World’s Number One Photography Business Coach

Who Is Bernie Griffiths?…World’s Number One Photography Business Coach….

by photographer Andrew Hellmich

Bernie Griffiths is a business coach to wedding and portrait photographers and in this interview I ask for his professional advice on a whole bunch of things. I came onto this interview with a list of questions and it seemed each answer led to another and it was sidetrack after sidetrack with useful and actionable content a plenty.
The beauty of what Bernie has to share is that he has been in exactly the same position you are at some stage in his career. He had his own photography business for over 40 years… the difference may be that he ran his business as a business from the start and before anything else. Yes, he loved photography and creating beautiful images but he loved business just as much and as his sole income in a new country, it had to work as a business from the start.
Here is some of the business strategies he spoke to me about…..
• social media bundling for wedding clients
• selling digital files to portrait clients
• is any client the right client for your business?
• staying organised
• renting or buying photographic equipment
• advertising budgeting and getting a good deal
• where is the best place to source clients?
• what to do if bookings drop and how quick should you react?
• are photography awards important to the success of your business?
• testing and measuring your marketing efforts
• core products, what are they and do you need them?
• why you shouldn’t be looking at what other photographers are doing
• photography excellence awards
Nowadays, Bernie uses his knowledge of the industry as a business coach and was happy to share plenty of real life examples in this interview. I challenge you to not make changes in your business.
What is your big takeaway?
Following the interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement after listening to what Bernie had to share? Let me and other listeners know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.
Better yet, if you do actually implement something, click on the voicemail tab to the right of the page and let me know what changes you’ve made and any differences you’ve noticed as a result.
Shout Outs
– http://www.berniegriffiths.com
Advanced Success for Wedding & Portrait Photographers – http://www.aswpp.com.au
Bernie on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/aswpp
Bernie’s Book – Success Secrets of a Professional Photographer


paul pennell

Boom – my head just exploded and this guy is the bomb……..!!!!!

Andrew Hellmich
Haha, love your comment Paul!
How good is Bernie and how many marketing ideas does he have… what a resource he is.

Joey Joiner

Speechless!
I felt like I was Batman (Christian Bale) as he took advice from Alfred (Michael Caine)Subconsciously I kept wanting to hear Bernie say, “Yes, Master Wayne, this is how you become a Master Photographer”.
What a cool guy, this Bernie Griffiths. I could listen to him all damn day. His voice alone is amazing. He should sell an audio version of his book. Talk about sales!
I’m definitely going to be listening to this interview again. And then maybe again. Damn you, Andrew, now I’m going to have a become a premium member, to get my hands on his e-book.
What a treasure that interview was/is.
My head is spinning right now. I don’t even know what my biggest take away was/is. So much great info.
Will have to get back with you.
Many thanks!
Joey Joiner
Fort Worth, Texas
USA
And Bernie, if you’re reading this, you are amazing, Sir. Thank you for your giving us a glimpse into your wisdom.
I don’t even know what else to say right now, except a big from-the-heart Thank You!!!
Andrew Hellmich

Love the references Joey I’m sure Bernie will too!
I had the feeling that this was going to be one of those interviews that will have listeners pulling over in their cars or interrupting their retouching to take a note or two about things they can implement in their businesses. Sounds like you were happy with what Bernie shared.
Thanks for commenting Batman!

Chris & Shae Pyke

That is exactly what I was thinking! Bernie had Alfred’s voice, and wisdom. Thanks for all the great advice. Like he said, we have so many things that we aren’t taking advantage of that we should be. We have video on our cameras, and free access to youtube, so why not use them for the clients, and us with the testimonials and video thank you cards. So many great tips in this one. The interviews just seem to be getting better and better.
Chris & Shae Pyke recently posted…Family Photo Test

Te

Loved Bernie’s interview! Its so timely cause I just started mentoring with Bernie yesterday! Photography business coach.
The point about entering awards was awesome. I think it would be a massive confidence booster to win or even get positive feedback from a judge.
Now I have a bunch of things to go work on and pick his brain about
Te recently posted…City2Surf – my run & the 5 things it taught me

Andrew Hellmich

Hey Te – what a coincidence! From what Bernie had to share in this interview, it’s plain to see you are in good hands.
Can’t wait to hear about your progress! Keep us up to date.

