Isaac Crawford wrote: > Well, I know that most of us here > don't make a living doing this sort > of stuff, but it does seem that we > lose sight of the real purpose of > photography fairly often. That purpose > of course is to take pictures.
That's what ~photography~ is about, but that's not why everyone owns cameras or what this list is about. There are those who are primarily collectors rather than photographers, who enjoy equipment for its own sake. There are those who are more interested in the technical aspects of photography, the why and how things work, more than the act of making or taking photographs. There are those who couldn't care less about the various permutations of gear and technology, and just want to be able to take a few snaps of the family or friends cheaply and conveniently. It's a diverse population on this list, and many reasons why people are here. > The pictures should always come first, questions > about technique should always come second. I disagree. Pictures and technique are intertwined, although one can be more interested in technique than the pictures produced by that technique. There are people who just like to know about the technical aspects of a subject, and in this case the photographs they take may be a secondary concern. > I don't know how many times I will show a > customer some equipment that will suit their > photographic needs perfectly only to have them say, > "It's nice, BUT, well, you know..." That's sales, for you. If you get that sort of response perhaps the customer wasn't really ready to buy, but was just looking, or perhaps you just couldn't close the sale. Making a purchase isn't only about the equipment suiting a person's needs, it's also about satisfying the emotional and psychological desires of a customer. In fact, a securities firm recently starting using psychologists when working with their clients and their portfolios. The firm determined that many major financial decisions have more to do with emotional decisions than just what makes good sense financially. As a salesperson you have to know about people, not just product. I recall a scene in a ovie some years ago in which a young man tells his girlfriend that he just got a job selling shoes. His girlfriend was surprised, and asked what he knew about shoes, to which the guy replied "I don't have to know anything about shoes. I'm a salesman." His point being that an understanding of people and their needs beyond product are very important. > When I inform them that I don't know I > get answers ranging all over the place... > "It's made in the Phillipines, " > "I don't like how it feels,", "It isn't > made by Nikon" or even "It's the wrong color". > The one common thread is that it doesn't > have a darn thing to do with taking pictures. Not everyone has the same priorites, Isaac. As a salesperson it's your job to understand what motivates a person to make a decision and buy a product or service. Some people are very straightforward - others are buying cameras for reasons that are paramount to the act of taking pictures - taking pictures is secondary to the choice of a camera. A fellow i once worked for said "Don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle." -- Shel Belinkoff mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/ - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
