When I worked as a Photo Editor I never answered my phone. I’m sure eventually at some DOP job down the line I would have finally gotten an assistant to answer it for me. There’s two ways to go about this in the photo department of a magazine and if you choose to answer the phone whenever you can, you’ve got to be direct with your callers so you still have time in the day to still do your job or you can only answer it when you’ve got time to talk. There’s a difference though between being direct and just trying to get rid of callers you don’t know. Heidi reminded me of that at our Art Center lecture when she said “If someone would call and say they loved the magazine I would ask them, what is it exactly that you love.”

I always had a hard time being direct because I did enjoy a good chat about photography and because I had so much sympathy for the cold callers. At the beginning of my career I used to work for photographers and many times I was the one who had to cold call Photo Eds and Marketing Directors some of whom would pickup the phone and express all levels of exasperation and irritation then exclaim how they didn’t have time to talk about this right now and I thought, “well, then why did you pickup the goddam phone.”

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with trying to get the caller straight to the point and photographers should be prepared for that. I was just never any good at it.

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30 Comments

  1. I used to work in a telemarketing call center, and that’s where I learned not take it personally. Make the calls. If you get screamed at, forget it and make the next call.

    If you get someone who screams at you, try and find a better time/method to get in touch. They’re generally not angry that you called AT ALL. They’re angry that you called OMG RIGHT THEN. So, find another path.

    always great insights, rob.

  2. The solution on the caller’s end is to introduce themselves and then ask, “Do you have a moment to talk, or should I call back at a better time?”

    I do a lot of non-sales related cold calls (where we’re still asking people to do something for us) and that usually works well.

  3. I have to deal with this issue ALOT. And I’m completely sympathetic with Rob on this one. With as many phone numbers and emails to reach me with, people get angry when they can’t reach me on any of them immediately.

    I understand – I really do – but I’ve learned that sometimes it’s best to ignore the phone so I can actually complete one task before moving on to the next. I’ve actually watched my desk phone ring, then one cell, then the next cell and then another office phone ring all looking for me. And that little phenomenon happens at least once a week.

    Most people just leave a message, but I’ve dealt with photographers who really have no apparent idea how an office environment works and that a meeting might be taking place, or I’m just not available by phone for some other reason. I realize that at least part of the reason you’re a photographer is so that you don’t have to endure a desk job, but you have to be able to appreciate my position, too. And the cute message that I finally get, including little gems like, “Heh, heh, I guess you’re out laying by the pool, heh, heh…” really doesn’t do much to increase the chances of me calling back.

    But, look – I enjoy a good chat about the industry, too and when I have the time, it’s usually a good conversation and we both get something out of it. But if you have to leave a message, start and end with your name and phone number. Better yet, drop an email – I can feign interest in a meeting and be tapping away in an email back to you at the same time!

  4. 1. Answer the phone.
    2. Give the caller 30 seconds to explain the purpose of the call and grab your interest — or not.
    3. If you are not interested, cut the caller off at the 30 second point saying, “Thanks for calling. I’m not interested at this time.” Hang up the phone.
    You have been polite and prevented the caller from wasting his time or your time on a pointless conversation.
    If you want no distractions, let the call go to voice mail. Give each voicemail message 15 seconds to interest you.

  5. Early in my career I spent a lot of time cold calling to set up appointments to show work for multiple commercial and automotive photographers. I rarely felt bad or nervous calling because my attitude was (I didn’t express it over the phone) that it was their job to meet with photographers to keep up with what is going on in the photography world. It was not an insurance sales call.

    Today is different. Today the methods of connecting have increased greatly. Keeping art buyers up to date or offering an introduction is much easier with emails, rss feeds, web sites, text messages, social site connections etc.

    Ultimately, my focus is still on networking, referrals and follow up. I rarely call on someone I’ve not met or have been referred to.

    Phone calls don’t seem get answered like they used to, so, if I find myself talking to an answering machine, I’ll leave my web address and email.

    Rosh
    http://www.newmediaphotographer.com

  6. I’m currently on a marketing trip to San Francisco. To get appointments I send person introduction email and follow up with phone calls.

    It would be great if more of the people I selected to meet would check me out from the image and links I send in the email, or call back from the reminder message. The game seems to be if you can catch me answering the phone then perhaps I will meet with you.

    It would be great if there were a more civilized approach. I had one designer that made a point of keeping Wednesday at noon the time he sets aside to look at books.

    What can we do to make this better?

  7. So what is best to say when you do get someone on the phone? I usually say something like this –

    “Hello [NAME] this is Giulio Sciorio. I’m a photographer specializing in….I realize you’re busy but I’d love to meet with you in person. I will be in LA around the end of the month. Do you have any time slots open to meet with me and look at my books? I think you’ll like what you see.”

