Get the Goods: Last chance to get audio of marketing summit

Sarah Petty assures me that today is the LAST CHANCE to purchase the Master Photographers' Marketing Series Telesummit 16 hour recording and pdf outlines. After midnight tonight (central time October 2nd), this event will be gone.

I just got mine, and I can't wait to listen to all of it!

For just $99 you'll learn:
The dos and don't of social marketing and what not to waste your time on
How to run a successful event from soup to nuts
How to avoid the 4 marketing disconnects that result in business failure
The single relationship builder you can't afford not to do
The one product that will make or break your studio

Buy it now and you'll immediately get a link to a download of an audio mp3 of all 16 hours of the recording.

And don't forget, the telesummit speaker specials also expire after midnight central tonight. So if you're in need of templates, brushes, props, actions, education and more, you can't beat these specials. And you can't buy them at these prices anywhere else!

Could you use $200? Sarah wants to hear what everybody thought about the Telesummit. Just answer this quick survey and you can win a $200 American Express gift card.

Get the Job Done: Finally a sale from Heidi's Exhibit!

Yesterday I made my first sale from the Heidi's exhibit! Several of my photos have been on display at a downtown Denver Heidi's Deli since August. Marty, the store owner, requested I hang landscape photos to get some exposure for my business. Oddly enough though, the only sale I've made is of the portrait shown above, "Teri's Rose." Guess that goes to show that my portrait specialization is what I should stick with. :)

Thank you Lolly for making my first official sale at the deli. Lolly works at the deli. When her husband came into the deli, he immediately fell in love with the image. He told Lolly that if she got him anything for Christmas, it HAD to be that print! Lolly purchased it and plans to get it framed for their anniversary. Some might argue that one sale in five months is hardly something to be celebrated, but I disagree.

I was grinning from ear to ear! A part of me still can't believe that someone would want to buy something I have photographed, especially when the economy is tight. I felt honored. And I noticed that nearly all of my business cards have disappeared, which means I may have potential clients call me later when they need photographic services. Lolly told me that she makes sure to tell all of the customers who pick up my card that I specialize in portraits. I even went down to the deli for lunch one day and saw a customer reading over my postcard while she was eating. With so many other photographers vying for customers in the Denver metro area (and believe me, there are hundreds), any positive exposure you can get gives you just that much of a leg up.

I've been thinking that I want to liven up the display by changing out the images with new Denver-centric landscapes I've taken since August. Participating in all of these group shoots has given me the chance to add some great new photos, including this lovely night shot of the Denver Art Museum.



My instructor and colleague Armando Martinez suggested, though, that if I want to let customers know I specialize in portraits, then I should be hanging up portraits in the deli. I will talk to Marty to see if he's interested in that.

SPECIAL BACK-TO-SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAIT DISCOUNT

School is back in session, and to celebrate the new year, Picture Your World Photography is offering a special discount throughout the month of August!



If you refer one person who books a photo session with me, I will give you a $25 package discount or free additional prints. I shoot in studio or on location. Book me today, as most senior portraits are due to the school by mid September and available dates are filling up fast! Contact me at shebawheeler@picture-yourworld.com.

Get the Goods: Now Accepting Credit Cards

Picture Your World Photography is now set up to accept credit card payments via PayPal. Colleague Dave Scott recommended his blog readers to follow this business practice, adding that doing so himself increased his sales by 21 percent for shooting specific services, namely portraits.

According to Merchance Made Easy, accepting credit cards may increase sales by as much as 50 percent or more. Credit card users spend nearly 3 times as much as cash customers, and credit card users are less concerned with comparison shopping than cash or check customers. Customers also prefer merchants who accept credit card and ATM card payments.

As a consumer myself, I personally appreciate it when I can pay for a purchase using my credit or debit card because I rarely keep cash on me. I thought my customers would like the same convenience, so I took Dave's advice and opened a Paypal, "PayFlow" Account. My bank serves as my merchant account services while Paypal acts as my gateway for accepting payments. I paid a one time set-up fee for both Paypal and my bank, and I also have minimal monthly service and transactions fees. My Virtual Terminal application is pending to also be able to accept a client's credit card information securely via your web browser and get a transaction number and confirmation code right away.

