Executive Officer of the AIPP, Peter Myers, announced last night at the 2015 Australian Professional Photography Awards (APPA) that Photography will finally be recognised as a profession in Australia following consultation with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
In this interview, Peter shares his thoughts on the announcement and what it will and could mean for profession photographers in the future. In conjunction with the news, I ask Peter exactly how the AIPP works in regard to the different membership elves, the awards, the point scoring system, mentoring and plenty more.
Following the short interview with Peter, we return to the Facebook challenge put forward by photography business coach Bernie Griffiths and examine why my results have been so good so far when some listeners are struggling with their efforts. We'll get into the guts of why Bernie's advice can work so well for some and totally flop for others.
NOTE: If you're not from Australia or the AIPP news does not interest you, jump to around the 35 minute mark of the episode.
Here’s some of what we cover on the AIPP:
A profession is a group of individuals who work together under a collective organization with the intention of improving the standard of practice of the professionals and where all the members of that profession are bound together by a common code of conduct and code of ethics.
Here’s some of what we cover on the Facebook challenge:
What’s on Offer for Premium Members
Premium members can see a screen recording of me setting up my Facebook ad including budget, targeting, length of time and everything else from the initial post to having the ad go live – it's all there.
In addition for Premium members, I'm backing you financially, to get this weeks challenge done. Once you've followed Bernie's instructions, email me a screenshot of your ad on Facebook and I'll send you $10USD via PayPal. My email address is andrew@photobizx.com.
NOTE: This offer is for full and current Premium Members only and excludes anyone on the one month membership trial.
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview, I’d love to know about your results from your Facebook promotion. How much engagement did you get, how many calls did you receive, how many of those calls did you convert to actual bookings and what about your sales? Finally, what did you learn from the whole experience?
If you've already tried and didn't see the results, please take on board what you heard in todays episode and try again. Do not give up on this after one failed attempt – it works if you follow what Bernie explains.
There has never been a better episode to get involved and share how you go with what you heard on the show. Please use the comments area below and get involved, share anything and everything you can about your experience.
If typing isn't your thing, use the voicemail option on this page and tell me how you went.
By sharing our collective experiences, there is so much we can learn from each other and by doing so, we may find new ways to grow each of our own photography businesses.
If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Bernie or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below in the comments area.
$1 Trial for your Premium Membership
If you’re a regular listener to the free podcast, you definitely know you’re missing out on a ton of good content that could be the difference in you speeding up your success in this business or working things out yourself… slowly.
If you’ve wondered what you get for $20 per month with the membership, will it be good value for you or if you just want to get todays Facebook advertising video content, you can for $1.
You can trial the Premium Membership for a measly $1 for the first month! Here’s the link to go check it out and stop missing info that will impact your photography, your business, your life: https://photobizx.com/try
Any questions or hassles, email me or leave a comment below – hope to see you in the membership area shortly.
Sales Without Shame – Photography Sales Course by Kristen Kalp
I've been preaching the merits of Kristen Kalp's Sales Without Shame course after implementing what she teaches into my studio and seeing the results first hand.
After hearing about her strategy to use printed proofs for the sales session (part of the course) I promised to give it a try and have since seen better sales than ever before when combined with 3rd party marketing or promotional free shoot and print offers which I run regularly.
In the course, there is so much more to it than printed proofs! It’s a complete strategy for portrait sales including:
- Products to sell and show
- Overcoming and dealing with rejection or resistance to your prices
- Questions you need to be asking during the session to give your client what they actually want
- How to move quickly and completely through the session
- How to deal with discount hunters
- How not to give everything away
- Using incentives to make the sale happen and actually get paid
- What to do when the decision maker isn’t at the session?
In addition to the tactics you’ll find cheat sheets and forms to use during your sales sessions with everything laid out in order so you don’t miss a step.
If you’re struggling with sales and selling, you give too much away, feel intimidated by some clients or don’t feel you’re worth what you need to (and want to) charge, have a look at Kristen’s course and make use of the $200 saving with the promo code PHOTOBIZX.
