Only 1 Wedding Pckg?

[swoop_ds]

Hello Everyone,

I'm just wondering what everyone here thinks about having only one package that I'm booked for the whole day for as long as the clients need. This would be in contrast to having multiple packages with increasing prices.

Then I feel the clients would just look at you, and the one price, instead of debating about random crap like how many hours, what's covered, etc.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks,
-Dave

 

[ghache]

The thing with one package youll probably end up loosing money and working like a slave for 18 hours in a row.

lets say you put your price at 700.

some will say its too expensive for a 3 hour session so you will endup not getting the job and some will take advantage of it and make you work the whole day
you should at least make 2 package.

a 4-6 hours session and a full day.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Why not? That's all I ever had.

But it wasn't really a package. In my wedding (I'm assuming that is what you are talking about) "package" there was only one thing covered. My time there. Everything else was extra and came later.

I never booked more than one wedding a day. Never had to work the hours that some people seem to be working these days but I just didn't want to take a chance on missing wedding #2 because wedding #1 lasted too long. Not to mention that $3-5000 for a day or two of work seemed perfectly fine to me.

Wedding photogs today have made their lives much harder than mine was and I don't believe they earn any more than I did. There are always different ways to approach a problem but the more you make this problem yours and find your own solutions, the more you are likely to enjoy your work.

Cheers.

 

[gsgary]

Don't forget the longer your at the wedding the longer you will be sat infront of a computer screen the next day

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Don't forget the longer your at the wedding the longer you will be sat infront of a computer screen the next day

Only if you feel like you have to shoot photos that will never sell. Aunt Bee stuffing her mouth is probably not a seller...

 

[KmH]

Clients like to have choices. So that's what you provide.


You need 3 packages:

1. Low cost, little coverage time wise. This package is your qualifier. If they want this package, they don't qualify to be your client.
2. This middle package is what you actually want people to buy.
3. High price. This package is your "Now I can afford to buy a nice new fast zoom lens" package. If more people are buying this package than the middle one, move this to the middle and make a new, much more expensive "Now I can afford to buy a nice new car" package.

 

[Flash Harry]

I'm with cloudwalker on this, most customers choose the cheapest package anyway, so just have one with added costs for different/more expensive albums, dont make a rod for your back with a twelve hour shoot, I've yet to shoot more than 300 shots at a wedding, any more is severe overkill and usually garbage that won't sell, quality not quantity is what matters, take the important stuff and bang out a few extras and get the hell outa there. H

 

[eric-holmes]

So are you saying if someone wants to purchase the less expensive package than you should turn them down because the don't qualify to be your client?

 

[KmH]

So are you saying if someone wants to purchase the less expensive package than you should turn them down because the don't qualify to be your client?

I didn't state that real well, but the idea I wanted to get across about a 3 tiered pricing policy is to design it so the vast majority of your clients pick the middle package.

Still, not everyone that approaches you about becoming one of your clients, will qualify to do so.

A client can be disqualified for many reasons:

• You don't shoot the 'style' they want (I don't do the PJ style, and I don't do weddings). I refer them to other local photographers that do weddings or shoot something closer to the style they desire.
• They don't want to pay your prices or there are terms in your contract/release/t&c's (terms and conditions) you're not willing to modify to the extend they want.
• They just rub you the wrong way, a personality clash, if you will.

 

[swoop_ds]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I currently have a tiered system but I think that it needs to be changed a bit, I'm just not too sure how. First off I think I'm going to reduce it to three options instead of the five or so that I currently have.

 

[KmH]

Yep, if you give to many choices they just get stuck in a decision reset loop and never decide.

Happens to computers too if programmers aren't careful.

 

[swoop_ds]

Well I changed to a three tiered setup. I lowered the cost to 550/950/1250 which I would like to think is too low but I did a google adwords campaign to test when my prices ranged from 550-1950 and I didn't get much interest so I'll see how these prices go.

 

[tirediron]

Hourly rate and fixed prices for prints. They can have as much or as little as they want.

 

[Big Mike]

The tiered system is a tried & true method...and as Keith said, it's usually geared so that most people choose the middle option.
The low option is just there as a comparison...It should only have your basic service etc. When you compare it to your mid (target) package, it should make the mid package look really good.
The highest package should be over the top. At one seminar I attended, the speaker said that if anyone ever buys your top package, it wasn't expensive enough.

*aside*
In the seminar, he asked what people's highest package was. Maybe one or two people got as high as $10,000. He said to start thinking big. Think outside the box and include anything and everything. For example, what if you included a round of golf for the groomsmen at a nice course and a day at the spa for the girls. It might cost you $4000, so you add $5000 to your package. Maybe you include a weekend in Vegas, just price it out and add it to your package with a markup.
*aside*

So when someone looks at your highest package and all the good things you offer, they get a good feeling...although they can't really afford it. Then they look at your middle package (and how well it compares against your lowest package) and it's a great deal.

That being said, there are some good things with the one price/one package technique. And this seems to work well for some of the higher end photographers I know.
The first (and maybe best) part of this package, is that you are not loosing out on other, bigger gigs. It really sucks when you book a wedding at your lowest package, only to get a call the next week from someone who wanted your big package for that same date.
With one price, you just tell your clients that they're paying for you all day, whether they need it or not. Of course, you can still set your time limit, and add extra for additional time...but that's not a necessity. Hopefully you're charging enough that more time isn't a big deal to you.

A very good photographer that I know, only has two packages. All day coverage and all day coverage with an album. (I haven't checked but they are probably $5000 and $7000).

Another benefit to having one price, is that you may get more 'all day' weddings. While this does mean more work for you, it also makes it a better option for a 'storybook' style custom album, which can be a really good up-sell.