A Monday Series
You’re roasting. You’re cranky. Yet last week, you used that bright summer sun to highlight and Clear Out the Cobwebs. You’re feeling fresher already. What else can you do to ramp up your business this summer?
If you’re burnt-out, antsy, and need to revitalize your attitude as much as your business, this is the series for you. Experience Design for beach-dreaming business owners comes to your summer Mondays.
Summer Is a Great Time to Get Your Picture Taken
You’ve got a tan (well, as much as you plan to get). You’re feeling skinny (hard to eat when you’re so darned hot). Now’s the time: Book an appointment with a real photographer.
If you are the guy I saw with the twenty-year-old photo on the web yesterday, hurry up. No kidding, we can all tell that outfit is a relic. And the hair! We can’t hire you while wondering if you lost your comb. In 1987.
How to choose a business photographer
I recommend a look at your local business newspaper (not the daily paper, now, the business news). There are usually some fine head shots of local leaders, which often have credits. If you like what you see, look them up. There are often a few ads in the paper for folks who do executive portraits, as well. Check their websites and find one with a style you like.
I love the executive photos of Terence Roberts, here in Wilmington. I insist you check out his portfolio whether you are nearby or not, because if your photographer can get a shot demonstrating your expertise as well as your dental work (as he does), you really should. (No affiliation with Mr. Roberts, if you’re wondering.)
If you don’t have a local business paper, do an Internet search for your town and “executive photography” or “business photography.” Click around.
Take some time before the big date to think about the mood, the surroundings, the trappings of your business that should provide the backdrop for this photo. Think about your clothing. It also sets a mood (casual or relaxed), and if not carefully selected, it can date you faster than you can say “Bob Newhart in flannel.”
Last: ask your photographer’s advice, and take it. He or she knows how to bring the best out in you.
What are you going to do with this photo?
Freshen up your website or your blog (redid mine here at MCE a couple of months ago, in spite of my photo-phobia). Writing this has me thinking of doing it again, actually.
Put it on your brochures.
In some fields, putting your photo on your business card is becoming the norm (Real Estate comes to mind).
If your business hangs on you, the individual, a well-conceived photo may belong in your advertising.
Include it in your press kit.
Hang it in a hallway of your offices along with photos of the rest of your staff.
Give it to your Mom (she likes that kind of stuff).
How long has it been since you had your photo taken by a professional? If the answer is, “not since high school,” stop considering it an indulgence. This is a business expense to brand you, dear reader, as a pro worth contacting…. and paying.
What do you think when you see an obviously dated photo in a brochure or on the web?
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
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14 July 2008, 9:04 am
Can you send some of that roasting weather up here? Seriously, we’re not having much of a summer.
Seems we get cloud and rain, at least every 2nd day. Today the high is only going to be 71 (and suprise, suprise! Rain!)
I can count the sweltering days over 85 we’ve had on one hand.
Global Warming my A****.
(Al Gore and David Suzuki can bite me!)
Friar’s last blog post…Friar’s Random Rants
14 July 2008, 9:56 am
Friar, I hear ya! I’m actually chilly right now. Going to put on socks…
Kelly: I htink the photo idea certainly works for some businesses, but not all. I’ve been thinking about whether or not I would put a photo on my site when the Men build it. I doubt I will include one. Or maybe I’ll submit a partial one that doesn’t show my face, like they have, which I actually find intriguing and mysterious and even artful. It’s not that I’m embarrassed about how I look. Though no one thinks I’m thirty-four and often assumes I’m a decade younger. I don’t think that works in my favour when I’m trying to be professional and mention how many years of experience I have!
While I was checking out another fantasy editor’s site, she had a full body shot of her in a cropped top and jeans, belly button ring and all. She also had a head shot only. Of course I judged those shots: whether for good or bad, I automatically made an impression of her. She had a killer body, and I’m sure that was the point: that not all editors are frumpy with pens on strings. But there was something about needing to show that off that turned me away.
At the same time as I find it neat to see who I’m talking to or going to hire online (your pic, for instance, gives me a great impression of you and I love it; it’s how I think of you now), I find it may negatively affect one’s experience as well. Seeing what a person looks like influences my thoughts about them. Good or bad. Ever listen to a radio person and then finally see what they look like? I’m always shocked. They never look how I imagined and now I think of them differently. Same with a blogger friend. I had this whole persona in my head and was absolutely shocked when I saw her photo. She looked nothing like I imagined.
