(Some)Secrets of Specialism

Jeff Jochum

A WEBINAR A WEBINAR

• Started & sold 3 tech.companies (’88-’01)

• Senior Vice President: Pictage (’04-’07)

• CMO: deviantART • CMO: SmugMug• Coached: Joe Buissink, Mike

Colon, David Jay, Dane Sanders, Bob & Dawn Davis, ShootQ, ShowIt, Me Ra Koh, ShootDotEdit, Jim Garner, Mike Larson, & lots of creative photo businesses just like yours.

Who is Jeff Jochum?

The DifferenceThe Difference

Specialism vs Specializing

✓ Specializing – Select any niche or category and focus your message at it.

✓ Specialism – Build a business around your authentic YOUnique differentiators.

Anyone can do what you DO.

Nobody can copy WHO you are

The Credo of Specialism

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Authentic ME

Specialist ME

Insecure ME

Be Extraordinary or Be ForgottenIn a world where specialization increases value, if you aren’t definably different, you become a commodity and will be priced into oblivion.

Secret of {X}traordinary

The SystemThe System

Generalist vs Specialist

✓ Discover - What makes you unique?✓ Define - Why do you matter to the market?✓ Declare - How does anyone know you matter?✓ Deliver - The BIG version of you; i.e. how do you bring extraordinary happiness to your yourself and clients and let them be happy with YOU?

Build Inside Out1. Define YOU (why)

2. Define your BUSINESS (how)

3. Define your MARKET (who)

Secret of {X}ecution

•What’s in your soup?

•Hot or Cold?

•“Unique” ingredients that best describe what you are most proud of?

•What is the “why” of your soup?

Discovering YOU

(Better than BAD ain’t good enough.)

You must compete with a GOOD to be elevated to Exceptional in the mind.

Secret of {X}ceptional

Test the power of your positioning by reviewing its extreme opposite to be sure you aren't competing against a FAIL in the first place.

Secret of {X}tremes

•Passion Words

•Fun, Fresh and Fabulous (NO)

•Sophisticated

•Adventurous

•Indulgent

Defining YOU

Secret of {X}position

Social & Personal Service Businesses are performance-based.

(not production-based)

430

People trust people before they trust logos or taglines.You must stand for something in the minds of a market.

Secret of {X}pectation

•Your Purpose

•A singular wish?

•Your Strengths

•What do you believe?

•Your Humanity

•Non-critical weaknesses

Declaring YOU

Secret of {X}change

Customers want you to know

them before they will make any

effort to know you.

Self-trust is the first secret to success.

-Emerson

A successful specialist must remain specializedOtherwise you’ll erode the perception of specialism in the minds of your customers.

Secret of {X}pected

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The goal The goal

Work. Happily.

Ever-After.

The PanelThe Panel

✓ Jane Ammon – Kids & Families✓ Stephanie O – Maternity & Birth✓ Michelle Ocampo – Senior Girls✓ Ivona Dixon – Boudoir✓ Jen Rozenbaum – Boudoir✓ Brian Friedman – Weddings✓ Paige Elizabeth – Weddings

Next Steps Next Steps

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