Less is more?

During many, many years the objective of my firm was to capture the largest number of clients possible, and all our work, my team’s and mine, aimed this objective. We worked very hard to close more and more contracts even if it meant doing 5 weddings in a single week. I believe we were successful since we reached the very expressive number of 150 weddings executed.

But life turns around…

Today all my efforts go exactly in the opposite direction: I want to reach the incredible number of 24 weddings per year. Then you will ask me: “But Fabio, but this is not even 20% of what you were doing before.” And I will answer you: “Yes, this is exactly what I want.” I want these 24 weddings to be thought of, executed and photographed with all my potential, care and dedication, something impossible when I was in the third consecutive wedding in the same week. You reach a level of exhaustion that you end up photographing in the automatic pilot, no? It is very difficult to reinvent yourself when you are in the same church for the umpteenth time that month, or when it’s a team that is representing you in a church, synagogue, hotel or venue of this Country.

Things happened in my life (and sincerely I hope that you do not have to go through the same I did), which opened by eyes to new possibilities, and this triggered an intense process of change. I know many said I was crazy, thought that I was insane. After all, the success I achieved was inspiring for many people, and many believed that I was throwing this away. I confess that maybe even I thought so. Rs.

But… I decided to risk and see if there were 24 clients per year with which I could create a deep connection… Did couples that understood this new Fabio exist? A Fabio that today searches quality tirelessly instead of volume? Would they be willing to see that this Fabio with a new way of administering his firm, that dedicated his week-ends to his family, and that today lives abroad to realize an old dream of learning how to cook, that searches in quality of life and continuous experiences a level of inspiration and connection totally new, could tell their story in a special way? Is this Fabio worth what he is asking for? Because obviously, the value of my work is much larger than when I was focused in quantity.

I discovered, for my delight, that yes.

Many people ask me in my workshops and conferences how to obtain better clients. I have even tackled this matter in my column here in the PI. My reply has always been: work your brand a lot, your products, your branding. Understand everything about your client; know what he consumes, what he desires, and what he expects from such a price. Today I notice that besides all this that continues to be important, there is an investment that also brings an absurd return.

Invest in that one thing that no one can copy. Invest in you.

Investing in you means to become the differential. The client is willing to pay more than what you would be willing to pay for the work of your competitor, I swear! I say this with a great deal of certainty; after all, during some time I was the most expensive in the market. But, for this, he has to notice that besides his photos being well done (and I guarantee that those of your colleague are also), for some reason you are worth more… That there is something in you that will make your photos be more special and unique than your competitors’ and that you are more prepared to understand that that is the most important day of his life. Many times not even he knows what it is!

And this, in a market that lives a very dangerous moment of extreme massification, leveling and pulverization may be the key to your survival and success.

A big hug, and until the next one.