Traditionally Rockies Wade Davis Jersey , mentors volunteer the wisdom of their experiences to help others who wanted to follow in their footsteps. These days, many people have learned to appreciate the value of a goo You may get lucky. You begin a series of one-to-one conversations with someone you respect. Soon Rockies Jon Gray Jersey , the relationship has evolved into full-scale, helpful mentoring, with no effort on your part and no fees to pay.
However, you may find yourself paying in other ways. Mentors sometimes seek rewards not from money but from the satisfaction of seeing their proteg脙茠脝鈥櫭冣€犆⑩偓鈩⒚兤捗⑩偓拧脙鈥毭偮﹕ ("mentees") flourish.
They may become frustrated because, "You're moving too slowly!" or, "You're not following my suggestions!" And they may be reluctant to see you fly off on your own.
Regardless Rockies Jake McGee Jersey , just because someone's been successful doesn't mean she's the right mentor for you. Many resources are better at teaching than doing and vice versa. Some of the most successful professionals cannot articulate why they achieved so much and the path they followed may be closed to you.
Before you begin your search, ask, "What do I want from a mentor? Information? Moral support? Ongoing encouragement? And can I obtain these benefits by paying a coach or consultant? If I stumble across a mentor, will she be able to provide these benefits in a helpful way?"
And are you prepared to be a good mentee? Will you listen carefully, act on advice (or be prepared to explain why you won't), and express appreciation to your mentor? Will you avoid making unreasonable demands?
These days Rockies Chad Bettis Jersey , mentoring tends to come with a price tag, and the service may be labeled "consulting," "coaching," or even "counseling." For example:
"Mervin" wanted to open a retail toy store. "Gwen" had found success with a similar store in a nearby town that resembled his own. Mervin offered to pay Gwen a thousand dollars to learn the business. Gwen accepted. Mervin now has his own successful store and he remains friends with Gwen.
"Hilary" wanted to set up a life coaching business. She found experts who would not be competitors and paid them for mentoring. There was a fine line, she says, between coaching and mentoring Rockies Ian Desmond Jersey , and she paid the equivalent of coaching fees.
"Reginald" found a mentoring service that charged a monthly $200 fee, giving him access to experts who normally charged $500-$1000 per session.
These stories exemplify the New Mentoring, usually more effective than asking for help from strangers. A proactive approach allows you to identify the service you need, assess the would-be mentor's ability to deliver that service, begin and end when you choose, and avoid hidden costs. Focus on the benefits you receive Rockies Todd Helton Jersey , regardless of the label, and these days, be prepared to pay the going rate.
I offer one-to-one consultations on career strategy.
About The Author
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and careerbusiness consultant Rockies Nolan Arenado Jersey , helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. .
Contact: cathy@ 505-534-4294 Laguna Beach Photographers: Keep an Eye on Cash Flow Business Articles | August 18, 2009 A photography business can, on the books, look healthy. The photographer may be shooting daily. The business may even be showing large paper profits; however, if the cash flow is not healthy the busin...
A photography business can, on the books Rockies Trevor Story Jersey , look healthy. The photographer may be shooting daily. The business may even be showing large paper profits; however, if the cash flow is not healthy the business will not succeed. Cash flow improves when a photographer gets paid on his work soon after completing it. The following are a list of ideas for shortening the average time between work completion and getting paid for that work.
1. Set a time limit for when images are available for online viewing. Humans by nature tend to procrastinate. A deadline will counter this natural trend. Many professional photographers find that when they set a reasonable deadline for ordering, most clients order within that time frame. As a bonus, orders with a deadline are often larger than those that have no deadline (the excitement of the shoot is still there- encouraging higher orders).
2. Use a credit card service or Paypal. Many credit card services offer the option of collecting on payment plans. Credit cards also make payment easy. A client can make a payment on a website and the money can be in the photographer?s bank account in less than twelve hours.
3. Communicate ordering policies clearly before the session. Lack of clarity is one of the major reasons people fail to complete their orders. The job of the photographer is to do everything reasonably within his power to make ordering images the path of least resistance. When a photographer outlines his policy before the session takes place, there is not danger of a client saying? I?m not going to follow that policy - had I known about that policy I would have gone with someone else.
4. Charge a modest stocking free for re-establishing the gallery after the allotted time has passed. Reloading pictures to a website takes extra work. Clients usually understand this. In order to avoid the fee most clients will make a strong effort to order on time.
The photography industry is competitive. To compete effectively, a photographer needs to have an effective strategy to ensure he is paid in a timely manner.