"Outside" photos are out... Profit from "inside" photos!

[Dien Rice]

Google Maps lets you see the outside of a business (through it's "street view" feature).

But sometimes, you would like to see the inside of a business too, before you go there.

For example, a restaurant may look great from the outside. But once you go in - goodness gracious, it may not look so great once you're in!

Of course, on the other hand, many restaurants look fantastic on the inside too. Letting a customer see that could help drum up further business.

It's in many business people's interests to let people see inside the business, too.

Google Maps now lets you put inside photos of a business right on Google Maps - so people can "browse" and "virtually tour" the business.

However, if a business is going to put their photos on Google Maps - you want good photos! Professional photos, compared to amateur ones, can make a big difference in how attractive an establishment looks...!

Now, photographers can get a slice of this business. It helps to become a Google Maps "Trusted Photographer"... Google promises "free training and support."

The photographers would get paid by the businesses who hire them. However, as a "Trusted Photographer" they would get listed as one of Google's "Trusted Photographers and Agencies" which would help them get found and get more business...

Here's an article about one guy in Canada who's been drumming up business as a Google Maps Trusted Photographer...

Google Maps photographer coming to town
http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/a...coming-to-town

You can also see get a tour, based on photos he took, of the Edmonton Corn Maze (the most unusual business he's photographed so far)! You can try to virtually "solve" the maze yourself! (I tried, and it's not easy!)

More information on become a Google Maps Trusted Photographer can be found here...

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/bus...photographers/

...and a list of Trusted Photographers can be found here...

http://maps.google.com/help/maps/bus...t-started.html

Best wishes!

Dien

Dien,

Thanks for the interesting update and details...

Steve, our SowPub resident Photo master-mind, on his next visit passing through Might be able to comment further...

With more Golden nuggets, Insider information, updates and Fresh photo related opportunities with Google and Others Too!

Steve, any ++ Big news/ideas?

Become a Trusted Photographer today for Google... Spinnable into Your Own Concepts...
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=32121

All the best,
Phil

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by Phil

Become a Trusted Photographer today for Google... Spinnable into Your Own Concepts...
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=32121

All the best,
Phil

Hi Phil,

I think you know more about the archives than me!

Thanks for linking to that thread...

- Dien

Hi guys, Sorry but I don't have anything really new to add...

Becoming a Google Trusted Photographer is a good foot in the door strategy if you want to sell Internet marketing services to the local offline market but as a photography gig… well it’s just not attractive enough for me to focus on when it’s so much easier to make money shooting and selling portraits.

Go to http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...on-simple.html if you would like to see an example of how I made over $2000 in just a few hours time.

The only thing new is a couple of days ago I purchased a new Kindle Fire tablet. First thing I did was to load some sample images onto it. The next day I walked around town showing the images on my Kindle to people who were out shopping with their children.

Within an hour I had 3 new sessions booked. It’s a lot easier, more fun and more profitable for me than shooting and creating virtual tours for Google Maps is.


Cheers,
Steve

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by SteveSki

Hi guys, Sorry but I don't have anything really new to add...

Becoming a Google Trusted Photographer is a good foot in the door strategy if you want to sell Internet marketing services to the local offline market but as a photography gig… well it’s just not attractive enough for me to focus on when it’s so much easier to make money shooting and selling portraits.

Go to http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...on-simple.html if you would like to see an example of how I made over $2000 in just a few hours time.

The only thing new is a couple of days ago I purchased a new Kindle Fire tablet. First thing I did was to load some sample images onto it. The next day I walked around town showing the images on my Kindle to people who were out shopping with their children.

Within an hour I had 3 new sessions booked. It’s a lot easier, more fun and more profitable for me than shooting and creating virtual tours for Google Maps is.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences!

One thing you can do is you know how to sell... Many people are afraid to sell.

When I asked Gordon Alexander what I should do to improve my entrepreneurial skills, he said... get a sales job.

So I did! And yeah... it helps. It's now something I can do, whenever I want to or need to do it...

Best wishes,

Dien

Hi Dien, As I recall you performed a sales job to fill seats at a Comedy Club. Can you go into greater detail of what prospecting tactics and approaches worked best for you?

Did you prospect face to face or was it telemarketing? What approaches worked best for you? Did you have a favourite script you committed to memory?

Did you stand out on the sidewalk in front of the club and hand out discount vouchers? What produced your best results?

And did you enjoy the entire process or were there things that you disliked?

What was your greatest challenge? What was the your biggest challenge?

If you could go back in time and relive those days again what would you change knowing what you now know?

Do you think a crazy approach like this one would work?

