CHAPTER 30
How to Survive
during Difficult
Times
As I travel around the country presenting lectures, I hear
comments and am asked questions that reflect the difficulty
that many photographers are experiencing: My phone is not
ringing. My billings are down. Should I stop marketing and save
money? I have less money this year and I am not sure where my
marketing dollars are best spent. Why should I create a new
portfolio when I have a Web site? Why should I shoot for my
portfolio when clients are cutting back on budgets?
And of course the question that is on everyone’s lips, but
no one wants to ask: Is assignment photography a dying
industry?
No! Please hear this loudly and clearly. Assignment photo-
graphy is not dead. Not by a long shot. But your business might
be if you are not proactively marketing.
It is critical that you continue to work on your portfolios,
create Web sites, and send out e-mail and direct mail that will
brand your business and create visibility. In fact, the biggest
mistake you can make during tough times is to drastically cut
back on your selling and marketing.
The reasons to continue to sell and market are clear:
You need to work and clients are still hiring.
While some companies have changed their buying
patterns, others have seen little or no change. Magazines areChapter 30.qxd 7/7/07 1:14 PM Page 183