I love the anonymity of blogging and being online, and I just wrote about this somewhere on Friar’s blog: when all I know is the writing, I feel I get to know the person better. There’s something to be said for not having a pic, I think, too. But again, I think it depends on the kind of business. I’m not sure a pic for mine is necessary. What do you think?
steph’s last blog post…Taking the Focus Off ME
14 July 2008, 9:59 am
PS. I think what I’m saying here is that I admit I totally judge a person on looks right away. It’s awful, but it’s automatic. I look at someone and think, wow, she looks bitchy. Wow, he looks super nice. Wow, he looks like an idiot. Etc.
steph’s last blog post…Taking the Focus Off ME
14 July 2008, 10:01 am
However, I do push past this when necessary. And of course I’m humbled when someone degenerate-looking turns out to be awesome.
steph’s last blog post…Taking the Focus Off ME
14 July 2008, 10:01 am
Okay, no one hate me for this, all right? I know, I’m awful. I judge books by their covers, too.
14 July 2008, 11:06 am
@Kelly
This reminds me of my real estate agent when I bought my house last year.
One of my female colleagues saw her business card with her photo on it, and commented “I trust her, she has nice hair”.
Me being the knuckle-dragging nearderthal male, I thought: Oh, this is such a typical WOMAN’S COMMENT!
So I asked: What the heck does this have to do with buying a house?
She said “Well, think about it. If they had bad taste and a horrible poofy hairstyle, if they didnt’ even know how to present themselves professionally, would you trust them to help pick out a house for you?
I had never thought about it this way, until then.
And it kinda mades sense, I must admit.
Friar’s last blog post…Friar’s Random Rants
14 July 2008, 11:56 am
@Steph and Kelly
Younger people are hard to read. But you can judge the appearance of someone who’s older.
I look at the face..if they’re old enough to have a few lines and wrinkles, you can pretty much tell if they’ve spent their life being a sour-puss, or if they’ve laughed a lot.
Friar’s last blog post…Friar’s Random Rants
14 July 2008, 2:48 pm
Friar,
Cool weather=cobweb clearing time. He he he.
No politics at MCE! Do not get Granola Mom (me) started on global warming or my super-best buddy Al. (Ooh, you got me started.) Go see Wall-E instead.
Steph,
That why I want you to peek at Terence Roberts’ stuff. It does not have to be all about your looks, whatever they may be, and it can be a very helpful tool. Seriously, follow the link and then click on the little boxes on the left side to see his other executive shots. You can get a lot of inspiration there.
Here’s what I’m picturing for new fantasy-editor Steph’s identity: In your office (or the studio’s), you behind a desk with moody colors in the background, a model dragon on the desk in front of you, the glow of a laptop hitting your face, an award trophy if you’ve got any tucked in by the computer, and maybe a big, funny red pen in your hand. Tell the “dark and stormy night” side, the serious side, and the “but I’m fun to work with” side. All in one photo—and that’s with two seconds of thought. Paint it in broad strokes, because that photo will be looked at for mere seconds.
(In case you haven’t noticed, I’m giving advice I haven’t taken yet on this story-photo. In a sidebar something more easily read like a plain headshot may be appropriate, but it’s something I’d like to implement at my website and on the About page here when I get my courage up for another photo shoot.)
With a story in the photo, your looks or lack therein become much less the point. This is a marketing tool like any other—and one that let’s your prospects feel like they know you quickly, too.
Friar again,
That judgement is going to be made, whether in person or on the card. In industries where it’s becoming common you might as well jump on board.
If we can’t present ourselves well for an hour with a photographer how can we possibly do it day in and day out? And if we don’t care about our appearance enough to be well-groomed, how much do we care about our work? It does make sense. I don’t need to work with a beautiful realtor (handsome, about 6′2″, and single will do…), but appearing trimmed up and classic in dress says a lot about who you are.
(The frightening photo that screamed combless in 1987 that I mentioned? NOT made up.)
Thanks for the lively debate, guys!
Regards,
Kelly
14 July 2008, 4:46 pm
You get a lot of 18 year-olds with In-Your-Face tattoos with multiple-face piercings who get ticked off because people don’t approve of their appearance. It’s a free country, they’ll say, they should dress any way they want to.
But they fail to realize that this freedom also applies to business owners, to allow them to hire whoever they want. And this often is based on presentation and appearance.
So, if someone decides they want to look like a refugee from a tatoo parlour or a record store, fine. Nobody is stopping them.
They just need to be aware that the World is not going to bend over backwards and offer them a six-figure salary if they choose to look like this.
They should explain this to today’s kids.
(But then again, would they listen?)
