Photographers have asked me for years for the magic formula for success in the photography business. I used to say there was no formula but I have now decided I was wrong. When I look closely at the steps taken by photographers who have achieved successes, I see different variations of the same process; I call this process The 7 Steps to Success.
First of all, let me be clear, the successful photographers I am talking about are not the Annie Leibovitz's, of the world. I am talking about photographers you may never hear of, or read about in PDN. They may sit next to you at an APA and ASMP meetings. You might have seen their post on a photoeditor.com but most likely you'll never even know they exist.
However, they are successful, as each one at different times in their career has reached their creative and financial goals. They have achieved their success, by employing not one or two steps but all 7 steps to success and by putting all of the essential parts needed into place. That's the key.
Here are the 7 Steps:
Step 1- A talent based body of work ready to sell, (this means a defined visual approach around a specific subject with enough samples to build trust with potential clients.)
Step 2- A deep database of appropriate contacts (and a smaller more researched group of contacts for in person visits)
Step 3- Several different marketing/sales channels (at least 4 or 5 is best)
Step 4- Marketing materials that are visually branded to move the visual message forward
Step 5- Perseverance
Step 6- Faith in your ability
Step 7- Patience...than means allowing for a 2-4 year timeline before seeing consistent results.
Notice that I wrote that those who were successful worked ALL of the steps above not just one or two of them.
Over the years I have met photographers who get one or two steps of the program but don't jump in completely. Maybe they get the vision piece but do very little marketing. Some photographers may now understand that they need to market using different channels but most have not yet embraced the concept of incorporating the other elements of the mix. The biggest mistake that photographers make, is that most never give the program the time it truly takes for their efforts to manifest.
The successful photographer is the person that understands and incorporates all The 7 Steps to Success consistently and congruently and gives their effort time to evolve into a successful business.
? 2010 Selina Maitreya
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