CHAPTER 14: MARKETING MADE SIMPLE I A holiday direct mail postcard for Darbonne Portraits. 'm going to go out on a limb here and issue a statement that might make me unpopular in certain circles: Speaking strictly in monetary terms, great marketing and sales ability are more impor- tant to one's ultimate success than great photographic and artistic ability. This isn't fair. But it's true. I speak from my twenty-plus years in the business, observing my own and my colleagues' stu- dios. There are photographers who are more talented than I am whose studios have failed. There are photographers who have lit- tle vision whose studios are thriving. The factor that separates the "Captains of Industry" from the photographers is simply the ability and the willingness to put yourself out there and forge and maintain relationships. In other words, those who are willing to market and sell. "You don't just find a client base, you have to get out there and create your own client base," says Karen Melvin. "I think having a marketing plan is even more important than having a business plan, because if you have cli- ents, you have business. You can have a busi- ness plan, you can have talent, you can have equipment, you can have a studio, but if you don't have clients, you're out of business." "You really do have to sell. It's essential- ly like being a sales guy who's strictly paid on commission. When you don't have a guaran- teed salary, you only get paid based on what you sell. And to sell, you have to be likeable. It can almost be like a congeniality contest more than like a talent show." 238