Blog Layout

Attracting and Retaining Top Talent and Prospects

Don Mann • Sep 25, 2021

Top 1% Headshots – the Holy Grail of Marketing


That Overcomes Harsh Reality



There are many different types of Headshots. Only a rare few are commercially viable, positive marketing images like our Top 1% Headshots. All others repel opportunities when viewed.


High Marketing, Top 1% Headshot examples showing approachability, competence, confidence and trustworthiness that you are the answer. These images are rare and commercially viable.

Commercially Viable, Top 1% Headshots



The Age of The Great Resignation


Harsh Reality: We are in the era of the Great Resignation, where:

  • People are quitting and relocating in droves,
  • Jobs remaining vacant,
  • People out of work will not even fill out applications, and
  • Customers are defecting, while new prospects have many choices.


The Questions?

  • How do you retain your current talent, especially frontline workers?
  • How do you attract new talent for replacements and growth?
  • How do you show prospects your organization is trustworthy enough to contact/deal with?
  • How do you show investors and supporters you are trustworthy enough to work with them?


There is More: Talent is one thing, but to recover and grow, you need more customers/clients for more sales. We live in an extremely visual world. The answer for both staff and sales begins with your marketing and team images.


The Answer: People do business with people. The answer starts with your presentation on your website, especially your “About,” “Leadership,” “Management,” or “Team” pages. These are the most visited pages on any website. This is true for all companies, large or small.


Its About People, not Words: People work and do business with people. Not B2B or B2C, but H2H (Human to Human). The answer lies in the website/marketing headshots or portraits you present. Prospects and potential team members and investors check out these images first, if you have them. Whatever images you have, they create the first impression, good or bad.


Top 1% Headshots: People do business with people they know, like and trust, whether they are a prospect or a fellow team member. Top 1% Headshots show my clients as approachable, competent and trustworthy so those who view these Top 1% Headshots. From a Top 1% Headshot the viewer feels they know, like and trust you enough to work with the viewer in a competent and friendly manner.


  • Top 1% Headshots create that all-important, positive first-impression.
  • This leads to prospect conversions and highly effective teams.


Current Team and Customers: Actually the same hunt for headshot images is true for your current staff, team and current customers.

  • Current team also check out their leaders’ headshots, and their own (if they have any).
  • Current customers look for leadership and those who they have contact with.


A headshot is the most powerful marketing tool there is, few understand its power or how to use it.

 


The Power: Where there is an image of a human, especially those showing the face, each human is drawn to it almost uncontrollably. Everyone looks at a headshot, and makes a decision in 4 milliseconds (0.004 seconds) that is almost instant.


This unconscious, snap decision determines what they do next: 

  1. Turn away and discount, or
  2. Keep looking and develop positive attitudes and trust, leading to action. 


4 Milliseconds: If they look for those first 4 milliseconds (ms), and keep looking for 3-10 seconds, you have won that critical first-impression battle.


The Power of Trust: During those additional 3-10 seconds from a Top 1% Headshot, they build trust from the headshot that you care, and trust that you are their answer, good to work with, and contact you. This is power of trust!


Will any headshot do this? No, only Top 1% Headshots rightly-applied will show you as approachable, competent, confident and trustworthy to be their answer.


In a Top 1% Headshot:

  • They see you,
  • They like you,
  • They trust you are their answer, and
  • They want to contact you and work with you.


  • This leads to more positive engagements and conversions
  • This leads to a higher marketing ROI!
  • This leads to mores sales growth!


  1. This leads to more customer loyalty
  2. This leads to more team loyalty
  3. This leads to more partner loyalty


Yes, Top 1% Headshots are indeed awesome!

Why? Top 1% images encourage more positive person-to-person engagement.


Top 1% Images foster positive human-to-human engagement like no other!


Where does this Top 1% Headshot Power Work?

  • Sales prospects
  • Top Talent
  • Among your current Team
  • Prospective Partners
  • Prospective Investors
  • Referrals (Hot or Cold)
  • Job/Partner Applicants
  • Professionals
  • Actors and Models



Effective Marketing Top 1% Headshot



Brain Power: The human brain can process something like 11 million bits (11 megabytes) of information every second. But our conscious minds can handle only about 40 to 50 bits of information a second. The rest of this vast processing, almost all of it, is in our sub-conscious minds. The territory of “gut reactions,” which are at the “instant” level, i.e., 4 milliseconds.