Friar’s last blog post…Friar’s Random Rants
14 July 2008, 5:47 pm
Friar’s Random Rants, Part Two, now at MCE Blog!
Yah, yah. I’m not asking those folks to get their pix taken and put them on their card, dear Friar. Although I’m not their “target market,” and if they did, it might work. I don’t think they’re reading here.
Signs, signs, and appearances for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf-e5ZDfxfU —Skip to 5:00.
Ooh, and I forgot to ask—have I spent my life being a sour-puss, or have I laughed a lot?
Hehehe.
Later,
Kelly
14 July 2008, 6:03 pm
Aww…gee, Kelly.
Based on your photos from a couple of months ago, you looked pretty good. I didnt’ see any revealing facial “lines”.
Though anyone who sticks their tongue out at the camera and then posts the photo is definitely NOT a sour puss!
14 July 2008, 6:34 pm
Kelly:
Hmmm, desk: check. Laptop, dragon, big red pen, nope. Trophies also got dumped years ago. Interesting idea for fantasy-edit Steph! The big red pen made me laugh, though!
To me, there’s nothing more intimidating than red pen. I hate it. I hated it when I was in university. I never ever proof in red. Green, purple, blue, pink, even. But not red!
Took a look at that guy’s portfolio. Those ARE great shots! A professional makes all the difference. The lighting was really great.
steph’s last blog post…Taking the Focus Off ME
14 July 2008, 6:40 pm
Funny that you singled out Realtors and pictures. We have been *discussing* this for the entire ten years since I got my licence.I took my picture off of my business card five years ago. I said I would put it back on when my doctor put her picture on hers.
I do have my pic on my about page at LLI and avatars on twitter. Also there is a wedding picture of my on my facebook. My daughter made me do it. That’s for fun. When it comes to making money and going Pro again, I’ll probably take it down.
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post…Finding Friends
14 July 2008, 6:52 pm
Friar,
FULL of lines. Hopefully I laugh enough to pass your test. Made me giggle when I read that earlier.
Since we’re off-topic… I read once that somebody did a study of women’s college yearbook photos, 20+ years after they left college. They studied them for the “sincerity” of the smile, based on the lovely crinkles that you get at the corners of your eyes if you’re really happy as opposed to when you pose statically and only your mouth smiles. Then they asked the women if they’d had a good life, a so-so life, or a crummy life. You guessed it, the ones who smiled sincerely had what they defined as “happy” lives, regardless of other factors like money or family.
Steph,
Use that deeply ingrained visual stereotype to your advantage. Then everybody knows you’re a editor in an instant.
Big, big, BIG red pen. I’m thinking 24″ long and a 3″ diameter like an enormous sausage. You could get an art student or a clever niece or nephew to whip you one up from wood, matteboard, or papier-mache. It would be an awesome prop.
Dragon: some Harry Potter tchotchke, or something from D&D collectibles. There must be tons of that around. Laptop: borrow for the day or use a desktop computer. Drape walls in purple silk you’d never let into your house on a normal day. (Cheat—use suit lining fabric. Cheap as chips.) Display tons of books behind you. This is the big time you’re aiming for, right?
Not going for full-out campy here, just the colors and themes to attract the market you want and the trappings around you, to show what you do.
Oh, I should stop. I get these ideas, and… well, I am obsessed with your success! It says so on my About page so I have to live up to it!
Later,
Kelly
14 July 2008, 7:00 pm
Wendi,
Near me it’s become the norm for real estate agents. In caveman days I was an agent (I was no competition, believe me); back then, no pix on cards. Funny thing was, I went all out and put mine on my signs, and I got known for it very quickly.
It didn’t help. I was already working in design “on the side” and I never put my heart into it.
I like your avatar, but you should take it down. It makes me *insanely* jealous, he he.
Until later,
Kelly
14 July 2008, 7:07 pm
Kelly,
Thanks for the *compliment???*
Will it help if I tell you I have gained around ten pounds since that picture was taken? Too much partying with the *Man.* I’m telling you, it was just a really good hair day…LOL! Some days I really DO look like a grandma!
Most days my hair is just naturally curly and every which way and blowin’ in the wind.
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post…Finding Friends
14 July 2008, 7:24 pm
Wendi,
It will NOT help. When I was 20 I didn’t look half as good as you do now, ten extra and all, and I am not going to be getting any finer at this age. Totally jealous, and LOL.
Later,
Kelly
14 July 2008, 10:33 pm
Kelly: I am way too shy for all this! But I love how much you get into it!
I’ll see what James says. They’re doing my site.
steph’s last blog post…Taking the Focus Off ME