which seems to work best for dealing with this kind of guerrilla attack is to say "Hello!  What's your name?  What are you working on right now that made you familiar with my work online?" It does take an extra minute to hear someone out rather than turning your head and running away as fast as you can, but it also becomes a chance to gain a little market knowledge about the tribe who follows you and how they found your work online.  It's also much more personable than simply standing there saying "Oh, thank you so much" over and over again on autopilot.  Having a real conversation with someone about what THEY know and can share with you makes it slightly less lonely at the top if you're traveling in an unfamiliar area and want some recommendations for a good place to eat or a special park to go for a run in.


Are there any fame monster moments I've missed?  Have you come up with some solutions and responses that work better for you?  I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments.

Anne Ruthmann is a professional photographer in New York City. With over 10 years of success as a full-time photographer in weddings, portraits, editorial, and now architecture and interiors, she spends any extra time she has helping others find smart solutions to business problems.  Stay in touch on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

When Inquiries Go Silent

• Do you feel like you send information and then don't hear anything back from inquiries?
• Did your response ask any questions to help keep the conversation moving forward?
• Do you keep a calendar of people you plan to follow up with a second or third time?

Many creative businesses think that providing information after a first inquiry will either confirm or deny whether a client wants to work with them and then leave it up to the client to move the conversation forward after one response.  However, there are many clients who inquire while they're only in the stage of doing research and not actually ready to book.   These clients may not be ready to make a decision for several months based on all the information they're gathering up front, and how you do or don't follow up with them after that first inquiry may actually be a factor in whether they work with you or not.

In a sea of competition, follow-through is one of the things that can make your business stand out among the rest.  How does your level of service stand out from the rest?  Are you letting an inquiry go silent and not really give it a second thought, or do you check back in after a couple weeks to see if the client has any questions about what they've seen, or take the time to send additional resources that can help the client?

Lead follow-through doesn't need to be complicated or automated by a special system, in fact, here are a few steps you can take no matter what kind of inquiry system you're using:

1. Create a Follow-Up Email Template
It should be a response that you can save as a draft or signature in your email program and easily copy/paste.  You want to confirm that they did receive your info, and give an opportunity to continue moving the conversation forward in a way that they may not have done with anyone else yet...
Here's a sample email draft- but change the wording to fit your personality and business...
"Thanks so much for contacting us last week!  We haven't heard back from you, so we want to make sure you received our last email?  We'd love to set up a time to chat about what you're looking for and answer any questions you have- which time would work best to talk on the phone or via Skype?   Tuesday 6pm, Wednesday 12pm, Thursday 3pm?"

2. Schedule a Weekly Follow-Through Date
By putting follow-through as an appointment in your calendar, you'll have to move it around if you fail to do it one day, but by keeping it as an appointment, you're more likely to spend the time going through your inbox and follow-through with old clients than if you don't put it in your calendar at all.

3. Decide on Appropriate Frequency
You may want to wait 1 week to follow up after the first email, but then 2-3 weeks if you haven't heard anything after following up with a second email.  You don't want to be spammy or pushy and get blocked, so make sure you're adding value and being helpful with each follow-up email.

4. Create an Email Folder for Active Leads & Dead Leads
When you're waiting to hear back from a client the first or second time, they would be considered an active lead and it would be easiest to find their email again if it was in a dedicated folder for leads you plan to follow-through with.  Likewise, there may still be helpful information to gain from a dead lead down the road, so keeping a folder of people the you've contacted several times and never heard back from may be helpful for some future research.

Anne Ruthmann is a professional photographer in New York City. With over 10 years of success as a full-time photographer in weddings, portraits, editorial, and now architecture and interiors, she spends any extra time she has helping others find smart solutions to business problems.  Stay in touch on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

What Will Bring In The Most New Clients?

I had a great question while consulting for another photographer recently and it was one that I had never really stopped to consider so concretely.

"If I can only invest my time and money into one part of my business right now to have the biggest impact on bringing in new clients, where should I focus?"

I knew the answer immediately, because it's the single most important thing that has always made the biggest difference for me.  No matter how outdated my website portfolio is, how messy my branding might be at the moment, when my last blog post was, how active I've been on social media, or how many website directories my page is listed on, by far the biggest impact on my business is directly related to how happy my clients and fellow working colleagues are with my quality of work and how easy I am to work with.  It seems so common sense that most people don't even mention it, but it really is the single biggest factor in being successful as a creative.