Hardwired: I am telling you all this so you understand this snap-decision on an image showing the face, is a basic human process that everyone does, in all cultures, and few are aware of it, because it is a subconscious process.


  • In dealing with people, if there is no image, even no poor headshots, the reaction is almost always even more negative than the rejection of a poor headshot.


No headshots and you leave yourself as a commodity where price is the key issue. Here you add no value, likability or trust. Just one of many in the pile, like on Amazon or Wal-Mart.


Referrals: Without a Top 1% Headshot your only hope is a hot referral. But now 90% of referrals check-out your site BEFORE they contact you. You again win or lose on your website imagery.


Influencers: If your product is so great, other mavens (who always show their face) will write about it. But the referrals still look for faces on your website to validate. You need an army of influencers, and several layers deep, to get past your untrustworthy website.


Psychology: Modern sales and marketing psychology spends much effort here. Our Top 1% Headshots use what they have learned, combined with years of marketing experience, to create Top 1% Headshots that win this first-impression battle for you to prospect engagement, and not against you.


Results: This instant or snap-decision process by the viewer of a headshot determines whether the person in the headshot is:

  • For or against them (the viewer);
  • Whether the person in the image is safe, or a predator;
  • Are they out for themselves, or do they delight in helping me?
  • Are they self-pleasing, or others-pleasing?
  • Is it all about them, or all about me?
  • Are they my problem, or my answer?
  • Can I trust them to help me in a nice way?


All this analysis occurs in those 4 milliseconds.


First Impression: Notice this snap-decision determines their next action. We call this the famous “first impression.” Win this battle and they like and trust you. Lose it and they avoid you like the plague!


Typical "All About Me" Headshot


  • Perfect for satisfied customers or team members having a good time amongst themselves.
  • Perfect for Models and actors showing how they sell lifestyle benefits.



One of many versions of

Typical "Me First" Headshot



This image is perfect for a model selling something, or a satisfied customer, or a bride at a wedding.


"But she looks so happy." She is, and does not care about you. Your mother probably loved this in your high school portrait, but not prospective bosses or clients or team members. They want you to be about them (trust), not you (un-caring and selfish).


"But I love my big smile." Fine, use it appropriately. Use it on Facebook, on LinkedIn Featured section of your profile, or as a model, on a gig. But do not try to convince people you care about them with it. They are not fooled. Prospects looking for help are repelled by this 24x7.


See those white teeth? Psychology says those are a warning message, "Stay away, I will bite you. Do not take away what is making me happy. Get your own!" (See https://www.donmannphotography.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-good-real-estate-headshots), and (https://www.donmannphotography.com/what-is-the-best-picture-for-your-business-website)


Website Conversion Rates: Now you know why website conversion rates are so low. Most are full of "Its About Me" images.


Many lose this prospect/team member engagement with "Its all About Me" Images; you repel them in 4 milliseconds. They are repelled 24x7! And they look for other alternatives as quickly.


The Power: Win in that same 4 milliseconds with a Top 1% Headshot, and you get prospect engagement, usually enough to favorably respond to your included call to action (CTA).


WARNING: If you are not using this technology for you and your company, then it will work against you and your company. If that positive first-impression does not get built, then distrust and avoidance does.


  • Do it right and you will get more sales conversions, stronger team work in your company/department, attract better new hires, and investors.
  • Do it wrong and you get poor engagement, low conversions, more customer service complaints, wasted marketing dollars, lower income and lower profits.


Return on Investment: What would a higher marketing ROI look like? More sales and top quality job applicants/team members. This is what Top 1% Headshots can do for you.


H2H: I major on human to human (H2H) connections, created and inspired by awesome, positive first-impressions. These can springboard to immediate engagement, sales and cooperative team attitudes.


What do you want? So do you want more good clients and customers? Do you want more powerful and effective teams delivering powerful results; do you need awesome team members? Do you want partners and investors?


It can all start with the positive first-impression of a Top 1% Headshot.


What I do: I can bring them in with Top 1% Headshots and Images by trust. Whether you can convert and retain them is up to you and your team.


