I already knew this, but the speaker packaged them in a neat package for the audience.

 

Here is my interpretation of these points for photographers.

 

 

If you as so dependable that your coverages all look alike, you have become complacent. So it would help if you mixed it up. 

 

If you struggle to do this, buy a different lens and force yourself to work differently.

 

I did this recently by buying a 35mm ƒ/1.4. But, let me tell you, I tossed out a lot of shots tonight from shooting because the depth of field was so shallow the photos looked like I missed the focus.

 

Now I owned this lens when I first started shooting for a newspaper in 1984. However, I hadn’t held the fast prime in maybe 25 years. 

 

I used this lens to push me to do something different tonight.

 

I work hard to understand the problem I am solving for the customer. It isn’t about me just taking pretty pictures. They need photos of specific things.

 

Way too many photographers think they know better than the customer. But unfortunately, most of these photographers don’t know as much as they believe.

 

Always know precisely the requirements you need to fulfill for the customer, so their problem is solved. Now, for fun, if you choose to go and shoot more stuff, that’s not only OK but also great.

 

Matthew 5:41 talk about people having to carry a Roman soldier’s gear for one mile if they were a Jew in the time of Christ. Jesus told people to carry that load 2 miles. 

 

Many companies today talk about 2nd-mile service, which references the Bible story. But, unfortunately, the mistake many make is they think they are doing the 2nd mile and don’t do the first mile, to begin with, for the client.

 

 

To get a customer and to KEEP them, you need to understand the customer’s beliefs and behaviors. Then, you want to influence these.

 

A wedding photographer understands they are not just taking and documenting photos of the wedding. Instead, they know they are writing the book’s first chapter of the bride and groom’s life together.

 

When I started social media, the photographers who understood how to influence customers’ beliefs and behaviors would Tweet photos from the day. They also helped them create those no look but touch photos of the bride and groom before the wedding. Using social media is a new phenomenon that didn’t exist before photographers started offering this, and all couples wanted it.

 

The photographer who first started this and other ideas quickly became in high demand. They influenced the beliefs and behaviors of engaged couples, their choices for photographers, and what was concerned gowith od wedding photography.

 

 

Social media still applies even if you don’t have a staff and it is just you. If you are married, your spouse can make a huge difference in their lives. As you work with your client, you help them to see this is a collaboration. 

 

I learned today about how Uber delivers puppies for you to play with. Just read this story. Not only does a puppy cheer someone up like flowers, but it also helps the local humane society with a donation. Uber is working to make communities better in many ways.

 

In what ways can you do something that, when someone does business with you, benefits your community?

 

Check out Warby Parker Eyeglasses for another example of a company that when customers work with them, the entire community benefits. Buy a pair, give a pair.

 

While these four ideas are not new, they can revolutionize your business. However, each of these requires a commitment at a pretty high level to execute them wisely.

 

Are you up to the challenge?