by Michael Barton, CPP, Cr.Photog, F-PPANI

The photography business is sketchy. There. Someone said it. Our world is full of strange business practices and to be frank, many of them don’t even border on the line of ethics, they jump over it and grab a t-shirt to as a souvenir. As if this is not enough, many studios are run by photographers that have recently purchased a digital camera, hung a sign on the door, and called themselves a professional. It’s a strange time to say the least.

With all of this, it’s no wonder that a high percentage of these businesses won’t be around in a couple of years. Many of them won’t even make it through their first fiscal year and there are statistics to prove it. There are many that consider this rough, but honestly, it is a sign that all is right in the world. Poorly run businesses should fold under. Bad photographers with suspect motivation should find something better to do. These are all signs that the system works. The system, however, is not perfect. There will be casualties along the way. That is always a bi-product of friction.

All this said it is difficult to not be intimidated by the influx of photography studios and part time photographers. Indeed it is a strange day. There is, however, a stranger phenomenon that is occurring.

Many businesses have been unable to adapt to these changes. There are also newer studios that feel compelled to knowingly adopt practices that lesson the product they are producing and devalue the bottom line for the sake of survival. The logic goes something like this:

“Those guys don’t know what they are doing! We’re going to outsmart them by being cheaper and offering more.”

It is not always that blatant, however; think of how many businesses have changed because they have felt intimidated by a business that will most likely not be around for much longer. It is commonly referred to as “weathering the storm.” Although, that’s not entirely a bad idea in theory, there are many negative consequences for how this constructed.

Let’s look at a couple aspects of this logic and break down what’s going on. Here’s a really basic question:

If you are not running your business, who is?

In times of need, we often have the temptation of letting clients run our studios more than we think. This is often subtle. Are you offering services that are not on the menu for need of money? Are you letting a few things slide to make a client happy? Again, these are not entirely mortal sins, but realize that word travels. What you do for one, you will most likely have to do for all. More than that, people respect protocol. In an earlier article I talked about the scenario of asking a gas station attendant to lower his price. That’s ridiculous right? You get the point.

Here’s the real point to all of this. We have established that the world of photography is a little crazy and that a very high percentage of businesses these days are run in a manner that’s going to take them down. Here’s where this gets interesting. If we know these businesses are run poorly, why then do we feel compelled to let them run our studios? Perhaps this sounds like an exaggeration, but read closely. You are letting a failing studio drag your business down when you say things like the following:

“They are throwing in this service, so I guess I have to as well.”

“Lowest price guaranteed.”

“We’ll match our competitors printed price.”

“Oh, I could never get away with that price!”

“I need to run a special to compete.”

“I guess it’s time to lower prices.”

These are not bad ideas as a whole. The question is, are you adopting business practices that are part of the failing recipe to another studio? If so, guess where that puts you! Let’s say it again:

If you’re not running your business, who is?

Know that in light of that last statement which I felt compelled to print twice, it would be hypocritical to suggest that anyone run their business exclusively by what they read in an article! The truth is, you are only as good as you tell people you are. It is your goal to offer the best services you can for your clients. You also need to offer them for a price that is appropriate to what they are given. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but if people are starting to go somewhere else, maybe the balance between price and quality is off. Instead of lowering your prices, set things right by offering better quality. Offer better service. Offer better products. Out work your competitors instead of out pricing them. Out customer service your competitors. There is no limit to how cheap things can get! There is also no limit to quality and customer service. By heading the other direction, you will quickly begin to offer services you competitors won’t be able to offer.

This could be a much longer article! The goal is, however, to get the ball rolling and let you write the rest of the chapter. Just remember:

If you’re not running your business, who is?