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expedite delivery, to Candid Color Systems via DHLuse
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Candid
Color is looking for a few good images.
We
are in need of some new samples images for all markets. For
sports we need team images to match the individuals and we
will pay $25 per image we deem usable.
Please use this form
for release.
April 16th, 2007
We
are pleased to announce two recent promotions here at Candid
Color Systems.
Demetri Barges and Jana Mallard have
recently been promoted to new positions within our organization.
Demetri joined CCS in November of 2003 as our Programming
Manager. He came
to us from C&S Wholesale Grocers in Vermont, where he had been the Director
of Process Improvement. Demetri is certified in Project Management, and
has his MBA in High Technology from Northeastern University in Boston. Demetri
has done an outstanding job of helping us prioritize and complete many programming
projects in his short tenure here at CCS. We are pleased to announce that
Demetri has recently been promoted to Chief Information Officer for Candid Color
Systems. In this role, Demetri will continue to direct our programming
department, and will take on additional responsibilities in coordinating the
activities of our Network Administration department. Uniting these crucial
areas under Demetri’s leadership will position us for future growth and
development in the technological areas that are so important to us today.
Jana joined us in July of 2000 as our Accounting Manager. She is a graduate
of the University of Texas in Austin, and is a Certified Public Accountant. We
are pleased to announce that Jana has recently been promoted to the CCS Controller
position, taking over the reins from Jeff Hudson, who has recently taken a CFO
position with another company. We wish Jeff all the best, and are pleased
to have someone as strong as Jana to fill his role. Jana has spent the
majority of time here as the Accounting Manger dealing with our internal financial
processes, financial statements and dealing with CCS vendors. In her new
role as Controller, she will take over primary responsibility for our Accounting
controls and records and will also be dealing with our CCS Customers.
Please join us in congratulating these two individuals for a job well done, and
we look forward to an even brighter future with their help.
Mark
these CCS Dates on your Calendar
by Dana Hill
 |
2007 CCS Summer Workshop
The CCS staff is already planning for our upcoming
CCS Summer Workshop 2007. These hands-on meetings will be held on the CCS campus and a nearby
hotel here in Oklahoma City. The dates are Sunday through Tuesday, July
29th, 30th and 31st.
As always there is no fee to attend the meetings
and an agenda will be published in the next month with online registration. Plan
for a Sunday filled with optional training sessions and Monday and Tuesday to
be a combination of various market best practices and additional training opportunities
in photography and software systems. We anticipate strong attendance again
which also provides valuable networking for both new and veteran CCS customers.
“How To Be Successful in Sports Photography” Meetings
Some CCS staff and customers are hitting the road to promote the ever-growing
Sports photography opportunity. These one-day meetings are open to all
sports photographers (current CCS customers or not) and there is a $25 registration
fee to attend. Brian Speers, CCS, and Radley Muller, Yary Photography,
will be presenting in Seattle (April 25th), St. Louis (May 8th) and San Antonio
(May 23rd). Brian and Gene Mangiante, Mangiante Photography, will be in
Ft Lauderdale on June 7th with more summer dates in the works. To get more
information on these meetings and register online, go to http://www.candid.com/where_to_find_us/
Win A Trip To Hong Kong!
by Jack Counts, Jr.
 |
All CCS customers have a chance to win a fabulous trip to Hong
Kong following the CCS Winter Seminar 2008 – site
to be determined shortly.
An increase in CCCS print finishing of $30,000 will get you
a trip to Hong Kong, or as little
as a 5% increase in finishing if you currently do $100,000 or more with CCS.
Check out the CCS newsletter each week for tips on growing your business in 2007
and discover Hong Kong for the
first time.
Here are the criteria for qualifying for a trip:
All print finishing counts.
All print orders must invoice by December 31, 2007 to count towards this promotion.
There are several ways to win a trip:
1) Any CCS customer that has a $30,000 increase in CCS print finishing wins a
trip.
2) Any CCS customer that did over $100,000 in finishing in 2006 wins a trip with
a 5% increase in CCS finishing in 2007.
3) Any CCS customer that did over $200,000 in finishing in 2006 wins a trip with
a 3% increase in CCS finishing in 2007.
