may not have me take their portraits,” they think. Or, “If I tell them how to
dress and what to plan for their session, they may think I’m too pushy.”
While these are both extreme characterizations, photographers with either
donkey or lapdog tendencies have one thing in common: they don’t under-
stand that to be successful in business you have an equal relationship with your
clients—it’s almost like a marriage. The donkeys feel superior to the client, and
that’s not a good way to be if you plan to stay in business. The lapdogs feel in-
ferior to the client and, in today’s assertive society, will get eaten alive.Establish a Mutually Beneficial Relationship.
As all counselors will tell you, the best way to keep a relationship healthy is to
communicate. You need to tell your clients about your business and you need
to ask them what they want. If they have a big stack of money and you can ful-
fill their needs and desires, you have a client. If they don’t have a big enough
stack of money, if they have no need for what you provide, or if you can’t ful-
fill their desires, why would you want them to come to your studio? And why
should they want to come to your studio? If any of these problems occur, the
person is not a client, because they will not order (which is what a client truly
is). If they don’t want what you offer (or, looking it from the photographer’s
perspective, if you can’t deliver what they want), it’s a bad match. Trying to
make it work will be a waste of time for both you and the client.FACING PAGE—Only when you and the sub-
ject are working in harmony can the best
possible results be achieved.
BELOW—Great customer service starts with
making sure what the customer wants is
something you can deliver.