INTRODUCTION CONGRATULATIONS! Immersing yourself in Success Month is a fantastic decision. I m delighted to be able to guide you through it and I can t wait to hear about what happens to you and your business after it! This is for both established business owners and new business owners. The videos are the main element of this course and it s pretty essential that you watch them as you work through this. The workbook on its own won t be quite so effective. I designed Success Month so that you can achieve absolute clarity about your business and how you can take it forward. Having this clarity will ensure you enjoy a long and prosperous career in professional photography. Are you ready? Before you dig in, here are the keys to success with Success Month: 1. Make appointments with yourself in your calendar What s in the calendar tends to get done. And this is THE most important thing you will do for your photography business. So schedule in time to work on it and make it a priority. Although it s meant to take a month, feel free to blitz it in a week if you like (but don t rush it!) 2. Complete every exercise that applies to you Doing the exercises is where the magic lies. It s working through these that will give you breakthroughs and clarity. So do yourself and favour and don t skip any unless they really don t apply to you. 3. Finish the full month I know, I know, life is busy. But how important is it to you that your business is the best it can be? How much do you want this to work? Giving up or losing focus halfway through is not an option if you want to create the perfect business for yourself. I m rooting for you! Let s get started! Julie x Togs in Business Page 2 Success Month - Week 1
DAYONE - VALUES 1. Think about when you pay for a service from another business. Let s say you re going to spend anything between a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars. Choose an amount that is similar to what you d like your clients average spend to be. Don t overthink this amount - just pick an approximate amount. List all the different things you would ideally want to see and feel during your experience with this business. Make sure these really do reflect what you would want. e.g. I d want to feel absolute trust in the business. I d want to feel confident that I m not going to get any nasty surprises. I d want really positive and clear communication. I d want to feel that I was being listened to. That my needs would be met. Togs in Business Page 3 Success Month - Week 1
2. Now think about the values you hold when it comes to life in general. How do you view the world? What is deeply, deeply important to you? This will be totally unique to you but here are some examples: I believe in always learning and trying to better myself. I always try to see things from another point of view. 3. Now go back over what you recorded in 1. and 2. and highlight the values that resonate the most with you. The ones you want to ingrain into your business. You must actually feel strongly about them or this simply won t work. They must be personal and honest. I d say you should have at least 5 and at most 10 but there s no rules. Togs in Business Page 4 Success Month - Week 1
4. Now try to word them in such a way that they re short, sweet and memorable. If you re struggling with wording take a look at mine - simple is good! Step into their shoes Listen with two ears Communicate clearly Be completely transparent Be positive Continuously evolve and improve Say no to a bad fit Acknowledge mistakes Over deliver Togs in Business Page 5 Success Month - Week 1
DAYTWO - SERVICES 1. List the types of shoots you LOVE (or think you might love) and want to offer as part of your service. e.g. weddings, headshots, boudoir, families, pets, model portfolios, corporate, food 2. Is it possible that offering all of these services makes you seem like a jack-of-alltrades? E.g. food photography and portraits (VERY different skills) Do you even care? How important is it to you that your clients see you as a specialist? Tick the answer that applies to you. very important quite important I don t know not that important not important at all Togs in Business Page 6 Success Month - Week 1
3. If it is important to you, use the section below to list the types of shoot from section 1 that will sit well together as a list of services in your business. e.g. families, children, boudoir, headshots 4. Now look at the list from section 3 and write down lots of words to describe how you want to shoot these. Make sure there is congruence here and that these words are a reflection of you! This is really the basis of your style and what you will become known for. Confusing clients when it comes to this can lead to them not booking a shoot with you. e.g. natural light, flash, dramatic, solemn, backdrops, vibrant, monochrome, lifestyle, natural, candid, posed, studio, environmental etc, etc Togs in Business Page 7 Success Month - Week 1
5. List the types of shoots you don t like and don t want. Consider this your NEVER LIST. Never accept jobs like this and find a photographer in your area you can refer these jobs to. Who could that be? Maybe they could help you out too? e.g. weddings, newborns, boudoir, interiors, products Togs in Business Page 8 Success Month - Week 1