4) Any CCS customer that did over $300,000 in finishing in 2006 wins a trip with
a 2% increase in CCS finishing in 2007.
5) Any CCS customer that did over $500,000 in finishing in 2006 wins a trip with
a 1% increase in CCS finishing in 2007.
6) Any new CCS customer that does over $30,000 in CCS print finishing wins a
trip.
Additional trips can be won by exceeding the above requirements of each category
by $30,000.
For example, if you did $100,000 in lab business in 2006, in 2007 you would need
to do $105,000 to earn your first trip and $135,000 to earn your second trip.
Customers must be a majority owner of all eligible accounts, and print finishing
from multiple accounts will be combined.
Any business acquisitions from other CCS customers will be added into the base
for comparison of same period 2005 vs. 2006.
Maximum of four (4) trips per customer/owner.
First winning trip is NOT transferable; it must be used
by customer/owner.
Customer/owner must not have any outstanding liabilities to Candid Color Systems.
Increases in print finishing will be based on the same period (1/1/2007 thru
12/31/2007) in the previous year.
Each customer’s status will be updated on a quarterly basis using the end-of-month
report. During the last quarter the reports will be updated monthly.
Maximize Your Grad Season
by
Dan Hays
 |
Graduations are starting in about two weeks for many customers
and shortly after that for most others. Since four
months to a year have gone by since the last graduations
and since there are widely varying sales among customers,
we thought it would be instructive to talk about the best
practices that we are aware of and some new trends that
we have observed, in hopes that you can maximize sales
and ward off potential competitors.
Advance Communication with the High School, Middle School,
or University
Since the organization is in charge of their graduation,
the administrator in charge generally wants to know in
advance about any changes from the past and any new innovations,
however slight, that you intend to implement. Many of the
practices I am about to advocate fall under the umbrella
of new and innovative, and all of them represent changes
for some customers. Accordingly, it is mandatory
that you have a face-to-face meeting with administrators
NOW to discuss these details. No matter how silver
tongued your photographers, their carefully crafted words
delivered in the most mellifluous voice will fall on deaf
ears if sprung on the administrator at the last moment. I
know this to be true because of personal experience where
I was delivering the carefully crafted words in a mellifluous
voice at the last minute last Spring and indeed my imprecations
fell on deaf ears. This happened because we did not
realize that the Administrator does not even want to think
about ANY CHANGE when suggested close to the time of, or
at, the CEREMONY.
In the past, we collectively counted ourselves technologically
blessed when we could obtain a CD of addresses and e-mail
addresses, import them into a spreadsheet, import the spreadsheet
into CORE, and be done with it. We blithely and blissfully
went on to more important things like getting the grads
shot and ID’d and never gave this seemingly mundane
process another thought. Unfortunately, as we now know
from our Glamour Shots high school senior marketing experience,
up to half or more of the school mailing and e-mail addresses
are invalid. If we choose to continue to use this
proven, easy, but inaccurate method of marketing to our
customers, we might as well pretend that we are shooting
only half of the graduation.
Even if you have a religious conviction against e-mail
marketing, you should still collect fresh mailing addresses
from the graduates to ensure that
your mailings will reach the people who have a reason to
buy them. It costs
a lot to mail out a proof and you do not wish to spend
a large part of this money in vain because you counted
on the school to keep their mailing list up to date. This
is even more important for college graduates than for high
school or middle school graduates because even if you get
an accurate address from a university for a graduate, it
may not be accurate the following week when the proof is
mailed out.
The Importance of Collecting Fresh E-Mail Addresses
For about 10 years now, we have seen e-mail and internet
marketing grow in importance. Each year a higher
percentage of orders derive from e-mails and internet marketing. This
number is now often as high as 60% of orders and an even
higher percentage of sales. This is because sales
which are placed on the internet and paid for by credit
card are generally higher than those which come in by mail
and are paid for with a check.
With the tools and technology available today, it is possible
to collect fresh e-mail addresses, type them in, spot (I.D.)
the graduate, and have their proofs online within three
hours of a local graduation. That is pretty impressive! If
you are confident that you can do this, then you can have
an announcement made to this effect at the graduation. That
can create considerable enthusiasm for the pictures you
took at the height of excitement about the graduation and
while all of the family members of the graduate are gathered
together.
