|
Tag Archives: alicia caine
One of the most rewarding experiences of my career has been working with Alicia Caine as the grammar and pretty-fying fairy on her Easy as Pie cookbook and the followup book, Pastry School. She’s gracious enough to call me a chef, but it’s her mastery of common sense practices that make the cookbook so utterly fabulous.
I can’t say enough good things about Alicia, this sale, or the fact that
THE EASY AS PIE AND PASTRY SCHOOL COMBO IS ONLY $99 FOR THE FIRST 100 PEOPLE TO USE PROMO CODE PIF100 AT CHECKOUT.
–
The Easy as Pie chefs are used to receiving emails thanking us for increasing portrait sales by 100% in photography studios across the country, but we realize the first step is the hardest. You’re not sure of your pricing, you’re unfamiliar with our methods, and you’ve been waiting for your tax refund check to buy the case of wine that will finally drown your business sorrows. We get it.
And so…
We’re paying it forward with a once-in-a-lifetime special on the purchase of our Easy as Pie cookbook, complete with Pastry School bonus PDF! Save $100 on the combo, which is just $99 for the first 100 copies sold or through March 12, 2010, whichever comes first. (This deal will also be announced at the WPPI PIF party, so copies will be gone quickly!)
Get to know Alicia Caine’s common sense pricing strategies for the modern portrait photographer. Learn how to create highly profitable portrait collections, the secrets of a la carte pricing that will lead to collection sales, how to price your session fee effectively, and the answers to the age-old ‘what about the digital files?’ questions we all have. In addition, Alicia shares her personal schedule, pricing, portrait collections, and tips for moving up the sales ladder in Pastry School, the PDF that accompanies Easy as Pie.
We’ve NEVER received a negative review of our cookbook, which creates the kind of a-ha pricing moments Oprah can only dream about.
Save $100 with promo code PIF100 — buy now!
–
Next Tuesday, it’s Strip Club, part II. Sorry to go all crazy salesgirl on you, but this is an unbelievable deal that you’d half to be bananas to pass up.
So, the winner of the Easy as Pie Pricing Guide — we’ll get to that.
First, a tale of two ketchups. (This is how the story was told to me, so ketchup it is.) You are at the grocery store, and there are three ketchup choices that catch your eye. One is $3, one is $5, and one is $7. All of them are within your budget, and they all look pretty tasty.
Which one do you assume is the best?
…yah. The most expensive one.
Your brand suffers when it is too cheap — it will never attract the people who value ketchup (or photography, or artistry, or whatever it is you’re selling) most when it’s the least expensive choice available.
It may be silly, or weird, or totally unfair, but people instantly assume the best brand is the most expensive one. (Have you ever done housework in a Gucci shirt? How about a Target shirt? They could be identically made, and yet you will value one more than the other because it cost thirty times more!)
Pricing is part of your brand. An integral part. When I see ‘luxury’ photography touted and pricing starting at $15 per 8×10 print, I want to scream, “Luxury doesn’t cost less than a pair of Old Navy jeans!” (Worse, it’s a tell-tale sign of a business that isn’t sustainable or profitable!)
This post isn’t designed to slam anyone — hey, I started out working in a lowend chain studio selling those very same cheap-o 8×10′s ! This post springs from my deep desire to help you to begin to perceive this industry and/or your work in a new way. Cheap may make you a few hundred bucks here and now, but it is by no means a long-term business strategy — and Alicia’s guide helps to take you to where you need to be.
So — the winner? Whose brand changes here and now? Nikole Bordato. (E-mail me, chica!)
And for the rest of you? Promo code DAYCAMP149 saves $70 on the book + pantry combo for today only. So go buy it!
Pricing yourself as an artist is incredibly difficult. Like, rip off your eyelids and punch you in the gut difficult. I get that. And I thought I was A-okay in the pricing game — until Alicia Caine asked me to help her with the Easy As Pie project. While I was editing, reordering, and sprinkling grammar fairy goodness on her content, I completely restructured my pricing. (Did you read the part where I thought I had it all figured out? Her way is better.)
And the reason it’s called Easy as Pie? Alicia’s methods make so much sense — are so simple, logical, and easy to implement — that you’ll be astonished at what you can do for your portrait-photographer-pricing in such a short time. So, if you’d rather bodysurf over cut glass than fine-tune your portrait pricing, you’ve found your solution.
But before you buy it — why not win it? Comment below with a pricing woe of yours, and one random commenter will be hooked up with the Easy as Pie pricing guide for photographers. Friday at Noon Eastern — I’ll post the winner!
Before you have a brand, you need to have a business.
A tale of two Moms, today:
MOM A: I’m a stay-at-home Mom interested in generating income from my fledgling photography business. I work whenever I can nab a moment between diaper changes, tantrums, episodes of lousy kids’ shows, and nap times. I work from my living room, as this allows me to babysit while working.
MOM B: I’m a stay-at-home Mom interested in generating income from my fledgling photography business. I work Monday through Friday from 11-1:30 while the kids are at daycare (read: Grandma’s house), and have a dedicated space for my little startup. (It’s just an Ikea desk with front doors added to contain the chaos.)
Whether Mom A works 3 hours or 30 hours per week, I guarantee she isn’t going to be as productive as Mom B. Why? Mom B isn’t multi-tasking, she’s giving the business her undivided attention. Likewise, she isn’t ‘trying to fit business in,’ but actively making room for business to happen.
These are, of course, simplified cases, but the premise remains the same: what would happen if you carved out time for your fledgling business, whatever it may be?
This week, make time and space for your business to grow. Rearrange your desk. Pencil yourself into your own calendar. Hire a sitter for a few hours’ worth of uninterrupted concentration. And if you haven’t dusted off your business plan in the past six months, take a look. Examine your goals, and identify simple ways to work toward them.
If you don’t have a business plan and you’re a photographer, go here and buy this now. If you have a business plan, but need help with pricing your photographic artwork, go here and buy this now. If you’re not a photographer but still need help, check out The Creative Entrepreneur.
|
SHOW COMMENTS HIDE COMMENTS 2 comments