- An exceptional photography business.
Is that something you'd like to have,
a business that people feel fiercely loyal towards,
a business that's hard to compare to others?
In today's video I'm going to talk
about the difference between a good photography business
and an exceptional one, and it's the simplest thing.
(electronic music)
Now, I want to warn you that this video is not for everyone.
If you prefer quick tips,
then you might want to skip this one,
but if, like me, you love a story
that gets you thinking, then please do stick around.
It will be worth it.
So I recently left the accountants
that I've been with for five years
and I moved to a new firm.
Switching accountants is just not
like switching hair salons, where
you simply stop going to one and start with another.
It's a process, and when life is busy,
that process could easily put you off making the switch.
It's just simpler to stay put, isn't it?
Especially when there's nothing actually wrong.
And nothing was wrong with my old accountants.
They did everything that they were supposed
to do and they did it well.
They also charged me a really reasonable amount.
So why move?
Why bother with the hassle of switching,
and where's my loyalty to this business
that has been serving me really quite well for five years?
But that's exactly the problem.
I didn't feel any loyalty.
None.
I couldn't even really tell you what they looked like.
I only ever heard from them when
they were chasing me up for a signature
or trying to sell me tax inspection insurance.
I had no relationship with them at all.
Now, you could say that's great.
That means that they had everything
in order and they didn't need to bother me.
They were efficient.
Now, you could also say that I wasn't
really a big client for them because I definitely wasn't.
So why would they bother building a relationship
with me and my business?
But that is so incredibly shortsighted
because I was looking for more
and I was willing to pay more for it.
And I'm also the kind of client who will tell
everyone and anyone about a business that I love.
But let's shift this story to the coworking space
that I work in for a minute.
My friend, Caroline, works at the desk next
to me, and there she is this day,
on a Skype call with her accountant.
They are chatting like old friends
before Caroline then gets the answers
to some questions that she has.
As soon as the call's over, I mention
to her that it sounds like she has a good relationship
with this accountant.
She then openly gushes about how great they are.
She's on first-name terms with everyone in the office.
She tells me nothing is too much trouble.
But not only that, she now understands
her numbers in a way that she never did before
because they take the time to involve her and educate her.
It's really clear to me that she's
like a friend to this business as well as a client.
She feels like she matters.
So that same day I set up a meeting
with Caroline's accountant.
Now, notice I've not said that
this new accountant is more skilled
than my old accountant, because
who am I to say if that's the case?
I know nothing about accounting.
But what I do know is how they made
me feel from the moment I got in touch.
I felt like I mattered to them.
And surely the accountant who can do the
best job for me is the one who takes the time
to get to know me and my business
on a deeper level and actually cares about my success.
Among our most basic needs, as humans,
is the need for connection and the need to feel significant.
So let me ask you something?.
Is your photography business similar to my old accountant?
So you're doing a good job for clients
who come along and you're treating them well,
but when the job's done, the job's done, right?
You have enough people in you're life.
Or are you like my new accountant?
Are you making people feel like
they really matter to you, not just during the work
that you do for them, but before
they even decide to work with you,
and for a long time afterwards?
Can you even call some of these people your friend now?
Now, to be clear, I am not just talking about clients.
What about other business people
in your area, people you could have a great partnership
with and who could help you grow?
Are you taking the time to connect
with them, get to know them, and serve them?
The secret to growing an exceptional
photography business isn't a secret at all.
It's timeless and it's easy, and with it,
you will grow steadily, year on year.
You simply have to care deeply
about the people you enjoy working with,
and then show them how much they matter to you.
Build a relationship with them
and connect with them regularly in meaningful ways.
When you do this, you will have a marketing team
of past clients and partners who
never stop recommending you, and they come
back to work with you time and time again.
Now, of course you need to find
these people in the first place.
That's why I've created a ton of content
on how to make people aware of
your business, and then get them interested.
But once you do find them, if you're
not treating that like the start
of a long and beautiful relationship,
then you will forever be stuck
in that heavy going marketing phase,
always trying to find new people
to market to, and then convincing
them that you are worth working with.
Over time, a photography business focused
on relationships and connection will be able
to do less and less of that because
they've created a marketing machine
that is a thousand times more powerful,
and that is happy and fiercely loyal clients and partners.
You might think that doing a good job
for someone should be enough to foster
this fierce loyalty to your brand, but you're wrong.
Without the connection to your brand,
that customer will have no problem switching loyalty
to a competitor who also does a good job, but costs less.
I had a wedding photographer say to me
that this doesn't apply to him.
He said, "I only do weddings, and people
"generally only get married once,
"so what's the point in staying connected to them?"
He just didn't get it, and he probably never will,
because part of making this work is
actually wanting to do it, not just doing
it for the potential profit, but doing it
because you actually want to keep good people in your life.
The profit then comes by default,
but not right away, and that's the problem, isn't it?
We're all looking for a fast track
to success, and if something doesn't work
straightaway, we give up and move on.
But it's those with the patience
to wait for the amazing results
that come from this kind of connection
who are running the best businesses.
Jerry Maguire got it so right when
he decided that chasing relationships was
much more important than chasing profits.
But as you know from the film,
there's no shortcut when you take this route.
There's no get-rich-quick strategy or golden billet.
It simply takes time.
So are you in this for the foreseeable future?
Do you want to build an exceptional business
that grows steadily over time?
If so, there's nothing better that
you can invest your time and energy
into than your relationships with good people,
and this is something that both extroverts
and introverts can do beautifully.
So be helpful towards, and be genuinely interested in,
potential clients and partners,
even before they're thinking about working with you.
Touch base with people that you like
in a personal way and in an authentic way.
Take the time to learn about and remember
their lives and their families.
Send them Christmas cards, or anniversary cards
if they're wedding clients.
Involve them in the future of your business
by asking them for feedback on new ideas.
Connect them to each other by making introductions.
If they can help each other, bring them together.
Keep up with them and engage meaningfully
with them on social media.
Surprise them with inner-circle offers
and event invitations.
Send them emails that you know
they're going to be interested in,
and do all of this without expecting
anything in return, because it will just come.
Now, I totally get that this is not for everyone.
You might hear it and shudder, and that's okay.
You can run a successful photography business
without making connection a priority,
but an exceptional photography business,
that's always going to be out with your reach.
Because the difference between good
and exceptional is just this:
It's how you make people feel before,
during, and after working with you.
But if this does resonate with you,
I would love you to check
out the Togs in Business membership,
because honestly, we are your kind of people.
(electronic music)