So, I wanted to buy a USED (anyone who’s been in 7 car accidents before the age of 30 does not buy new) car.  Specifically, an automatic Volkswagen Beetle with a moonroof with under 80,000 miles on it.  Year irrelevant, so long as it fit within budget.  And time was, you know, of the essence.

I was just going to go to the dealerships of the cars listed on the internet when my Dad warned that they don’t always keep the listings current.  The car could be sold.  Silly me for thinking that your advertising the car means you still have the car.

I called dealerships.  And called dealerships.  And called dealerships.

Sold (with listing still active.)

Sold (with listing still active.)

Sold (with listing still active.)

Not sold!  But the VW Golf you’re asking about is red, not the Barbie Pink featured in the 18 photos that made you fall down laughing and then inquire immediately. (See dealer photo to the left.  I would have ROCKED the pink car.)

And then a ‘Let me check, I’ll call you right back.’

To me, ‘right back’ is not three hours later.  But he — we’ll call him Shady — did call back.  And Shady said: “Well, since we listed that car online, we’ve found a series of problems: a, b, c, d….r, q…x.  That’ll come to an additional $1700.  Oh, and the inspection has unfortunately run out, so we’ll need to do that, and an emissions test, and…”  I hung up.

The next dealer — we’ll call him Less Shady — said, “Oh, where did you see THAT!?” when I called.  On the interwebs.  Where you placed twenty-one pictures of the car.  “Um, can you hold?”  I hold.  Turns out that the car was photographed and posted online before it went to the mechanic, and the car is no longer for sale because it ‘isn’t up to dealer standards.’

Let’s recap.  I spent over eleven hours on the internet and making phone calls, but still had not actually found a car I could test drive.  And then I called Decent.

Decent dealership answered the phone with enthusiasm.  They directed my call, and then Chris answered.  Chris gave me his first AND LAST name.  He told me the price of the car and asked if I had taken a look at the Carfax.  (I had.  Dad should be proud.)  Turns out Chris had taken the trade-in of the car in question.  The lady grew tired of the Beetle purchased from the Decent Dealership a few years ago, so she got a new Beetle from the same Decent Dealership.

I bought the car.

All Chris had to do was answer the phone, give me his name, and confirm that the car cost what it said it cost online.

He didn’t have to be amazing, above and beyond, or extraordinary.  He just had to be Decent.

Sometimes we focus so much on being extraordinary, revelatory, brilliant, and mind-boggling that we forget the power of Decent.  Returned e-mail.  Returned phone calls.  Enthusiasm for the task at hand.  Listening.  Honest answers to questions.

I told Chris about my car-buying escapades and he laughed, saying, “I’d rather be lucky than good any day.”

Amen, brother.  But you made your own luck yesterday.

Want to read it on the blog? THE POWER OF DECENCY

Lots of people talk about their branding and dog on how ‘simple’ or ‘boring’ or ‘low-key’ it is.  They complain about how much their logo doesn’t reflect ‘who they are’ or ‘what they feel’ or ‘how they shoot.’

Okay.  Let’s take a look at Apple.  Most popular products on the planet, at the moment.  Go to their website and look at their logo.  Simpler than simple.  The logo in no way captures all the incredible and fabulous things the company produces, but it gives us a peek at their sleek style.

Try to imagine a logo that screamed ‘cutting-edge inventive geeky hipster wearing retro, tight-tight eighties throwback jeans and an Ed Hardy t-shirt’ is our target market. It would be…a hot mess.

Again, think of all the things for sale at Target.  Everything from clothing to dental floss to vitamin water.  Imagine a logo that said all those things.  Hot mess city.  Same goes for Wal-Mart.  Adobe.  Any grocery store on the planet.  And your business, too.  No symbol on the planet can capture everything you do!

A strong logo rarely includes doodads or thingamabobs.  The earth’s best logos are fairly simple.  (Golden arches, anyone?) So think simple.  And simpler, still.

Stop trying to commission a logo that screams YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU DO.  It’ll be out of date in no time.  Find one that whispers of your essence but allows room for growth across the years.

Oh, and the business therapy winner?  Xander of Photographing Sound. E-mail me to claim your prize, love! Thanks to all of you who signed up for the Merit Badge mail, left comments, and tweeted about the giveaway!

