Several weeks back, I mentioned Marketog, a 6-week course for photographers who want to put the buzz back in their photography business.

Several of you dove in and enrolled in the course using my affiliate link. Some of you discovered that it takes work to market your business. No surprises there that marketing your photography business takes work, but what Marketog does is that it gives you a solid framework to make it all happen for you.

Jamie Swanson, who designed the course, has opened the course up again for enrollment and she tells me it closes tonight (Sunday, March 9th).

She also tells me that she will definitely increase the price by $300, the next time she opens it up for enrollment either in the late summer or early fall. I have three words for you: Sign Up Now!

Not only will you save money, but you'll be a whole season ahead, establishing yourself as the-go-to photographer in town.

There is still an insane 45-day refund policy (you have to show that you have done all the exercises though). There is still the lifetime access to the course and knowing Jamie, Marketog will continue to get updated in some interesting ways. And then there is the helpful and private Facebook forum where ideas and inspiration keep flying back and forth so rapidly that you will never be left thinking you are in this alone. In fact, you will be in very good company. I am enrolled in this course.

You want in. I know it. I keep getting these private messages asking me what I think about Marketog. If it isn't the best thing for you, a) I wouldn't be recommending it and b) you can always get a refund (provided you do the work).

But I wondered what I could do to help you market your business and then it hit me.

No joke, I suspect the value of this interview with you is at least $500. Does that inspire you to sign up for Marketog now? I hope so.

So, that's how you put the buzz in your photography business.

But you are going to have to sign up for Marketog pretty quickly. At 11.59 pm EST tonight, the enrollment closes and my bonus offer vanishes as well. I look forward to connecting with you.

We all want our photography businesses humming with happy clients, right? (let's nod in agreement) Often, though, we don't know how to get from where we are to where we want to be in our businesses. That's fine. It's a learning process and it takes time. Imagine, though, if in addition to your own effort (hey, elbow grease is always required in photography) you had someone guide you through five ways that will fast track your photography business to success? Won't that be fun? Won't that be a little bit easier? Won't that save you time? Won't that help you make more money and quickly? For me, it's a yes to all those questions.

I routinely look to my peers to see what they are doing, not so much so that I copy them, but to learn and adapt some of their steps to my own method of working and delivering photography to my clients. I just came to know about this wonderful series of workshops that my friend Jeffrey Shaw is hosting for photographers.

Jeffrey is a photographer with a 30-year track record of success, an author, a speaker, a teacher and a mentor to many in his mastermind courses.

Several months ago, I met Jeffrey and was blown away by his approach to business. I also knew instantly that he is a gifted teacher. His philosophy and methodology were in synch to how I wanted to pursue my photography business in Connecticut.

So, when Jeffrey has a course or even presenting a webinar, I tend to sit up and plug in to listen to what he has to say. The workshop series Jeffrey has just launched cover the following topics:

Remote Sales – February 12th, from 1 pm to 3 pm EST
Auction System – February 19th, from 1pm to 3 pm EST
Touch Points – February 26th, from 1 pm to 3 pm EST
Perfect Clients – March 12th, from 1 pm to 3 pm EST
Features vs. Benefits – March 19th, from 1 pm to 3 pm EST

The workshops are individually $75 each or you can buy and check them all out for $300.

I spoke with Jeffrey a few days ago and here is our chat about the workshops he is offering:

So, you are probably wondering whether you should jump in and register. I get that. I am exactly where you are. Lots of options out there, but for quality education one would have to travel, book a hotel, spend a few days away from the family and then come back home to deal with that imploding email inbox. I've been there and done that and I won't do that again. I prefer being able to learn on my time, from the comfort of my own home where I can quickly put into practice the kinds of things Jeffrey is set to teach me/us. More importantly, what makes Jeffrey's workshops so enticing to me is that I know they are filled to the brim with incredible value. Just knowing Jeffrey and how he has over-delivered in the past makes me very confident in recommending this series of workshops to you.

Here is your chance to have Jeffrey fast track your photography business to success in 2014. Do you want in?

The first one is set for today, at 1 pm. Join me.

Mr. Farnsworth was a terrific music teacher. Affable, yet stern. He would tell me each time I would return to take drum lessons, “Seshu, failing to practice is practicing to fail.”

It’s taken me nearly 30 years to absorb that. Sometimes, it would be obvious that getting my stuff done in time was beneficial and sometimes procrastination would get the better of me and I paid dearly. Still, creating a plan or a workflow and being organized simply has not come naturally to me.

Is that how you feel at least a few times a year? Do you feel that being organized would create at least a semblance of efficiency? Have you struggled to keep track of your client contact information or sales tax deadlines? Are you sometimes delivering your client orders later than when you promised them?

