Self-Interest vs. Mercy - Pick One

I find I get a great deal out of my reading. I can't imagine the person who just doesn't enjoy reading. Learning from the wisdom of others holds an infinite amount of genius - at your fingertips.

Today, I was reading an article which referenced a book - The 48 Laws of Power. Law 13 notes that in order to get what you want, you have to appeal to people's self-interest, not their mercy.

Really?

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Yes, Really. Those most pre-disposed to responding to a merciful call either wear a habit, a Roman collar, or are otherwise faith-based.

When was the last time you heard a colleague say they got the assignment because they threw themselves on the mercy of the client - "oh please, hire me. I need to make rent this month!" Nope. Doesn't work that way.

Instead, you have to appeal to their self-interest. Will the work you produce bring to life the vision that the client sold to their client, and make your client look good? Will the imagery you produce sell more product, and bolster the company's bottom line? Will the work you deliver make a subject more attractive, or is it a magazine cover that causes an increase in newstand/single-copy sales?

If you're saying "oh, I'm a documentary photographer working for XYZ humanitarian causes, it's not about that." Really? Yes, it is. It's about the self-interest of the organization in utilizing your images to promote their cause to the world, or validate the efforts of those financing the trips/outreach - so that they continue to give.

If you're saying "I work crappy assignments so I can save up and take trips that are meaningful to me, and hopefully, through my work, make a difference when I can shed light on the plight of the {fill in the blank} people." If that sentence applies to you, and you felt a kinship with it. Read it again, focusing on the phrases "meaningful to me; though my work; I can shed;." That's all about you feeling better about yourself, with the resulting benefit being your work sheds that light.

The sooner you can focus your outreach to clients on what your work can do for them to make them: look better; sell more magazines; further the cause; or improve profits, the sooner you will win those assignments.

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