Want to read it on the blog? LOGO TIPS AND TRICKS

One lucky winner will receive a business therapy session with me.  You’ll fill out a branding questionnaire, I’ll come up with a list of improvements that could help your biz, and we’ll chat for thirty(ish) minutes.

Win a $149 business therapy session by signing up for the Brand Camp Merit Badge mail list below.

That’s it!  If you’ve already signed up, you’re already eligible!  The winner will be picked next Tuesday, the 30th.  For brownie points, tell me WHY you should win in the comments below.

To earn an extra chance at winning, just follow Brand Camp on Twitter then tweet this:

Win a business therapy session with @brandcampblog here: http://bit.ly/1Fa45Y

Oh, and if you’re in a super-lucky mood, enter the My Branding Sucks giveaway over on the Totally Rad Actions blog, too.

Want to read it on the blog? WIN A BUSINESS THERAPY SESSION!

You see, my old website was built entirely on trying to one-up other photographers in the U.S.  (Not my region or the state, mind you, but THE COUNTRY.)  And to one-up the whole country, to ‘do what’s never been done,’ well…

You have to pull out all the stops.  You have to have bells and whistles.  Flying chandeliers, tweeting birds, blinking text, the works.

Photographers went NUTS over my old website.  Seriously.  Batshit insane. Just today, someone told me it was their favorite photography website of all time.

But clients?  You know, those people who hire me and pay the bills?

They weren’t big fans.  Inquiries dropped.  Web traffic dropped.

To potential clients, I was the kid at the holiday concert who plays air guitar and stagedives during the class rendition of ‘Silent Night.’

The kid who’s oblivious to awkward silence.  The one wearing Grandma’s reindeer sweater while rocking the imaginary mosh pit.  That kid.

(Or I was Smelly Cat. The jury is out.)

I was too busy looking sideways to see my clients.  I was so worried about other photographers that I forgot to be worried about my clients’ needs.  The current Essential Imagery website is a result of sincere reflection on my part.  It educates them about my brand, outlines the needs I can fill, and provides only a dab of personality aside from the portrait images.  In other words, it’s exactly what they’re looking for.

How have you been held back by looking sideways?  Who do you compare yourself to, and how can you stop the comparisons?  How can you fulfill the needs of your clients today?  How can you get yourself on the road to looking forward — right into the eyes of new clients?

Want to read it on the blog? LOOKING SIDEWAYS

And then, my Hip Slip arrived.  Doug and Chenin know I’ve been lusting after one, and it arrived without warning today.  Squeal!  Double squeal! The product itself is fabulous, but the branding is just as remarkable.

First, the box.  Even the UPS man commented on the loveliness of the box.

Then, the paperwork.  Yes, it’s that good.  A postcard with tips for taking better photographs, as the Shootsac line caters to professional photographers:

A little information about the Hip Slip…And consistent use of the logo:

Oh, and the bag itself.  Chosen to match my studio colors, of course!

In the space of a box shipped from across the country, Shootsac delivers an experience.  A little information, a lot of pretty, and a heap of usefulness.

What about your brand?  How can you create an experience with your product’s delivery, whether it’s being picked up or shipped thousands of miles?

Want to read it on the blog? BRANDING HALL OF FAME: SHOOTSAC

Image copyright: Amy Meek

Found in Denton, Texas.

(I am so sad to live so far from such a magnificent business.)

Want to read it on the blog? FOCUS IS IMPORTANT

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter the contest.  For the (contest) losers, a treat! Up to 10 of you can snag a mini-consult for $95 — then it’s back to only full consults being offered. Again, the mini-consult is a big ol’ questionaire via e-mail and a 30-minute chat about your brand with me, Kristen. It’s a way to get your brain in gear and thinking in a new way…and you can talk as fast as you want to squeeze everything into that half-hour.

The first 10 peeps to e-mail brandcamponline@gmail.com with title ‘Mini-Brand Me, Baby!’ snag a mini-consult with me for $95!

ETA: 4 spots remain!

