I’ve written a lot about rejection in the past few years. How, as a talent, you can handle when someone says “no” to you. I wrote about how often as a photographer I am told “no” from clients.
But that doesn’t always happen, does it? When you as a model pitch yourself for a project or for a magazine submission – what happens more often than not?
Nothing. No answer. No response. No reply.
So what are you left thinking?
“Well… they must not be interested.”
So you stop. You don’t follow up, you don’t stay in touch and that is the end of the road of you pursuing that potential client.
But was there an opportunity missed there?
Each month this year I’ve been sending out photo postcards to clients I want to be working with. Everyone from photo editors at magazines I want to work with to art directors I am excited to collaborate with. So I’ve sent out 9 or so different postcards thus far this year to about 65 or so potential clients. That is a lot of postage. Now – guess how many responses I’ve had thus far.
Zero.
Now you might ask “well why continue?”
This is why – while on one of the photo editor’s Instagram account a few weeks ago I saw a post of them at their desk. What was tacked to the tall behind them? One of my postcards. I was offered a job with them shortly after.
Imagine if I had stopped sending.
And I could be 1 postcard away from a project with another one of those clients.
No response is not a no answer. It requires persistence to get noticed and to stay in the minds of those you want to be working with.
James Patrick
jamespatrick.com
IG @jpatrickphoto
