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Archives for June 2012

The Power of No

June 24, 2012 By admin

The Power of No

[by Todd Joyce]

Yeah right. I want that job! Who can say no in this economy? If that’s your negotiating position, I’m here to tell you – that’s not negotiating. It’s begging. Have you every been pulled over for speeding and tried to negotiate your way out of a ticket? Nope, it’s called begging. And that’s all you can do. You have nothing to offer the officer to negotiate with him or her to get out of it. Plead and beg all you want. Try logic. I even hear that crying works for some. But in the end, it’s the officer’s decision and you have to take that ticket if they give it to you. You have no choice.

Negotiating is a discussion of terms of exchanging valuable goods. Power in a negotiation is having something the other party needs. The more they need it, the more value it has to them and the more you can get for it. They likely have money that you want. And if you really need it, then you’re willing to give them more for it. If you have what they need, then they will be willing to give you more for it too. What you can do for them has value. View it that way. Work to exchange things of value in the discussion. Rushing to meet their timing has value. Granting certain rights has value. Delivering quality has value and so does your unique vision of communicating their message. Even their confidence in you being able to achieve their vision has value. Recognize your value. You have the ability to ask for something of value in exchange and you have the right to take what they offer or say no. They also have that right. And, if you are not willing to say no, then you’ll get what they decide, just like getting a ticket. You have no choice.

via The Power of No at Strictly Business.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Photographer Blog

Negotiation Starts with Value

June 24, 2012 By admin

[by Charles Gupton]

The most important element in any negotiation process is defining the value of what is being exchanged. Without a clear understanding of what you have to offer and its value to the person you’re communicating with, the negotiation process will quickly become frustrating.

The challenge for many commercial artists/photographers is that they are artists first while the “commercial” aspect unfortunately takes the back seat. The mindset of many artists is that it’s acceptable to be under compensated for their work, hence the description “starving artist.” And what you do is an extension of what you believe.

If you are struggling with the negotiation process, take a look at these two aspects— the value of what you offer and your relationship with money — and think about where you stand. In her book, “Overcoming Underearning,” Barbara Stanny writes: “Psychology is to money what an engine is to a car. Whenever you’re stalled, that’s the first place to look.”

Although “looking under the hood” may be disorienting and the last thing you want to do with your time, negotiation is simply a process of exchanging beliefs about value.

You can’t transfer a belief you don’t have.

via Negotiation Starts with Value at Strictly Business.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Photographer Blog

Negotiating is a Full-Time Job

June 24, 2012 By admin

Negotiating is a Full-Time Job

[by Barry Schwartz]

If you’re in business for yourself, you’re negotiating even when you only appear to be pushing paper around.

For instance: proposals and contracts. You have a potential client with whom you have discussed – at length – all the particulars of a job.

As you write the proposal, what you say, where you say it, and how you say it might make all the difference between a document that remains a proposal and one that turns into a contract.

If you sound like the most important part of your job is to take care of your client before yourself, well, honestly, isn’t that nice? Who wouldn’t want to work with that person?

If the proposal sounds more like you’re the client’s partner and less like a sub-contractor, well, anyone would rather hang around a partner than a contractor.

On the other hand, if the first page of your proposal is filled to the brim with restrictions, warnings, and threats of legal action; and if the client is on the fence about giving you the job; and if the client has had a bad day; and if the client is looking for an out because they think their life is hard enough already, well, that client might read that bleak document representing all your work, hopes, and dreams for a decent payday and throw it away.

There are several ways to help avoid this potentiality.

You could take all those threats and warnings on the first page and put them on the second page in your Terms & Conditions.

You could make the language on the first page sound like ordinary English, indicating to the client you don’t spend all your time with a lawyer whispering in your ear. At least on the first page.

You can make your “deliverables” clear and understandable (see above), such as how many images you’re providing, what kind of file, resolution, and color-space; when they might expect to see selects; what the charges are for post-production, assistants, and so on. Let them know what it takes to get the job done.

You can design your proposals to be easy on the eye (you are a professional visual artist, after all).

