Communicating with Customers about Wedding

[Jeatley]

Ok I have run into a issue while talking to potential wedding bookings. How do you handle this situation?

1. They make contact about the wedding
2. I send them a thank you letter for contacting me with a few questions
3. They say they are very interested and fill out the questionary and requested pricing.
4. I send off pricing info or they come into the studio and look and take a pricing sheet with them. All of my weddings include some type of photobook or album. I believe that when the wedding is over I want the client to have something in their hands to hold.

THEN THE FUN STARTS
The response is this
Dear Jeffrey
" Anyway here's the what I'm looking for. I just looked over your price packages. I am on a super tight budget. I just need a photographer the day of the wedding and at my reception (no bridal session, photobooks) just a cd with all the pictures on them, copyright release so I can print them out later if I choose. You mentioned earlier that you could work with what I needed. Let me know what you think."

I have a line in there that says "I want to fulfill all your needs"

How would you respond.

 

[e.rose]

Do you even offer a disc with any of your packages?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

I would tell her yes, you could do that. But to price out a copyright release, would be more expensive than your packages.
My philosophy is, if you don't want to do something, price it very high, and if they still go for it, you are at least making good money from it.
My example would be when a few of my customers request that a custom design be a "one of", requesting that I could never duplicate the design again. I say Sure! We can do that, but that will add $XXXX.XX to the price of the item.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

How would you respond?

I think I am not the photographer for you.

Unfortunately, by saying "I want to fulfill all your needs" you are creating the expectation that you will work with the potential customer to do whatever they expect. Get rid of that line right now.

And start exploring other avenues for your photographic income. As has been discussed many times here, wedding photography seems to be on a downward slope as far as earnings go. I believe that if you are a good business person and in the right area it can be different. I personally would raise my prices and go after customers with more money

But, thank god, I don't shoot weddings.

 

[Jeatley]

E. Rose, No I do not. I offer Pre Paid print packages that are included with the package. Say Wedding cost 1000 get 100 in print credit.

Bitter. That is what I was thinking but once again I noticed she said WITH EVERY PICTURE. The wedding I did a few weeks ago I took over 1100 images and I showed the couple about 300. We used about 180 in the Album.


As a bonus the senior I did last week! I asked if she would mind staying an extra hour at a new location I found so I could test out some ideas. She said yes and signed a model release. Her package was to get her up to 30 proof images. I told her I would throw a few more in for her time and let her have her pick to get two more 8x10s as a thank you. So I proofed 50 images total and she was amazing. With in days she made a comment about the fact that I may have taken up to 300 images and if she could see them all. That is impossible since I take 3-7 images per pose and might use one. Also I had about 50 shots that were spur of the moment stuff which I used about 5 but the rest were closed eyes, motion blur or what ever... Guess it is a complement and a curse!

So back to this situation. ONE I WILL NOT EVER GIVE ALL IMAGES. 2 If I price a CD I will price it insane! Screw it? This is frustrating!

 

[c.cloudwalker]

My example would be when a few of my customers request that a custom design be a "one of", requesting that I could never duplicate the design again. I say Sure! We can do that, but that will add $XXXX.XX to the price of the item.

That is workable in the jewelry business because you keep control of the quality of the end product. Selling a copyright release takes that control away from the photographer and since our images are the main part of our professional image, I would never do business that way.

 

[bennielou]

Hi,

There are different schools of thought on this, but I'm one of those people who just put my pricing right up there on my website. That way I cut out on a lot of price shoppers as I'm not interested in doing weddings under a certain price point.

The other side of the coin is, I wouldn't have the potential of talking people "up" into my price range if I were more vauge and they had to call for pricing. With not putting pricing up you get lots of calls and e-mail where you can explain why you charge what you do.

I don't do the second, because I'd spend half the day talking to people who just don't have the budget. (nothing wrong with that, we all have a budget).

Two sides of the coin.


We all aim to please, and we all want to help clients, but we also all have our price points. But all bride's have budgets too. It's great if we have the opportunity to convince them they really don't need chair covers as much as they need good photography.

It seems like you are asking a lot of the b&g with so many questions prior to giving pricing. People just want to know if they can afford you or not.


Here is what happens (in my experience).

B&G look at your portfolio. Then they go directly to the "info" section looking for pricing info.

If you list your pricing info, and they like your work, they will call to set an appointment to meet with you, or ask for contracting documents to secure their date.

If you don't list your pricing, and they like your work, they will contact you to see if they can afford you.

They meet with you, and then start following you on facebook and your blog. :blushing:

The one thing I think we all hate an e-mail to lead out with is, "I'm on a really tight budget", because I'm thinking to myself...."We ALL are and I'm not even having any big parties!"

