Worn thin

Marketing is tough, that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone right, but we always seem to think it shouldn’t be this hard. Lately I have been doing a lot of marketing for a business I am working with and it has involved a lot of “hitting the pavement”.

I don’t have a degree in marketing but I rather enjoy it. I’m an outgoing person so I love to meet with people, talk to them about what their needs are and what their situation is, then look into my tool bag of things I can offer and work with them to meet those needs. The thing is, not everyone thinks they have needs, or cares to have you help them meet those needs. Many times I find myself asking the question, “what is the point of going to this place when I know they will just shoot me down” but then out of the blue I get passed on to someone who isn’t the front office receptionist and I’m “in”.

Knowing what tools you have in your tool box and what services you are capable of offering will make marketing really simple. David Duchemin in his book “Vision Mongers” talks about sitting down and outlining what you are able to offer before you meet with a potential client so that you know exactly what services you can provide. This will keep you from accepting a project that you have no way to deliver on. There is nothing worse than not being able to fulfill on a commitment you have made. This will also open the door for negative marketing through word of mouth or even an internet post that could hurt you for further jobs, so know what you can and can’t do and then market accordingly.

It is a great feeling when you can connect with someone, but I think for every time I have gotten past that front “fence” if you will, I have had three times as many people politely telling me they weren’t interested. But it’s something that must be done.

Photography is my passion and I can take pictures all day long, but if I don’t put the camera down and do some marketing then I’m just taking pictures for myself. That doesn’t make me any money, nor honestly is it as satisfying as taking pictures for someone else. Really I love serving people through photography and providing the images they are seeking.

Behind the Scenes

For the past two weeks I have been working to help design a Technical manual for the worship team at my church.  The idea is to provide those seeking to be involved  with the technical aspects of the service some information and direction to what they may be able to do.

I have been involved in helping with live production for many years, and I can say that there is always a need for good quality help to add to the team.  I am loving working on this project and getting to record a few moments for these guys to help them as they recruit for their service.

the love of a father

I spent last week up in North Carolina visiting friends, and while there I captured this image of a “father/daughter” moment.  I love seeing pictures of “love” and this one reminded me of my fathers love for me, but even greater is God, my heavenly father’s love for me.  I’m taken back by it every day!