PART1 / VALUESMost (if they have the time) will pull out examples of past
assignments.
The information you receive is invaluable if you ask the
right questions.
If you create this opportunity, feel free to ask the following:- What was the goal of the ad?
- Who did you work with on this assignment?
- Where did it run?
- Was the client happy with the results?
As a client begins to answer, you may find out who your
competition is (the photographer they hired) and the scope of
the campaign (budget information). Often you may hear about
issues that came up for the client, and you can often learn
about the client’s needs from the issues that are mentioned.
While we do live in an age of e-mail, Web sites, and long-
distance marketing, it is important to use your portfolio visits
not only to set your vision clearly in a client’s mind but also for
you as a service provider to truly walk your talk. If your vision
emphasizes creating together, then what better way to begin the
process than to ask clients what is important to them. This can
be determined from a portfolio visit if you take the opportunity
to ask questions.
It takes a bit of bravery here, as some photographers might
not feel it is appropriate to ask these questions. If you find your-
self reacting negatively to this approach, if you feel it would be
an imposition or not polite to ask them to show you their work,
I ask you to consider how you would feel if an assistant came in
and asked you to show them your recent assignments.
What if they said, “I know that you have been shooting for
a while. Could you show me some samples of recent assign-
ments, as I would love to know the type of work you do. That
would give me have a better idea as to how I could be of help
in the future.”
Does that sound like confidence to you? Someone wanting
to be of help? Or does that feel like someone asking inappro-
priate questions?
Suppose you started to show them some samples and they
asked questions like the following: “What did you expect fromChapter 04.qxd 7/3/07 12:22 PM Page 26