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Tag Archives: products
I’m scared. Like, really really scared. See, I have this service that I think people really need, but I’m also witnessing a HUGE backlash against photographers who sell anything to other artists, ever. For any reason. ::insert tense moment here::
Shaking in my boots yesterday, I sent out a super-secret e-mail like this blog post to my e-mail subscribers, and sold each spot within twelve hours. I expected to sell one or two spots, because well…this isn’t an insignificant commitment or a tiny amount of money. But you all jumped on this like Hermione jumps on peanut butter. ::snarfle snarfle::
Oh, and most everyone signing up wanted a payment plan. So, people need this. And they need a payment plan. Round two, the part where I make this available to the general public, reflects these findings.
YOU NEED A DOMINATRIX.
You have approximately 7,433 things on your to-do list. You do the things you like first, the things that are okay second, and you never get to the things that NEED to happen to get your business sailing.
Maybe this is because they’re uncomfortable. Maybe it’s because no one is providing a shoulder to cry on.
Probably, though, it’s because no one is holding you accountable. No one is creating goals with you and then enforcing deadlines to meet those goals.
This is because you love your spouse. You love your friends. If they tried to do this, you’d want to punch them.
So. ::insert awkward foot shuffle here::
YES, I’LL BE YOUR DOMINATRIX.
Together, we’ll assess your business now, and where you want it to be 6 weeks from now. We’ll set weekly goals and deadlines, and I’ll hold you accountable for meeting them. We can focus on whatever you’d like, because each dominatrixing session is tailored to YOU.
This will be intense, productive, and entertaining. It will NOT be easy-peasy-pumpkin-squeezy. You may end up losing sleep, reading books, cramming for assignments, and worrying about homework.
I’m not afraid to say you didn’t do your homework, this was lame, that wasn’t right, and you could have done better.
I’m also willing to be your personal cheerleader, and to help you face the fears and issues and inactivity that are holding you back.
SERIOUSLY! HOW MUCH?
To recap, you’ll get six weeks of awesome possum goal-making, homework, and weekly check-ins from yours truly. I can only dominatrix-bootcamp-whipcrack ten peeps from August 1 – September 15, 2010.
We’ll be spending a lot of time chatting and e-mailing and all that, so if you think I’m a pain in the ass, not funny, or a big ripoff, then…uh…don’t hire me. PLEASE.
We’ll start the six weeks on August 1, 2010. If you’re down with what I’m offering, the dollars and cents of it breaks down this way.
Sign up by 7/1/10: $950
Sign up by 4/14/10: $650.
You can pay all at once, or in five equal payments of $130. One to hold your spot, and one payment on the first of each month until our time together starts. This long lead time gives you ways to finangle your bank accounts into making it work. (Under no circumstances should you sell your firstborn, your house elf, or your Eames furniture to do this. If you don’t have the cash, it’s cool. No worries. And no credit card debt.)
To make your first payment, click here. (Just use the dropdown to choose the payment plan.) To pay in full, thus receiving extra love, click here.
Many thanks for reading, and for supporting this craziness as I let it into the world. Those who sign up won’t be receiving nifty graphics-laden PDFs just yet, though, as Hermione’s tiny leather outfit is still not here. So there are no graphics. (Seriously. Truth is stranger than fiction.)
You may or may not have noticed the button that appeared at the top of the blog over the weekend — the projection and sales merit badge is here!
Upon launching my own portrait business, I decided to start projecting my portrait sessions to increase my business’ customer service and ‘wow’ factor. I then spent weeks upon weeks scraping together tidbits of information to make informed decisions about which software to buy, which projector would give me the most bang for my buck, and how to go about selling wall galleries.
Eventually, I gave up on finding any sort of comprehensive or reliable information and made my own way. I’ve spent years refining my ordering process and software choices to maximize sales while minimizing decision-making on the part of the client. (Yep, years. Four of ‘em. All in-person sales. Two years working at a low-end volume-based studio and two working in my own high-end business.) This merit badge is the nuts-and-bolts version of what I know about sales.
The Projection and Sales Merit Badge takes the guesswork out of creating a format for client sales sessions that take place in person. You’ll determine whether a projector needs to be part of that system. You’ll also learn to present images to clients in the order that yields consistently higher portrait sales.
Oh, and it really is a merit badge. You’ll have to channel your inner Girl or Boy Scout by completing each task to make the most of your knowledge. The badge includes ten tasks, rationale for each, and photographers’ FAQ about my sales process.
So, if you’ve purchased SEO School and are now obsessed with SEO, page rank, social bookmarking, and all that yadda yadda blah blah — download and install SEO Quake. This bad boy is totally free, adds on to your Firefox browser, and lets you actually SEE the basics of SEO for any given webpage when you visit it. Like, boom. Easy peasy.
(Oh, and if you’re crushing on SEO School author Naomi Dunford, Marketing School was just released. It’s good. SO good. But I’ve been too busy to read the entire thing, so this isn’t the official word on the street. Just the gossip.)
The problem with Search Engine Optimization is… it’s search engine optimization. It is technical. It is boring. It is distinctly factual. You’re on the front page of Google search engine results or you’re not. Your page rank is 9 or it’s not. You appear to those looking for your business or you don’t. ::yawns::
After deciding to learn more about this decidedly left-brained activity, I picked up a copy of Search Engine Optimization for Dummies. Because, well…I’m not a dummy, but it seemed like the simplest choice. I read three whole chapters before falling asleep on the couch. (If you’re looking for a sleep aid, I recommend it!)
I tried downloading free guides for photographers from various sources, but they taught me how to do basic things like create a Google Analytics account. And then how to access the reports. (Click the ‘view reports’ button, in case you were wondering.)
Grumpy, frustrated, and having wasted dollars, I heard of an effective SEO workshop to attend. Holy coconut milk, Batman!
And then I heard the pricetag. Way, waaaaaaay less than great.
Finally…finally, finally, finally!!! I found SEO School. If you made me write a book about SEO, it would be like this. I would encourage you to read the book pants-less because hey, why be your own boss if you have to wear pants like a corporate cog? I’d make time for you to grab a gin and tonic because hey, this is pretty boring stuff. I would unleash just enough wordplay and creative cursing to trick you into reading an ENTIRE book about SEO. Best of all, I WOULD MAKE SEO MAKE SENSE. Naomi Dunford, master of the home business, already wrote the book I would have written if I knew anything about SEO. Just buy hers.
You will get SEO. You will have a list of tasks to complete on the route to getting your website seen by all the right bots and trolls and Google monkeys. You may even have dreams about search engine optimization, at which point I recommend taking a little break from all that Googling you’ve been doing. (Not that such a thing happened to me. ::ahem::)
Happy Monday, everyone! Just a quick note to let you know that there are SIX mini-consults available in the shop. If there are none left when you get there, you won’t be able to check out, so hurry it along…
The mini-consult process goes like this: you download a questionnaire and e-mail it to me, I look it over and come up with suggestions, we chat for half an hour about tweaks you can make, and you do a happy dance. At least, that’s how it’s gone for everyone so far.
Regular posting tomorrow! Click to purchase your mini-consult!
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