Shaking in my boots yesterday, I sent out a super-secret e-mail like this blog post to my e-mail subscribers, and sold each spot within twelve hours.  I expected to sell one or two spots, because well…this isn’t an insignificant commitment or a tiny amount of money.  But you all jumped on this like Hermione jumps on peanut butter.  ::snarfle snarfle::

Oh, and most everyone signing up wanted a payment plan.  So, people need this.  And they need a payment plan.  Round two, the part where I make this available to the general public, reflects these findings.

YOU NEED A DOMINATRIX.

Want to read it on the blog? YES, I'LL BE YOUR DOMINATRIX.

Upon launching my own portrait business, I decided to start projecting my portrait sessions to increase my business’ customer service and ‘wow’ factor.  I then spent weeks upon weeks scraping together tidbits of information to make informed decisions about which software to buy, which projector would give me the most bang for my buck, and how to go about selling wall galleries.

Eventually, I gave up on finding any sort of comprehensive or reliable information and made my own way.  I’ve spent years refining my ordering process and software choices to maximize sales while minimizing decision-making on the part of the client.  (Yep, years.  Four of ‘em.  All in-person sales.  Two years working at a low-end volume-based studio and two working in my own high-end business.)   This merit badge is the nuts-and-bolts version of what I know about sales.

The Projection and Sales Merit Badge takes the guesswork out of creating a format for client sales sessions that take place in person.  You’ll determine whether a projector needs to be part of that system.  You’ll also learn to present images to clients in the order that yields consistently higher portrait sales.

Oh, and it really is a merit badge.  You’ll have to channel your inner Girl or Boy Scout by completing each task to make the most of your knowledge.  The badge includes ten tasks, rationale for each, and photographers’ FAQ about my sales process.

The Projection and Sales Merit Badge is only $69 through January 1, 2010, when it increases to $89.

Go on and buy it right this minute.

Want to read it on the blog? PROJECTION AND SALES MERIT BADGE IS HERE!

(Oh, and if you’re crushing on SEO School author Naomi Dunford, Marketing School was just released.  It’s good.  SO good.  But I’ve been too busy to read the entire thing, so this isn’t the official word on the street.  Just the gossip.)

Want to read it on the blog? FOR YOUR SEO PLEASURE

After deciding to learn more about this decidedly left-brained activity, I picked up a copy of Search Engine Optimization for Dummies.  Because, well…I’m not a dummy, but it seemed like the simplest choice.  I read three whole chapters before falling asleep on the couch.  (If you’re looking for a sleep aid, I recommend it!)

I tried downloading free guides for photographers from various sources, but they taught me how to do basic things like create a Google Analytics account. And then how to access the reports.  (Click the ‘view reports’ button, in case you were wondering.)

Grumpy, frustrated, and having wasted dollars, I heard of an effective SEO workshop to attend.  Holy coconut milk, Batman!

And then I heard the pricetag.  Way, waaaaaaay less than great.

Finally…finally, finally, finally!!!  I found SEO School.  If you made me write a book about SEO, it would be like this. I would encourage you to read the book pants-less because hey, why be your own boss if you have to wear pants like a corporate cog?  I’d make time for you to grab a gin and tonic because hey, this is pretty boring stuff.  I would unleash just enough wordplay and creative cursing to trick you into reading an ENTIRE book about SEO.  Best of all, I WOULD MAKE SEO MAKE SENSE.  Naomi Dunford, master of the home business, already wrote the book I would have written if I knew anything about SEO.  Just buy hers.

Seriously.  Buy SEO School.

You will get SEO.  You will have a list of tasks to complete on the route to getting your website seen by all the right bots and trolls and Google monkeys.  You may even have dreams about search engine optimization, at which point I recommend taking a little break from all that Googling you’ve been doing. (Not that such a thing happened to me.  ::ahem::)

Want to read it on the blog? SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION FOR PEOPLE. NOT ROBOTS.

The mini-consult process goes like this: you download a questionnaire and e-mail it to me, I look it over and come up with suggestions, we chat for half an hour about tweaks you can make, and you do a happy dance.  At least, that’s how it’s gone for everyone so far.

Regular posting tomorrow!  Click to purchase your mini-consult!

Want to read it on the blog? SIX MINI-CONSULTS AVAILABLE…STARTING NOW.

Okay, so other than having developed a crush on Johnny B. Truant, you’ll appreciate the fact that I may not be doing this right.  There are a million things I should be writing about on this blog, and I’m choosing to say this…

In consulting, I keep seeing the same mistakes, answering the same questions, and suggesting the same tweaks to my clients. So, I’m working on a product that will lead to commonly-needed tweaks for your creative brand.  It may not be perfect upon launch, and it may not be the most stylishly-styled, designerly-designed thing you’ve ever seen, but it will kick ass.  It will help you.  It will help your brand.  And I can’t be more specific than that, because what I’m working on feverishly this week will most definitely be tweaked by the time it’s finished.


If you’d like to be the first to know when this hits, sign up below.  I’ll be choosing a few peeps to get advance copies free of charge to sweeten the deal, too.

Want to read it on the blog? WIN AN ADVANCE COPY OF BRANDAID

I used to have an account with *onstant *ontact (name altered to protect the innocent), and I thought it was normal for a reasonably tech-savvy individual to take 2.5 hours to get an e-newsletter looking absolutely perfect.

Um.  ::uncomfortable cough::

Turns out I can do it faster and more easily with Mad Mimi.

Mad Mimi is also cheaper.  And more intuitive.  And far easier to integrate into my blog.  And it logs repeat e-mails so I don’t end up spamming lovely people with double or triple e-mails.

I feel so strongly about the amazing use of this e-mail agent of awesome that I signed up to be an affiliate.  This means if you click the link on the right portion of the blog, I have the potential to make $2 per month per person who signs up for a paid plan.  The road to billionaire-dom, it’s not.  But it is a mark of how absolutely fabulous I find this service.

If you’d like to try the service without giving me a day’s worth of coffee money, go straight to Mad Mimi.  If you’re okay with providing me with liquid fuel, click the big honkin’ badge below.  Either way, experience a company making the most of a service that’s intuitive, superior, downright useful, and a bit spiffy, too.

Oh, and what kind of shameless promoter would I be if I didn’t ask you to sign up for the Brand Camp newsletter while you’re at it?

Want to read it on the blog? MAD MIMI : CLIENT E-MAIL AGENT OF AWESOME

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

I got this book in the mail yesterday, hot off the presses, and literally GASPED at the clever uses of everyday products to make fun, unique, witty, and downright fantastic things with your images.  My clients will all be getting the photo ornaments the book includes!

So go! Get inspired, make stuff with your hands, and love your camera even more!

Want to read it on the blog? PHOTOJOJO BOOK REVIEW.

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.