You Lost Me With The Ramble

Hey Peeps,

I ramble.

Yes, I do.

You know it and I know it.  I can't help it - sometimes.

Trying to get out all the information to each other, be it family, friends or clients is not always the best way to get your message across.

Something gets lost in the process, it's what's called:  their attention.

You lose their interest and eventually become a sound machine where nothing is retained in the mind of your audience.

Sure, some people need more than a simple, rounded message.  But if they need more info, they will tend to ask for it.

Otherwise, don't waste your breath and their time.

So next time you have an idea for a promotion, or a meeting or whatever, take ALL your minutiae and condense it down into the blocks of specific - yet simplified, messages that you are trying to get across.

Keep it Simple - Keep it Specific.

I think I've heard that somewhere before, and it's a good idea to remember it from time to time.

Cheers,

Michael Carty

Michael Carty Website
Michael Carty Email

NO I DON'T: Getting Things Done By Not Doing What Doesn't

Hey Peeps,

I hate wasting time.  You do too.  

I won't even ask - it's pretty much a given.

If you're going to say,"Hey Mike, I love wasting time."  Well you're an idiot and we should devour your lifeforce to distribute amongst the rest of us.

Moving away from the darkside now.

I know you find that when working on something important, work, play, crosswords, nuclear reactor in your basement, etc, other things tend to come up.

Distractions and interruptions.

Your spouse, kids, favorite TV show, best friend, mother, in-laws, siblings, boss, employees - I could do this all day.

But what about the least obvious and yet most insidious things of all?

The thing you are trying to work on.

I'm as serious as a heart attack here, but let me state that this is mostly found during work.

We all try to get as much going on as we can being business owners - and if you are an independently, starving photographer, well you are a business owner believe it or not.

This overwhelms and most times burns us out.

Which sucks.

If we are done in, we can't work.  Which is what this is all about right?

So what should you not do?

Let's answer that with a story:

I had a call from my mother yesterday to donate something in a silent auction for a community group she is a part of.

She wanted a few photos, but what does that get me?  Nothing.  No new clients, no income, nada.

Someone would bid and win the images and put them somewhere on a wall or in a basement or give them as gifts to someone else who would put them on a wall or in a basement, etc, etc, etc

So I decided to give away a portrait sitting instead.

This gives the winning bidder incentive to come into my studio, meet me, discus photo options, print sales, CD/DVD purchases, creating a walking, talking billboard telling their friends about my business while still making me money.

Good idea right?

When I started to explain some of the in's-and-out's of connecting and product ordering with her, she found some things restrictive to more elderly and/or less web educated clients,"You have to cater to everybody right?"

My flat out response,"No, I don't."

That's the thing, I don't want to cater to everyone.

I don't want to treat every person like they are my ideal client.

I want to treat my ideal client as my ideal client.

I don't - and you don't - need to make everyone on the planet a paying client.  That would be insane.  But if you focus on your ideal client, and what they are about, you can make all of your clients your ideal client.

So no, I will not have a million ways of contacting me(email, phone, carrier pigeon, locomotive, etc), instead I have the ones that serve me and my ideal clients.  

Just like I will not have a million different products to sell my clients - how could you keep them all in your head and still come across with the confidence of knowing what you are talking about?

I find my ideal client, I learn what they are about - everything.  I cater to that.  Everything else that I do is for  my own creative expression.  

And everything after that is garbage.

I won't do it.

It is a waste of time, energy and happiness that could better be used on things that matter.

What do you do "for" your business that is actually taking away from your forward motion?

Tell me and I will let my favorite story-teller guest post on this blog!

Cheers!

Michael Carty

Michael Carty Photography Website

Michael Carty Email

Affiliates Edition 1: Students

Hey Peeps,

I've written about affiliates before and how crucial I believe they are to today's business - whatever that may be.  But I want to go more in depth to specific groups that photographers can work with, how to work with them and what benefits arise for both parties because of such a relationship.

There are a few schools in my area and the other week I decided to select the one I graduated from(am I biased? meh, it was closest) and I had about an hour or so to speak with students working in a multimedia class of sorts, and we discussed the industry as a whole, from music to video and still imagery.

It was interesting to see how involved certain students were to their own personal crafts, the passion was almost tangible and it gave me a little jolt of excitement towards my love of photography.  We discussed the lack of a photography or multimedia club in the school, of which the idea got a resounding,"That would be awesome..."

I stated that there is nothing to stop any of those students from starting a multimedia club if they wanted to, which received a long moment of silence - I assume they had either never thought of that or they were a little apprehensive about starting a club on their own.

So now I am in talks to help with the starting of a multimedia club - now this may sound like an unattractive action to a lot of you,"Aren't you busy Mike?  Don't you have a business to run?  A wife and son at home?  When can you find the time?  Don't you have to make money?"

Answer to all: YES.

I AM busy.

I DO have a business to run.

I DO have a wife and son at home.

I DON'T know when I will find the time(I will cover this in a second).

I DO have to make money.

Let's remember, this is an affiliate relationship right?  So both sides get something out of it.

Let me elaborate on my answers from above.

I AM busy, with paperwork, edits, shoots, family, accounting, blogs, "me" time, etc - but I CAN schedule certain times of certain days to touch base with the club - remember, I am NOT the leader, founder or president.

Those positions are for the students.

My position is more that of a mentor, associate or councillor.  I have no set hours of work set in stone with this group, but I AM available as a resource.

I think that covered all the questions except for the money one and the resource part answers that.

I can offer advice, experience and knowledge.  All of which is practically free for these students.  I also offer rental of my studio for academic and personal projects for a fee. 

This creates an income stream that didn't exist before and increases visibility to my studio/business,

I'm going to be looking for some interns for some projects this year and this gives me a chance to get to know prospective students that could fit the bill, giving them hands on experience and co-op hours, decreasing my own workload and helping to increase my revenues.

Can you say WIN-WIN-WIN?

An affiliate relationship, no matter with students, businesses, other "competitors" or whatever, need to be treated as a symbiotic relationship.  Give and take.

Most of the time it costs you little or no time or money to make and keep them, but it grows your potential, your resources, your abilities, your support and your revenues by leaps and bounds.

So while things are building up at this first school, I'm starting to look at the next one.  Why not right?

Let me know what you think of education affiliations, does my approach make sense?  Are there other opportunities to utilize these relationships that you can think of?

I want to hear YOUR THOUGHTS!!  So send them!

And let me know which affiliate you want to learn about next!!

Laters,

Michael Carty
Michael Carty Photography
Michael Carty Email