    It’s worked for me IF I get someone on the phone.

    The thing I don’t understand is that if it is someones job to look new talent why are they not available to answer the phone?

    If art buyers are not answering the phone they are missing the chance to work with fresh talent making fresh imagery and are producing more of the same.

  8. For the larger agencies you can set up a show in a conference room through a creative secretary. Ask for the creative secretary.

    I don’t do that very much anymore. The shows have not been as fruitful as in the past. But, it does depend on the agency and city.

    Many agencies have show days, bring in speakers or have vender lunches or days. I’ve found them effective with smaller agencies, publications and design firms.

    Rosh

  9. To echo, and add to, what some of the posters here have said, my advice to photographers calling potential clients is:

    1. Always send an email in advance with a link to your work and mention that you’ll be calling them “later in the week.” You might also ask if they have a preferred time for you to call them. (Very few will write back but those who do already show an interest in your work. But call everyone even if they don’t write back.) Then when you call, be prepared to send the email again while you’re on the phone in case they didn’t see it or it got buried.

    2. Drop a name, if you can (“so and so suggested I give you a call” or at least “I saw the work you did for Client X and it made me think that my work might be of interest to you.”)

    3. Have some news and an offer, keeping it brief (“I’m traveling the China in December and wanted to know it you were interested in . . .” or “I just finished a stock shoot of adventure travel and want to know if you were interested in possibly licensing some of the images on an exclusive basis before they are released as stock.”)

    4. Then ask if this is a good time for them speak, or is there’s a better time for you to call back. Try to get a specific appointment time.

    5. Ask them questions, such as what are there upcoming needs, what kind of work do they want to see that they aren’t seeing enough of, etc.

    Always be respectful of their time. On the surface, it may seem like their job is to find fresh talent. In reality, most photo buyers have hole to fill in an ad or magazine article and their tendency is to go with the tested and reliable as opposed to the new and risky. Like everyone else, they typically have huge workloads and getting to know new talent is a luxury.

    And don’t forget, you might be the 5th or 10th photographer who calls them that day.

  10. I think it is perfectly fine to have a recorded message that states portfolio drop/pick up policy. What else is there to say to a photo editor that you don’t know/have a relationship with? What could you possibly communicate verbally that would convince someone to hire you to do something visual? If you really want to talk to someone personally I think the best bet is to try to either schedule a personal portfolio review, or take your chances on a sneaky tactic that has worked for me:

    Go pick up your dropped-off portfolio in person. Make that cold call or I guess in these times a quick e-mail that says “hey, I am in the neighborhood, so I’m going to pick up my book personally, do you have a minute or 2 to meet me real quick?” Keep it very short and try to make a good impression if you get through. This is how I landed my 1st few editorial jobs.

    It seems obvious that most people have caller id at work, or they wouldn’t get anything done. If they want/need to talk to you they will pick up when you call.

  11. Something to consider:

    Marketing is about positive points of contact with your prospects. Voicemail is a very good point of contact. If you can’t talk to an AD or PE personally, a voice message can be an effective reminder.

  12. I’ve never had any problems making cold calls… I always introduce myself then ask if they can talk r u busy etc… Its best to call early or later in the day or when you know they aren’t in the middle of a publishing deadline etc.
    You can find this out through other channels. Working your way up from the bottom helps… don’t call the photo editor.. call the assistants or the interns. They have way more time and can provide you with information that you can use to get in touch with the right editor as sometimes there are a few.

    A friend of mine who is a photo editor has some horror stories about people calling and emailing him with a stalker mentality. Some suggestions he mentioned…. never leave multiple messages if someone doesn’t pick up.. hang up…. and call back some other time. Remember these people have call display so calling every 30 mins probably isn’t a good idea either. If you do finally get in touch with them.. get straight to the point.. and always ask ( as I mentioned above and some other postings on here have ) ” Hi this is so and so Im based in.. etc are you busy, do you have a minute to talk… ? keep it short.

    Calling a photo editor / art director etc on their cell phone is probably the worst offense I’ve heard of. (Sometimes they leave these numbers on their office line this is not an invitation to call them.) It will probably land you in the bad books.

  13. Im sorry, but after spending 10 plus years as a successful freelance photographer, and now as the PE of a well respected niche publication, I have got to say there is NO EXCUSE to not answer / return all phone calls and to reply to all emails. PERIOD.

    I firmly believe that the PE’s most important role at any publication is to ensure that the publication has GOOD RELATIONS with its photographers, since the photographers are the life blood for the creative content for any publication.

    If you are “too busy” then either you need to get an intern….. there are lots of people begging to do it. or learn to do your job better. If you can not do both, or are unwilling to…. then imop you have no business being a PE.

    Too busy is a comp out. Answering the phone getting to the point and moving on does not take that much time…. neither does replying to email….. and what time that it does take is surely a lot less then the amount of time spent on the world wide waste of time.