My friend Eric O’Connor, a wedding photographer in Chicago, tried to get me to think in about workflow. Several times. I remain in awe at how his allows him to photograph 30 weddings a year and be a father and a husband.

“Creating a system,” he told me once, was the ticket to being stress-free and happy.

I have a short stack of scratch paper filled with workflow ideas and what I would do the minute a potential client rang me. I had steps that I would follow after the portrait session was booked. But what would come after the shoot and in what order? Sadly, I had too many ideas and no action. This is mostly because having and maintaining a system requires clarity of thought and the “D” word … discipline.

Thankfully, Design Aglow is the photographer’s friend. I lean on the team there to provide me with ideas and templates. Just in time for the start of the new year, they launched a photographers’ studio planner called The Big Picture.

Like all their templates, The Big Picture, does not disappoint when it comes to how it is presented. Minimalistic design meets elegance. The introductory section says, “it’s a repository for your hopes and dreams.” So true.

The Big Picture guides you through a short writing exercise where you enunciate your goals. Then you are gently coaxed into breaking down your goals into actionable tasks. Huge win for me.

There are templates for daily, weekly and monthly activities surrounding your studio. The exercise is in writing it all down and being able to refer back to it constantly. I think this is brilliant because it instills that sense of discipline and accountability to oneself that I mentioned above.

Keeping track of clients, venues and vendors (mostly for wedding photographers) is now easy as 1-2-3. There is a questionnaire and a time table that helps you through your online and off-line (local) marketing.

Want to track your website and blog statistics? Yes, there is a rather intricate table for that too. The Big Picture also includes income and expense reports that you fill out and also a mileage tracker (which I have usually forgot to log in the past).

The Big Picture ends with a long list of recommended business books one should read to stay informed and inspired. There were quite a few in this list that I hadn’t even heard of before. So, Design Aglow, thanks for that too!

I don’t think this team has missed any detail when it comes to putting this studio planner together. I know as I launch my new website and business this month, The Big Picture is going to help me stay focused and remain efficient through the year. It’ll be a binder that I take with me to client meetings and I’ll refer to it when I am trying to assess my business. It promises to provide me a macroscopic view of my business and will tell me about its health from month-to-month. I no longer have to fret about keeping tabs on my workflow or if my quarterly sales tax payments are late.

Now, there are a couple of things I would have liked to have seen in The Big Picture download: 1) InDesign files to further customize the templates and 2) perhaps down the road, an electronic version that we can refer to while we are in the field, say an iPad application that could display all of these bits of information?

[UPDATE: Both InDesign & Photoshop files are included! I had failed to open all of the folders that came as part of the zip'd download file! Sorry about the error!]

That said, The Big Picture is a remarkable achievement because it so neatly brings so many elements of one’s business in an easily accessible folder or binder. I know there are several other options in the market but as a die-hard Design Aglow fan, I have to urge you to take a look at this product first.

On January 15th (that’s tomorrow), the introductory pricing of $69 ends. Make this the first business expense you enter into The Big Picture for 2014!

In other words, buy it now.

Friends from Inspire Photo Retreats, welcome!! Read the post, watch the interview below and then scroll down some more for some special offers just for you!

Gary Vaynerchuk knows a thing or two about selling wine. But he also knows how you (yes, you) can stand out in a noisy, social world. He has even written a book about it and it comes out today!

Gary is an energetic entrepreneur who someday wants to own the NY Jets. He is also frenetically involved in social media. Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr are his chosen platforms and he dominates each one like no other. I've been following him online, watching his videos (about wine or running business) and have read his books, Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion & The Thank You Economy, cover to cover. I love his tell-it-like-it-is style of writing and his fearlessness to experiment to see what works and what doesn't.

Like the last time, when Gary launched his book, The Thank You Economy, I had the opportunity to sit down with him to about his new book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How To Tell Your Story In A Noisy, Social World.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook launches today, so if you get the chance, buy it right away. Make it part of your winter reading.

Here, however thanks to this interview's sponsors, ShootProof & Queensberry Albums, you now have a chance to win ONE of 50 copies that will be given away.

Simply follow these 5 steps to be entered into the drawing:

1) Post a comment or ask a question that's pertinent to this new book below (include a valid email address)
2) LIKE Tiffinbox on Facebook – http://facebook.com/tiffinboxmedia
3) LIKE ShootProof on Facebook – http://facebook.com/shootproof
4) LIKE Queensberry on Facebook – http://facebook.com/queensberryalbums
5) Share This Post on your Twitter or Faceboook accounts and use these hashtags – #tiffinbox #jjjrh

Winners will be notified by email. So, please include an email in the comments section below. If you don't have a valid email address or if I can't contact you, you forfeit the book and it will be shipped to the next person I choose.

Good luck and happy reading!