Feb PUG MEETING

A brief update on the February meeting for our PUG. We will meet on February 5th at 6:30 pm at Hi-5. Don't forget to come out and invite someone to come with!

Elizabeth will be moving her Feb presentation on Lightroom to April because we had a little conflict with her calender. No worries though... I will be giving a presentation on how to build relationships with wedding vendors and how to have them sending you business by the droves. This will be the same presentation I gave at the Pictage Partner Con last year in Chicago. I think everyone will enjoy hearing how these ideas have helped my business and how you can apply these same ideas in your market! I can't wait to see everyone there!

January PUG Meeting Review

Our group is growing quickly and at just 5 months old we recently had 21 people in attendance at our most recent meeting! Many people drove in from a couple of hours away just to attend. Of course we had some great guest speakers come in from CT to share some great ideas and inspire us all. Justin & Mary of Imagine Imaging shared with us how we could take out client relations to another level and they did a fantastic job. If you are looking for more information on the PUG, give me a call in the studio to discuss times and locations.

We are building and little "photo family" and we have BIG PUG plans for 08' too! Our upcoming PUG meeting for February will take place at 6:30pm, February 5th, at our normal location Hi-5, where our very own PUG member, Elizabeth of Sweet Life Photography, will be sharing with us how Lightroom helps her to increase performance in her business and giving us a tour of this powerful software. I can't wait because I have been wanting to learn the ins and outs of this software for some time but have not taken the time to learn it.

In March we have big plans to have a CPA out to speak with us about all things governmental and how they relate to photography. I guess we will soon find out everything we are doing wrong and how to make it right. Ignorance is no excuse when you get audited.

Don't be a stranger, stop in, we would love to have you anytime! Here are a few shots of Mary and Justin brining the goods and the entire gang being goofballs is up above! We love you Justin and Mary and appreciate you driving in to hang out with us... you left us inspired! For those of you who read this blog post and are located in the Raleigh area or even a couple hours of it... you should join us.

January 15th - WE HAVE GUEST SPEAKERS!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

It has been too long since we have met and I am super excited because not only do I get to spend this coming Tuesday with my good friends and fellow photographers Justin and Mary Marantz... you do too! Justin and Mary are driving in from Connecticut on a mini PUG tour and they are going to be joining us on Tuesday, January 15th at Hi-5 in downtown Raleigh at 6:30pm. Everyone try to bring out a friend to enjoy their company and wisdom. Remember, you do not have to be a Pictage photographer to come out!

These are some of the sweetest and most down to earth people I know. I had the chance to speak to their PUG group in mid 2007 and their PUG is awesome not to mention the LARGEST PUG group at Pictage.Below is a little more info on Justin & Mary as well as a bit about what they will be speaking on...

Mary & Justin Marantz own one of the fastest growing studios on the East Coast. In the past year their business has exploded, going from shooting local weddings averaging $3,000 to booking events upwards of $10,000, taking them all over the world in 2008. Ultimately, the reason for this breakout success comes down to one basic principle that has become the very foundation of their business: they view their clients and other photographers as friends.
Breaking the bounds of conventional professionalism, Mary & Justin have built a sales force based entirely around their “clients & competition turned friends.” They’ll take you through the entire experience- from the very first meeting to long after the wedding- showing you exactly how to create an ongoing “loyalty beyond reason” with your clients. In turn, this particular brand of loyalty translates into the kind of super-referrals that take all of the work out of future bookings.
Combined with the power of repeat-referrals from a strong network of photographer friends, you will be able to shift the dynamic and actually pick and choose the clients you want to work with…and there is no better place to start building this kind of community than with your own local PUG.

BIO:
Justin graduated from the highly-acclaimed Rochester Institute of Technology in 2003, and was the featured winner of the 2006 PDN Top Knots Photography Contest. Mary is a 2006 graduate of the Yale Law School, and brings with her a sharp business sense and a high-end take on marketing & branding. Their work has been featured in Brides magazine, Grace Ormonde and La Bella Bride. In 2007 Mary & Justin formed a non-profit called “The Portrait House,” and their “Million Faces Campaign” has taken off nationally on its mission to raise a million dollars for Habitat for Humanity.