Why fresh email addresses?
Many states and/or schools have strict privacy rules which
prohibit them from providing e-mail addresses to vendors,
or at least some administrators interpret the rules that
way. In either case, you, the hapless photographer,
cannot get them. But, if you can collect them in person
from the graduates, then the privacy rules do not apply. Hence,
you can provide the fastest service to a high percentage
of the graduates with a free or inexpensive marketing method
when they are the most interested in their graduation. Even
if you can obtain e-mail addresses from a school, a large
percentage of the email addresses will be invalid. Hence,
you may think you transmitted your proofs fast to the entire
class, but you only really delivered an email proof to
half or less.
Possible Ways to Obtain Fresh E-mail Addresses and Fresh
Mailing Addresses
1. Persuade the school to use a reader card designed by
you that meets their criteria and has spaces for collection
of e-mail and mailing addresses.
2.
If the school will not agree to use a common card, then
ask if you can pass out and pick up before the ceremony
a card to collect e-mail and mailing addresses. Be
sure the school understands that you are not taking orders
at this time.
3. Attend the rehearsal and pass out cards and pencils
and collect them at the rehearsal.
4.
Pass around clipboards with forms before the graduation.
Arranging with the Administrator in advance regarding
the position of the photographer and the second and third
shots.
It is important to discuss photographer position with the
administrator prior to the chaos of the graduation. This
is best done several weeks in advance, BEFORE the administrator
feels pressured by the crush of the impending ceremony. Do
not rely on the photographer to do this because the Administrator
will not be in a receptive mood for accommodating your
needs on the day of the graduation.
Discuss tassel position and attempt to get school to have
graduates position tassel on side away from the audience
(and the photographer), to eliminate shadows and
to avoid obscuring the face of the graduate.
Testing Equipment Before the Season Begins
Cameras and Strobes should be tested in simulated conditions
that mimic the speed and conditions of graduations to determine
if anything is malfunctioning.
Tape recorders and microphones
also need to be tested and fresh batteries need to be purchased
to ensure that a high quality recording is possible with
the equipment you are sending to the graduation. It
is not sufficient to stipulate that any of this equipment
worked the last time it was used.
Prepare or update notebooks for each graduation with a
copy of the contract, the layout of the stage, sample prints,
directions to the venue and any other pertinent information
now so that this will be completed.
Call schools to verify the date, time and
place of the graduation NOW so that you don’t miss
any. Call
again the week of the graduation to be sure nothing changed.
This is critically important as weather conditions and
size of crowd often necessitate a last minute change of
plans.
Update order form in CORE
Some order forms have become too cluttered as a result
of additive products or finishing options. Also,
information on forms may no longer be valid and should
be updated. There should be sufficient white space
so that the customer’s eyes do not revolt upon seeing
the form or the web page. The form should look inviting
and options should be logical and understandable. Do
Not Wait until graduation season to deal with this issue. This
is a difficult and time consuming project that deserves
your attention when you can focus on it exclusively. Remember,
that layout and your product offering are critical to high
sales. Product augmentation such as prints with Pearlized
Portraits finishing and QuicRetouching should be offered. For
help in designing this in CORE, contact your CCS Customer
Support Representative.
Check out your computer systems, especially ones which
have not been used since last graduation season. Exercise
the software, check versions, and update as needed. Test
burning CD’s and practice sending a test order by
FTP (if applicable). Test your printer if you
are printing proofs in your office to be sure it is in
good working order.
Plan your image handling, listening to recordings, uploading,
and spotting (i.d.ing) processes and schedule the necessary
people to get the proofs out in the time limit you are
allowing for yourself (preferably 24 hours or less). Plan
the dates on which each graduation will be mailed. Do
not adopt a “we’ll go as fast as we can” policy
or you will fall short of optimizing sales. Below
are estimates of how much time it may take you to complete
your grad mailouts. These times will vary depending
on staff, specific methods used, complexity of the grad,
etc. We recommend that you pad these times to accommodate
the unexpected.