DAYTHREE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 1. On the following pages is a list of things you could include in your customer experience. Go through and tick the ones you would ideally like to have in place. This is all in an ideal world. Forget what you can physically manage for now - just think about what you believe is important. Now be aware that you might tick all of these boxes and someone else might tick none. But be honest with yourself. We all have different priorities and different values. There is no one judging you here. This short activity will give you an idea of where you should be heading in terms of marketing and price. IDEAL WORLD REAL WORLD Your phone is always answered during business hours, if not by you, by an answering service You respond to all emails/phone calls within 12 hours If a potential client leaves a phone number - you always respond with a phone call You email or post potential clients an attractive brochure containing all your information and pricing including frequently asked questions and their answers You email or post a beautiful, detailed welcome pack to clients who book You send professional invoices for every purchase You make payment easy and hassle-free for the customer by allowing them to pay with card online, in-person or over the phone You have a professional contract in place with full terms and conditions to protect both parties Your contract is hassle-free for client - they can digitally sign and return it to you You include a verbal pre-shoot consultation with your clients to discuss the shoot - either by phone or in-person Togs in Business Page 9 Success Month - Week 1
You advise your clients on clothing, hair and make-up as part of the service You discuss what clients want to do with their images in advance of the shoot and you tailor the shoot to these requirements You post out a pre-shoot gift (e.g. chocolates or sweets) You check in with clients (by phone or text) the day before their shoot with a reminder of time and location and to see if they have any lastminute questions You tailor shoots to each client in terms of location, styling and posing Your shoots are more than an hour long and you always allow for extra time just in case If your clients come to you for the shoot, you provide refreshments (coffee, water, cake, fruit etc.) If your clients come to you for the shoot, it takes place in a very pleasant, clean and comfortable environment You ensure images are ready for the client to view within 10 days of the shoot or less Clients see their images on a large screen at an in-person viewing session You give clients a detailed, printed pricing brochure You offer custom framed wall art for those who want it You pay extra to source the very best products for your clients You offer a wall display design service and can show clients what their images will look like on the wall You offer payment plans with clear terms for large purchases Prints and digitals are ready for the client as quickly as your supplier allows Products are beautifully packaged and branded Products are delivered to the client personally or by post/courier You surprise your best clients by including little extras with their delivery IDEAL WORLD REAL WORLD Togs in Business Page 10 Success Month - Week 1
You send a personal thank you card after the shoot You have a referral program in place which rewards clients for their referrals You send Christmas cards and surprise vouchers to your best clients IDEAL WORLD REAL WORLD 2. Now go back through the list and tick all the things you feel you will be able to include in the real world as part of your customer experience. Take into consideration your personal circumstances. Don t be too negative but don t be unrealistic either. Remember you can always add elements to your customer experience as you evolve and grow. 3. Is there is a huge gap between the experience you want to give your clients in an ideal world and the experience you are actually able to give them in the real world? If that s the case then use the space below to jot down some things that might help you to deliver some of the parts of the experience that are important to you. E.g. Can you organise something with your partner or family that will give you some extra childcare? Can you pay a VA to answer your phone and/or send out brochures, welcome packs, contracts and invoices? As long as you price your services to cover this extra cost - you shouldn t overthink what you would spend on this (we ll be covering this on day 4!) Togs in Business Page 11 Success Month - Week 1
4. Now highlight clearly the things you are definitely going to include as part of your customer experience. This list is basically your client workflow. This is how a customer will journey through your business from start to finish. Make time to formalise this at a later date when you re ready. You can go old-school and have it on a big whiteboard where you can keep track of where you are with each client. Or you can go all high-tech and put it all into software like 17 Hats, Light Blue or Studio Ninja. 5. Based first on the level of service you are going to offer, and second on the standard of your photography. Which price category do you believe your business should fall into? Don t overthink this - you re only looking for a vague notion of pricing right now. N.B. Why level of service first? Because that is where your time will go and you must ensure that you re going to be adequately paid for your time or you won t persevere. very cheap cheap middle of the road expensive very expensive Togs in Business Page 12 Success Month - Week 1