Service businesses are highly recommended by former clients on one of two factors: how cheap they are or how amazing they are.  Being cheap may be a great way to start and prove you can do the job, or allows you to sustain a side-business as a hobby or part-time venture, but it isn't a model for longevity or sustainability if you're going to work as an individualized creative service.  So, my recommendation is to be highly recommended for being amazing to work with.

How does that play out in a list of actionable items?

• Make promises with your clients that you can exceed regularly, which means having all of your business and production ducks in a row so that you never need to apologize, only surprise!
• Prepare your clients expectations by detailing your process and how you work
• Communicate, communicate, communicate  - return calls, emails, texts as soon as you can
• Check in with your clients when you've completed a job to find out what they loved and what you can improve
• Stay in touch with your clients through an email newsletter, loves notes, phone calls, or facebook friendship, because people aren't checking your blog or website on a regular basis after they've worked with you already, but because they've worked with you, they'll be the first to help recommend you to new people who are looking
• Give your previous clients opportunities and ways to work with you again by running specials on products they may not have purchased, or offering additional services that benefit them
• Revisit other people you've worked with on a shared project, like wedding vendors, makeup artists, venues, etc. and see if you can collaborate on a future project that would benefit them
• Thank people for their referrals when you know who the referral came from and let them know how much you appreciate their support of your work and service
• Create work that your clients will want to share with everyone they know by going above and beyond in ways that you know will make them happy
• Be easy to work and a joy to be around by not letting your ego get in the way of doing something that would help out a client or another vendor

If you can do this for every client you work with, you will see exponential returns on your investment of time and dedication to client happiness in ways that support rates that exceed industry averages and provide the demand that supports being selective in who you work with.  

Note: If you don't have a list of clients that you've been able to be awesome for yet, than your job is to go out and create awesome work for people you really admire or are inspired to work with, but then treat them with the same level of professionalism that you would with any paying client.  Too often people who do complimentary work to build their portfolio don't do it in a way that would make someone want to work with them again, and therein lies the cycle of destroying working relationships before they've ever been created.

Anne Ruthmann is an editorial & event photographer in New York City. She spent 10 years practicing marketing & management in corporate and non-profit businesses before pursuing her passion for photography in 2004 as an independent small business.  She loves helping others find creative and smart solutions to business problems.  Stay in touch on Twitter or Facebook.

Will You Put My Proof Gallery Back Online?

Most clients are able to make decisions in a timely manner, but there will always be a client who does't make a decision before their proof gallery expires and ends up asking for extra time.  If you find yourself in this situation, here are a few different ways you can approach it:

1.  Set Ordering Deadline Expectations

If your photography agreement or contract did not state up front how long a gallery would be available, or a cost for extending gallery viewing and ordering beyond the contracted availability, you'll probably need to be gracious for the first extension or reopening of a gallery after it has expired.  This is when, in writing or over email, you will need to communicate exactly how long the gallery will be available to make their decision, and the cost to extend that timeframe if they cannot place their order or make their decision in a timely manner.

2.  Invite The Client To An Ordering Meeting

If the client is having a hard time making a decision, communicate that in order to view the images again, you will be happy to set up an in-person appointment, at which time you will be able to provide your expert opinion to make their ordering decision easier.  If the client is unavailable to meet in person, you could also schedule this arrangement over Skype and use Screen Sharing.  While the quality will not be as great for the client via screen sharing, you will be able to discern the better options and help make it less confusing for an indecisive client.

3.  Request An Ordering Deposit

If you clearly outlined that a gallery would only be available until a specified date and a client has chosen not to make a decision during that time, an alternative form of an extension fee is a deposit toward their order, which can be collected before making the images available again and applied once an order is placed, to cover any costs you might be incurring for hosting their images in an online ordering cart.

Obviously, the goal is to have clients who are happy with your service and product, while still setting appropriate expectations so that you aren't draining your resources and ability to serve clients in a timely fashion.  Do you have other ideas?  What works for you?  Share your thoughts in the comments!

