IndyJeff
13th of December 2003 (Sat), 20:35
Has anyone ever done anything creative in order to make money selling pics? I thought this topic might generate some interesting ideas.
Personally I had an unfortunate experience that turned into a good one. A guy approached me at the track one day during a break in the action and asked if I ever sold any pics. So he told me who he liked and we made arrangements to meet at a bar a couple of days later. I get 5 8x10's printed and had about 40 other pics in an album and head off to meet this guy. Well I get there at the agreed time. I have a beer and wait. After 30 minutes he is a no show and I told the bartender if a guy comes in looking for a photographer he was to meet here tell him I left. The bartender ask me what kind of pics I have for the guy. I pull out one of the 8x10's and he is really interested. He asks if he can take the pic down to some guys at the other end of the bar. Next thing I know about 8 people are coming down to my end and looking thru my album.
So finally one guy asks how he can get an 8x10 out of one of the album shots. I said since we don't know eachother would he have any objection to paying the bartender for the shot and I would deliver it in 3 days at the latest and the bartender could pay me and I would leave his shot with the bartender. Everyone agreed that this would be the best way to do it.
I sold all 5 8x10's and walked out with $255 worth of orders, for a grand total of $340. Three days later I came back in, delivered the pics, gave the bartender an extra shot of his favorite driver for holding the money and everyone was happy.
I decided this might be a good way to sell more so, I tried it again only this time I went in about 20 minutes after the hour and asked the bartender if a guy had been there looking for me. When I explained I had these racing shots and I was to meet this guy at 6 but I was 20 minutes late and thought maybe he had left, the bartender naturally wanted to see the pictures.
Once again, I sold all 5 prints I had and did the "bartender holds the cash deal". That time it was only good for about an additional $100. I repeated this routine maybe 10 times over the next month or so at different places. Not everytime did I sell pictures but, maybe 6 or 7 times I did. I even sold some 11x17's and a few poster size shots to the bars.
Overall I made around $2000 and with every picture I of course included a business card and got calls for a couple of years from people who had gotten my number from someone who bought one of my shots in a bar.
I found that by acting like I was there to meet someone to sell shots to, the bartender didn't look upon me as someone trying to sell him something. If he was interested it wouldn't take long before he would want some of his buddies to get in on this great chance to buy a good shot of their favorite racing hero.
Got any ideas or experiences like that?
Personally I had an unfortunate experience that turned into a good one. A guy approached me at the track one day during a break in the action and asked if I ever sold any pics. So he told me who he liked and we made arrangements to meet at a bar a couple of days later. I get 5 8x10's printed and had about 40 other pics in an album and head off to meet this guy. Well I get there at the agreed time. I have a beer and wait. After 30 minutes he is a no show and I told the bartender if a guy comes in looking for a photographer he was to meet here tell him I left. The bartender ask me what kind of pics I have for the guy. I pull out one of the 8x10's and he is really interested. He asks if he can take the pic down to some guys at the other end of the bar. Next thing I know about 8 people are coming down to my end and looking thru my album.
So finally one guy asks how he can get an 8x10 out of one of the album shots. I said since we don't know eachother would he have any objection to paying the bartender for the shot and I would deliver it in 3 days at the latest and the bartender could pay me and I would leave his shot with the bartender. Everyone agreed that this would be the best way to do it.
I sold all 5 8x10's and walked out with $255 worth of orders, for a grand total of $340. Three days later I came back in, delivered the pics, gave the bartender an extra shot of his favorite driver for holding the money and everyone was happy.
I decided this might be a good way to sell more so, I tried it again only this time I went in about 20 minutes after the hour and asked the bartender if a guy had been there looking for me. When I explained I had these racing shots and I was to meet this guy at 6 but I was 20 minutes late and thought maybe he had left, the bartender naturally wanted to see the pictures.
Once again, I sold all 5 prints I had and did the "bartender holds the cash deal". That time it was only good for about an additional $100. I repeated this routine maybe 10 times over the next month or so at different places. Not everytime did I sell pictures but, maybe 6 or 7 times I did. I even sold some 11x17's and a few poster size shots to the bars.
Overall I made around $2000 and with every picture I of course included a business card and got calls for a couple of years from people who had gotten my number from someone who bought one of my shots in a bar.
I found that by acting like I was there to meet someone to sell shots to, the bartender didn't look upon me as someone trying to sell him something. If he was interested it wouldn't take long before he would want some of his buddies to get in on this great chance to buy a good shot of their favorite racing hero.
Got any ideas or experiences like that?