People see my 1% Headshots with that extremely rare confidence and approachability from my coaching YOU, and they want to meet YOU, work with YOU, and call YOU. This is the power of a Top 1% Headshot for YOU. This is total brand acceleration.


Showing approachableness, competence, confidence and trustworthiness.

What is a High Marketing, Top 1% Headshot good for?


Perfect for Leadership, management, customer contact people, job applicants, and models and actors.

Perfect for those seeking investors and partners.

Perfect for those starting a new business

Perfect for those growing a business

Perfect for those looking for more sales

Perfect for those looking for quality talent

Perfect for building internal teamwork

Perfect for sales people, professionals, lawyers, real estate agents, etc.

Perfect for Rainmakers

Perfect for drawing new clients/prospects

Perfect for competitive bids where your images show you are the reliable answer over your competition


Terrible for those trying to go out of business


Top 1% Headshots – the Holy Grail of Marketing


That Overcomes Harsh Reality




I can save you from wasting money, or losing any more prospects.


I live and breathe images that accelerate your business, and I do not rest until all your images are high octane.


Websites are based on visual appeal. Visual appeal is assessed by viewers within 50 ms, suggesting that you have about 50 ms to make a good first impression with your website.


I will be happy to do a consultation with you on your marketing imagery and give you my honest opinion.

Just use my contact page and shoot me a request. Contact Page


Wishing you all the Best,

Don



QUESTIONS?



