Who enjoys being “nickeled and dimed?”  My guess is that not many of you!  If there are some of you that don’t mind it, please leave a comment and tell us how you do it.  When it comes to anyone’s money, my guess is that we are very protective over it.  Well sometimes it doesn’t pay to not pay for what you want!

I had a realization this week.  As much as I don’t appreciate being “nickeled & dimed myself,”  I sometimes do the very same thing to other businesses.  There are times when making an offer is OK and then there are other times that paying the asking price is perfectly fair too.  Well let me tell you something about myself.  I LOVE Ebay!  Sometimes, I shop for stuff that I never need but when I see IT, I know I need it then!  I particularly love looking for photography stuff and gadgets that I couldn’t live without.  I found myself making an offer for the same item to a seller 3 times this week.  I wasn’t happy with the counter offer they were giving me so I kept trying.  I was getting a little upset honestly.  I mean seriously, how dare they refuse my offer!  It was only like 40% off their asking price.  Geez!  Why won’t they budge on their price?  For some odd reason it hit me today that they were asking exactly what the item is worth to them and what it should be worth to me too.  I’m fussing over a few dollars while the seller is fussing over having to waste more time on my offers.  Here’s the bad part!  This is an item important to my craft and can help me create stunning images!  Why would I possibly want to devalue that?  So what do you devalue in your life that you really want and sometimes even need?

I have never approached my business and the clients I serve with a “Nickel & Dime” attitude because I would fail miserably at it and I wouldn’t have very many clients after a while.  Today I went through my coin bucket and pulled out all my nickels and dimes.  I figured the best way to remind myself to never stress over nickels and dimes with my customers is to keep a steady supply of them right in front of my face everyday!  I plan on keeping these coins in front of my monitor to always remind me that losing a nickel or even a dime is not worth losing a customer, ever!

Do you see my little coin cup over on the right?  All nickels and dimes!  If I ever feel the urge to try something foolish with a client, it will be right there to serve as a reminder.  Now I need to keep my desk clear of clutter so my coin cup does not get lost!  Look to the left too.  Go Raiders!  The football season starts today for many team and the Raiders are one of them.  Don’t stop following me just because I’m a Raiders fan either!

This is my awesome digital darkroom by the way.  Isn’t it stylish and purrrrdy?!?  This is where I create my portrait art.  I have been slowly reorganizing my office this week and decided it was time to move myself by the window.  I can open it and listen to the birds now and even the huge eucalyptus tree swaying in the breeze.  On really quiet nights, I can even hear the ocean roaring.  That’s an image of Justin Timberlake on the 18th greenside bunker at Pebble Beach.  I was creating a painting from the original image.  It came out awesome.  Sorry can’t share it quite yet.  If you really care to see it, please leave a quick note in the comment section below.

Here’s one of my favorite tools that helps create my art.  The Wacom Intuos 4 Tablet!  I LOVE IT!  It was a purchase I waited too long to make.  This beautiful tool saves me so much time and allows me to edit my images with a higher degree of accuracy and detail.  Do you see my coin cup in the background?  It’s blurry but it’s there!  I know this image is very random, sorry.

So since I hate to be “Nickeled & Dimed” and I know that most of you hate it too, I want to offer you an amazing opportunity to get those portraits you have always wanted.  I will be participating in a fundraiser to aid in the research of Alzheimer’s on October 16, 2010.  My grandmother was diagnosed with this tragic disease and I felt compelled to do something to help.  Together with a few family members, I will be walking to honor all families effected by the damage of Alzheimer’s.  This is where the 2010 Monterey Memory Walk comes in.  They have organized a wonderful event to help families and friends come together and help raise money.  In the spirit of my nickel and dime experience this week, I want to offer 5 lucky families an opportunity to help me raise money for research and in return you receive portraits!  This is one of the best win-win scenarios I have ever seen.  Hurry up though because I only have a limited amount of sessions available, 5 to be exact.  This is also perfect timing considering that the Holidays are coming up and you could get custom Holiday cards too!

Details:

1. Contact me to make sure there is still a session available.
2. Visit my personal fundraiser page and donate $200 toward the Alzheimer’s Association.
3. Call me to confirm your donation and we schedule your session.
4. That’s it!  100% of your donation goes toward a great cause and you also can write it off for your taxes.

So don’t waste any time.  Send me a quick inquiry and go donate today!

Thanks for spending time with me today! I look forward to designing your portrait session and capturing all the Smiles & Blessings of your family!