Recently in Webinar Category

Starting to dread opening those credit card bills every month? Don't fear them, conquer them and put debt in its place. Here's a great place to start: join our webinar featuring Chris Hogan, director of the financial coaching division for Dave Ramsey (March 17th at 4:00pm Eastern).

Ramsey's Financial Coaching is responsible for providing practical financial coaching, counseling and guidance to artists and athletes with a top-notch program designed to help them "win with money" through personal budgeting, saving and debt elimination. Sound like it could help you? That's what Hogan believes.

"No matter what the economy is like, it's a smart idea to recession-proof your business. That way, when the hard times come, you'll be standing strong," says Hogan.

You'll learn about:

• Recession-proofing your business and standing strong in any economy
• Balancing calculated risk with the right level of operational restraint
• A plan for debt elimination
• Developing a budget and sticking to it
• Creating a cash flow plan
• The importance of a business plan and how to get started
  

Hogan will also help you put together an outline on paper that helps you set a vision and define goals for your company. "This is extremely important because it gives you motivation to leave the cave, kill something and drag it home everyday," he explains. "Owning your own business can be a challenging endeavor, but knowing what your dreams and visions are will help you stay focused."

Listen to Hogan's webinar, "Win with Money: Conquer Debt and Dream Big," on March 17th (4:00pm Eastern) to gather more tips for standing strong in any economy.

A studio that manages to increase and sometimes double their sales each year?

Did we get your attention? Want to learn one way to increase your own sales...from the folks behind that studio? Well, here's one of their "secrets" to higher sales: product design. But it's not just any product design that works...it has to be a design that helps your client decide what to do with his/her images.

Think of the product design skill in these terms: Clients want internal "permission" to buy something. You can give that permission by showing them how and where the photographic products can be used on their own walls and in their own settings. Make it tangible. Make it easy to envision.

Such design skills have helped turned Jeff and Allison Rodgers into the duo behind one of the most profitable studios in the U.S. And you can learn how they leverage product design to sell more products by joining their webinar, "Push Higher Sales with Product Design," tomorrow (March 3) at noon EST.

They'll show you how they listen to their clients' needs and wants in order to present them with product designs that work in their spaces. Multi-image pieces, wall designs, name art, books and press products are all items that clients want--and you'll learn how you can translate "want" into "gotta have."

Whether you're an emerging new business or a studio that's been in the industry for years, let Jeff and Allison guide you through the creative and profitable process of product design.

Push Higher Sales with Product Design
March 3, 12pm ET
with Jeff & Allison Rodgers
$39 for PPA Members

Indemnification Trust: What You Need to Know
February 24, 2010 at 4pm ET
Stephen Morris, Lead Attorney for the Indemnification Trust at Meadows & Macie, P.C.
Maria Matthews, PPA Copyright and Government Affairs Manager
Click here to register.

The Indemnification Trust is unique to PPA and a highly ranked member-benefit by PPA members. Find out exactly what the Indemnification Trust is and how it can protect you and your studio. Maria Matthews, PPA Copyright and Government Affairs Manager, and Stephen Morris, Lead Attorney for the Indemnification Trust at Meadows & Macie, P.C., address how to use the Trust, what issues are eligible for coverage, and the steps you need to take to take advantage of this valued benefit.

Dear PPA Member,

Pop quiz: What did you do the second week of February this year?

Are you having trouble remembering? Don't worry...I had the same problem, too. With our lives as busy as they are, it's no wonder we forget things. Trying to remember work appointments, the grocery list, and your neighbor's birthday can wreak havoc on your memory.

To help ease the burden, we decided to do a recap of all the new benefits that PPA has added over the past year. We're constantly trying to add value to your membership, and in 2009 we added everything from new business discounts to expanded educational resources. If you've used some of these new benefits, great! If not, take a moment to look them over. It's never too late to start using a benefit!

Happy Holidays!
Christel Aprigliano
Director of Member Value & Experience

P.S. Don't forget about the Imaging USA Rockstar Giveaway. We're counting down the days to Imaging USA in Nashville by giving away cool stuff-- $10,000 worth of items that photographic rockstars (like you) want! Find out the daily giveaway and how to enter by following Imaging USA on Twitter or joining as a fan on the Imaging USA Facebook page.

