10 TOOLS EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT

Running a photography business can be a challenge, for sure.  From managing your clients, to keeping track of your finances, there's a lot to do!  Fortunately there are some really great tools available to make life just a little easier.

Here are 10 of my absolute favorites:

 

1. ShootQ

[www.shootq.com]

ShootQ is easily the most valuable tool available to photographers, when it comes to managing your client relationships, booking process, and workflows.  It helps keep everything organized, from lead generation, handling invoicing, keeping track of workflows for various jobs, and tracking client communications.  It frees up so much time that it's like having a part-time employee working for you.  Clicking on the link above will get you 4 months for free - so now you have no excuse not to check it ou!

2. Kashoo

[www.kashoo.com]

I wrote a pretty extensive review of Kashoo here, so I won't go into the whole thing again.  What I will say is that if you're looking for a better way to manage your business finances - this is it.  It's so much easier, and more elegant than Quickbooks - AND they have a killer iPad app.  You can sign up for free, or there's a level for $10 a month that's perfect for small businesses.

3. Wunderkit

[www.wunderkit.com]

Another product I've written about before - and absolutely LOVE.  This is my favorite task management system out there - and it's great for mananging multiple projects, especially when they involve multiple people.  You can use it online, as a standalone app on your mac, or on your iphone, and it syncs beautifully.  There is a completely free version that is probably perfect for most photographers.  I have the premium version only because of the enhanced sharing capabilities.

4. Evernote

[www.evernote.com]

You can read the 5 Ways I Use Evernote to Run A Creative Business, or you can believe me when I tell you that Evernote is probably the most helpful way to organize pretty much everything.  I use it for saving receipts, composing and archiving blog posts, conference notes, and more!  Oh yeah, they have a free version :)  (noticing a trend yet?!)

5. Dropbox

[www.dropbox.com]

There are certainly other options out there, including Google Drive, Box.net and more - but I still think that DropBox is the most elegant, simple way to keep your files sync'd across multiple computers and all your devices.  I use DropBox for ALL of my non-image files.  That means that DropBox basically replaces my Documents folder.  Oh, and it's also free to sign up.  If you click on the link right above, you'll actually get an additional 500MB of storage when you sign up (disclosure, that's an affiliate link and I get a little extra free storage too.  I don't get paid for any of these links though, and wouldn't recommend them if I didn't use, AND believe in them).

6. SWAT Designer

[www.swatdesigner.com]

SWAT Designer is simply the BEST way to share, and get feedback on your album designs with your clients.  It also happens to be a simple, and beautiful way to design albums.  Though I don't use it for that purpose, it's great for people who want a really easy way to design, present and sell their albums.  I use it to get client feedback, and then to submit their designs to KISS.  It's also free :)

7. Gmail

[www.gmail.com]

With google apps for business, you can have your business email through gmail, meaning you'll get to take advantage of all of the benefits of gmail, with an email address @ your business domain. Let's face it, Gmail is the best email service out there, and the fact that I can use it for my business, makes this a no-brainer.

8. Square

[www.squareup.com]

Square is probably the simplest - easiest way to process credit card payments, especially in person.  It does have limitation, meaning there's no shopping cart integration, or web-processing.  Even with that, the fact that I can build orders using the Square Register App on the iPad, and process payments on the spot when clients order - makes this a MUST HAVE.   They've also just revamped the website to make tracking and managing payments and deposits much easier.

9. MadMimi

[www.madmimi.com]

There are a lot of email list management and design options out there, but for me, MadMimi is still the simplest way to create beautiful emails and manage my newsletter.  I love the analytics reporting, and the ease of use.  It's also really reasonably priced (yes, there's a free level too!) 

 

10. Hootsuite

[www.hootsuite.com]

Hootsuite is a really powerful social media management tool.  It allows you to post to, and monitor all of your various social media feeds (twitter, facebook, linkedin, etc), and it gives you really robust reportings and analytics.  It helps you track engagement and response to your social media efforts, and I really like that in addition to the web interface, there are ipad and iphone apps.

Tell me what you think.  What are some of the tools you can't live without?  Leave a comment below!

Did you find this post helpful? CLICK HERE to have posts like this delivered to your email inbox, then CHECK OUT YEAR ONE: to learn how to build a profitable and sustainable photography business.

5 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY SALES... TODAY

I'm willing to bet, that if you are a photographer that sells their work for a living, you wouldn't mind if your clients suddenly started buying more from you, right?  Afterall, sales is where we get paid.  And yet, sales is probably one of the hardest areas for photographers to really master.  

Most of us hate to be "sold to."  We hate the feeling that someone's trying to sell us something.  Guess what, your clients do too.  The only thing worse is when they feel like they're being sold to, by someone who isn't even confident in what they're selling.

Here's 5 simple, non "sales-y" things you can do immediately to start increasing your sales.

1. Show Your Client Less Photos

Half of you are going to stop reading right here.  That's okay.  The half of you that are left, are thinking like business people, and know that you don't have to sacrifice your artistic dignity to be a good businessperson.  You just have to be willing to think like a business person.

Often, the biggest barrier to solid photography sales is that your client is overwhelmed.  If you are shooting a portrait session, and you show the client 400 images, you are going to overwhelm them.  You're making it hard for them to find the images that stand out - the images that they emotionally connect with.

Instead, do them the favor of using your professional expertise as a curator - and share with them an edited selection that focuses on the story.  The same thing is true if you are a wedding photographer.  If you share 2,000 images with your client, don't be surprised if they take 9 months to pick out the images for their album - if they ever order an album at all.