An Independent Google Trusted Photographer puts on a Google T-shirt, takes his or her camera, walks into a Comedy Club, locates the owners/managers, hands them a business card that has an irresistible offer printed on the backside of the card and then turns on and places a laughing toy donkey like the one in the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKIq2j0y_DA onto the floor and says… I can help fill your tables by upgrading your Google Maps listing. Google has already photographed your club from the outside. I’ll put together a virtual tour of your club by photographing the inside and adding the photos to your Google Maps Pages. Then I’ll clone your website along with some video clips of people laughing and enjoying a show onto CD’s and go take this laughing donkey and use it to grab peoples attention … for example, I could canvas all the business owners in town by walking into their business and saying something like… If you bring this CD into our comedy club by the end of the month you’ll get a free pitcher of beer and you and your friends will laugh your butts off. Then go back and see them again. Maybe offer to film some video testimonials of real customers to add to their website and work out a deal that you earn a commission for getting a paying customer in the door.

Or seeing how I was in Tasmania last year I could go cold calling with a caged Tasmania Devil... see... www.TazCage.info

But my little secret is… I'm lazy and I find it difficult to get off of my big fat butts.

I could do this … But… what if they say no? But what if they laugh at me? But what if I feel embarrassed? But what if I fail…. All these big fat buts get in my way and I really have to push myself because Knowing and Doing Are Two Different Things.

I may know how to sell but I'm not comfortable doing it. I'm still scared and nervous whenever I approach strangers in person and via telephone if the person I'm calling never heard of me and didn't ask or give me permission to call.

So I’m always looking for easier ways to attract new business. For me, putting up portrait displays on the walls of small local restaurants with a sign that says… Win A Free Fantasy Portrait of Your Child… Enter Here… gives me a huge list of prospects who are hoping they will win and are happy and excited when I call them.

Some people will take advantage of my irresistible free offer and not buy any of the extra images but most parents can’t resist buying one of my $500 to $1000 packages.

I can outsource the picture taking to anyone of several photographers I know for $25 per hour because they don’t like to sell and don’t know how to get clients into a studio.

So I know all this, yet I still let my big fat butts get in the way. I wish there was a magic solution to overcoming the fear that often paralysis me from taking action and just do it but I have to work my courage up to do cold calls.

What if there was a way anyone could instantly eliminated fear from their prospecting? What would that be worth to anyone all ready in business or looking to start a business?

I did a search for “Comedy Club Brisbane” but another photographer already took care of their Google Interior images and Australia doesn't have a whole lot of Comedy Clubs but we do have a whole lot of parents who love their kids and who will be buying portraits from somebody. And I know several more excellent ways to get clients… once I get off my big fat put and work a plan.

It’s really not that hard once you learn to spit into the eye of fear.

I'm thinking of doing a Google “HelpOut” and teaching this to others for free. But that would mean I’ll actually have to talk to people via video chat so I might let a big “Fat Butt” keep me from just doing it.

Cheers,
Steve

PS.... If anyone wants to purchase blueprints and instructions to build their own Tasmania Devil Cage let me know.

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by SteveSki

And I know several more excellent ways to get clients… once I get off my big fat put and work a plan.

It’s really not that hard once you learn to spit into the eye of fear.

Hi Steve,

Wow... What a superb post! I loved it... and... it's so true...

Unfortunately (I just looked behind me)... I suffer from a "big fat but" too... Way too often...

I agree with you that getting a list of prospects is an important "step one" in any "easy" way of selling something...

Like your "Win a Free Fantasy Portrait of Your Child" competition...

Or selling to your own "in-house" email list...

Now, you had some great questions...

By the way, I really enjoyed the "laughing toy donkey" and the "Tasmanian devil cage" videos! (Brought a smile to my face, as I'm sure it did to anyone else who watched them!)

"Can you go into greater detail of what prospecting tactics and approaches worked best for you? Did you prospect face to face or was it telemarketing? What approaches worked best for you? Did you have a favourite script you committed to memory?"

Well, I did both. But... I sucked at the face-to-face thing, in this case anyway...

First, in both cases, everything was "cold."

Telemarketing was to... a list from the phone book. The freakin' phone book. (Washed with the "do-not-call list", which is a government thing here...)

I did some face-to-face sales at something called the St. Kilda Festival here. I didn't do so well. I tried to get "attention" by wearing a funny wig, etc. But... at the end of the day... You know who sold the most?

I'm not being "sexist" in saying this, but it's the truth. Those who sold the most were the young salesladies wearing low cut tops. Again, I'm not saying it to be "sexist" - but that's the honest truth. As they say, "sex sells"... In this case, it seemed to be true.

