My favorite restaurant in the entire world is right in my city of Philadelphia. It’s a tad pricey, so my husband and I treat ourselves twice a year to a night out for dinner there. One night, about two years ago, we booked a reservation and headed into Philly. We checked in with the hostess and she swiftly brought us to our table. We sat down and noticed something right away.
The chair cushions on the seats that were once spotless and firm were dingy and sagging. I remember thinking, “that’s odd.” The restaurant was a homey place (not stuffy). The kind of place where the head chef takes pride in his work and visits a table or two a night to speak face-to-face with his customers. The food, no matter what you ordered, was always impeccable. The drinks were always fabulous. But, while the furnishings were once clean, quaint and cozy, now they showed a bit of wear.
The furnishings. The seats the customers sat in. Those seats went unnoticed. Why would the head chef ever need to sit at one of the tables? He was always, always on his feet. And this is unfortunate. He never took a minute to sit at a customer’s table. To see what they see. To feel what they feel.
Your Photography Business Is No Different Than This Restaurant
Take some time to experience your business from the customer’s vantage point. Come at things from a different angle, from a different seat and you may notice some glaring things that desperately need changing.
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Angela Pointon is the founder of Hand Select Your Clients. She’s here to prove that creative people can be good business people, too. She inspires photographers and other creative people to kick major butt through her coaching, blog, emails, workshops and her books.