I was lucky enough once again to attend the annual PRO convention in Portland, Oregon, in late September, and as usual, the result was a shot of photo adrenaline. The imaging industry is the envy of other industries. Not that we don’t have our challenges—we all do. But every time I leave the PRO convention, I’m reminded of the camaraderie and mutual respect that emboldens our ability to be successful.
I always tell people that photo specialty dealers should never be pigeonholed into that title. It’s clear when listening to their challenges, and understanding their solutions, that we are an industry of very successful small businesses. Businesses with the same challenges that face businesses all across the country: inventory control, pricing, competition, shrinking margin, making payroll, managing people and executing marketing plans that will invite customers into their stores and drive sales.
They compete every day with online retailers who enjoy the competitive edge of not having brick-and-mortar leases and a wide market area in which to do business. They do battle with the large mass merchandisers who have the luxury of size and depth of inventory covering a range of products, and national advertising programs that drive people into their stores daily. They even have to fend off wireless phone chains like AT&T and Verizon, who are selling products often viewed as replacements for cameras.
But what photo specialty dealers have that those other retailers do not is focus. They are, quite completely, the experts. They live, breath and exude photography. They get excited about new products that take tiny steps in technology. And they gush over products that break through barriers.
They know how to compete because they understand their customers. They won’t just sell them any camera bag; they will sell them the right bag. (One well-known dealer showed images of his store where he put a full-length mirror next to his display of women’s camera bags, because that’s how women shop!) They know what filters are and why lenses shouldn’t live without them. They get excited about changes in tripod technology, because they’ve actually taken photo trips. And not just one. Many.
They are also teachers. Many dealers now view classes as critical to their success, because learning breeds passion. And passion in our industry results in more and more sales.
What always thrills me about these PRO meetings is that all of these dealers sit in a room and talk about their best ideas. They share knowledge and share insights. They talk about common challenges and how they fight through them. They examine the market, and they challenge each other to think about new approaches to old problems. Why? Because at the end of the day, they are not really competitors. They are friends. Compadres. Smart businessmen and women, many second- and third-generation owners with growing families and a history in this business that is getting longer and longer.
If you take a hard look at the last few years, any other industry might have folded up the tents and gone home. Competitors like Apple, LG and Nokia have come into our space and cut into the core of our business. The profits generated by film are now a history lesson told to our grandchildren.
Photo dealers have had to become not just photography experts but technology experts. And they’ve had to withstand the shrinking of an industry that closed so many doors over the last decade. But the dealers who have survived, and sat in that room in Portland last month, are stronger, smarter and more resilient than ever.
Photo dealers are a proud bunch, and they should be. They’re poised to lead this industry to the next generation of success. And I, for one, will never bet against them.
