I posted the other day about this being a great time to consider whether any of your business policies and touch points aggravate your customers, and if so fix them. I included a PS saying we know we’re not perfect, and "if you reckon this is the pot calling the kettle black, please leave a comment or email us". I was glad I did because Mark went to some trouble to leave a lengthy comment detailing his frustration with us. My point here is not so much to talk about his particular issues (we've been in touch, of course, and we  pretty much have to take what he says on the chin, and fix the To View More >>

As a soon-to-be groom, here are a few questions I've asked myself while looking through some photographer websites... How do I know whether I can afford you if you don't give me an indication of how much you cost? How do I know whether I can use you if you don't tell me where you are? How do I talk to you if you don't give me your phone number or email address? Couples looking for a photographer want to know whether you're a possibility or not. And if you are... we want to talk to you (not fill out an online contact form and wait for your reply). Why frustrate us by hiding the precise information To View More >>

When you contact Photojunction support about a issue you're having, Ian C, Christine or myself  always aim to get back to you within one business day. But if you're after a quicker fix, we'd suggest you check out the wealth of information we've got online first. Here are the best places to find specific information about Photojunction: Photojunction Support Forums: http://photojunction.com/forums/ Photojunction Blog: http://photojunction.com/blog/ Photojunction Remix help resource guide: http://photojunction.com/blog/remix/ Photojunction Website: http://photojunction.com/ The quickest way to find To View More >>

Sometimes it's nice to reminisce... When we started to rewrite Photojunction we named the master file "PJ Jr." as a joke - that name still stands as our project name today... some 3 years later. All the full time developers we started with for the rewrite, are still with us. It took 3,000 development hours to get Remix to a stage where we could send it to other staff to have a look.  That would've taken one person a year and a half to complete on their own. My personal favourite email... One of our beta testers emailed to tell us she considered PJ Remix to be a 'metro' bit of software. The developers To View More >>

Final feedback from my email, Your next album company Unless you have someone on the ground talking to people you are never going to get the real story... That comment's from the UK, where we actually do have someone on the ground – take a bow, Jo! But Jo, a Londoner, is the exception not the rule. Most of our client support people work from New Zealand. Gino, for example, gets up really early to talk to people in North America, while Kirsten works really late to help Jo with the Brits. But it's great to meet people face-to-face, so why don't we base more people locally? First, where would To View More >>

Our UK Account Rep, Jo Newman, emailed me today: I thought you might use Mark's comments as an opportunity to talk more about our plans to XXXXXX XX XXX XXXXXXXX . [Sorry - Ed]  I was a bit disappointed when I saw your second post about Mark's comments.  It didn't mention marketing at all :) In fact I've had a few comments and quite a few emails talking about our brand strategy over the last few days. And Robert emailed me weeks ago saying I should be stressing branding more and pricing less: if photographers don't "foster an expectation consistent with their pricing level" they're fighting a To View More >>

I got an email from Mark Miller today, and he's happy for me to share it and comment. I wanted to let you know how much I've been enjoying Queensberry Connects lately, specifically the posts about how QBY albums differentiate us as photographers from our competition and the idea that press-books are everywhere. I have a couple of comments/questions that I hope might add to the conversation: 1. QBY albums differentiate us as photographers - my clients love my (your) albums but they don't know who Queensberry are (I tell them all about you 'You're the best in the World' etc), but I don't think they To View More >>

When people contact us about their wedding, if they are doing a general search, they most often ask, 'How much to shoot our wedding?' Eventually they get around to 'What do I get?' and finally 'Are you available?' This email just came in. It says it all really.To whom it may concern,Would it be possible to be sent a full price list of your wedding packages?Thanks, Justin We all want our clients to care, because it is the caring that makes them better clients. So what are we selling? Are we selling a product at a price? Are we selling our ability to make great photographs? Are we selling our ability To View More >>

More feedback on my email, Your next album company It's hard to compete ... We've seen a massive influx of photographers from Eastern Europe charging very low prices and supplying reasonable products.I understood the impact of this EU "migration" in British hotels and restaurants, but I honestly hadn't thought about the impact on photographers (Jo and Kirsten will be shaking their heads!). Even so I feel that this kind of competition is always with us ... in one form or other. The purpose of outstanding presentation is to add value to your photography. That's why,whoever you use, your albums must To View More >>

More feedback on my email, Your next album supplier Changing to Queensberry is like changing my Ford Focus for a top range Audi ... Not sure many people are going to cope with that. Depends what you mean by "many". But certainly we never expect most people to choose Queensberry. Products that differentiate need to be aspirational (ie more people want them than can have them). That applies to your own "products" too, of course. In business, rather than ask how much something costs, it's useful sometimes to ask how much it's worth. And how it positions you in your market. There were 42 album companies To View More >>