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

Contacts’ reactions as well will be telling. Are they open to

collaborating? Are they extremely busy with no time to do any-

thing but quickly flip through your book? What do you think of

the tear they created? Does it represent your level of photogra-

phy? You are observing here, not forming judgments about

your prospect.

I fell into this process of presentation as a new agent and

found it to be so beneficial to building relationships that I

always started my meetings this way and showed my talent’s

portfolio as soon as it seemed right to do so.

Be daring. Try this. Be willing to risk and be open. Be ready

as well to show your book first, if the situation is not ripe for a

client presentation to you. This is not an arrogant way to con-

duct a portfolio showing; you should be genuinely interested in

how your clients create. You should want to see their work and

be interested in understanding their visual needs.

You are not there just to sell to them. You are there to see

if there is a creative relationship to build.

Drop Books

Often a buyer does not have or want to invest the time to

see you in person. Please remember that buyers have much to

do and not every photographer is as organized as you are,

which translates into a lot of wasted time for art buyers, as

they probably see many photographers whose work is not

appropriate for them or just not up to par with their

standards.

For this reason we utilize drop books as an option when a

prospect does not have time to see you or for a contact that never

schedules in-person visits. You might be thinking, why would

I send in a portfolio if I can refer these folks to my Web site?

In the last few years you may have developed a strong Web

site presence, but it would be a mistake to expect a Web site to

carry the load of your total sales program. In addition, there

is nothing like seeing photography in 3-D. Photography is

tactile; it should be felt, seen, and handled. Finally, as most

photographers do not take the step to set up appointments,

any personal contact you have with prospects immediately

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