TIPS60 - Handling clients within your old and new paradigms

Here is another of our videos offering tips and inisights into the business of photography. a transcript of the video is included after the jump.

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TRANSCRIPT:Here a few thoughts about paradigms for old clients verses your new clientele that you might be dealing with. I'm John Harrington. In a situation where you're raising your rates, you're increasing how you charge for the work that you are providing, dealing with contracts in a different way, however you are changing your business model if it's a substantial change, all of your existing clients may actually not react very well to it. They may object to increased pricing or what have you. So the important thing to do as you're evolving in a new business model is to leave your existing clients in the old paradigm the all the way of doing business. That will help you pay your bills and continue to pay your bills. As you evolve into a new business model then your business model could be more expensive and your old clients may not understand. But, as the phone rings with new clients, providing them with your newer rate structure, you're more sustainable rate structure, is really the way to evolve from one business model to a better and newer business model.

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TIPS60 - The real value of accepting credit cards from your clients

Here is another of our videos offering tips and inisights into the business of photography. a transcript of the video is included after the jump.

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TRANSCRIPT:Here are a few thoughts on the value taking credit cards. I'm John Harrington. We take credit cards from our clients because it makes their lives easier. It also allows for us to do business with certain companies. Some government contracts require a triple bid process unless the charge is on a credit card. That insures that oftentimes we'll get a job because they don't have to bid it out because they're not putting out a purchase order and writing a check for it. Making us a payment with a credit card. Credit cards are also great because if you're dealing with say, a consumer client, consumers are more likely to actually make a larger purchase when they're using a credit card than they will if they have to write you a check, or in fact hand you cash. So the value of a credit card is not to be underestimated. You can get credit cards from your bank where you do business with for a nominal monthly fee, next to nothing. You can also get them from clubs like Sam's Club or Costco where they offer credit card services for small businesses.

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TIPS60 - Product Commentary - Eizo Monitors

Here is another of our videos offering tips and inisights into the business of photography. a transcript of the video is included after the jump.

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TRANSCRIPT:Eizo monitors are really the top of the line when it comes to monitors. Workflow, color calibration, having the widest gamut necessary. Now if you don't know what gamut is, gamut is basically how much information within an area of color that can be displayed. If you consider that the full spectrum of colors is one gamut. Nothing can actually replicate a full spectrum of colors. Instead, you want to look at something like an sRGB which has a very small spectrum of colors, Adobe 1998, another spectrum of colors. So by having an Eizo monitor, Eizo monitors are great because they have the widest gamut of any really commercially available monitor out there. It's going to give you the truest rendition of colors it's going to give you the broadest spectrum of colors for the images that a you're trying to display and view on your screen to make sure that the color is just right. So we strongly encourage you to consider Eizo monitors for that.

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TIPS60 - The importance of having general business insurance

Here is another of our videos offering tips and inisights into the business of photography. a transcript of the video is included after the jump.

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TRANSCRIPT:Here a few thoughts on the value of insurance. I'm John Harrington. In the business of photography and frankly, again, in any business that you're in, having insurance is a no brainer. You need it for your health, you need it for you to be able to drive around. You may not be required to have insurance for your business, but you really should be. If you talk to any lawyer, any accountant, they're going to tell you you have to have insurance. Insurance is a tax deductible expense. In many instances, you won't be able to rent equipment without insurance and if you're going into a commercial building or even a hotel they're going to require you to have what's called a certificate of insurance. That proves it if something goes wrong while you're working in that venue, in that building, that you'll have insurance to cover the accident. No one ever plans for an accident that's why they call them accidents and that's why you need insurance. So, I strongly encourage you to get insurance for your photography business.

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TIPS60 - When to walk away from a deal and identifying red flags

Here is another of our videos offering tips and inisights into the business of photography. a transcript of the video is included after the jump.

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TRANSCRIPT:Here a few thoughts on maybe when to walk away from a deal. I'm John Harrington. A lot of times, when you're dealing with clients who are initially overly difficult on the phone, who are nickel and diming you during the estimating process, who were calling and requesting a lot of hand holding, also for clients who are contacting you and saying, ""Hey, can you tell me how to do this?"" and give me all of your information without actually booking you, signing on the bottom line and so that you know that you're that photographer. There are a lot of red flags that get raised when you're talking to a prospective client about whether or not they're going to be difficult to work with. Some clients are just not the right clients for you and you need to walk away from them. Other clients you need to explain to them that there is a fee and there is a charge that is associated with all this additional services that we provided to you. Trying to explain to you what's necessary or walk you through things that are typically are handled on the client side of things. So there are red flags in just be comfortable walking away.

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