Do you have a "commitment to excellence" philosophy as a professional, and do you practice it?

If so, can you share what it means to you, and how you deliver it through your service, products, and marketing?

I've been very curious about the different takes on this...

If you look at my signature below - you'll see two of my favorite quotes.
They are my driving force to provide great customer experiences, great images and great products.

I will come back to this in detail to explain how I apply those two quotes to my daily business, and more importantly - my daily life.

Do Unto Others, as you would have them do to you.

Let's grab a drink one of these days...

Get the proofs to the client ON TIME and WHEN PROMISED.

It means "no shortcuts".

The customer is always right.

Be true to yourself. And always say "yes" to the client, no matter what...even if it's followed with "but it will cost xyz". I figure if they put a man on the moon and built the Panama Canal, anything can be accomplished...all it takes is time, manpower, money, or a combination of the three.

Corey

www.coreymcnabb.com

What happens when the customer steals from you?

and I'm serious about that drink. PM me.

More clichés!

"Underpromise and overdeliver"

I find out what my client expects, I tell them how I can meet their expectations, and then I surprise them by doing a little bit better than that.

All good, albeit kind of short, answers. Not such a fan of the customer is always right philosophy. I never really understood that one. But most of these replies are mottos, aren't they?

C'mon, guys! I'm looking for you to dig a little deeper.

There's how you treat the customer, then there's "commtment to excellence." Two important words: "commitment" & "excellence."

I know from reading some posts on OSP, that excellence sometimes takes a back seat to profit and time-saving with some business models. That's fine for some photographers and legitimate given that there are different goals and different types of customers.

But others are really reaching for a higher level when it comes to just how much quality goes into everything about their business.

So, what do you think?

It means you have to join the WPJA.

Whoops.

Yup. Couldn't agree more. Not that there is anything totally wrong with that phelosephy, but... well....

It seems that many people want to get paid first and deliver second. They want to "brake in to the market" while shooting entry level work, and the "braking in" becomes the focus a long way before the effort to better their work. More specifically, they want to jump into the game as fast as humanly possible while taking every shortcut and crutch available. The idea of learning and appreciating their craft is totally secondary. I'm surprised when I hear someone just purchased a new camera and now 3 weeks later is a wedding photographer. I don't understand how that is even possible, but it happens. A lot.

I know that makes me sound like one of those crusty old guys who's bent over the new people but that's totally NOT what I'm saying.


I'm surprised that people don't want to go make pictures for the love of making pictures. I shot a lot of stuff for years before attempting to get paid for it. That's not "paying my dues" rather it is - "I shot stuff for a long time because I LOVE making cool pictures".

It seems people want to spin up a money machine and they derail the process where they "fall in love" with making great pictures in the process - and I'm seeing it a lot, in shocking numbers.

It's not about making "really great pictures" for many as it should be, rather it's about "manufacturing a commodity for a profit using the shortest and lowest overhead path available". Maybe it's the wal mart generation hitting the work force, I dunno, but it baffles me.

Then people wonder why they're burnt out a year into it. They were trying to force a business off the ground, rather than nurturing a true love with an art. There's a big difference. One isn't better than the other, they are just different.

It's like when you meet someone and instantly fall in love with them, then one person becomes forceful and posessive and tries to force the relationship further and faster than what is healthy. Those never end well. If they could have just enjoyed it day by day - enjoying what they have with a distant hope of something else in the future, it may have grown into something strong with a foundation - something beautiful and life long if just given some time to grow.

It's the same with a career in art. But when you try and pile the weight and stress of "running a business" on top of zero foundation of skill set, appreciation, or respect for the art - it's going to topple over at some point. One day they'll burn out, they'll be low on cash, and it'll be over like a flash in the pan.


I gave up preaching about this a couple years ago. I figured "hey, people will do wha they do, and my saying anything to contrary only makes me look like a grump" so I try not to preach about it - but your quote above totally nails it.

In my world, I want to create the best images I personally possibly can. Period. If that feeds me, then fine. If it doesn't, then I'll stop booking weekends, get a "real job" and keep making images for fun. I LOVE making wonderful images - it gives life meaning and it totally fulfills me. I try to do that for each customer. It means that my profit margins really are second concern to the product I'm putting out. I want it perfect - I want it better than perfect - I want it to make people weak in the knees - I want my work to bring tears to people's eyes (in a good way).