Anne Ruthmann is a lifestyle & wedding photographer from Boston, MA. She spent 10 years practicing marketing & management in corporate and non-profit businesses before pursuing her passion for photography in 2004 as an independent small business. She loves helping others find creative and smart solutions to business problems. Follow her on Twitter to see her daily adventures and thoughts.

How To Give Bad News To Clients

In an idealized world, you would never have problems and your plans would always work out the way you planned them.  Cars, trains, and busses would always work reliably, people wouldn't break their ankle just walking along the street, and electronics would never crash.  However, this is planet Earth, where reality means taking the good with the bad, and where success is achieved by overcoming problems- not avoiding them.  If you haven't had to give a client bad news before, than you probably haven't been in business for very long or you're extremely lucky.  When you do encounter a situation in which you need to deliver some bad news, know that you aren't the only one and that giving bad news is sometimes just part of running a business.  I've found that no matter what the bad news is, there are some key strategies for dealing with it and delivering it:

1. Put it in Perspective: 

• Has anyone died?  If not, than you can rest assured that this is not the worst possible news you could give someone. 
• Can the work be redone. recreated, or replaced?  If so, than you have some great options you can offer your client.
• Will additional time give you an opportunity to correct the problem?  You may not even need to deliver bad news if you can simply take more time to solve the problem.

2. Ask Peers for Help:

• Even if you've never had the problem before, chances are that other people in your profession have had the same problem before.  Find out what they learned from that experience.
• Find out what solutions you might be able to provide your clients in the event that the problem can't be solved without their involvement.

3. Sleep On It & Relax:

• Don't ever deliver bad news until you've had time to come up with some solutions, and you've had at least one night of sleep to gain perspective.
• Being able to respond reasonably requires a healthy state of mind - so, it's also good to start your day with something that relaxes you and helps relieve your anxiety so that you don't pass any of that anxiety on to your client.
• The one time when sleeping on it will NOT make it easier to deal with is if the issue is related to missing a deadline- in which case it's best to communicate any issue or delay before the deadline, or at the soonest possible moment.  If this is the case, skip #4 and #6 and find ways to get in touch as soon as possible.

4. Choose Good Timing:

• If you're a wedding photographer, don't ruin a couple's honeymoon by delivering news while they're sipping Mai Tais.  Wait until they are back into reality and ready to deal with real life again.
• Likewise, Monday morning is also probably not the best time to add another problem to someone's plate.  Consider any additional stress factors you can on the client's end in order to reduce the impact.

5. Have Good News Ready:

• Difficult situations are much easier to deal with when they are balanced by something positive.
• Offer alternative solutions as part of the good news, so that they are better received as possibilities.

6. Request A Phone Appointment:

• If your client typically deals with you via email, this is the one time you really want to get them on the phone.  Likewise, if you avoid talking to clients on the phone, you're going to be much better off in the long run if they can hear your words in your own apologetic tone rather than read your words over and over again in email with whatever doomsday voice they might add in their head.
• Request a phone appointment by email or voicemail, letting a client know that you have a few questions you'd like to task them about the work you're doing for them.  Offer three times and days that are good for you to chat on the phone and ask if there are certain days or times that are better for them- with the goal of finding a time as soon as possible when both of you are prepared to have a conversation without distractions.

7. Deliver News Without Drama:

• Let clients know what happened without dramatizing it.  Just state it as it happened, rather than framing it as a problem.  Accept responsibility and apologize for anything you had control over, and let them know what attempts you've already made to solve the problem.  Let them know that you really care about them and would like their opinion as to what they think the best solution would be.  Provide options for possible solutions, always ending with a question as to how the client would like to proceed.
• Give the client time to think and process the information.  Be patient and don't assume that silence is a bad thing, just let them think about the options you've presented, rather than trying to fill any gaps with apologies or excuses.  Just answer questions that are asked with facts, and always steer the conversation back toward focusing on a solution.

8. Implement Agreed Upon Solution:

• Make solving the problem your number one priority, and hire or enlist additional help if needed to get the project done.
• Keep clients updated more frequently on the solution in order to let them know that you aren't silently turning to other projects in the background.  Being proactive about your progress and communication means that they are never left to wonder about your dedication or efforts to serve them.

