Every once in a while I try to take a minute and share some of my personality and the things that make me who I am. I try not to make this blog totally weddings or totally photography, but this post relates to both of them in a way. There are a lot of opinions on blogs and how you should blog, but I value my clients/blog readers the most and really try to give them what they want. I also enjoy writing and the process of sharing thoughts via this blog, so here we go.
I was a frustrated high school kid who needed money. I’m sure that situation has never happened before, right? I wanted to travel, surf, buy a dirtbike and have a girlfriend, but my current financial standing just wasn’t matching up with my dreams. So I needed a job and a good one at that. I had a friend (Matt, who was also in my wedding) who had been working at a somewhat famous burger joint called In-N-Out Burgers. You’ve probably heard of them, they’re kinda legendary. He was making decent money and loved working there and he told me I should go and interview. To make a long story short, I interviewed, got the job, bought some white pants, learned how to put a red apron on with a big safety pin and went to work.
The things that I learned from working at one of the most successful burger chains are still with me today and I want to share just a few of ideas that I think have guided me to be successful in the wedding and portrait business.
#1 In-N-Out Burger doesn’t care about your educational background, pedigree, prior job experience as much as they care about your attitude. One of the most important things I did to get hired was not in the interview itself, it was beforehand when I opened the door for an elderly lady and smiled at her (this is just everyday action for me). The manager told me that my attitude of service and my smile meant so much to him and the company. How you treat people is paramount.
#2 We had a two rules at In-N-Out: Rule #1 is “the customer is always right.” Rule #2 is “if the customer is wrong, please refer to rule #1.” Valuing the customer and ensuring that their experience is a great one is something that has really stuck with me. Getting complimented for great service never gets old. In my year or two of working there, I can count on one hand the amount of angry customers that the manager had to deal with. We never let things escalate that far, we took care of the customer and admitted to our mistakes (even sometimes when we didn’t make them). I get asked a lot if I’ve ever had a “bridezilla” and my answer is NO. I’ve never really had a bride that went nuts on me or was just rude. As the service provider, I have a lot of control over letting things get to that point. I refuse to do so.
#3 Communication is huge at this fine burger establishment. When a customer orders more than 3 burgers, the cashier yells something like “5 meat down” to the cook so he knows how many patties to grill. When a bus of tourists rolls into the parking lot, the girl sweeping outside will come in and yell “bus” to the inside staff so they can prepare to handle a larger order. When taking an order, the cashier/drive thru attendee will ask lots of questions to make sure your order is precise. COMMUNICATION is huge and it makes all the difference in the world. The unknown is what makes people nervous. When everything is on the table and “talked about” then nobody has any fear.
#4 Providing a great product and experience is imperative. In-N-Out doesn’t freeze their hamburgers or their potatoes. The lettuce is hand leafed in the store. The potatoes are peeled and diced in the store. The onions are cut (trust me, Ive cried many a tear over them) in the produce room minutes before you eat them. Employees are trained to smile and ask you how your day is. Any time there is an employee near the door, it will be opened for you with a smile. There is a reason that the line is usually to the door at In-N-Out Burger, even after all these years (can’t say that about McDonalds, Burger King, etc.). The product and experience is awesome. You will find no better burger and no better fast food dining experience. Period.
#5 Being comfortable with your product. I had a lot of people ask if we had mayo or bacon or salads and my simple reply was “no, we have burgers and fries.” In-N-Out is very comfortable with the simplicity of what they offer. Notice I never “apologized” that we didn’t put bacon on our burgers, or that we didn’t have the latest trendy milkshake flavor. In-N-Out did what THEY did and they did it well. And they’ve done it for almost 60 years now.
I honestly think this is one of the most important things I learned while working there. In my wedding and portrait photography, I do what is important to me and I do what I do best. Sure, I could learn how to photograph in a lot of other styles and try a lot of different things. But there is something about simplicity and a customer saying, “I want THAT experience.” You have to be comfortable with who you are as an artist and business owner, but once you are there it is way more fulfilling.
#6 One of the things that attracted me to In-N-Out was that they paid more. But I quickly learned that they paid more, because they expected more. Not only that, but they paid their employees more because they wanted them to feel more valuable. I felt good about working harder because I knew that I was making more money than the “other guys” and that I was part of a team that was providing an awesome experience. We were never allowed to stand around idle. We were always working, but we were compensated well.
I’ve learned as a wedding photographer who is not the cheapest guy around is that when you have a culmination of great service, experience and awesome product people will pay you to provide that for them. I know that my wedding photography is important to my clients because of the great lengths they’re going to hire me for their wedding. With this in mind, I strive to provide the most amazing experience and capture the most awesome photographs that I can.
This has definitely been on my mind a lot lately as I look to strengthen my brand and solidify my positions and mission in business. I hope that you take something good from it and I think it will shed some light on what makes me tick. Enjoy.