| # Graduates |
350 |
|
|
| |
Seconds/Graduate |
Minutes |
Hours |
| Sequence Confirmation |
10 |
58 |
0.97 |
| Single Address Entry |
30 |
175 |
2.92 |
| Second Address |
30 |
175 |
2.92 |
| Importing Names into CORE |
0.5 |
3 |
0.05 |
| Spotting |
10 |
58 |
0.97 |
| Generating E-mails |
0.5 |
3 |
0.05 |
| Generating Forms |
0.5 |
3 |
0.05 |
| Printing Forms |
10 |
58 |
0.97 |
| Stuffing Forms |
10 |
58 |
0.97 |
| |
|
|
|
| Total Minutes per Graduate |
1.7 |
592 |
10 |
Set up events in CORE NOW. If
using QP2 for any portion of your grad, reserve your
passwords NOW. Doing
so now elimates interferance with the actual execution
of the graduations.
Test your settings and print setting cards or sheets for
photographers, so that the camera and strobe settings you
want used will be properly communicated. Contact
Customer Support for guidance on camera and strobe settings
to use for your grad scenarios. Below are links to
the D70 Grad QuicGuide with camera and strobe settings
and the Grad Training PowerPoint.
Nikon D70 Grad QuicGuide
http://candidnet.candid.com/content/Files/Nikon%20D70-Grads%20with%20SunPak544-2005A.doc
http://candidnet.candid.com/content/Files/Nikon%20D70-Grads%20with%20SunPak544-2005A.pdf
Grad Trainig PowerPoint
http://candidnet.candid.com/content/Files/Grad%20Training%20Manual%202007A.PPT
Test any stuffing machines or mailing machines that you
utilize in sending out proofs. If necessary, have
them repaired now.
Now Is The Time To Be Booking Fall Sports
by
Brian Speers
If you’ve looked outside recently you probably
have noticed that the grass is getting greener, the dandelions
are multiplying like rabbits and that local youth baseball
teams have begun practicing for their league games. Though
you may already be into the beginning of your Spring sports
season don’t lose sight of the fact that your sales
efforts should actually be four months down the road.
By the middle of August (just four months down the road)
high school football teams will be in the midst of tryouts
preparing for their first game in September. August is
not the time to be calling on football coaches and/or athletic
directors. Actually, the time to be selling Fall sports
is NOW. Depending upon your location in the U.S., there
are a number of sports that kick off their season come
September.
 |
Besides football there is field hockey, softball, cross-country,
soccer and volleyball and probably a few more that I haven’t
mentioned. While your thoughts and your photographic efforts
may be leaning towards close plays at the plate and a photo
finish at a track meet, you also need to be putting together
new samples of Fall sports as well as having your staff
prepare a list of schools that need to canvassed.
First, prepare a list of middle schools and high schools
that fall within a 20 mile radius of your business. Have
someone call the school and start asking for the names
of those coaches and athletic directors that will be the
decision makers for their sports or schools.
Next, organize a carefully crafted presentation folder
of your best samples along with a contract and a price
list. These are the tools you’ll need when you call
on the schools personally. Remember, there is no substitute
for being there! Phone calls may be a quick way to cover
a lot of ground but the business that gets the business
will be the one that makes the effort to make real, honest-to-goodness
sales calls.
 |
Keep in mind to include some of the new Level 2 samples
in your presentation folder. Not only will it get the attention
of the decision makers, but it will separate your business
form all the other wannabe sports shooters.
As you prepare your materials I would strongly urge you
to utilize the speculation system in the secondary schools.
With the combination marketing methods of email and paper
proofs, it again will separate you from the competition.
Finally, don’t overlook the fact that Fall sports
will be here before you know it. Come August, don’t
be on the outside looking in; but, be the sports photography
business that outflanked and outsmarted the competition
by getting an early start and leaving the pretenders in
the dust.
Want to spend less time behind the computer and
more time booking events and taking pictures?
by
Dannette
Reinbold
 |
Introducing PhotoMatch,
a new combination software/hardware program to which
Candid Color Systems has purchased the exclusive rights.
This software/hardware combination was first designed six
years ago by Jim Nichols, a CCS customer, to identify and
match images to email addresses that he collected while
photographing fans of the NBC Today Show in NYC. It was
adapted to work with QuicPics and used at NBC for 4 years.
Since that time PhotoMatch has generated $3,000,000 in
online sales not only at NBC, but also at the Rockefeller
Christmas Tree for a number of years.