And I for one am not willing to give up those goals in an effort to save a few minutes or put a few more dollars in my pocket. It's just not what drives me.

I'm amazed to see anyone in the "newer" category who could care less about building skills and experience to make themselves a better photographer, rather they spend time collecting crutches and maps to shortcuts for everything. They want to go from zero to "profits and a fully booked calendar" but learning to love their work is, I guess, something they plan to pick up "later".

There are no shortcuts to true excellence. The ancient ninja culture knew this - this idea is the foundation of much of asian society. It's the foundation a strong military, a strong team on the sports field, or becoming a great composer.

Why so many people set out to build a "house in the sand" - a business on shortcuts and little core skill - I don't know. But they keep doing it, and they will keep doing it, and there's really nothing I can do or say about it. I can just do my best to appreciate my art and deliver my very best for my clients while wishing these hard charging startups the best but knowing full well that most of them will fail.

I'm afraid I may loose my "love cat-iness" for being all honest like that, but that's the way it is.

Now on a more happy note.... Cheers!!

... the banana always makes me happy.


That deep enough for ya Eddie? Hey - good topic. Love it love it.

Kevin, yes. That is way more insightful. Thanks. I also really enjoyed your recent topic. Very good things to consider, as usual.

Always giving the client more than they expect.

How I treat my clients IS my commitment and my excellence. I am completely committed to wowing them, and I strive to make their wedding photos the most excellent I can possibly produce.

I think that, because of the nature of weddings themselves, any wedding vendor must recognize that treating the client exceptionally well is essential to this industry.

And clients are the beginning and end of this business - you can take great photos until the cows come home, but if you don't have clients whose socks have been thoroughly knocked off, you just don't have future business. Making sure their experience with me is as perfect as can be, and then a little bit more awesome than that, is my most important goal.

I think Kevin makes some good points about "newer" photographers. I am one of the newer people to the wedding photography industry. I have loved creating great images for almost 10 years, and I wanted to be able to create great images for other people. I have spent 2 years learning about this industry, learning how to take great pictures. I knew that no matter what if I couldn't create great images I wouldn't be able to succeed. I also knew that if I couldn't make my clients happy, then I wouldn't succeed.

I don't care about making money, or "filling my schedule." All I care about is learning, and getting better. OSP has been a great inspiration the last few months for me, and I am thankful for that. I know that eventually I will make money, so it doesn't worry me. I have shot 3 weddings this year, gotten better and learned from my mistakes each time. Every time my wife and I have had so much fun together, and so much fun working to create great images.

People need to realize that creating great images, and making your clients happy are the real goals they should be striving for. Not striking it rich right away, the money will come if you take time to learn about the business and learn about people.

That is the real greatness of forums like OSP, and other photographers who are so open and sharing. You can give away all the information you want, but it is up to the people receiving the information to utilize it. Some people will take the information and adopt the sharing nature of OSP and everyone here, others will not; and they will most likely have a harder time succeeding and making their clients happy.

My commitment to excellence is to make sure I always remember that I am working for a bride and groom who want great images, but also want someone they can relate to and easily work with. Sure there are a lot of cliches about business, but often times they are true. I am a big believer that "the customer is always right;" not if they are stealing from you, or asking you to photograph their wedding for free. But I must remember that I am working for them, it is their wedding and they want things a certain way. I want to be accomodating to them, sure I want to take pictures my way; but I have to remember that there are certain pictures that are important to them. I have to be working for them, and trying my hardest to make them not only happy, but ecstatic with my work and what we have created together. That is how I am running my business, and that is my commitment to excellence.

So, you've done the following:

1) Started off with a foundation in photography.

2) Researched and prepared even before you became a bona-fide wedding photographer.

3) Concentrated on creating quality work, always with the primary goal of exceeding the clients' expectations.

4) Not putting short-term profitability above your long-term business building/foundation.

5) Realizing you're in business to serve your clients to the best of your ability. And always trying to improve, continually raising your own standards.

That sounds like a commitment to excellence to me. Well done!

Thanks Eddie I appreciate the kind words. So far I have had a great time learning and trying to create better work with every wedding. There was no way I was going to become a wedding photographer without being 100% certain that I could produce consistently great images for all of my clients. As I have started to realize that I CAN produce these great images I will continue to work on other things. Like making my workflow more efficient, creating a better pricing structure, streamlining our album design and all of the other things I need to keep working on.

With my ultimate goal to always create great images and create an amazing and memorable experience for my clients, no matter what.