I read somewhere on the lies of marketing is "If my company only gets one percent of a market we can make money." As a venture capitalist you always have to aspire for more. First it is 1 percent of the market and strive for more. Business statistics often will tell you in the text books that companies spend 80 percent of their revenues attracting new clients, and 20 percent in marketing keeping their clients who do 80 percent of business with them.
Ideas would be, bands- I know you belong to Myspace. Bands large and small, some good, some really bad all have a need for promotional images. These images are often used for their CDS, online webpages, posters at local events etc. Go to some of the venues that do these events and see if you are allowed to shoot. Get some business cards, and hand out to the bands. Place ads, or bulletins on Myspace. Valentines Day is less then a month away and email girls on Myspace for pictures saying that you are shooting glamour images that they could use for boyfriends as gifts, possibly start modeling, or to boost their ego. You never know and you have to be ok and ready for rejection. Tough skin is a must when you are the man in charge. I know you have it in you.
You dont have to necasarily hate what you do to make a living at what you do. I mostly shoot on the side shooting bands, horses, livestock and my really big project is a haunted house. I dont feel comfortable at weddings, plus I dont have enough equipment. The right tools for the right job. Dont make false promises is also big. Dont tell someone they will have the images on cd when you never know, your computer could die, you could have a delay getting the info from the flash card due to writing error, the power could be knocked out of Kansas for a week due to storm or any other unforseen circumstance. Know your tools, be confidant in yourself. If you have any doubts in any equipment that you have, get rid of it or modify it and get something that you are confidant in. Confidence is 80 percent of marketing and sales. Clients can smell you literally when you have hesitation. For instance you sweat. Bad image, but how many times do you see a car salesman who is not confidant, chances are next time they are not there again you go back in.
Choose your marketing venues, media wisely. If most of your potential clients listen to a particular radio station, buy radio space. If you are wanting senior portraits, get your name passed around schools. If your images are better then your competition, which I am sure it is, and your prices are reasonable, word gets around- you become the next Tommy Hilfiger Jeans. Price yourself to make money. When I was in college I had the fortune to be able to work with some big money real estate people in Des Moines. I will call him Denny, in short stated that when I was selling commercial landscaping equipment, no matter what I was in it to make money is the bottom line. It wasnt to drive a bigger truck than the neighbor etc. Likewise you are not in it to have a bigger faster lens, or an excuse to hang around pretty girls all day. You have your supportive wife for that. You are now in it as an entrepreneur to make money in a capitalist environment. Good luck and God Speed.
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