Here’s the link: Sales Without Shame
Wedding Sales Course by Spencer Lum
I mentioned the free eBook by Spencer Lum of Ground Glass on wedding photography pricing earlier in the week and have since learned Spencer will be reopening his course – Momentum Sales shortly.
Spencer told me the course is opening early November but there is a webinar series starting this week and he insists there is a ton of good content in the webinar series, it's not a big sales series for the course – although I'm sure that will happen at the end.
My advice, check out the webinar series, learn what you can from a master tactician in wedding photography sales and converting potential clients to clients then make up your own mind about the course.
Here's the link to find out more – Momentum Sales
And the free eBook on pricing I mentioned in the last episode – Pricing for Profit
Become an Affiliate Partner and pay for your PhotoBizX Membership
One thing I haven't mentioned often is when you become a Premium Member, you're automatically an Affiliate Partner with me and PhotoBizX.
If you're unfamiliar with the term Affiliate, it's where you earn commission for referring someone to PhotoBizX and they go on to become a Premium member like you. When someone does sign up (using your affiliate link) you'll earn 50% of their membership fee for the life of their membership.
Pretty cool hey!
There's absolutely nothing sneaky or shady about this and I don't want you to hide the fact you're an affiliate partner if giving out your affiliate link. If someone signs up with your link, they will find out about the affiliate program too.
Why have this arrangement?
Simply, I rely on the memberships to be able to keep the podcast goings – as you probably know if you've been listening for a while – I've talked about how grateful I am to members regularly on the podcast.
I can't think of anyone better to be referring friends and other photographers to PhotoBizX than someone like you who already knows the value of the show.
I've always asked for listeners to refer other photographers and now I have a way to actually repay and thank you properly for any referrals.
How to get started as an Affiliate Partner?
First, log into the membership area on PhotoBizX.
Go to https://photobizx.com/partner (click on “become an affiliate”) if asked.
You will see your unique affiliate URL – affiliate link in a box at the top of this page.
This is the link you need to use and share if you want to earn commissions from any referrals.
You can use this link in social media, email or wherever you like – it's unique to you.
How do you get paid your commissions?
Payments are made at the end of each month directly to your PayPal account.
Your affiliate link is set to take referrals to a special page with a $1 trial for the first month so they can check if the membership is a good fit for them. I won't pay any commission for the first month because it'd be 50c 🙂 after that, it'll be $10 per month for each member referred for the life of their membership.
Hope all that makes sense but any questions, email me.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP)
Australia Professional Standards Councils
Sales Without Shame – use promo code PHOTOBIZX to save $200
Pricing for Profit – free eBook by Spencer Lum for Wedding Photography Pricing
Momentum Sales – upcoming course for Wedding Photographers by a master tactician on the subject
Thank you!
Thank you again for listening to the show and thanks to Peter for sharing the exciting news surrounding the ACCC decision and how it will impact Australian professional photographers.
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!
That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!
Thanks and speak soon
Andrew
Great news that professional photography is recognized as a profession by the government.
I agree Bernie – although I’m unsure how it will affect working photographers or should I say, how long it will take to have any affect for working pro’s.
Good work Andrew…….You nailed it with everything that you said about the Facebook challenge. The biggest challenge that I have as a Photography Business Coach is getting photographers I coach to do exactly what I say.
I teach PROVEN Marketing strategies. They work if the instructions are followed to the letter.
Problem is of course photographers are creatives. Their brain wants to create,and make things more complex than they are. It’s only natural. Being a photographer myself I know what they are trying to do.
It took me a few years to learn what Marketing is about. It’s about test and measure. The Marketing Strategies I offer are tested and PROVEN to work .
Thanks again Bernie! I think your point of following to the letter is a lesson being learnt by many who took up the challenge.
It’s easy to see how much difference YOU can make in a photographer’s business when I consider 23 bookings after one short interview… amazing stuff!
Thank you so much for another wonderful podcast! My partner and I are going to attempt again, but this time with our bridal portraits. Trying to follow it to the letter.
Thank you and Bernie Griffiths again for your willingness to help us advertising challenged people. People like myself need awesome people like you!
My pleasure Sharon – love to hear how you go with your follow up attempt.