9. Be OK With Disappointment:

• Delivering bad news also means being OK with disappointment.  Learning how to deal with disappointment without it crushing your soul or taking time away from being productive makes you stronger and more successful in the long run.
• Some people will be unhappy no matter what solutions or options you've given them.  Know that you aren't not responsible for someone else's happiness or unhappiness.  You are only responsible for the job you were hired to do, and for doing your best to fulfill that job.  If you have done your best to solve the problem, and the client still does not seem satisfied, than there is nothing more that you can do.  Let go of any hurt, anger, or frustration, and resolve to do better in the future.

10. Remember To Be Grateful:

• Put one job in perspective by remembering all of the other jobs that have gone well.
• Reach out to past clients that you enjoyed working with and send them a note of gratitude for choosing to work with you.  Your gratitude to many clients will spread more good will to counterbalance any negativity you may worry about from one client.

Anne Ruthmann is a lifestyle & wedding photographer from Boston, MA. She spent 10 years practicing marketing & management in corporate and non-profit businesses before pursuing her passion for photography as an independent small business.  She loves helping others find creative and smart solutions to business problems.  Follow her on Twitter to see her daily adventures and thoughts.

When Clients Say You Charge Too Much

When a potential client says someone else offers the same product or service, but for less- the first thing you want to do is probably delete their email or throw them out of your meeting. I know, because I was there once and it only took two comments like this before I took it to heart and realized I needed to figure out where things were going wrong.

Even when you've done the numbers and you know you're worth what you charge, you may still be tempted to lower your prices because other people in your market have. The problem is, you don't know how long they've been in business, if they're running a profitable business, or if they're going out of business next year because of their discount pricing strategy (have you seen a Groupon discount disaster happen in your area?)

As much as you want to justify your prices, quality, creativity, or exceptional products- the problem is there's something ELSE about your outward branding, portfolio, or marketing that's giving off that "not really worth it" vibe.

OUCH! I know that's not what you want to hear, but obviously that's what those inquiries are saying loud and clear. Rather than swallowing a tough reality pill and taking it to heart as an opportunity for change and renewal, our ego immediately puts up defenses and writes it off as uninformed, uneducated babble. The problem is, writing it off doesn't solve your problem or prevent you from hearing that phrase from someone else in the future. It's time for a reality check.

Please note- having someone tell you they can't afford you, is very different than someone telling you that your competition charges less. When someone says they can't afford you, it means "you're worth the price, but I'm broke (or cheap)." When you hear "XYZ photographer offers more for less" it means your customer can't see the outward value of what you offer as being any different or more valuable than your lesser priced competition. I realize this may infuriate you, but please, grab a glass of wine, take a bath, and really think about why a client would say that if it didn't appear to be true? When you've calmed down (and ONLY when you've gotten over the initial sting) read on about the action steps you can take to start making changes....

Since most people find you through referral from a person, online listing, or web search and start at your website- that's most likely where clients are receiving mixed messages about the value of your service and product. Since you have an attachment to the brand you've created, you're probably too close to the branding to see where the mixed messages are coming from. That's why it's key to get outside critical and objective opinions. A truly objective approach takes advice from two key sources:

1. Outside Business Mentor - someone who has no prior experience with your company but understands your market as a whole- such as a photography mentor, photo agent, or event coordinator who has experience working with different photographers.
2. Clients Who Didn't Book- seeing a mentor's perspective is very informative, but some things like outside factors, response times, service or product offerings can only be revealed by people who were interested in hiring you, but decided not to.

Finding a business mentor opinion is easy- simply reach out to 5 people you admire and respect for their awesomeness. However, surveying people who decided not to hire you can be a bit trickier, so here are some concrete steps to reveal the mixed messages clients perceive in your marketing materials:

1. Create a list of email addresses from the last several months of inquiries that were interested in learning more about your services, but did not hire you. A list of 30 would be a great start.
2. Create a survey with no more than three questions.  You want as many responses as you can get, so keeping it short and simple is the easiest way to get the best response rate.  I'll include a sample email here to help you get started- but please customize it for yourself so it sounds like your voice and not mine.
3. Click send and then go do something to completely take your mind off of it.  Seriously.  If you sit and wait for emails to come back, you're just going to get all worked up over nothing and then hate reading them even more.  Find a happy place instead.
4. Don't expect everyone to respond.  I generally survey my recent inquiries who didn't book about 1-2 times a year- or whenever I'm feeling like I need some fresh info and statistics to pour through.  After doing this for several years, I've found that I only hear back from 10-20% if I'm lucky.  You definitely get more information if you send this email closer to the time when you've confirmed the client hasn't booked you.  The further away from that point you send it- the less relevant the responses will be because the experience isn't fresh in the client's mind.

