Alex Trebus is a Bronxville, New York-based photographer who specializes in Portraiture and Travel imagery. I began collaborating with Alex in 2023. This was an exciting opportunity as it was the first time I was assigned the Client Introductions service.
During our initial video call, Alex surprised me with his well-defined business process and clearly outlined objectives. He requested that I focus exclusively on corporations located on the East Coast of the United States. From the beginning, we agreed to include only 15% of publications.
Alex demonstrated unwavering commitment during every step of the process. He is meticulous and a perfectionist, not only in his photographic craft but also in his work process. What pleased me most was his immediate approval of my first submission. I created a proposal of 100 clients which included some extra options so he could choose which ones he was most interested in. He was thrilled by the possibilities and mentioned it openly by email. He selected some and left it to my discretion to finalize the removal of companies, ensuring we stayed within a maximum of 100 clients.
As we progressed through the process, each step was marked by detailed reviews. When I delivered the contact list, Alex responded:
Hi Elo, fantastic work with the list! Looking forward to working on the wording whenever you are ready. Thank you!
The copywriting process followed a similar path. It involved assiduous and detailed planning, preliminary reviews with the layouts, as well as a thorough examination of the hyperlinks shared in the text. Everything flowed seamlessly with immediate responses at each juncture.
Both campaigns were sent on May 23rd, with a follow-up sent on May 31st. As I had suggested in our initial call, Alex connected with all 100 contacts via LinkedIn between the two deliveries.
Alex noted the individuals to whom he had sent thank-you messages or contacted for responding to his request. This provided valuable insights into the campaigns’ reception. Our list proved solid and garnered positive responses. The corporate campaign achieved a 47% open rate. The publications campaign, on the other hand, achieved an impressive 70% open rate.
Since working with Alex, I’ve been able to work on three lists of over 100 names. Recently, I mentioned to one of my colleagues that this is currently my favorite consulting service on which I work with photographers. Now, I’m even venturing to create a list of 200 names for photographers to work with!
Working extensively and closely with a photographer like Alex to fine-tune this targeted outreach process has exceeded my expectations. Our time together felt like a true collaboration, proving that two heads are better than one. Most importantly, however, it has been an inspiration and motivation to collaborate with such a detail-oriented and meticulous photographer, who’s dedication to the craft resonates throughout their work.
Further Reading
Specialty: Portraiture Photography
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