The "deal" was that a comedy show which was usually $25 or $30 - you could buy a ticket for just $8. However, it was a kind of "stand-by" ticket, if I remember right. You had to call ahead a day or two ahead, and book then - if the night was booked out, you had to go another night. The purpose of the tickets was to fill seats.

Comedy needs a "full house" as everyone else's laughter makes the performance seem funnier. (It's just like a laugh track on TV.) An empty venue just makes the comedian seem less funny.

So, it was a "win/win" deal... People got cheap tickets. And the comedy club got to fill any empty seats on the night.

However, they didn't want to "cannibalize" normal ticket sales. That's why they sold to completely "random" strangers. If they sold to a list of existing customers, then they might sell less of the full price tickets - which is where they actually made their money...

So, in that case, it was a weird situation. You were selling a good deal - but to completely random people, not "qualified" in any way...

I did well on the phone though. What worked for me?

Enthusiasm was no. 1. Like Gordon's "White Bread Post", and like Zig Ziglar's "Golden Rule"...

I truly believe that "feelings transfer"... If you're feeling depressed, you make others around you feel depressed, too. But if you feel enthusiastic, you make others feel enthusiastic, too. An enthusiastic prospect is more likely to buy than a depressed one...

It helps if you believe in what you're selling.

It also helps if what you're selling is a "good deal" - that is, the offer is very important. (I learned this from my studies of direct mail - one saying is, "If you want to dramatically increase your response, dramatically improve your offer.")

In this case, I believe we were offering a great deal - a huge discount on the regular price of tickets!

I initially started with the script they gave me. But I modified it over time, based on what seemed to work best. I'd try new things, deleting and adding new stuff, and also getting new ideas from what the other sales people around me were doing...

In the end, I often won the regular "sales competitions" we had.

They actually offered me after a while to be a manager of the sales staff (which was a promotion), but I declined it. I did that because my real "goal" was to get sales experience, and as a manager, I wouldn't be directly selling.

"And did you enjoy the entire process or were there things that you disliked? What was your greatest challenge? What was the your biggest challenge?"

Well, I'm really a bit of an "introvert"... so, I found it "draining"... However, I learned that I can do it...

The biggest challenge was probably those days when you just don't "feel" like it, but you still had to do it. Everyone has those days when you just don't "feel" like it. However, somehow you have to get yourself going and do it. Anyway, those were probably the toughest days.

In addition, I found the weather and other factors could affect people's desire to buy. For example, people didn't seem to be in the mood to buy on those stinking hot days, when everyone is suffering from the heat, and feeling tired and cranky. None of us sold too many tickets on those sorts of days.

"If you could go back in time and relive those days again what would you change knowing what you now know?"

Well, one luxury we didn't have, which would have been nice, would be to sell to a "warm" list - or at least those who had been "pre-qualified" in some way!

Because we were selling to completely random strangers, we knew nothing about them. It'd be nice, I think, to know at least something about the person you are talking to, before you spoke with them...

As for your approach - I'm sure the "laughing toy donkey" approach would work! Getting people laughing would be a great start! (I think it would have worked better than the silly wig I wore to the St. Kilda Festival...)

Thanks Steve... I loved your insights, and gained a lot from reading them, too...

Now... Must see if I can reduce this "big fat but" of mine...

Best wishes,

Dien

Hi Dean, Thanks for answering my questions in such great detail. I started listening to Zig in the late 70’s and use to have a copy of “Secrets of Closing The Sale” when I still lived in the States but I forgot most of what I read so I’m buying the Kindle version of it so I can refresh my memory.

Books have shaped my life… it was “How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success” by Frank Bettger that first got me interested in learning how to sell and the one thing I remember from it is Franks secret was “Enthusiasm”.

Just like Gordon’s White Bread story….

You can know everything in the book but if you don’t act with enthusiasm you won’t get far. If How-To’s Were Enough We Would All Be SKINNY, RICH & HAPPY!

I have some suggestions that will really help you to lose your big fat butt…. I was tall and skinny until my early thirties when I started to gain weight but unlike you, I didn’t get a Fat Butt… I gained it all in my stomach while my butt, legs and arms remain skinny.

But I’m making really good progress on losing my stubborn belly fat and would like to share how I’m doing it with you. It’s been a real struggle but I’m finally on my way to six pack abs and I turn 59 this year.

We all know that the simple, proven formula to losing weight or fat that works every time is to simply eat less and exercise more, right? That’s the short version of the “How-To’s” …

But, Simple Isn’t Always Easy Is It?

There are several books that I can’t say enough good things about that I hope you read. The first one is “Younger Next Year” listen to a sample of the audio version at:
http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_...prefix=Younger Then check the authors website out at: http://www.youngernextyear.com

I’ve lost almost 40lbs since August of 2012 and still have another 20 lbs to lose. My progress has been slow but steady and I’m feeling better than I have for years.