Matt Smith
Really enjoyed Bernie in this this interview, what a wealth of information, a gentleman and devoted educator. I love how obvious but straight forward some of Bernie’s ideas are to engage the client e.g.; video interviews of the couples testimony at the reception. I think this guys mentoring services would truly be worth every cent. Thanks again Andrew for sourcing another quality interview.

Andrew Hellmich

Hi Matt – have to agree with your takeaway being one that stood out for me too. A quick video testimonial on the day or night of the wedding is so easy and I’m sure will pack loads more impact than a written sentence or two on a blog or website.
Glad you enjoyed the episode Matt.

Joey Joiner

Upon listening to the interview again, I picked up on the fact that Bernie regularly watches the Home Shopping Network (or the equivalent in Australia) in order to see and listen to how they sell/market each item. Brilliant. I never would have thought of that one.
Joey Joiner

Andrew Hellmich

Crazy good interview and to be expected, that’s the thing about Bernie, he gives it to you straight and he is always willing to help. I went and saw him at a seminar in his South Melbourne office a few months ago and now have just signed up for mentoring. I’ve done a few sessions already and looking forward to doing more. Great interview Andrew, cheers!

Andrew Hellmich

Hey Sash, thanks for adding your comments and totally agree, Bernie was great to chat to and offered plenty! Don’t forget to let us know how your business progresses as you start implementing what you learn. Who knows, we may see you on one of Bernie’s YouTube videos soon

Claire
My biggest take away was to GET COACHING FROM BERNIE!!
amazing interview, and I like the compliment he gave you about your interviewing! its very true and love listening to these!

Andrew Hellmich

1.
Shane Jackson

This was a amazing interview with Bernie!!! Thank you sooooo much for taking the time to produce this. I’m going to become a premium member soon and can’t wait to see the extra content.
I am also going to be speaking with Bernie soon..

Andrew Hellmich

Hey Shane, thanks mate, love that you’re enjoying the podcast.
You won’t be the first or only listener to get in contact with Bernie, I just received an email from Kim who started consulting with Bernie after hearing him on the show and judging by the other comments here, there will be more.
Don’t forget to stop by and let us know how it goes or better yet, leave a voicemail that I can share on the show
Caitlin McColl

Consider my mind blown by Bernie. Still in the middle of listening, but I’m loving the tips about recording testimonials for You tube and the idea of a social media bundle!
o
Jamie October 27, 2014 at 12:03 pm – Reply
Another great listen Andrew! I loved to hear Bernie’s ideas on using video testimonials. Great stuff. Why didn’t I think of that?

No wonder that Bernie is regarded as World’s number one photography business coach
photography business coach

http://photoprofit.libsyn.com/size/25/?search=bernie+Griffiths

Creating an Amazing Photography Business In Seconds

How easy is it to get “sucked in” on the internet.or a successful photography business.

Secret 1 …From zero customers to 20 a month without any marketing.

Secret 2… One photographer making $10,000 monthly in her portrait photography within 3 weeks of starting without any selling.
Secret 3… Position yourself with pricing so that customers will queue at your studio door.
Secret 4… A guaranteed way to create a photography business in a competitive market, that you don’t have to work in.

Easy to believe everything you see about making money in photography, and then buy things that you will never use, or that will never do what they promised.

Do you really believe that you can make money easily in photography?

Do you really believe that you can make money while you sleep without doing too much work?

Do you really believe that you can start a photography business and turnover $100,000 in the first year?

Some educators/photographers selling various products on Facebook will tell you can have a great photography business working just a couple of hours a week, or less.

Some claim that you can succeed simply by buying their free E-book.

I guess from time to time we all look for the easy way out, the magic wand, the goose that lays the golden eggs.