    • @Grant Gunderson,
      Yeah I started out that way too but there’s a difference in volume between the number of ski photographers and portrait photographer.
      Answering the phone does not make you a PE.

  14. Grant, I have to disagree with you. While I do believe it’s critical for photo editors and art buyers to constantly evaluate new talent I don’t think its reasonable to expect them to answer every phone call and email and return every phone message.

    For almost anyone with an office job, time management is the biggest challenge. God bless those photo buyers who can manage to speak with every photographer who calls or emails them, but I don’t know many who can do that and get the rest of their work done.

    • @Jon Hornstein,

      Its not that hard to give a photog just a few seconds if not minutes… if your not interested all you have to do is tell them…. The prevailing attitude of most in this industry to just avoid responding so they dont have to say “no” or “not interested” is extremely disrespectful to the photogs and there is no excuse for it.

      I know for a fact that photographers would rather hear no thanks than not hear at all.

  15. Grant,

    Clearly, you’re one of the good ones. You get it. I’d love to find out what pub you PE for as I suspect the shooters love working for you and go the extra mile to deliver, probably reflects well in the finished product.

    Can I send you a bottle of single malt? You sound like the sort of fellow I’d like to share a drink with.

    Cheers,

    Dan

  16. If there are any other photo editors out there please make a list of the top 5 dos and the top 5 not to dos when contacting their department.

  17. Grant – I don’t know about being a PE but your photography of the slopes is first rate – I hope your still shooting.

    That damn phone is a pain in the ass isn’t it? You get calls and then there is the phone tag thing : you get 50 calls and call back the 40 photographers who you find promising, you get 10 on the line for a chat (great) but leave 30 voice mail messages. Then the next day you get your usual 50 plus a return of your return from the 30 voice mails you left the day before and 20 from the day before that. Stop the madness!

    • @Bruce DeBoer,

      Yes, I am still shooting ski pic… just choosing who I work with and when.

      As far as the phone goes. I dont play phone tag. I call back once, and if they dont answer, I leave a message asking them to email me.

      Like I said early its not that hard and it actually takes very little time to answer the phone, be direct and give an answer then to simply ignore it and then have the same photog call 15 times to try to get a simple question answered.

      I FIRMLY believe and no for a fact good communication is the KEY TO SUCESS as both a PE and a PHOTOG.

  18. I guess, but whats the deal? Its in the job descrip. for art directors/photo eds. to find and hire photographers. Photo editors talk out both sides their ass. Most photogs calling want to know submission procedures, not just shoot the shit for an hour. They work too, surprisingly.

    The attitude photogs call to just waste time is ridiculous. Just let me know how to get my book in front of you. I don’t want my time wasted but know how to be direct without being rude or not responding. Can’t we all be professional here? Directness is not rudeness, just give me the facts mam.

  19. GARAGE magazine is a niche title – and in our world, that means that the PE doesn’t have the luxury of JUST being the PE. And because I can’t return every single call, I rely on email more and more.

    Here are my top five DOs and DON’Ts when contacting me:

    DO
    1. If you call and get the answering service, start with your name and phone number before you leave a message. End the message by repeating your name and number. Keep it short. Follow up with an email right away.

    2. If you get me on the phone, let’s keep it short and sweet – I’d love to chat, but I’m usually doing several things at once. But I’d love to see your site, so take down my email and follow up with a note and your site URL.

    3. Pick up a copy of my magazine before you reach out to me. Do your homework and realize what’s on the other end of the phone or email. I can’t tell you how many times I hear from shooters who obviously don’t know what we do and it’s a waste of my time and yours. I always do my homework before calling anyone, so I’m not asking for the world, here.

    4. In any initial communications, use the “cocktail napkin” approach: stay succinct, to the point and let the work speak for itself. I know what I’m looking for because I know my magazine inside and out. Now, it’s just a question of whether or not we’re right for each other.

    5. Listen. I need photographers and you need to be published, but first and foremost, I need to know that you’re listening to me so that a level of trust can be reached before I put my ass on the line for you. Which I’m wholeheartedly willing to do. But I’ve been burned before and you can be sure I’m listening very intently to you and reading between the lines.

    DON’T
    1. For chrissakes, I don’t need to hear about how low the budget is! There’s been alot of teeth gnashing and hand wringing before the shoot budget ever gets to you, so please don’t tell me how your kid needs to eat. It’s your choice to either do it or walk away and I’ll have much more respect for you and be willing to call back when there’s more money to spend if you politely decline. And I’ll understand – really, I will.

    2. Don’t try to guilt me into calling you back. I’m a growed-ass man and it doesn’t work. Matter of fact, it’s got the exact opposite effect of what you really want.

