How to compete with 'Bob' (the guy who's always taken our photos).

[mokka]

I'm preparing to market myself properly for the first time and actually set up a viable business as a commercial photographer. The one thing scaring me though is that I'll approach every single business in the area, and every one of them will get back to me with the same answer.

'Your photos look very good, but Bob's always taken our photographs and we want to just stick with him'.

I'm working really hard on putting the personal touch into everything I do, be informal yet dependable and emphasise the fact I was born and brought up locally, but I worry that no matter how much I do people's first impression will still be of me as an upstart, an outsider, a charlatan, even a mercenary, and every business owner will have their own 'Bob' who's a lovely guy, his kids go to the same school as ours and he takes the photos for the local rugby club/village fair.

I understand that if a business owner is so attached to the photographer they always use that they would use him even if he tripled his prices and got lazy with quality, then that's just one of those things... I guess my fear is that everyone will have a 'Bob' and I'll get no work at all.

Have other people found this in the initial period of business, that you struggle not to be viewed as a mercenary outsider and that everyone has a 'Bob'.?

[3bayjunkie]

In my case i applied to work at a printing company as the pre-press designer for all the artwork, and handling the digital printers. They said they weren't hiring and they would keep my resume, so i just waited till "Bob" quit and I was the first person they called

[andyw]

You are already going into the business with the wrong attitude if you already think that is the answer you will get or that you will not be able to overcome it when you do.

If these are really businessmen then they will be hard headed and pragmatic and will want the best for their business and not the best for "Bob",

You have to be able to show these businesses why they should change their current supplier and why you are the one they should change to.

How you go about that is down to your own skills, not only in photography but in marketing.

I have had a couple of instances of that in my time and although I used this approach only once, it worked - I said "fine, I have no doubt "Bob" does a good job and no doubt will continue to do so but has his approach been the same over the years? Could you be using the pictures from 5 years ago today?"
"my idea is that I come in and do a shoot of your products. I will do this at my own expense, If you don't like the style or shots then fine. I get to keep them for my book. If you like them then you pay for them at my normal rate and I get to do your next "proper" shoot".

The boss agreed. I did the shoot and got the contract for 3 years because he realised that there are other different (not necessarily better) photographers around and that he should be looking at the market a bit more.

I would not suggest you do this for every potential client but it is one approach for what could be a good client. Once you have one or two on board then you will be able to adjust your approach as necessary.

You will always be competing with an incumbent supplier (except for start ups) in whatever business you are in.
If you have no confidence that you can overcome this then it will come over in your discussions with potential clients.

[TraceyHill3]

I'm trying to compete with everyone's family and friends out here. Like the wedding I went to a few months ago I offered to shoot for my neighbor for $500. She said "No thanks, my cousin will do it for free. She has a nice camera." I went to the wedding and was shocked at her using a pop-up flash the whole time and it was very bright. Out of the 700 she said she took, she's only posted 5 and they look like a cousin took them for free with a point & shoot (even though she had a DSLR). How do you convince people to let you photograph their wedding without being the free photographer? I already felt bad offering to do it for only 500.

[andyw]

Originally Posted by TraceyHill3

I'm trying to compete with everyone's family and friends out here. Like the wedding I went to a few months ago I offered to shoot for my neighbor for $500. She said "No thanks, my cousin will do it for free. She has a nice camera." I went to the wedding and was shocked at her using a pop-up flash the whole time and it was very bright. Out of the 700 she said she took, she's only posted 5 and they look like a cousin took them for free with a point & shoot (even though she had a DSLR). How do you convince people to let you photograph their wedding without being the free photographer? I already felt bad offering to do it for only 500.

Nope, you are not competing with "everyone's family and friends" you are competing with your peers in the business. (if in fact you are in business)

In the example you gave above then you had no chance of getting the gig anyway as they were not looking to have professional shots done.

People who are willing to let their cousin or "uncle bob" do it for free are not your potential customers and they would not have accepted your "offer" even if it had been 200 or 20 dollars.

If you are waiting until you are invited to a wedding before "marketing" yourself (I am sure you are not) then you will never get customers.

If you are invited as a guest then you should not be then trying to turn that into a money earner. I am sorry but to me that is just plain bad manners.

[Jim Bryant]

You need to find a unique style.......something that sets you apart from "Bob".

[mokka]

Thanks everyone, I know the things I have to do to overcome the difficulties of setting up a new business and competing with established pros but I guess I have a lot of doubt and from time to time a little voice in my head says 'what are you doing? you cannot possibly succeed at this'. The only people who really believe in me are my business advisors, but when I'm not with them and I'm with my family, they're always putting doubts in my head, telling me I'm wasting my time, that I can't do it etc.

Also, while everything makes you competitive as a business works in a perfect world where business owners think with their heads I worry that sometimes they'll think with their hearts and nothing I can do will influence them.

[BK553]

If you're going to do the same photography as Bob, You'll have to either be better or cheaper.
Better is harder, but you'll get paid more.
Cheaper is easier, but you won't make a living.

Being unique in your photography is the best way. Offer something different at a price that is fair to yourself.

[BigFuzzy]

And remember, you don't have to stress over being the most unique photographer ever doing incredibly and singly unique stuff.. you just have to bring more (ie quality and uniqueness) to the table than Bob, Tom, Dick and Harry who are in your area.

[mokka]

Thanks everyone for replying, I think I should clarify something though. I'm not worried over how I will compete in terms of quality, price, originality, customer service or any of those other things, if I'm not better already then I know what I have to do in order to be better.

It's purely a worry that it will turn out none of these things matter because people like the photographers they use already and it doesn't matter how good you are, or how good your services are or how well you market yourself. 'Bob' is their friend and they will stick with him no matter what. That's why I've personified him this way, 'Bob' isn't simply a representation of all my competition, 'Bob' is something different. 'Bob' is familiarity, dependability, and more importantly the client feels that it is their duty as 'Bob's' friend to always hire 'Bob' to take the photographs.

It could be that this is something people will tell me that only some clients have 'Bobs' but at times I just worry every single business in my area has a photographer with whom they have a close personal relationship and I won't get a look-in.