Next, go to my weight loss blog at: www.HungerFreeWeightLoss.com and read the post dated “30 January 2014”. Read the post, then click on the link to download the free FatLoser eBook… after you download the book, go back to www.HungerFreeWeightLoss.com and find the banner on the lower right side for the Free 21 Day Fat Loser program… Between 2003 – 2010 thousands of people paid $500 for the program but the author “Steve Siebold” is now giving it away for free.

Warning… Everyone who has taken my advice on reading “Younger Next Year” loves it. But many people absolutely hate Steve Siebold’s Fat Loser ebook because he doesn't sugar coat the truth but tells it like it is and most people will deny it because they don’t like the truth.

The optional “Skinny Fiber” weight loss pills are part of my strategy to overcome my biggest obstacle to losing weight… hunger and cravings. They are not miracle pills but they do help to control cravings and appetite.

The Younger Next Year book will light your enthusiasm but the Free Fat Loser book and Mental Toughness program will give you a dose of reality… together, these two books combined with sensible diet and exercise will add years to your life and life to your years!

I predict you'll become a big FatLoser this year if you read those two books.

Cheers,
Steve

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by SteveSki

Hi Dean, Thanks for answering my questions in such great detail. I started listening to Zig in the late 70’s and use to have a copy of “Secrets of Closing The Sale” when I still lived in the States but I forgot most of what I read so I’m buying the Kindle version of it so I can refresh my memory.

Books have shaped my life… it was “How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success” by Frank Bettger that first got me interested in learning how to sell and the one thing I remember from it is Franks secret was “Enthusiasm”.

Just like Gordon’s White Bread story…

Hi Steve,

Yeah, Zig is great, in my opinion. I read his book a long time ago, but I gained a lot from it!

I also liked the Frank Bettger book, too. The main lesson I remember gaining from that is to not "force" a sale on someone who doesn't want to buy! Instead of wasting your time doing this, use your time wisely and move on to the next prospect. You'll usually make more sales per day that way, rather than by trying to "beat a dead horse"!

Health is very important... As I've found out through experience, you really need health to be successful in business, or in anything else you want to accomplish.

In fact, good health should be one of your highest priorities... Many people don't realize this (as was the case with me), until you start hitting middle age. If you can realize it earlier in life, so much the better!

I've also been improving my health lately... I may write more about that later...

Thanks for the recommendation to "Younger Next Year" - I'll check it out!

Also, your website "Hunger-Free Weight Loss" looks great!

There's no doubt that more fiber will help... It fills you up more, plus it's good for your system, too. Thanks for the "heads up" on all that...

On hunger... I've found that you can have two different foods with the same calories, and one will "fill you up" more (i.e. you'll be less hungry) than the other...

For example, a 150 calorie (around 600 kJ) muesli bar fills me up much better than 150 calories of chocolate does! So, if I want a snack, nowadays, I'm more likely to reach for a muesli bar than a piece of chocolate, simply because I know it will fill me up for much longer...

Thanks for sharing those insights, Steve!

Best wishes,

Dien

Originally Posted by Dien Rice

On hunger... I've found that you can have two different foods with the same calories, and one will "fill you up" more (i.e. you'll be less hungry) than the other...

For example, a 150 calorie (around 600 kJ) muesli bar fills me up much better than 150 calories of chocolate does! So, if I want a snack, nowadays, I'm more likely to reach for a muesli bar than a piece of chocolate, simply because I know it will fill me up for much longer...

Hi Dien, Yes it takes energy that comes from good health and enthusiasm to get things done (it’s your true wealth and capital) and adding fiber to your diet is a great strategy that is both quick and easy!

I’m a big eater so for me to lose weight without hunger I have to choose healthy foods high in fiber. And I add in more fiber from the Skinny Fiber pills (especially while travelling) plus I just started to add heaps of Chia Seeds to my green and fruit smoothies as another easy way to increase my fiber.

Have you seen the Picture Perfect Weight Loss books?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRf_LrgjZ6Q

Or this book at: http://www.amazon.com/Volumetrics-We...ref=pd_sim_b_5

With Volumetrics, leading nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, has devised a plan to give people what they′ve always wanted: a way to lose weight while still feeling full and satisfied.

I wonder if there's a phone app of the photos from Dr Shapiro's Picture Perfect Book for easy reference when your eating out? Those who keep food and exercise journals get far better results that those who don't so it be cool to take a photo ( http://www.healthhabits.ca/2008/09/0...he-photo-diet/ ) of what you actually ate and insert it next to photos of what you could have eaten.

Cheers,
Steve
www.HungerFreeWeightLoss.com