We are grown up mature adults right?

You will see some of these photography educators running Facebook ads, doing free preview webinars and seminars, sending numerous emails, doing podcasts, and generally selling their fantastic money making photography products on social media.

Maybe some photographers who succumb to these unrealistic claims will have a little success, but believe me, the majority will fail.

But when we get desperate or get “sucked in” by advertising we start to believe in anything.

So what is the reality?

Creating and sustaining a successful photography business takes a lot of commitment, willpower, planning and TIME.

And, of course it takes a lot of work.

The key is to work on doing the tasks that will give you financial growth, and I don’t mean sitting at your computer playing with your files!

The alternative is learning by trial and error, which can be a big waste of your time.

We all have a certain number of hours in each day, days in each week, and weeks in each year to achieve success in our photography business.

Untested methods may work, but if you just keep doing the same things and expect things to change, then you will be very, very disappointed.

In fact, Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity was “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. “

I believe you can only achieve a successful photography business, by trying new things, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

It is better to learn from those who have had many years of success, than trying to learn from a multitude of many different less experienced sources.

From my experience with over 40 years of running a successful studio, and with over 3,000 hours of coaching photographers, as a photography business coach, I can tell you that creating a consistent income stream in photography is not easy, and can be very challenging.

It also can be very fulfilling, financially rewarding, and a lot of fun.

So please mister internet don’t tell me all it takes is just an hour a week, or an 8 week online course to create my dream photography business.

In my experience what you do NEED is a real person that you can be accountable to.\

A person who you can trust, a person who can guide, advise, encourage, motivate, and help you on your journey.

You need a person to SHARE your struggles and your successes.

You can’t get this level of support off the internet.

You need a person who cares.

Let’s face it, the Internet just doesn’t care, like a person does!

Try hugging your computer after you have had a bad in person sales experience and see if it cares.

You need a wife, a partner, a husband, a really good friend or a coach.

World’s number one photography business coach.

They care!

To Your Amazing Photography Business Success

 

 www.berniegriffiths.com

 

 info@aswpp.com.au 

Facebook Rocks!

Are You Missing Out On Facebook
Did you know that as of September 2017 there are over 17 million people a month in Australia active on Facebook.

This love of Social Media is growing at a rate of thousands of people in Australia each year.

Facebook and Instagram are the most powerful platforms available for photographers to get more clients and therefore generate new business.

I get frustrated sometimes when I’m talking to a lot of photographers and they talk about they’re not doing that well or whatever.

And then if I talk to them further and find out what they’re doing about the marketing, they’re not doing anything.

Now whether this is as you say whether it’s just that they don’t know what to do or whether they don’t see it as important, whether they think that you just open your door and you get a queue outside every morning one and the photographs taken.
That just ain’t going to happen.

So we have to get out there, as I say I can’t ever recall any day where I as I say where I would have to file on the police to say can you control all these customers outside my studio. It’s hard.

You’ve got to draw them in. Lead generation is what we’re about, we have to get leads, right?

We have to get leads, we have to get people to know about us.

Then we have to connect with those people, then we have to in a lot of cases nurture them until the time is right and it’s all about timing when the time is right for them.

But we have to be connected when that light bulb goes on the head and I think, “Yeah, I must do that.”

Look at the numbers.

The other thing is with marketing of course the difference that’s changed is people need a reason to do things, people need a reason to have the photograph taken.

The reason that I want my family photograph taken because it will be preserved for posterity is not a good enough reason.

We have to give them other reasons to draw them in.

Not many photographers know how to use their social media effectively.

They spend hours wasting their time posting on Facebook and Instagram without really knowing what they are doing or why they are doing it.

Social Media is your biggest and cheapest way available to get you leads and clients.
There are thousands of potential clients out there, who want photographs taken, and if you don’t start capturing them now, you will be left behind.

Use Facebook to grow your following, strengthen your brand and elevate your business and your income.

As a photography business coach I have created thousands of dollars for my clients from Facebook.

