Some time ago a client came to us seeking advice on his newly drafted wedding pricing and packages for a brochure. We did a bit of work on it which basically resulted in simplifying. We cut the word count in half, more tightly defined his packages to adhere to the good, better, best principle, helped him decide on the best way to charge for albums, and tightened up the language. Later we received this email from him: A few months ago you were kind enough to help me as I prepared my wedding documentation and pricing. I've shot two weddings since then - one using my document before you edited it To View More >>

It's that time of year when we take stock, make resolutions and ask questions ... like how can we make this year a winner? Are there too many photographers? Why do we ask our competitors for advice? What can we learn from musicians? And the big one: How much are our images worth? Sadly, that's not just about how good they are or how much time we spend on them in post-production. Our latest client newsletter is below. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment here or emailing Ian directly. Cheers, Nigel How much are your images worth? We received this present from our design consultants, Alt To View More >>

A couple of weeks ago I posted about aggravating business policies and touch points, and asked readers to tell us about the things we do that's frustrating! We received three comments. One I've mentioned already, and the other two also raise important issues. Katherine (not her real name) emailed her account manager to say she doesn't like Photojunction. More important, she doesn't like feeling pressured by Queensberry into using it. She feels that if QBY were truly customer focused she wouldn't feel this pressure and could continue in the way that's suited her perfectly for the last seven years. To View More >>

I just got back from a seminar by one of Australia's best seminar presenters. For all his professionalism and preparedness, his Dell laptop wouldn't recognise the USB microphone he was recommending. A simple problem, but he couldn't fix it and neither could the audio tech who was recording the presentation. And before you Apple fan boys start chortling, the audio geek was recording the event on a Mac using the latest version of Logic Pro, and he told me he was having problems with that too. What happened? The presenter demonstrated with $25 Logitech headset instead, and we moved on. I flew home To View More >>

Alan (not his real name) and his wife were long-standing clients of one of our competitors. They came to us because they didn't like the way they'd been treated. Unlike Katherine, who likes us (even if she's frustrated), we haven't earned anything from Alan and his wife except a chance to win their business. Alan's customers really like our Duos, which of course they couldn't get before, but he finds designing and ordering them difficult. Alan designs them on paper and his wife recreates them in Remix. Alan's designs are reasonably complex, his wife is a fan of her old software (which can't handle To View More >>

Bear with me for a minute while I get opinionated – I know plenty will disagree with me ;-) I happened across a forum post recently. Someone asked if a certain prominent photographer's winning print at a certain prominent convention was so close to the edge that it had fallen off! After checking it out I thought the comment was a bit tough, but I could see the point. And the prominent guy wasn't alone – all the winning images were photoshopped within an inch of their lives. But the most striking thing? How different those images were to so much of what we see and admire in our Bindery. It's To View More >>

"Previously we were offering albums we knew our competitors were also offering, but we’ve realised we can use the album to separate us from our competitors." That quote from Nigel's interview with the Youngrens reflects Queensberry's key message to photographers and it got me thinking... A while ago I posted about album companies in trouble – and not hitching your own wagon to dying stars. Today I'm suggesting you be wary of the latest and greatest too ;) In the US and UK markets of 2000, Queensberry albums were revolutionary because we hand-made every album to order. That meant photographers, To View More >>

Johannes wrote a post last week about a restaurant going the extra mile, but in the wrong direction. I thought it was real food for thought ... so to speak. Justine pasted it on DWF and people got the point. But Adrienne reckoned it was a bit harsh – didn't the restaurant deserve marks for trying? Absolutely, and I'm sure Johannes was out to make a point rather than beat up on them. But... It's a harsh world. Your customers probably don't care how hard you try, whether you can make payroll, how much you like oysters. Sometimes the toughest thing about being in business is that you can't make To View More >>

Three things I love... Metaphors ("Remix 'Collections' are like iTunes Playlists"). Stories (like Danny's PJ speed test). One-liners ("Colour management used to be just calling the lab to complain about your prints.") Words, that's all... But they make you think. They illuminate what you're saying and make it memorable. They use the familiar to explain the unfamiliar. They're gems of great price if you polish them till they shine, and really awkward if you don't. Cheers, Ian A few more from Bob Tulloch's seminar in Auckland last Wednesday: Our clients have two motivations, love and pride. We're To View More >>

Bob had another noteworthy one-liner in his seminar: "Gen Y is about to discover the difference between a Want and a Need." You need to understand that Bob was sharing the stage with young Danny, and there were plenty more Gen Y in the audience... I'm a Boomer like Bob, so I was fine with it, but Danny said, "I wonder whether he offended anyone?" FWIW it made me think about two aspects of "framing" your photography. Bob used certain words to describe his role (artist, historian) and what motivated his clients (love, pride). He's framing his photography as a Need, not a Want. Something they can't To View More >>