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Brand Building Your Photography Business

On Monday, we had the pleasure of meeting 250 or so awesome photographers / small business owners at Skip’s Summer School in Las Vegas. Many in the audience were beginners, just getting their start and even holding down a full time job will following their passion after hours. I have to give them a hand, as several really impressed us with their dedication to their logo and brand building not to mention that they made a choice to invest in education early on!

What Are You Doing To Keep Loyal Clients?

Anyone who travels frequently knows the benefits of being in the various airline, hotel and rental car ‘rewards’ programs. And while sometimes it takes many stays to reap the bigger benefits of these programs, there is a lot small business owners following the boutique business model can learn from these programs.

A plea to help Jed and Vicki Taufer

Many in our community know Jed and Vicki Taufer, leaders in the photographic industry and their 2.5 year plight to adopt a one year old baby girl from Nepal, Purnima.

Jed and Vicki have spent the last week in Nepal getting to know their beautiful baby girl, holding her each day and bonding so as to ease her transition to her new home and family in Morton, Illinois.

Summer School For Your Photography Business

We were so excited when Skip Cohen asked Sarah to fill in for Vicki Taufer at his Summer School for Photographers. We trekked to the desert otherwise known as Las Vegas and joined an ubercool line up of some of the best photographers like Kevin Kubota, Tony Corbell, Scott Bourne, Jasmine Star, Kay Eskridge, Dane Sanders, Yervant, and more. And even better, we got to squeeze in some time to hang out with our friends from WHCC, Mike, Michele and Chris.

Sometimes Saying No is the Best Way to Ensure Future Business

This week, my husband and I experienced the epitome of poor customer service. The silver lining is a great story to help our community of small business owners.

Here’s the deal. We had been scheduled to close on a property for 4 weeks and found out the morning of the scheduled closing (via email) that there was an issue with the underwriter. Don’t even get me started on being notified via email, but I don’t want to bore you with the details.

How To Optimize Your Marketing Budget

In yesterday’s blog post, I shared my experience with a small business owner’s attempt to start a relationship with me by inviting me to a luncheon seminar. After reviewing 5 ways this small business owner wasted her marketing budget, I promised to share today a few things she could have done differently to prospect for new clients.

5 Sure Fire Ways to Waste Your Marketing Budget

Last week I received a hand-written envelope the size of an invitation. There was no return address, but I can be curious. So I opened it. Inside I found one of the worst marketing pieces for a small business owner I’ve ever come across. Rather than just toss it, I thought I’d shared with you. Here are 5 sure fire ways to waste your valuable marketing budget, just like this business owner.

Are you a savvy marketer?

I received an email from a friend, Ann Monteith, today. If you want to follow a smart thinker and savvy marketer, you can read her blog here: www.annmonteithmeansbusiness.com.

Free marketing education at noon CST today

At Photography Business Institute, one of our goals is to constantly help small business owners. Because I also own a boutique photography studio, I GET how hard it is to contstantly keep the phone ringing. I travel and speak several times a year and when I come back, I have to make sure my studio is still meeting goals.

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5 Tips to Help You Master Boutique Selling

The difference between your sales process and the sales process of discounters is night and day. You’re not closing the sale by adding pressure. You’re not negotiating. You close every sale the opposite way. You close sales by doing so many things to please the client...

Joy of Marketing Wins “Hot One” Award!

I smiled when I opened my email two weeks ago from Professional Photographers Magazine, letting me know our website had one the “hot one” award. Each year the Hot One awards the best products and resources out on the market for photographers. A panel of judges, who...

How Videos Can Build Your Brand

Last week I traveled to Nebraska to speak to some awesome people about the power of branding. Before I left for the trip I drove up to Chicago to find the perfect outfit! I wanted a special, unique piece that no one else had. So I did a little research and found two...

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