Notes from the Studio
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1212010
Billing Work Flow
I’ve always been curious about what work flow people have for billing. I know there are many great programs and online solutions. My work flow is always changing, so I need flexible tools. I prefer software-based solutions rather then web-only based solutions because the software solutions can be integrated with the OS better. I’m often on location and need to be able to access information when I don’t have an internet connection.
I use Blinkbid for my contacts, estimates and invoices.
I use iCal for my calendar along with OX server to host my own iCal server. This allows me to add and edit the calendar from all my computers and from my iPhone. The other thing I’ve found really useful about iCal is keeping track of billing. In the notes area of every job on the calendar I add the date when I invoiced the client and when payment was received. I also add a link to the original email that was sent and attach a copy of the invoice.
During the project I need to keep track of expenses that will help me when invoicing the client. For this I use Evernote. I have a job log in Evernote that my assistant or I can fill out. The great thing about Evernote is that I can edit the job log from my iPhone, web or a desktop client.
When I’m on location I use Scanner Pro on my iPhone to add receipts. Scanner Pro then sends the receipts to Evernote. It makes adding receipts fun and easy.
After everything is billed and payment is received I use Quickbooks to keep track of everything for the accountant. -
10152009
Mailer
Like most photographers, I send out email campaigns. They have always been a great vehicle for self promotion. About a month ago I sent an email campaign to about 2,500 prospective clients. I was happy with the results (23% of the emails got viewed). As good as the results were, it was nothing compared with the success of my cover creation video.
The above 80,000 visits are over a 2.5 month period. Compare that to the results below which reflect a years worth of traffic. During most of that year I didn’t have a blog so most of the traffic was to view my portfolio only. This further shows how important the blog is to my web site. That is why I’ve moved the link to my blog from the side menu to next to the portfolio link—it has become just as important.