2. Show Your Client Less Products

Just as too many photos can be overwhelming, too many product options has the same effect.  When people are faced with an overwhelming decision, they choose the only "safe" option, and that's to choose nothing at all.  If you want your clients to buy an album - show them the album you want them to buy.  Make it easy for them to make a decision about what will best fit their needs.

3. Listen To Your Client

Most of the time, your client will tell you exactly what they want.  If you ask the right questions, and listen to their answers, 80% of your sales job is done.  Then all you have to do is provide them with a solution to what they're asking for.  A wedding client has different needs than a portrait client.  

By having a conversation and listening to your client, all you have to do is...

 4. Give Them What They Want

 You are the expert.  Your job is to provide them with what they want.  The reason you're paid the big bucks to be the expert is that often times your client doesn't know what he or she really wants.  This means you get to be the hero for understanding their "wants" and providing them with something that answers that desire.  

For example, your wedding clients want to "remember the way they feel at their wedding."  With that in mind,  you get to provide them with something timeless - something that will forever bring back the feeling and emotion they experienced on that day.  You get to provide them with a beautiful way to re-live, and share, the story for the rest of their lives.  When you think about it from the perspective of what they really want, it makes it about them - and adding value to their lives. 

5. Make It Easy

Finally, if you really want to increase your sales, the process starts long before they are viewing the images online, or sitting in your studio.  It really starts with every experience and conversation they have with you.  It starts with how easy it is for them to get information.  It starts with how easy it is for them to contact you.  It starts with how easy you make it for them to give you money - seriously!

If you've gone through the trouble to focus on the products you want to sell, and positioned them to meet your clients' needs, then your job is to make it super easy for them to order and purchase (and give you money).  For example, if you're client has sat through a sales session with you, your job is to have a professional way to prepare their order, and collect payment.  Do you have an invoicing process?  Do you accept checks or credit cards?  Are you able to process them on the spot?

When you make it easy for clients to work with you, they are far more likely to spend more money - and become clients for life.

Tell me what you think.  What tips do you have to increase your sales?  Leave a comment below!

Did you find this post helpful? CLICK HERE to have posts like this delivered to your email inbox, then CHECK OUT YEAR ONE: to learn how to build a profitable and sustainable photography business.

MANAGING CASH FLOW PART 2: HOW DO YOU PAY YOURSELF?

One of the questions people ask most often is - how should I pay myself?  Starting a photography business has many advantages - among them is the fact that compared to many other businesses, the overhead and barriers to entry are very low.  

That's great because it means that if you're smart - and run your business well - you can be profitable much quicker compared to businesses that require large staffs and inventory (like a restaurant).

In fact, the average small business owner takes 3 years before they ever draw a paycheck.  Fortunately, if you run your business with little or no debt, and manage your cash well, this doesn't have to be true for you.

At the same time, it also presents challenges.  It can be hard to know exactly how to pay yourself, and when.  Generally, there are two ways that photographers tend to pay themselves, and I'll talk a little about both.

FROM PROFIT

Most photographers, especially those who are currently working another full or part-time job, default to paying themselves from their "profit" or "net."  What I mean is, they book a job, they pay their expenses (album, second shooter, etc), and they put the rest in their checking account and consider themselves paid. 

For a lot of people, this works in the beginning.  Although there are some problems with this method - the biggest is this: wedding photography (especially) is very seasonal.  Paying yourself the net from your events causes you to have windfalls during wedding season - but a drought during your slow periods.  It makes it much harder to run your business with a budget in mind, and manage your cash flow and expenses (especially if those expenses end up being year-round, like a lease, insurance, etc).

PAY YOURSELF A SALARY

A better option (and the way I am paid by my business), is to pay yourself a salary.   This is harder, and requires you to project cash flow - and then manage it well.  It takes a system to track your expenses and revenue - but it allows you to plan your life based on a budgeted salary.  You give yourself a paycheck every week, or month, or whatever.

It's harder because you don't always know how much you're going to make.  You don't always know how many weddings you're going to shoot, so you don't always know what your revenue is going to be.  While this is true, I don't necessarily think it matters - I think it's a great opportunity to be disciplined, and develop habits for the long-run.

So, how do you start yourself out right, and pay yourself a salary? Here's a few tips.

1. Assuming you have a grip on your business expenses from the beginning, decide to pay yourself a salary from your first wedding.  It's January so this is a good place to start.

2. Knowing what your business needs to pay you, figure out your pricing based on your expenses and your salary.  Will you make this salary the first year?  Probably not.  That's okay.

3. Take a look at what you currently have on the books, and determine the salary you can pay yourself for the year.  Remember to factor in your income and self-employment taxes.

4. Divide that out by 12 (or 26, or 52 depending on how often you want to get paid).  I recommend paying yourself monthly to start.

5. Commit to paying yourself - with a check from your business account to your personal account - from the beginning.  Some banks offer free, or very inexpensive payroll solutions if you direct deposit with them.  You set up the numbers and every pay period - they do all the work (including transferring and paying the appropriate taxes).

6. When you book more weddings, the net from those allows you to give yourself a raise until you reach your salary goal.

7. Once you've met your salary goal, the additional income is business profit.  You can choose to reinvest it in the business, or give yourself a bonus.

The major benefit here is that you're able to really manage and budget your cash flow.  It gets you in the habit of managing your business as a business - and not as a personal slush fund.  

Tell me what you think.  How do you handle paying yourself?  Leave a comment below!

Did you find this post helpful? CLICK HERE to have posts like this delivered to your email inbox, then CHECK OUT YEAR ONE: to learn how to build a profitable and sustainable photography business.