Harnessing the Power of a Photograph
By Don Cooper

On average, it takes nine impressions to move a prospect from “total apathy” (the state in which they don’t know who you are or what you do) to “purchase readiness” (where they are ready and willing to buy from you).  An impression is any time a prospect thinks about you: they talk to you on the phone, they receive a letter from you, they read your name in a magazine, etc.  

Unfortunately, because people are bombarded by over 3,000 marketing messages a day, they only notice one in every three impressions they’re exposed to.  One way you can cut through the marketing clutter and make your impressions stick in your prospect’s mind is with a photograph.  A photo stands out among fields of text, creates familiarity and puts a human face on a company.  And people certainly remember faces much better than names.  Two examples illustrate how you can use a photograph to increase your sales.

Linda Zenker, a real estate agent in Northern Virginia, has 3” x 5” memo pads printed up with her picture on them.  Putting the photo on the pads costs nothing extra because it’s in the same ink color as her name and contact information.  She then gives the memo pads to clients, prospects and people she meets at networking events.  (Everybody needs memo pads.)  As a result, her name, phone number and face are in front of her clients and prospects virtually every day.  As a bonus, they will often write notes on the sheets and give them to other people, meaning her name, number and face are constantly getting in front of strangers at no additional cost.

Cary Tanrath, a mortgage loan officer in Denver, Colorado, who caters to military veterans, uses his photograph in a different way.  He includes it in advertisements he runs in the local paper.  At first, he used a photo of himself in a business suit.  The ads got no response.  But when he replaced that photo with a shot of himself in his dress uniform, the phone began to ring off the hook.  The picture communicates his association with veterans far more effectively than any words can.

What kinds of photos can you use?  Almost any.  Consider photos of:

• You
• Your family
• Your pet
• Your partners
• Your entire staff
• Your Employee of the Month
• One or more of your customers
• Your store or building
• Your product
• The results of your service (especially a “before” and “after” shot)

To get the most from a photograph, first you need an excellent photographer.  You can use the Yellow Pages and the web, of course, but to find a really great photographer, you need to do some extra research.  Check with your local chamber of commerce or leads group.  Ask around to get referrals to someone who specializes in business portraits.  Then before you decide, look at some of their work.

Next, dress appropriately.  Talk with your photographer or an image consultant ahead of time to determine which clothes will best compliment you on film.  Ideally, you should bring four or five changes of clothes and let the photographer help you pick which outfits to wear.

Finally, put that photo where people will see it.  Besides note pads and advertisements, here are 29 other places you can put your photograph:

1. Business cards
2. Letterhead
3. Envelopes
4. Postcards
5. Fliers
6. Posters
7. Your web site
8. Brochures
9. Mugs
10. Mouse pads
11. Greeting cards
12. Newsletters
13. Magazine articles
14. Your office or store walls (especially good for group pictures)
15. Booklets
16. Catalogs
17. Proposals
18. T-shirts
19. Bookmarks
20. Calendars
21. Pre-paid calling cards
22. Banners
23. Tote bags
24. Press releases
25. Stickers
26. Audio cassette or CD covers
27. Coupons
28. Magnets
29. Product packaging

What’s that you say?  You photograph horribly?  Yeah, yeah, that’s what everyone says.  Get over it.  Besides, a talented photographer will make you look, if not like a model, certainly a lot better than you fear you will.

And one final note: Update your picture regularly!!  Unless you have a plastic surgeon on speed dial or you’re popping botox for breakfast, you should have your photo retaken every three or four years so it actually looks like you.  Always be proud of who you are and what you stand for.  That kind of integrity and self-confidence encourages people to want to do business with you—one more way a photo helps you sell.


Don Cooper—“America’s Networking Guru”—is a sales and marketing expert who speaks, writes and consults on how to attract and keep more customers.  He is the co-author, with Beverley Williams, of  The 30-Second Commute: The Ultimate Guide to Starting and Operating a Home-Based Business, published by McGraw-Hill, and  a contributing author of Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters with Debbie Allen and Jay Conrad Levinson.  

For information about booking Don to speak to your group, please call 303-832-4248 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   You can also find other articles (as well as his picture) at www.DonCooper.com.  

* 2004 Don Cooper.  All rights reserved.  This article may be reprinted, intact, as long as the full byline is included.  To request a photo to print with the byline, please call 303-885-1182 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it