I still feel bridal portraits will be a tough target when compared to babies, toddlers and children. By all means, give it another try and if you don’t see the results you’re after, alter your target to kids for one ad – measure the response and go from there.
As Bernie says, marketing is all about “test and measure.” 🙂
I was having a recent conversation about the festival photography genre being like the wild west in photography and lacking in most of what AIPP offers.
I couldn’t explain very well what AIPP is about, this podcast has helped a great deal and a place I can refer people too. At some point in the near future I may get involved.
Great news about ACCC recognition and after a few years I’m hopeful it will raise photographers profile in the general community.
I’ll be placing my Facebook promotion this afternoon, its on a brand new page so we’ll see how well paid Ads work with a fresh page. I’ll use a photo that’s representative of what I’m after and shoot style and will state what I think is a good reason for running the free portraits promotion. “fresh content for a new website”
I’ve always stayed clear of more ‘work’ on facebook so this is a departure from having just a facebook profile.
thank you Peter, Bernie and Andrew
If festival photography is like the wild west, good thing there are cowboy photographers like you out there to cover them Orlando…. Baaahaahaa boom-tish!
Seriously though… Glad to hear the AIPP and what it has to offer as an organisation for photographers is a little clearer for you now. It’ll be interesting to see how the ACCC decision plays out.
Please keep me in the loop with how your new FB page and ads play out – I think your “experiment” will be a terrific case study for any other listeners who don’t have a FB presence for their business already.
If the ads on a new page generate bookings without the added work of constantly maintaining the page – I’d be all for that!
Ah looking forward to get started with the facebook challenge, I´m finishing up a brand new website right now, have yet to create a facebook page but am on a timeline to get Bernie´s and your challenge on its way! Great to hear your explanations in this episode, I saw the ad you posed and thought the text was awesome but was going to get creative with my text because, yeah, copying has this bad rep ; ) but am gonna stick to it very closely if that´s ok! Thanks very much for these two episodes, very inspiring for us marketing challenged, as Sharon says!
Get onto your ad as soon as you can Stephanie and let me know how you go – you don’t even need a finished website to do this. In fact, that could be your perfect reason for the promotion itself.
And please, please copy my ad to the letter if you’re happy to go after the same type of client. No excuses for the “marketing challenged” this way. 🙂
Once you’ve trialed one ad, measure against it with future ads and tweaks to wording and images you use.
Hello Adrew and Peter!
Great to hear about all that the AIPP is doing for the photography industry. I am in the U.S. and am wondering if you know what organization most closely resemble the AIPP for us? After listening to this podcast, I am excited to get involved in a proper organization.
Thanks!
Hi Natalie – in the USA you have the WPPI Wedding and Portrait Photographers International
and the PPA Professional Photographers of America
I’m more familiar with the WPPI who seem to be closer to what the AIPP is to Australian photographers in the USA but I suggest you check both out and make a decision form there.
The WPPI have a large conference, awards, trade show each year in Las Vegas – usually in March – I’ve been once, plan to go again and it’s fantastic!
Thanks Andrew!
Thanks for the AIPP part of the podcast Andrew. One thing I’d like to know about the APPAs and state awards is what images are you allowed to enter? Do they have to be taken within a specific period?
My pleasure Eric.
Here is a link to the NSW AIPP rules for which prints can be entered.
From memory, any photos entered must have been taken in the last two years before the date of the awards.
FB challenge is on Andrew. Thanks to you and Bernie but the next step is the big one. I’ll keep you posted.
Also Peter Myers’ interview is packed with information and a brighter future. Fantastic.
Nice one Sevim – love to hear how it goes for you – good and/or bad.
I loved the marketing workflow portion of the episode. You said something like “I hope I didn’t talk to long.” Don’t ever worry about that Andrew. I love the way you explain things. I can picture everything you’re covering. I actually thought, “I’d like to hear him describe more workflow items. Maybe editing, culling, etc.”
Thanks Brad – appreciate your comments – sometimes I feel like I’m rambling, good to know it’s may not be coming across that way.
I’d be happy to share my process on editing and culling and will in a future episode.
I won’t go too deep into my editing because I know I’m in the minority shooting JPG and don’t use Lightroom at all. This could be a topic for a future guest though.