Facebook Rocks!
Facebook is quite simply a part of our daily lives.

Your customers are on it and your future customers are on it.

If you’re not generating business from it, you may be missing out on more enquiries and sales that you can handle.

Your Photography Business may not exist in the next 12 months if you don’t start to make Social Media a priority.

If the photographers in your town haven’t started utilising the potential and power of Social Media, then there is a good chance that they will.

Facebook Is Powerful Targeting
With Facebook you can “ bulls eye” target your customers, in your town.

You can target specific genres to photograph, choose your suburbs, how much money you want to spend on an ad, when you run ad, and you can do it all from your phone, computer or laptop.

Whether you are looking for women with newborns, engaged couples, pets, families,
kids 3-6 years old etc you can select them in your Facebook Ad.

You can also target the household income and even what car they drive!

The specific targeting available with Facebook is quite simply amazing!

Facebook is also so easy to engage with clients and prospects, and is by far the least expensive way to get clients in front of your camera.

Nothing comes close.

It also enables you to easily communicate to your audience and the wider community around you.

There are thousands of people who want your photography, and Facebook can help you find them.

Facebook Can Lift Your Brand
Facebook is still the “go to” social platform.

It has highly engaged and loyal audiences made up of consumers, businesses and brands. It is a visual platform, making it ideal for photographers like yourself.

As a photography business coach I have learned that people consume content on Facebook a little bit differently than you may think.

If you use it correctly, and avoid the pitfalls that most photographers fall into when trying their hand at posting, you will have Facebook getting you money in the bank.

I hate to see photographers struggle when I feel that I could help them.

As a photography business coach I am always looking for those photographers who want to grow their photography business a lot faster than if they were to try and work everything out by themselves.

Who Is Facebook For?
Whether you are a full time or part time photographer, if you are looking at getting more clients to your business with minimal investment, then Facebook is for you.

It’s all about making a difference in your business, and earning a lucrative living to enjoy the freedom and flexibility of being a professional photographer.

Check out this webinar recording that I did with Facebook expert Loren Bartley.

It is over an hour of great information.

To Your Amazing Photography Business Success

www.berniegriffiths.com
photography business coach
worlds number one photography business coach
info@aswpp.com.au

New York and Atlanta Seminars

Workshops U.S.A

I felt that the workshop that I presented in New York was a great success, and did show that photographers around the globe face the same challenges that photographers do in Australia.

The main challenges for the photographers attending were …

Getting customers in the door

Attracting the right Customers

Getting good sales.

We had great feedback from those who attended, and they felt that the information that I had presented would help them in overcoming the challenges that they were facing.

“Presentation was great, super informative and revelatory. I just wish it was longer

Thank you very much for a great time and your fantastic book”.

Kind regards, Maciek   www.maciekmacak.com

“The seminar was great and it really stimulated some great conversations with Harmonie. This weekend starts our insane chicks and bunnies sessions.

We’ll definitely be in touch after they end”. Kim  www.bigappleportraits.com

Next week I am off to Atlanta in Georgia to present another workshop.

Being a photography business coach I am very nervous, but excited to be flying from New York to Atlanta in a small 40 seater plane!

Ha ha…..wish me luck.

Products Can Make You Profit

In the competitive world that photographers are in, one of the ways that we can succeed is by offering different products.

By offering a variety of products rather than selling photographs, we can start to attract a different type of customer.

A customer who doesn’t perhaps want digital files, but a customer who wants to buy images that will personalise and enhance their home decor.

Fitzgerald Photo and Jorgensen Albums have some great new products that you may have not been aware of, and Paul and his team are doing a road trip around the country to give photographers the opportunity to see and handle their new product range.

You can also attend a workshop on “How To Easily Design Portrait and Wedding Albums” and I will be doing a short presentation on my “Soft Sell System” that will help you sell more products, and take the pressure off at sale time.

Their first stop is NSW in April, with dates and places as below.

 

Photography business coach

#world’s number one photography business coach