Sample Email:

Dear Jennifer,
Thank you so much for considering me for your wedding photography!  I hope you found an awesome photographer that you're thrilled to work with!  As someone who was interested in working with me, I really value your opinion and would love your feedback on a couple things:
1. What was the deciding factor in your photography decision?
2. How can I improve my website, products, or services to be more appealing?
3. Who's the awesome photographer you ended up booking for your wedding?
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond- I really care about serving my clients and want to make sure I'm giving them the best experience possible!
All the best,
Anne

Because that's written in my voice, which is happy, energetic, and fun - please edit it to fit your tone and branding so that it doesn't seem out of character for you. It would be really bad if they got emails from other photographers with the EXACT same wording- which will make them think there's something weird going on and just not respond. Again- please be prepared for people not to respond, or not to answer all of your questions- especially the last one. I always want to know who people are comparing me with so that I can better evaluate my marketing efforts AND so I can discover people I might be able to exchange leads with if we have a similar enough photo and business style. When a client responds, always follow up with a simple THANK YOU for giving their honest opinion and feedback. DO NOT try to explain anything or justify your side of things. JUST SAY THANK YOU and take their advice as a gift.

True story: after sending this email, I actually had a client cancel her discount photographer and book my regular package- so don't fear the feedback and always be gracious.  Feedback is one of the best ways to learn how to become better- so you must be willing to swallow your pride and open yourself up to feedback if you really want to improve and move forward in your creative business.  There is another way to get feedback and outside opinions during our Live Online Critique Sessions.  If you'd like to join a FREE live website critique session with the PhotoLovecat editors, sign up with the link below:

{CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR NEXT LIVE CRITIQUE ONLINE}

Anne Ruthmann is a lifestyle & wedding photographer from Boston, MA. She spent 10 years practicing marketing & management in corporate and non-profit businesses before pursuing her passion for photography as an independent small business. She loves helping others find creative and low-cost solutions to business problems. Follow her on Twitter to see her daily adventures and thoughts.

Thank You Notes: Ace in the Hole

When I was a child there was one thing my parents were very diligent about and it was sending out thank you cards for every gift I received. Much of the winter months of my youth (due to Christmas and birthday gifts) was spent evading this chore that I hated with a passion. As I grew up though, I began to understand why you send thank you notes and above that how nice they are to receive. I don't know about you, but when I get one in the mail - or even email - from a client, friend or relative it makes me smile and quite literally makes my day. Who wouldn't want to share that kind of love with their clients or potential clients?

Let me make this simple: send thank you cards or notes!

Since I grew up doing this from a young age, this has always been something that I've incorporated into my business from day one but I know that many of you are not. When I meet with a potential client, I send out a card if I have their address or an email if I do not. I let them know that I appreciate them considering me for their wedding and touch on anything that we spoke about during the meeting. When a client books, I send out a handwritten thank you card expressing how thankful I am for their business and state I am looking forward to their day. Finally the day of the wedding I always drop a card in their card box wishing them well and thanking them for letting me be a part of their day. The feedback that I get from these little notes is amazing. Clients just LOVE it and always say that no one else's photographers do that.

Thank you notes are not very time consuming and you don't need to have custom ones made. I've been able to find ones that go along with my branding at Target and Marshalls. Pick up a pack or two and start sending... and let me know what your feedback from it is!

Corey Ann is a wedding & lifestyle photographer from North Canton, OH. She is a mix of everything - fashionista (runs Clothes for Pros, clothing suggestions for photographers), travel guru, deal hound and geek rolled into one. She's had a website online since 1997 and a blog since 1999. When not plotting world domination or her next trip, she can be found reading one of the 100+ books she reads a year. Follow her on Twitter.