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

efforts are key. What’s the difference between a sales effort and

a marketing effort? Portfolio visits, in-person appointments,

portfolios sent to buyers that you are interested in working

with—these are all sales efforts. Direct mail, sourcebook ads,

visual e-mails, and Web sites are all marketing tools. They

support the visual in the actual product, your portfolio.

Consider developing an advertising program that involves

the portfolio and two to three other marketing efforts. Buyers

need repetition. They need to see your imagery over and over

and preferably in different formats. Providing potential buyers

the opportunity to see your images in a direct mail piece, a

visual e-mail, and in a portfolio presentation is critical. Buyers

buy at different times, and they will find you through different

avenues. You need to cover your bases and create visibility.

Does this take money? Yes, but it needn’t be hugely expensive.

If finances are tight, create a portfolio and use visual e-mails

and lovely handmade (not homemade!) cards. Send to fewer

contacts but send consistently. Once a month is not too much

in my book.

Brand all of your sales and marketing tools. One of the

key ingredients in any successful program is branding. Using

your vision to set the tone, create a palette of colors, materi-

als, and design elements that will be present on your Web site

as well as in your portfolio and direct mail. When possible,

work with a graphic designer or art director to set the look of

your program. Branding helps to create visibility. Moreover, in

reality, you are building credibility with your audience when

you develop a thoughtful visual solution that conveys your

book’s message, as you will be living the language and

purpose of advertising and graphic design. A well-designed

program builds trust as it says professionalism, knowledge,

and confidence.

For any naysayers in the crowd, those of you who are com-

ing up with excuses as to why you can’t build a book and sell or

market your talent, I ask you to think of my plumber. He’s a

great guy, he works 9 to 5, he drives a Jaguar and goes home to

dinner every night at 5 pm. But he doesn’t create visuals; he

doesn’t get the opportunity to brainstorm ideas that he will

eventually see in a magazine or in an ad. He doesn’t get to use

a god-given talent and make money doing so.

PART6 / FAITH

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