When used at Rockefeller Center, the system took the customers
to a page with their images on it. Since acquiring PhotoMatch,
Candid Color Systems has further adapted the system to
work with QPPlus to lead the customers directly to their
images.
In 2001, Nichols decided to compare the PhotoMatch system
to just handing out password cards. His sales per sitting
for password cards were $2.31, while the orders from PhotoMatch
were $6.66.
The hardware system consists of a compact, key chain scanner
($240.00) on a tether that scans the barcodes from pass
cards, and an interface synchronization box ($100.00) that
works with any digital camera. You will need a primary
and backup scanner for each camera and one synchronization
box per office.
 |
Here’s how the system works:
Prior to the shoot –
Set your camera clock.
Attach the Interface synchronization cord to your computer.
Synch the camera and scanner using the internal clock in
the camera.
Then, at the shoot -
Photograph your subject
Scan a perforated 2-part card that has identical bar codes
on each half. (The card can be two-part with half to collect
email addresses to send out personalized emails; or a single
part with a locator number that takes the customer to their
images.) Multiple images can be associated to a single
barcode.
When your get back to the office –
User friendly software helps you download the scans and
match the images and barcodes within minutes.
PhotoMatch will be available for general release in July
2007 for the QuicPic market, with Beta testing having begun
on April 1st. Currently, it is being tested for parties,
special events and family pictures at graduations with
future plans to extend the system to include the sports
and school markets.
For more information, contact Danette
Reinbold at 1-800-336-4550
ext. 136.
Shooting Family Portraits at Graduation Events
by
Evie Sibert
Graduation season is just around the corner and commencement
exercises for graduates are approaching fast. These ceremonies
provide photographers with numerous different opportunities
to maximize their profits. I recently heard of an idea
that could be a real “money maker” and that
is to shoot family portraits. Graduation ceremonies are
usually a time when families are all together and they
want to be able to capture the moment with a family portrait.
This is an opportunity to capture their precious memories
and add to your bottom line.
A Candid Color Systems photographer had $10,000 in sales
by shooting family portraits as an additional photo session
the night before a private school’s graduation ceremony.
They continued to shoot the regular graduation poses, while
the family portraits were an extra opportunity. The school
sponsor set up appointments for all of the graduates and
their families to have their portraits taken the night
of the baccalaureate, where both immediate and extended
family members were present. Of the 70 students graduating
at this particular private school, 68 of them made an appointment
for their pictures to be taken! The photo sessions were
done at a country club in a formal living room and in front
of a backdrop. Prints were sold for $40 per 8X10 unit with
price breaks for multiple units. The average amount spent
per graduate for the family portraits was $125, which is
5 times higher than is paid for the traditional graduation
pictures at that particular school. Images below enlarge
in a new window when clicked.
Another photographer, George Chambers of Photo Chambers,
takes formal candids at all of his schools. These schools
range from 60-402 students, both college and high school
and his approach is taking the pictures with friends and
family before and after the ceremony. He does not book
appointments nor does he use a back drop. He tries to shoot
different variations of the graduates with family and friends.
He feels that this is a great opportunity because usually
the whole family is present and everyone is formally dressed.
Once the graduation is shot he sends out paper proofs with
the traditional graduation poses and the candid poses.
He offers several packages including a graduation special
of any eight 5X7s for $62. The top package offered is $88
which includes 2 8X10s, 6 5X7s and 16 wallets with folders.
His average order for formal candids ranged from $55-$65
per student at his top 2 schools last year. George has
been very successful making this approach worth while.
It has accounted for more than half of his profit for graduations.
The opportunities to shoot these types of shots at graduation
time are endless. Whether it is a formal portrait session
or shooting candids, taking these extra pictures can only
add to your bottom line. This is an occasion that brings
families together where they otherwise might not be. Take
advantage of the situation and use proactive approaches
to get the pictures taken.
How much does your fax phone cost you per month?
by
Steve Foisy
William Puckett of Flash Photo in Nashville, TN contacted
me yesterday with an observation about the costs of maintaining
his fax line. He was paying a high monthly charge to the
local phone company in order to receive fax orders from
Grads. If your business is similar to his, you may have
noticed that you do not receive a great deal of fax orders
compared to mail-in or online orders. In addition, there
are online fax alternatives that convert your incoming
faxes into E-mails. How convenient is that. Companies such
as efax.com, fax2mail.com and faxmicro.com (the one that
William researched) can handle your faxes for about $5-$20
per month depending on the type of phone number and service
you require.