Proposals and contracts are a representation of who you are as a professional and a creative and they’re a sales tool. So grab your keyboard and start negotiating.

via Negotiating is a Full-Time Job at Strictly Business.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Photographer Blog

Ask About the Budget? Always!

June 24, 2012 By admin

[by Blake Discher]

Photographers sometimes call me for pricing advice when they get a project that is a bit outside of their normal type of work. I’ll always ask them, “Did you ask your client what her budget is?” And they sometimes say, “I didn’t, that question never yields an answer.”

Never? I doubt it; and I ask the question every time. But it’s true, in my experience, about 80-percent of the time, the client will tell you they haven’t set one. (I’m betting they have, but they’re just not sharing at the moment!)

So here’s what I’ll do. I continue talking about my value, that is, what it is that I’ll “bring to the job” that my competitors may not. (That’s my differentiation by the way.) I ask open-ended questions, ones that end in who, what, when, where, and how. These answers get you information you need to help you determine what her budget might be.

And then, later in the conversation, I’ll ask this question: “You know, this sort of job is exactly the type of work I do all the time and I’m confident I would produce images that would be perfect for your brochure. Tell me, where do I need to be in order to work with you?”

Now your chances of getting a number from the client are much improved. Why? Because you’re further along in the conversation; your potential client is getting to know you a bit better, becoming more familiar with you and your value, and beginning to trust you more. At this point, if she wants to work with you it’s very likely she’ll tip her hand and offer you a number.

A key component of selling is relationship building. People work with people they like. Be friendly, answer questions, and offer solutions. Let the client know you’re on their team that and you are the right photographer for the job. Asking about the budget can stop you from leaving money on the “negotiating table.” There have been times when the client’s budget exceeded what I originally thought I should charge. Good luck!

via Ask About the Budget? Always! at Strictly Business.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Photographer Blog Tagged With: brochure, budget, conversation, experience, pricing, produce images, project, quotes, value

Video is Not a Market

June 24, 2012 By admin

Video is Not a Market

[by Gail Mooney]

I talk to a lot of photographers who seem to be confused right now. The ones who are just starting out are wondering if this career will sustain them and the ones who have been in business for a long time are wondering if they have to learn everything (video) all over again to stay in business. Some know they need to do something – they just don’t know what it is.

Many are looking to video for the answers. Some photographers’ existing clients are asking for video. They witness the public’s hunger for motion content to watch on their iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices and they realize they have a need for video. Video is in demand. A lot of photographers think they need to become “videographers” and go after that “market”. But video isn’t really a market at all. It’s a medium that has sound and motion, and is used – just as we do with still images – to communicate; to tell a story or deliver a message.

Still photographers are accustomed to defining themselves by what they shoot or the “markets” they work in – architecture, food, sports, weddings and so forth. They see these niches as separate markets. The increased demand for video is pervasive and in all these markets and our clients have needs for motion content. With the convergence of our “tools” (cameras), it makes perfect sense for still photographers to add video to the services their businesses offer.

What seems to confuse photographers as they contemplate video, is that they think they will have to abandon still photography and compete in the already glutted arena of video production. They equate video production with creating broadcast spots for advertising agencies or TV shows and films for Hollywood. That’s great work, if you can get it, but those business models have also changed and that is not where the new opportunities are. That world is changing too. As the Internet and TV continue to converge, online programs get broadcast and indie filmmakers with Canon 5D Mark II’s are making movies. To embrace video doesn’t mean that a still photographer has to abandon still photography – it just means that they need to stop defining themselves by their tools..

Opportunities are in “new media,” which is essentially anything digital or displayed digitally. It could be still images, audio, video, graphics or anything that makes up a digital creation and is delivered digitally. We, as “creators,” are living at a time where we can use the new tools that technology gives us, to not only create with, but to deliver our message globally. Video is not a market at all. It’s just another ingredient in the mix of how we communicate in today’s world.

via Video is Not a Market at Strictly Business.

Filed Under: Las Vegas Photographer Blog Tagged With: advertising, agencies, business, digital video, film, market, motion, photographers, still, video, video production, videographers

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