However, that aside, even though it's nice to have an album by the photographer, more bride's than ever are forgoing it. There are two reasons for this new trend:
1. They know they can get photography cheaper without an album, and when they cut corners, this is one of the first things to go, photographywise. They assume they can order one later, or make a scrapbook using the images provided on DVD.
2. More and More album companies are offering albums to the general public for less that we could offer them to the bride for. Every bride forum out there advertises this fact.

So I'd just take what they told you in the e-mail, and tell them the price you would need to do that job for them. They can decide if they can afford it or not, and you aren't the badbuy because you did try to fullfill their needs by giving them custom pricing.

 

[Jeatley]

C.Cloud! I agree but disagree LOL.... My first thought is to say then I am not the photographer for you.

But My problem is I am trying to get my name out there. I am not a huge fan of Weddings but I do them cause they are great training and I learn a ton from each one and I love the challenge. Is there some counter offer I could offer her? I have done work for her family before.... two senior shoots and 3 family shoots. No Questions asked and they all booked the biggest packages and still added on stuff/ EXTENDED FAMILY. Also there family is huge. I know about 60 of them. I dont want to sound at all harsh and leave a bad taste.

HUM what to do.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

So back to this situation. ONE I WILL NOT EVER GIVE ALL IMAGES. 2 If I price a CD I will price it insane! Screw it? This is frustrating!

Exactly my point.
If a customer wishes to work outside the bounds set forth by the business, you can simply say no, or make it very very worth your while.
You want a rush job, because of your poor planning. I'll oblige. $$$

 

[bennielou]

Oh, I didn't understand that you are giving print credit instead of CD usage. Again, we all do different things, but CD usage has become the norm, and by offering print credits, the road might be even harder.

But cloud is right by saying that things are getting saturated and insanely competitive in wedding world.

 

[bennielou]

Here are a few things to consider before responding:

Offer the CD of your SELECTED images. (I never give all images either). Tell them that you will give them every great images but you don't want to waste either of your time with a photo of a drunk guy who just walked accross your screen.

If they are willing to pay a fair price for what they are requesting, and especially because they have been good past clients, trust in the fact that you will blow them away and they will want product on the back end. But just to be sure, get what you need on the front end. The back end is bonus.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

My example would be when a few of my customers request that a custom design be a "one of", requesting that I could never duplicate the design again. I say Sure! We can do that, but that will add $XXXX.XX to the price of the item.

That is workable in the jewelry business because you keep control of the quality of the end product. Selling a copyright release takes that control away from the photographer and since our images are the main part of our professional image, I would never do business that way.

I understand that. What I was putting forth in this instance was generally to get the customer to not agree to it. She wants budget pricing, and demanding a whole lot for it, price it out of her range. It's a tool to finagle the customer back to the way you do business, and still seem willing to work with them. $$$ is a great tool used for decision making.

 

[Jeatley]

Bennielou, Thanks I read your comment a couple of times lol...

When she contacted me the questions I asked were simple. Date of wedding to see if I was available, Where it was located, and asked if she had been to my website.
Just to get a headstart.

If weddings are, like so many have said, on the decline for profits and are one of the hardest things to pull off, what is the point. I use to have my pricing on my page but I am reworking the packages to try fit the market here right now so they are not on my page. Weddings are insane! Well I guess I need to decide if they are worth it for me. The last two were but the two before were not! I am shooting 50 percent this year. LOL

 

[Big Mike]

There is a big difference between offering digital files in your package...and including 'ALL' of the images.

I think it's important to let the clients know that you will take [1000's] of images but that only [300] will be keepers...and that they won't get to see the other ones. Let them know that you use your professional judgment to pick the very best images...and discard the rest. If they require more of an explanation, tell them that you shoot multiples in case of closed eyes etc.

You certainly don't have to offer digital files if you don't want to...but if you do, then estimate what you would otherwise make on print sales and charge at least that for the disc. Make sure the rights are clear....usually, when you sell the disc, you are also selling them the right to make copies...and you can tell them that that is the reason it 'costs so much'.
To them, it's just a disc with some digital files...so why should it be hundreds of dollars...but it's actually the right for them to make copies.

I've actually been finding that even though I sell a disc of images, some clients still order prints from me because I use the best lab around and give them high quality prints.

 

[Jeatley]

So in todays world Should I offer both?

Say that my my package is 1500 including 200 in print credit and a $400 Album. I can offer the same in a CD for exchanging those items for the CD? So they lose the print credit and album but get the CD.. That was a horrible sentence. LOL

In my heart I truly believe that being handed something at the end of it all is better then get handed a CD that you look at once or twice and never look at again? I have been married and divorced and plan to marry again and I would never get the CD.