How to Succeed in Commercial Photography : Insights From a Leading Consultant

Call them several times a day between 8 am and 6 pm, leaving

only one message on Monday and one on Friday, letting

them know of your interest in scheduling an appointment.

(Don’t expect them to call back!) The rest of the time, hang

up when you get voice mail. This system gives you the opportu-

nity to try several times each day to catch them in their

office. (You could never do this with a receptionist on the

other end of the phone.) I have found that this system enables

clients to reach three to four contacts by the end of the week.

It seems to be more effective than scattered random calls to

tons of people.

If you do get someone in at 8 am or as late as 6 pm, chances

are they are looking for a bit of quiet time. Ask them if it’s ok to

talk or if they would like you to call back. While this seems coun-

terproductive to your effort, it is very considerate, and most

people will not only appreciate your consideration but indeed

will continue the conversation. Any contacts not reached after a

week of consistently phoning should be contacted via e-mail the

next week. Go through this process twice (for a total of four

weeks) and backburner any contacts not reached, calling them

again in two months’ time.

When you reach a live body on the phone or via e-mail

and he or she is interested in seeing you, ask if there are other

contacts that will be joining you or if there are other contacts

that he suggests you call for an appointment immediately

following his.

On the Visit

Make sure your book is in great shape a week before your

appointment. There is nothing worse that checking your book

as you are going out the door only to see that it is in rough

shape.

I remember a story a client from Los Angeles told me years

ago. She said she once got a call to see a potential client about

an assignment. She rarely showed her book, so she had to really

look for it as she ran out the door.

During the appointment she had a great conversation

about the job with her prospect and then began to show her

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