    3. Don’t show me anything short of your best, relevant work. I assume you know how to shoot seamless and corporate portraits, but I don’t want to actually see that crap. And don’t show me the amazing “bolt of lightning” shot – simply getting lucky does not a good photographer make.

    4. Don’t show up at the office unannounced and expect anything more than a portfolio drop.

    5. Don’t send a live lizard through the mail to me. I’ll be more concerned with the health of the little guy than looking at your book. Really.

    • @STONER, Great response Stoner ! Thank you very much…

  20. i am a PE at a large national pub based in NYC. i get an average of 5 cold calls a day, 30 emails, and 20 mailers. i do look at ALL of them and flag the ones that i am interested in, but i don’t respond unless i want them to send their book in. the calls don’t make sense to me since i am clearly a visual person. when photographers call, i just tell them to email me since that is my process. i always set up a meeting with people i am interested in and then we can chat, in person with a book in front of me. that makes more sense. cold calling just doesn’t work with me.

    i did start at a much smaller mag and i answered emails and calls on a more personal level since the volume was much smaller. i do recommend photographers to start at small pubs before contacting the larger ones since it’s a great way to learn the ropes.

  21. I think we should all read what jk wrote @20, and take it to heart. I couldn’t agree more, and I’m on the photography side of things.
    Smaller publications tend to be much more contact friendly than larger, well known ones. Think of it in terms of: How many photogs probably contact Travel and Leisure everyday? It’s so well known, and everyone wants to shoot for them. You’ll be beating your head against a wall trying to get an email response even. On the other hand, I bet you can get a quick response if you contact Medical Catheters Monthly. I just made that up, but you get my point.
    As far as technique for contacting, I use a “do unto others” approach, as much as possible. Think about when freelance photo assistants contact you about work. An email, with a quick rundown of experience, expertise, work history, and a phone number is tops. I do not care if your first job out of high school was at Starbucks. You do not need to call me sir/madam, and actually write “please allow me to introduce myself.” I’m a photographer, not the CEO of Merrill Lynch.
    If I got a phone call from an assistant, without an email first, I have to admit, I’d be a little annoyed.
    It’s just the way things are done now. We are increasingly reticent to have voice conversations, since the alternates are so readily available and embraced. Email, ichat, txt messages…who needs to talk?

  22. Did she REALLY say “If someone would call…”??? If I couldn’t speak correct English, I wouldn’t answer the phone either… It seems to be a big stumbling block of yours, Rob.

  23. Not going to leave my name and website with this post…

    My approach is simple: I don’t expect ANYTHING from anyone I contact; I never expect an email reply, a phone call etc; I have to work to get a job and, just like applying for any regular job, you’d never send out your CV and cover letter and leave it at that, expecting a call back, right? I’ll send an email and follow up with a phone call a day or two later, or if it’s a “catch all” address I found on their website, I’ll call back an hour or two later JUST to be sure it was received by someone. Sometimes doing this, they’ll give me a specific person’s email address that I should contact and I’ll go ahead and ask if they have a direct number too.

    If I do get an email reply, it’s a very welcome suprise but as I said, I don’t expect it. I regard email contact as an introduction to my work, what I’m shooting right now and my clients, the REAL contact is by phone… Where the email comes in handy because hopefully they’ve had time to at least skim over my website, which will then give them something to talk about over the phone. If they like my work and enjoy my phone conversation, I’ll usually get a meeting out of them.

    On the phone I’m pretty much straight to the point; “Hello it’s me, just wondering if you got my email and had a chance to check out my website?”, that then throws the ball in their court for the next part of the conversation. My mindset of “Don’t expect anything” is exacerbated when I’m contacting a very large, well known publication! But that doesn’t mean to say that I’m unprepared when I do get something, just that I think it’s un-necessary to get pissed off at someone who might not have the time for you right there and then! If someone doesn’t answer the phone when I call, I’ll leave ONE message and then call back a day or two later… If they never answer their phone then I guess that’s just how they conduct their business.

    Grant (#13), I understand and respect your point, but do you fully understand the huge workloads at magazines such as Rolling Stone, Esquire, Vanity Fair, GQ, Arena, Vogue, Harpers etc etc etc? While I in no way mean to belittle your position nor your magazine… Surely their photo editors are an absolute world away, with regards workloads and submissions, from a niche publication about skiing? When contacting those magazines, I try to be as brief and to the point as possible, whilst also keeping the call as light hearted and personable as possible; I understand these people are VERY busy, but I try not to let that affect my concentration.

    Anyway, I’ve chatted for long enough. Sorry, I’ve not proof read the whole thing.

    P.S. I don’t think I’ve ever called someone’s mobile phone who I didn’t already know well – “know well” in this context is “shoot for regularly”. I can imagine cold calling someone’s mobile is one of the best ways to never get a job with that person!


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