drop-book visits, direct mail, visual e-mail, Web site, Web site
directory link, and a sourcebook presence. “I always advise my
clients to develop a well-rounded marketing program,” states
Jean Burnstine, the Midwest Blackbook portal sourcebook rep.
“I get really concerned when talent just relies on us to pull
clients. We (sourcebooks/portals) should be one of many tools
that photographers use.”Lie: I Need an Agent to Be
SuccessfulThe majority of photographers do not have and should
not have agents. Agents are not portfolio schleppers, thera-
pists, or miracle workers. They are business partners who are
responsible for developing your business over time. This
means that they market your work, obtain assignments, and
license your imagery. They primarily work with experienced
advertising photographers who have a healthy client base.
While some agents will take a chance with someone new, most
will not.
If you have a distinctive visual style that is geared toward
the ad industry and you are billing over $300,000 and you
are willing to pay 30 percent of your new income to an
agent, consider a rep. If not, learn how to best rep yourself
and get marketing assistants to help you with marketing tasks.
(See chapter 12.)Truth: Buyers Have a Very
Narrow Focus When Viewing
PortfoliosOf course they do, that’s their job. If a graphic designer has
a mandate to create an annual report that tells the story of a
corporation through its employees and she knows the company
is a very cool, hip Internet firm, she will not be looking for a
book of editorial images that are warm and fuzzy. She is going
for hot, hip, and cutting edge. If, on the other hand, an art
buyer on an insurance or health care account has anPART4 / TOOLSChapter 20.qxd 6/25/07 7:22 AM Page 130