On Mon, 24 Mar 2003 12:47:54 -0500, "Howard" <NOMORE@SPAM.NET> wrote:

>Don't ask me how I got here, but circumstances led me to make a living in

>videography, the bulk being weddings. I had a great booth in 2 recent

>wedding shows, people like my work, they like the unique approach to the

>wedding videos I already did, and now, I have a list of 123 brides to be for

>this year alone, and I don't know how to sell the damn thing.

>I only have 2 weddings booked for all of 2003...I handed out very nice

>cards, color flyers, did the sales pitch, everyone liked what they saw on

>the demo CD I handed out, but the phone isn't ringing.

>

>I did follow up letters, explaining to them in a professional manner, the

>importance of capturing the events of the entire wedding day, rather than

>have cousin dwayne attempt to do it, family heirloom yadda yadday

>yadda...but still, no go.

>123 brides....accounting for duplicate weekends, there are still 50 shooting

>days right here in front of me,. at $1000 a pop, $50,000 ...and I can't sell

>the damn things..

>Economy and war have scared off many, and since wedding videos are luxury

>item (better to blow $2000 on a one time only dress and $5000 on booze and

>food, instead of a movie of your entire wedding day) peope are cautious

>about spending...

>Funny though, I have May 31 booked, from last september, and in the last 5

>weeks, I received 6 queries about my availability for May 31....

>I also have August 23 booked, and, yup, also received 4 quesries for August

>23...and no other date...if it wasn't so patheticly funny, I'd cry... :)

>I'm in Ontario, west of Toronto, and the market here may be different that

>yours, maybe not, but I don't know what to do next....suggestions?

One) - You have discovered early that almost all inquiries

WILL BE for the same unlikely pair of dates (and those

dates will change for each year...;-).

Two) - You have discovered early that wedding shows are

an inefficient way to get wedding videos (as are most

advertising attempts, expensive yellow-pages ads, etc.).

Three) - You have found it difficult to fill all available

dates (this will not change, and given the likely time it

takes to properly edit a good wedding video, be glad you

have not filled many dates! ;-).

Four) - Charging (MUCH) more helps (this results in fewer

bookings and much less work for the same pay - and MUCH

nicer clients, for the most part...;-).

Five) - Work through referrals (which can be from the

churches, reception-establishments, former clients,

florists, etc.), though this takes time, but it is more

effective than advertising.

Six) - Be realistic in your expectations...;-)

Seven) - Do something else for much of your support

(weddings, at best, unless you develop a "wedding mill",

with all the "trimmings", will not provide for all of

your financial needs).

Eight) - No matter what your style, or how good you are,

a video is (or should be) expensive, and most clients

will not appreciate more than 30% of "what you do",

and don't really care - but your offering (and the

client's investment) needs to "make sense" to the client,

not just to you...;-)

Nine) - Unfortunately in life, it is not the quality of

the product that counts (or the price), it is the

quality of the salesmanship that counts, and if you

are not a great salesman (most people are not...), you

will not sell many dates. Figure out a way to compensate

for this (some ideas are included, above...;-).

Ten) - Figure out a way to "retire early" and enjoy

doing weddings for fun in addition to profit... (hint:

reducing your expenses means you need to make less

money to cover them...;-).