It's not enough to accept credit cards. Dave suggests going one step further by letting your clients know to with key phrases such as "We Accept Credit Cards" in your graphics, logos, email signatures and newsletters. "Remember, accepting credit cards is all about making it easier for more clients to spend more money which leads to an increase in your bottom line," Dave explained.

Get the Goods: Buy One Print/Get One Half Off at Wolf Camera

My buddies over at the Aurora Wolf Camera store tipped me off about a great deal they are offering this month: buy one 11x14 (retail price $12.95) and get half off a second one. This is definitely an opportunity to stock up on images because an 11x14 is a great size for gallery and personal prints.

I have to give props to the Wolf Camera in Aurora where the manager there, Jeff, helped me print the fabulous artistic nude shot that was purchased at the exhibit Friday night. I do all of my personal printing with Wolf Camera. Two years ago, all the stores started printing with Epson's Pro 7800, and the results are fantastic! Everytime someone asks me where I get my things printed, they seem shocked when I tell them "at Wolf Camera." They guarantee same day prints (and usually within the hour as long as they aren't backed up already).

The personal service I received the day my exhibit prints were due was phenomenal. Not only did the staff check out my pics and give me encouraging remarks, but they reprinted all of them (that's four 20x30 size prints that cost $29.95 each) immediately without a contrary word when it was brought to their attention that a printer error was leaving some strange lines on my images. Some basic maintenance fixed the problem, and I got some outstanding prints. I bought frames there as well, and staff helped me frame my prints. Jeff was also very instrumental in helping me nail down a working knowledge of "aspect ratio" so I could get the best print available.

So thanks Jeff, and his staff at the Aurora Wolf Camera store on Havana, for the personal treatment. You guys helped me secure my first gallery sale, so the honor is just as much yours as mine! If you are nearby, check 'em out:

Wolf Camera & Video
1802 S Havana St
Aurora, CO 80012
Phone: (303) 696-9700

Breaking News: First Exhibit Sale!

One of my photos sold Friday night at the exhibit showing! The lovely photo above was purchased for $150 by local successful artist Skye Mason. It was also selected as third place "Best of Show" for the Arts on 7th studio showing.

Having someone buy one of my photos is an honor in its on right. But to have an accomplished photographer and painter like Skye be interested in my work is fantastic! Skye has had the privelege of shooting legends including Grace Jones, Tony Bennett, Charlie Pride, Roy Clark, Tommy Lasorda, Mickey Mantle, Indigo Girls, Kansas, Roman Gabriel and Arthur Ashe.

Congratulations also to the other four photographers who sold prints as well!

BREAKING NEWS: More online print sales!

I just made my first $200 in online print sales from my last big event! Last week, I blogged about being confused and discouraged because few people who attended the annual National Black Skiers mini-summit had purchased photos I took during the week-long event held in Breckenridge. But business is now booming! Here an image one client purchased featuring his unfortunate wipe-out during a ski race:

I've sold 22 of my images, and I should be getting my first pay check sent to me by SmugMug, which hosts my business website and prints and delivers my photos to clients. It's interesting to note that clients have purchased only 5x7's and 8x10s, and more than half of the sales were from digital downloads. Clients I contacted said they appreciated having immediate access to the downloads and were able to easily place the images on their own websites or MySpace pages. Many of my images were also purchased by vendors who were performing during the NBS event, so I will need to take them into account during future events. Several images I took of stilt walker and giant puppeteer Bill "Stretch" Coleman, who performed during the event's opening ceremonies, can be seen on his company website and in this image from my portfolio:

I think all of this information will be helpful when it comes to figuring out what to charge for my services and where I'm most likely to get the biggest return for my efforts. If I can snag this event again next year, one thing I may want to consider to help increase sales is hiring some assistants for these events so I have the manpower to edit photos on the scene and have prints ready to purchase the very next day. I was also able to convince the NBS's newsletter editor to include an ad in her upcoming issue giving members links to my photo galleries online. I traded the free advertising for some free prints she will use in her newsletter, but I'm convinced the added exposure will net me more sales to come.