Set your studio on the path to financial success! Join us for two free webinars to share the latest PPA Benchmark Survey results. They're free and for PPA members only, but you'll need to sign up early because space is limited.

• How to Measure Success: Key Findings from the New PPA Benchmark Survey (January 19, 12pm ET)
• What Can the Benchmark Tell You About Your Business? (January 27, 4pm ET)

You'll get answers to questions like the following:

• Why are some studios so much more profitable than others?
• How much of every dollar your studio brings in should you be spending to grow your business?
• How much should you expect to keep as bottom line profit?
• Should you stay in a home studio, or venture out into a retail space?
• What are the key financial strategies photographers should consider in a long-term plan?
• How can you effectively utilize credit and manage debt?

It's free--click here to register now!

PPA is pleased to announce a new benefit for members: an ongoing series of free, member-exclusive webinars designed to provide members with inspiration and tips on photographic art, technique, and workflow.

The first series, "From Capture to Client, presented by Adobe, will begin on September 21, with the webinar "The Art of Facial Retouching. Canon's "Exploring" webinar series begins on October 5, with "Photographing Children. Both series were designed to help photographers gather ideas and solid advice for growing their creativity and business.

How to Protect and Register Your Images- Wednesday, July 22 (7pm EST)
Once it's created, it's copyrighted...right? Don't panic: next week's webinar has the answers for you. Learn how to go beyond owning the rights and get them federally registered (and other tips for protecting your images). We'll even have Sandra Ware, Copyright Specialist with the U.S. Copyright Office, available to answer your questions about photographic registration! Register for the FREE, members-only webinar now.

Also Coming Soon:

August 19, 2009
Protect Your Copyright through Licensing Agreements

September 9, 2009
Certification Process from Start to Finish

Need help behind the computer, in the salesroom, or building your blog? The last 3 PPA  webinars in June can help.

Need to be more time-efficient while creating images that make the client say "WOW"? Tony Corbell has you covered. Want to raise your sales totals? Learn how Tim & Beverly Walden have done just that. And do you want to make your photography blog work harder to help build your business? The creators of www.intothedarkroom.com (Anthony Ronga and Michael Sablone) will offer their advice...for only $19!

Rule #1 of the 5 Rules for Successful Photo-Blogging (from Anthony Ronga):

Content is King
"If you build it they will come." Living that statement is a leap of faith at its best, and a fallacy at its worst. Sure, design is important, SEO really helps, and choosing a blogging platform is not to be taken lightly. However, content is king, and it will remain so. And that remains true for photographers' blogs!

Tune in to our upcoming webinar (5 Rules for Successful Photo-Blogging, June 29) as we discuss how to maximize your blog's potential by doing it the right way. We'll discuss pitfalls and techniques, and look at some real-world examples and how they work.

Step out of the hot summer sun, some cool education is waiting for you.

To register, visit www.ppa.com, or call 800-786-6277.

Enhancing Images While Saving Time
June 17, 2009 - 3:00pm EST
with Tony Corbell, Cr.Photog.

Yes, you want to enhance your images to bring out their best qualities even more...but image editing often siphons away valuable time. Tony Corbell, internationally known for lighting seminars and workshops, is here to help make your work life better. Watch and learn as he shares his time-saving digital workflow tips, featuring dynamic image editing tools from Nik Software. Follow Tony as he showcases retouching, creative styling, corrective techniques, and more. Rapid-paced and in-depth, this Webinar proves how you can use popular products to optimize image quality AND save your most valuable commodity: time. PPA members can register for free by clicking here.

Babies are born every day--that means that there are a lot of expecting mothers out there! Maternity and newborn photography is your way into that market, but you have to do it right. Join Kay Eskridge on May 19 as she shares marketing ideas to reach those mothers, from creating partnership marketing plans with doctors and companies to convincing clients of the value in designing nurseries around your images. Learn more and register online now.