The Power Of An Image

Books are such a wonderful gift to the world. In a few short paragraphs, they can transform you to far off places, create settings from any place in time, and add detail to your imagination like no other source we know. When you want to disappear from reality for a few moments, the best place to go is into a nice hot tub full of bubbles with a few lit candles and a great book!

How can a few words on a page do that to you? How can they change your mood from sad to happy, and lift your spirits to make you ready to face the world again? It’s in the detail. It’s in the way those details fill your emotions. It’s in the way you perceive the world around you based on what has filled your mind within the last few minutes. Everything we do is for the experience. We do it for what it brings into our lives.

So we base our ideas and our perceptions solely on the experiences we have. Experience is everything. The way the rest of the world perceives us is through the experience they receive while they are with us. Imagine how you feel in different places. If you receive an experience above and beyond the expected, don’t you feel just a little more special? Don’t you recommend those places that go above and beyond the normal, and give you an experience that you never thought was possible?

What does it take to create that type of an image for your company? Here are three ways for moving your business forward.

1. Create a memorable first impression. Whether on the pages of your website, through the first contact with a powerful brochure, or a handshake at a local restaurant, first impressions have a definite effect on your future business.

Did you know a person forms an opinion of you within the first 15 seconds of meeting you? Or that a person makes a decision to read copy on your website or a brochure based on the headline alone?
If you were presenting to a potential client, you would never show up in jeans and a sweatshirt. Yet many people think nothing of printing up brochures on their home computer, and adding handwritten information as needed. Then they wonder why business isn’t as good as they had hoped. What people see the first time they make contact with your company is what they will carry inside for a long time to come.

2. Concentrate on the detail. Putting effort into the little things can have an instant impact on your business. From the thickness of your business cards, to the colors you use on your website, everything tells your customers how well you focus on your business.

Have you ever been to a clothing store that wraps your purchases in tissue paper before putting it into a color-coordinated bag? I love getting home and unwrapping my sweaters from the tissue paper. It just makes them seem a little more special. Yet there really isn’t a difference between them and the large department stores that simply drop the sweaters into a bag. It’s just my perception of the quality of their service. It’s the detail they choose to put in their presentation.

3. Follow through on everything you do. Have you ever been totally enthralled in a movie: you love the story line; the characters have captured your heart. And then, the ending comes to an abrupt halt? Don’t you somehow feel a little cheated?

Servicing your customers is the same way. You can create an incredible first impression, have a convincing sales presentation, have a wonderful product or service, but if you fall short in your delivery, you will lose all credibility with your customers.

Creating the experience always begins with the image you portray from beginning to end, throughout the life of your business. And the more magical it is, the more it will spread like wildfire through your community.

——-
Lori Osterberg has created three successful businesses in the past 10 years, and along the way discovered secrets of taking a local small business and turning it into a worldwide success. She now shares this passion with people all over the world, and writes and mentors on using technology to grow your business – and stay small at the same time! Receive her FREE ezine at www.VisionOfSuccess.com.

It’s The Experience

Have you ever compared your studio to another business? Usually, we as photographers compare ourselves with other photographers. How can we be like the big guys? How can we be different from the studio down the street? But have you ever compared your studio to other businesses? How about your favorite department store? Or what about the local home builder? What about Disney?

Any business that is vying for your customer’s dollar should be considered as a competitor. If your customer puts off having their portrait taken so that they can vacation at Disney World, Disney just became your competitor. How many times have your wedding orders dwindled because the bills start rolling in, and your customers began looking at other products that need their attention: new homes, blinds for the home, furniture, etc. When you begin looking at business from this approach, you begin seeing your marketing campaign in a whole new light. You aren’t just trying to capture business from other local studios, you are trying to create a style and product that will make your customers want to purchase your product over any of the other hundreds of opportunities that come their way ever day.

The first thing we need to do is capture our customers attention, have them want and desire our products, and be willing to pay what we want and expect them to pay. The key is to provide your customers with something no one else can provide. They come to you for the experience. The little touches. People look for things that make them special. They want customer service. They want individuality. In order to capture your customers’ attention, you must find a creative way of appealing to their senses – touch them in a way no one else has. New clients may be impressed with how much thoughtfulness you put into your brochures. Established clients may be impressed with how well you know their family – what type of portraiture they desire, and offer specials geared especially for them. Possibly by knowing them and their family members by name. Sending them birthday or anniversary cards. Send a bouquet of flowers as a thank you. The key is to make your customer feel special.

Now that we have our customers’ attention, we need to plan, design and market our product in such a way that we will create desire. Simplicity is the number one service you can provide. Make your studio relaxing. People enjoy “getting away from it all”. They like travel. They love health spas. The last thing they want is more stress. Provide simplistic products for purchase. Instead of having pricing sheets in the form of a Chinese menu, simplify and offer products as a whole – do you really need to list prices for the photograph, retouching, canvas mount, and spraying. You decide on the top quality product you want leaving your studio, the product you want representing all you have to offer. Then provide an appropriate price. Every product should be at its best – you should not offer a way of upgrading the quality. Your customer shouldn’t have to ask for an improvement in the quality of the product you produce for them, or they will begin to question the quality of the product itself.

Marketing your services is the most difficult part of business. Setting yourself apart not only from other studios, but from other non-competing companies is quite a challenge. If a woman is purchasing a gift for Mother’s Day for her mother, you need to create a desire for her to select portraiture above all the other gifts she could choose. The easiest way is to play on emotions. Portraiture is an art form. It is a memory maker. Above all it is a form of expression. Sell this expression in your marketing techniques. Whatever makes your studio unique, create an expression that will communicate this feeling to your perspective customers. Then let your customers see and feel your style over and over again.

Keeping in touch with your customer is just as important as providing a quality product. Stay visible in your customer’s eye. If they hear about you in different ways, they will remember you when they are asked for a referral. Newsletters are a great way of staying in touch. They don’t have to be fancy. Newsletters can be fun and informative without having a lot of writing and offers. Again, simplicity and consistency are key. If you are sending a quarterly newsletter, make sure you get it into the mail at the same time every quarter. Create themes. Logos and slogans should always appear in the same position every newsletter. Try adding columns, and continue the column every quarter. Also, vary who you send your newsletter to. Newsletters should continually be mailed to your client database, but also consider mailing them to vendors you do business with. Try writing specialty columns that offer advice for different clients and vendors. This can be a great way of expanding your business into areas you never even considered!

Finally, we need to sum up all of our sales and marketing techniques, and create a pricing structure that we are comfortable with. If you’re not comfortable with it, you can’t use it effectively to sell to your customers. You have to believe in it. You have to feel it’s a fair value. You’re customers will see if you are not comfortable with what you are presenting. If your customer is buying on emotion, she won’t focus on price. After all, she’s investing in a memory, not a product.

Simplicity. Consistency. Your customer will be looking for you to provide them both when choosing you as their photographer. Show them what you offer, not only in what you present, but also how you present it. Make your environment stress free. If they believe in you, they will be back. And, they will bring their friends!

——-
Lori Osterberg has been marketing online since 1995. Her popular online newsletter is read weekly by small business owners from around the world. To subscribe visit
http://www.VisionOfSuccess.com