 Phone: 302 - 561 - 5555 | Email: Info@DonMannPhotography.com | Rates & Booking   


By Don Mann 13 Jun, 2023
Professional and captivating theatrical and acting headshots in West Chester, PA and Wilmington, showcasing your talent and personality as an actor or actress.
By Don Mann 31 Jul, 2021
Video Conferencing is now a way of life.
How to pick effective Commercial pictures for business development
By Don Mann 25 Mar, 2021
Your images on your website should attract potential customers and clients and not repel them. We call these attracting images as having high lookability. This is where the image secures the attention of the viewer in a positive attitude where they see you, like you, trust you, want to work with you and then will contact you. These images help grow your business and help others spread worth of mouth publicity. The viewer can refer others to your website and feel confident they will like what they find there. This turns prospect to apostles, the holy grail of a marketing program. We show you the elements of effective branding images and how to pick them. Key information for business owners, marketing and advertising people, web designers, graphic artists, and anyone who is part of the process of creating and publishing advertising collateral.
By Don Mann 18 Nov, 2020
Your LinkedIn Profile Image Is Far More Important Than You May Think.
By Don Mann 27 Jul, 2020
A Professional, Top 1% Headshot Adds Rocket Fuel to Your Job Hunt
By Don Mann 05 Jul, 2020
10,000 Headshots Video
By Don Mann 29 Jun, 2020
"I've bought and sold more than 10 properties in my life, and worked with real estate agents on each one of them. I wish I had known then what I know now about the psychology of headshots, it would have left them with much more than just a single commission." Don Mann Real estate agents are well aware of the importance of proper staging -- and this "lookability" goes for agents as well! Are you looking to increase your attraction rate to homebuyers? Learn the differences between good and effective headshots below.  If You Want a Cheap, Ineffective, Money-robbing Headshot, Stop Reading. Based on my looking at numerous LinkedIn-realtor headshots, not to mention a lifetime of billboards and sales brochures, few in the real estate industry seem to understand and appreciate the power of an effective headshot. The psychology of headshots makes this a critical factor for real estate professionals. They all have a real estate headshot, but most of these headshots repel rather than attract prospects. They all have them, but they obviously do not know how to tell good ones from bad. My hope is to help all sincere real estate people get and use effective headshots. Your headshot is the first introduction to who and what you are. It is a handshake with your unseen prospects. You may be a wonderful, warm, exciting person and problem solver in the flesh, but if you don't win that first digital introduction of your headshot, you will never know. If you don't win that first opportunity at a great impression they will move on, and move on in microseconds, never looking back. This is called "repelling at first opportunity." Many treat their business headshot as a perfunctory requirement and spend little effort on them. Their mantra is, “Make it quick, I’ve more important things to do.” Yet studies prove that a headshot is one of the most potent human interaction tools there is. Ignore them at your financial peril and personal risk. Your modern, real estate headshot is critical to your success in today’s overwhelming digital, image-driven world. As prospective clients search for agents online, their first impression is with your real estate agent headshot, whether online or in print. It is entirely possible to make headshots that when people see them, they want to stare at them, not to look away, but want to get to know the person, and work with them. We call this “lookability.” These are extremely rare in the world of portrait photography, while we at Don Mann Photography make them every day. It is my gift to those who trust me enough to create high lookability headshots for them. The awesome thing is that lookability is not beauty. It is the ability of a picture to show the real person behind the face, beautiful or not, in such a way that it draws people in to want to work with them. This is the Holy Grail of all marketing images, and you can have one of these top, 1% headshots on your business card, your mailers, and on your website. Your business life and your personal life can reap the bountiful rewards of such power. All found in a simple, but extremely rare, high-lookability headshot. The right headshot can make you seem friendly, approachable, engaging, confident, trustworthy, and professional. That means it’s worth the investment to make sure you get your real-estate headshot right, the first time. And if you don't have one, maybe even swallow your pride and fears, and get one. So how can you ensure your headshot puts your best face forward? Here are a few pointers to help you get the perfect shot. People Overwhelmingly Buy Through Real Estate Agents First, let’s look at some facts. A 2018 study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found 87% of home buyers purchase their home through a real estate agent. It’s evident there’s a large market for real estate agents. But how can you reach prospects? Most agents rely primarily on personal referrals, and it is key. But before prospects contact you, they will research you. And that is where your headshot makes or breaks that potential connection. 55% of people will search online for reviews and recommendations before making a purchase, with 47% visiting the company website, 26% checking out the physical store, and 23% of people talking with friends and family. (KPMG) Based on these numbers, 55% of friends and family referrals will be researched on the Internet. Others suggest 70-80% will online research before they make a purchase/engagement decision. This means 55% to 80% of your prospects will research or confirm their willingness to work with you by Internet research. And the primary thing they look at is your headshot to consider you. Based on this data, with an ineffective headshot most real estate people are leaving at least 55% of their potential business on the table. What would your life look like if you had 55% or even 80% more business? Let’s dream for a moment. Imagine what your life will be like WHEN you have our jaw-dropping headshots working for you 24x7 to improve your fortune? Our headshots feature you with confidence and approachability to draw prospects favorably to you. Headshot Impacts Can Last For Years Besides pictures of babies and puppies, people love pictures of other people, especially headshots. A poor headshot will make the viewer go from “open” to “Ugh!” If it is an agency website, a mailer, a brochure, a print ad, your business card or a For Sale sign, you will never know how many a poor headshot is not just being ignored, but actually repelling potential clients. And those poor impressions can last for years! When a prospect goes to your agency website, what do they see? Just your face or a sea of faces? Most agency websites are like a cattle call with a maze of faces. You are not just in competition with every other agency and their agents, but also with your own agency team. If that prospect sees a sea of