A separate fax number may be costing you around $50 per
month. Converting would save you $30-$45 per month. This
would save you $360-$540 per year!
QP2 Prom Pricing and Shipping Options
Starting 4/17/07, you will be able to utilize the Prom
Market for reorders from your pre-sold prom images or post
them to this market for first time speculation orders.
To date, the QP2 Prom Market was only priced for pre-sold
printing at .90 cents per 5x7 units and $1.80 per 8x10
units. Orders had to be manually keyed and shipped back
to the photographer. Any pre-sold prom/dance order that
is manually keyed through your admin page and is to be
returned to your office will bill at this discounted price.
However, beginning 4/17/07 any order that will be mailed
by CCS to the end customer through either our mail manifest
system or that is batched shipped to a different address
other than your office (whether manually keyed or ordered
through the online retail interface) will be billed at
$1.13 per 5x7 unit and $2.26 per 8x10 unit.
The Photographing of Special Events
by Darwin Drake
After a successful seminar in Miami, I would to like to recap
my breakout session: The Photographing of Special Events.
There are tons of opportunities to make money at big and
small events limited only by your desire to book and shoot
them.
To mention a few:
-Conventions
-Class Reunions
-Corporate Events
-Charity Events
-Awards Banquets
-Outdoor Events & Venues
One of the segments of my presentation showed how to market and shoot conventions.
My example was from a recent sorority convention that I shot in Chicago.
Many of the special event venues have the same shooting opportunities as this
convention. Click images to enlarge.
Groups
Groups can consist of the convention organizers, workers, classes, and everyone
in attendance. Price them separate than other photos and offer different print
sizes depending on the size of the group. Organize large groups on stairs, chairs,
bleachers, or photograph the group from above. Use studio lighting indoors, if
possible, or Sunlight outside.
Posed Photographs can be done before any event, as people
are lining up for dinner, before breakout sessions, and before and after awards
and recognition ceremonies. Use a backdrop or create your own for the event.
Hotel lobbies provide lots of props possibilities: staircases, fireplaces,
plants and flower arrangements are a few of the on-site props that can be used
to enhance your photo. Permission is easily obtained to use hallways or specific
areas.
When lighting your posed portraits, you should do it with one, two or a three
light set up. The more lights you use effectively, the more professional your
photograph will appear. You can offer retouching and metallic paper as added
features, which also adds to your bottom line of profit.
 |
Party Pics® are an excellent tool for booking jobs and often can
be the deciding factor of who is awarded the event. Party Pics® are done
best in quantity, so shoot as many as you can. Provide adequate staff, one
photographer per 200 to 300 people in attendance, and start shooting pictures
as people arrive and be the last to leave.
Marketing Awards and PR shots, can be done party pic style or on a formal backdrop.
Offer the organization a package deal which includes all the PR and award shots
for their own purposes, and offer enlargements suitable for frames.
My convention results are as follows. At a three day convention with 3 photographers
we produced:
| Total Candid Party Pic Sales |
$2900.00 from 2272 candid images. |
| Total Portrait Sales |
$667.00 from 3 events 625 images |
| Groups |
Total Sales $ 809.00 |
We were able to gross over $4000.00 in gross sales!
Candidnet Tips
by
Joni Brown
Did you know we can set-up multiple user accounts for your business on Candidnet?
This comes in handy if you have a number of people in your office that you want
to have access to the articles and information on Candidnet but do not want them
to have access to the Order Tracking and Accounting Reports. The Order Tracking/Accounting
Reports link on Candidnet requires an additional login. Therefore, we can give
users access to Candidnet or to both Candidnet and Order Tracking/Accounting
Reports. You decide!
Setting up multiple user accounts for your business adds a layer of security.
If you have just one account that everyone in the office uses to access Candidnet
you will have to change the password every time one of those people leaves your
employment to prevent them from accessing Candidnet in the future. But, if you
give everyone their own user account you can simply have that user account deleted
from the website.
To add/delete user accounts please contact customer support.