Want to read it on the blog? BRANDING MINI-CONSULT WINNERS

You:

- are having some sort of branding trouble

- want to throw a big ol’ tantrum & are frustrated

- don’t know where to turn for help

I:

- will hit you up with a branding survey via e-mail

- will analyze your answers

- will chat with you on the phone for +/- 30 minutes about your branding

We:

- will do a happy dance because you’re on the right branding track!

Just comment below with your biggest branding woe between now and next Tuesday, the 29th, and THREE of you will win a mini-consult with me.

Want to read it on the blog? YOU + BRANDING CONSULT = ENTER THE CONTEST!

I am a partner with _________.  You may have heard of us. We typically shoot twice a year on location for several well-known national children’s stores  We are looking for an artistic children’s photographer to shoot for us this fall in the _________ store at ______ in [a town close to me].

We are interested in editorial, fun photographers. We love photographs that show kids being themselves. Based upon the quality of the content in your website, it appears that you would be a great candidate to work with us.

Note: This is not a natural light shoot. You must use studio lights.

The shoot will take place on the following dates:  x, x, x, x, and x

You would be photographing children digitally, on location in the store by appointment. You will need to have all of your own photographic equipment and a laptop computer. We like our photographers to shoot and sell their own work. The pay is commission-based and generally falls between $250-$750 per day. In addition to the pay, this arrangement is beneficial to you because it also allows you to promote your own studio. If the customers enjoy your work . . . you have instant access to 30-45 affluent, potential future customers.

If you are interested in possibly working with us after reading this email, please let me know and I will send you more information. Please get back to me as soon as possible, as I am actively looking for photographers in your area. You can also call me on the telephone at xxx.xxx.xxxx

Regards,
Mark

Okay, Brand Campers — I’ve seen LOTS of this type of offer on forums over the years.  Let’s pretend that I don’t have an issue with this studio setting up free sessions with free 8×10′s to reach their ‘affluent’ clients.

Let’s just do the math.

So, I am being offered somewhere between $27 and $125 per shoot.  I am to shoot, process, and then sell my own work — giving away a session and 8×10 image before the sale begins, of course.  Please, ladies and gents, FIND ANOTHER PROFESSION IF YOU’RE WILLING TO ACCEPT $27 FOR A PHOTO SHOOT WITH ANOTHER COMPANY.  Portfolio-building freebies?  Shooting for friends?  The road to professionalism is often paved with skill-building freebies.

But this setup — bring your own equipment, shoot it, Photoshop it, sell it, and give someone else the money?

Oh HELL no.

Want to read it on the blog? ON SELF RESPECT

First, a tale of two ketchups.  (This is how the story was told to me, so ketchup it is.)  You are at the grocery store, and there are three ketchup choices that catch your eye.  One is $3, one is $5, and one is $7.  All of them are within your budget, and they all look pretty tasty.

Which one do you assume is the best?

…yah. The most expensive one.

Your brand suffers when it is too cheap — it will never attract the people who value ketchup (or photography, or artistry, or whatever it is you’re selling) most when it’s the least expensive choice available.

It may be silly, or weird, or totally unfair, but people instantly assume the best brand is the most expensive one.  (Have you ever done housework in a Gucci shirt?  How about a Target shirt?  They could be identically made, and yet you will value one more than the other because it cost thirty times more!)

Pricing is part of your brand. An integral part.  When I see ‘luxury’ photography touted and pricing starting at $15 per 8×10 print, I want to scream, “Luxury doesn’t cost less than a pair of Old Navy jeans!”  (Worse, it’s a tell-tale sign of a business that isn’t sustainable or profitable!)

This post isn’t designed to slam anyone — hey, I started out working in a lowend chain studio selling those very same cheap-o 8×10′s !  This post springs from my deep desire to help you to begin to perceive this industry and/or your work in a new way.  Cheap may make you a few hundred bucks here and now, but it is by no means a long-term business strategy — and Alicia’s guide helps to take you to where you need to be.

So — the winner?  Whose brand changes here and now?  Nikole Bordato.  (E-mail me, chica!)

And for the rest of you?  Promo code DAYCAMP149 saves $70 on the book + pantry combo for today only. So go buy it!

get on easy as pie’s e-mail list ya know ya wanna!

Want to read it on the blog? PRICING IS PART OF YOUR BRAND.