While shopping in a Toronto grocery store today, a woman approached me and simply asked, “Donate?” She held up a laminated piece of letter-sized paper which had the headline “DONATE DISASTER RELIEF” along with some small, generic pictures of people who may, or may not, have been in disaster-stricken areas. I turned her down.
The woman continued walking the store aisle, asking everyone else the same thing. As far as I could see, everyone turned her down.
Although she may have been legitimate in her request, she had no credibility. The flimsy piece of paper she held was obviously cheaply printed and her “presentation” was unconvincing.
The woman carried no purse, no bag, no donation box. If someone gave her any money, she would presumably just stuff it in her pants pocket. People would have to trust her with the money.
I suspect that if this woman were to ask enough people, eventually someone will hand over some money. It’s strictly a numbers game.
How is this any different from a photographer who puts up a web site and simply asks, “Hire me?” Without credibility and trust, it’s a numbers game. Eventually after enough Web searches, someone will probably hire that photographer.
“Trustworthy” and “credible” are often used interchangeably. But think of it this way: credibility persuades a consumer to listen to a sales offer and trust convinces them to make a purchase.
For photographers, being credible means showing that they are knowledgeable and capable in a particular type of photography. If a customer feels a photographer is credible, they then have to decide whether to trust that photographer with a photo assignment.
Credibility earns attention, trust wins business.