agents, how are you going to stand out? So we are talking about your headshot first, then other supporting material surrounding your image. If your headshot shows you as confident, approachable and trustworthy, your viewer will respond back to you with those same emotions. Your awesome headshot keeps them looking longer and selects you out of other images around you. They will choose you over others. Headshots with high confidence and approachability will be remembered long after the first time they saw your face. And that image will be associated with good, positive emotions for years, making it the perfect sales tool. Numerous studies now show how viewers look at headshots and make their decision in milliseconds whether to stay or move on. If your headshot does not win this super-quick attention battle, you have lost your opportunity with that viewer. Headshots with those critical engagement features are as rare as hen’s teeth. While anyone with a cell phone can take what they call a headshot, few know how to work the light for you, and even fewer know how to coach and then capture those compelling headshot expressions that upgrade your future. Yet most realtors are happy with a headshot that fills in a form, or has what they consider a good headshot. And since few spend all day reviewing headshots, they have no idea what makes an effective marketing headshot. What they usually use for comparison are what they see on TV or the Internet, where effective headshots are as rare as cats barking. So their standard is bad headshots, not good ones. These are the people that tell you your headshot is “good enough, there is more to life, move on.” And you are left with a headshot that repels opportunities for years to come. A simple test is the typical school headshot picture. Parents are happy if their child has a nice smile, but none consider if that image evokes approachability and confidence in the viewers. And few photographers are aware of what it takes. Especially in a production mode where each child sits for 2 minutes or less in a chair for their picture, or each real estate agent in a production-line headshot session, so they spend only 30 seconds on one of the most important marketing tools there is. Now you know why top actors and models spend days on their headshots, their very working lives depend on them. But There Is Hope Do you want more calls from prospective buyers, more calls from property owners for you to list their property? More buyer calls, more listing calls, more deals closed! More calls for you to join investor teams. More access to financing and suppliers for your projects. Or simply more MORE! All this is made possible by our compelling, proven-results, top 1%, headshots! If done right, a great headshot can enhance the feeling of intimacy between you and your viewer to build trust and acceptance. The viewer sees you and wants to work with you, and if a prospect, they now want to contact you. All this while you are not there! Bigger Than You Think I just discovered another headshot concern. Our neighbors just listed their house, and of course we looked up the listing. On the house’s page there was a small headshot of the listing agent. In fact all you could see was that she was maybe smiling. If you then clicked on that picture, you got a headshot the entire size of the cell phone screen. Wow, she looked terrible. It was an obvious cell phone shot with poor lighting, and rather scary. It repelled both of us at the same time. Short change your headshot and you short change your life. A prospect has no intention of trying to work with someone who ignores basic details! I routinely get post-card real estate mailers. In these the agent has their little business card headshot blown up 3 to 5 times. And, boy are they repelling. Grimaces, fake smiles and red eyes abound. Not one ounce of approachability or confidence in them. My heart goes out to these agents who invested good, and hard-earned money, into repelling potential listings. The first response to me was maybe I need to list my house, but I will look elsewhere for a listing agent! In these images these agents look predatory, fearful, ready to make money off of me, but not willing to listen to me, or look for my best interests in what is the largest financial transaction of my life! No way, not when I see the face of a shark and I see myself as their chum! All from a rather typical, ineffective, money-robbing headshot. We Do Have Answers for You.
By Don Mann 26 Apr, 2020
COVID-19 IMPACTS: With stay at home orders in my immediate region – Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, much less most of the world – our portrait photography creation has been curtailed until these restrictions are relaxed. The good news is that most of my photography can be done at distances of 6 feet or longer, so we can maintain our social distancing. For our individual headshot business, we can move outside for greater safety. With all the job changes, our door-opening, connection-building, professional headshots are more important than ever. While I don’t think anyone could notice, as always, for any clients who feel our COVID-19 shots limited them, we will be happy to re-shoot as a gift, once the crisis is over. I can wear a mask, even gloves and a lab coat as I did for many years in high technology, while my subjects can remain without PPE for the shoot. And if they want shots with a face mask on, no problem. They can arrive and depart with them, especially face masks. Of course frequent washing of hands/disposable wipes is part of this. For studio shoots we can go outside for most shots. And of course, we have a great property for model comp card shots and general portraits. Our make-up artists can work just as the salons in Georgia are doing now. Of course we put in a HEPA filter that serves the studio. The biggest impact is on our coverage for indoor group shoots such as events, meetings, and some indoor commercial shoots. The biggest difference is less close shots with 15-50mm lenses, and more with my 70-200mm or longer lenses. I even have a 600mm from my nature photography. At a 6 to 10’ appropriate social distance we can get great shots as needed. We expect group shots limitations will be gone by June or July, so we can book them even now. The biggest impact on me has been my network marketing. For now inside group meetings are off, but I can do some cold phone calling, even exterior commercial shots, especially if owners can turn on some interior lights. For example we prefer to do restaurant or other business shots before service start and then add the staff portraits after the staff arrives. So bringing in a few staff should not be a problem. I have to confess the crisis has not been all bad for me. My son and his family live with us. I get to spend many days playing with my 5 year old grandson – time that can never be replaced, and I wish I had done more of when my children were smaller. Now he did take over my office to do home schooling on my large monitor. Even golden clouds can have a black lining! QUESTIONS Phone: 302 - 561 - 5555 | Email: Info@DonMannPhotography.com | Rates & Booking
By Don Mann 26 Feb, 2020
Our Top 1% Headshot, Professional Images are Your Path To More.
Actress Headshot
By Don Mann 15 Feb, 2020
Things you can do to get ready for your professional headshot or portrait photo-shoot
More Posts
Share by: