Today’s post by Joe Farace
Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence. —Colin Powell
Over time, certain phrases have become part of contemporary business language. “The check is in the mail” may be the most abused example. As photographers, it’s important that we’re aware that many of these clichés, even if said in good faith, often harbor other meanings. Many business clients are so insulated from the real world and have no idea of what it’s like for you as an independent business person.
This was running through my mind today as a friend was telling me about a meeting he had with a potential client. “It’ll be good exposure,” the guy told Lenny. To Lenny, good exposure means possible future profits, but what it could mean is that “we’re trying to get the job cheap, and maybe if a miracle happens you might get another order from us.”
Business English 101
Here then is Business English 101 with translations provided by me with the hope that when someone uses these phrases on you; you’ll know what they really mean.
“We’re a non-profit organization, and expect a discount.” At least they didn’t say “it’ll be good exposure,” but the translation is almost the same. The most important thing to remember is that they really may be a non-profit organization, but you’re not. Chances are the person making the call is being paid a salary and may even be making more money than you are. Nobody ever made a living doing work for free.
Sometimes the person saying this is so sincere and business is slow, that you give in, but every time I’ve gone against my instincts on this one, it’s taken a long time to get paid. I usually answer by telling them that many of my clients are non-profit organizations, so I know how to work with them.
Look, I’m not saying that we all don’t have special causes that we support and are glad to work with them pro bono, buy you still have to make a living. Otherwise we’re back to that most important of Farace’s Law’s that your clients don’t really care if you go out of business. This goes back to another simple rule: You give the client images; they give you a check. Similarly, when a client or potential client disagrees with any of my business practices I quietly explain, “Sorry, it’s company policy.”
Hoe I Made this Photograph: Mary first sported this old truck while we were on our way to lunch. We were both struck by the color combination and I made this exposure with a Canon EOS 60D using an EF 28-135mm IS lens (at 33mm) with an exposure of 1/100 sec and f/22 and ISO 400.
I can hear some of you now: “If I do this, they’ll take their business somewhere else.” That’s true, and maybe that’s the best thing that could happen. It’s up to us to educate our clients about the realities of business. You don’t have to be an SOB to do this, just simply and politely explain your policies. It’s company policy.
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