How to handle clients....a few questions

[Steve5D]

Oh and by the way..photography is a learning business. Every session teaches us something and if you are not learning I suggest you ask yourself what it is you a missing out on.

This is what every beginner tells themselves to make them feel better when they are called out for being a beginner. I know... I used to get pissed as well.

The father of an old high school friend has been a professional photographer for the better part of 60 years. He's almost 80, is working all the time, and makes a very handsome living.

His philosophy has always been that, when you stop learning, it means you know everything.

And nobody knows everything...

 

[Steve5D]

He tells the truth, and most people can't handle the truth these days. They want to be ego stroked and have information sugar coated and delivered to them on a plate of cotton candy. THAT'S what BS.

That's a load of crap.

It's quite possible to disagree without being disagreeable. The only reason to be disagreeable, in the manner we often see here on TPF, is because it makes the poster feel superior, and the person doing it always has some weird need to feel superior...

 

[eilla05]

Great post. I am taking it seriously I really am. Here is what is holding me back. Being afraid I won't have business even though I think I am good enough for it. Does that make sense? Being where I am market wise charging much more than I do would most likely mean little business. It is a poor city literally i am not just saying this. Even seasoned pro's who have been in this town for years charge $65.00 sitting fees...Honestly I do appreciate Bitters comments and honestly but the manner in which he tells its make me want to kick him in the teeth...lol not that I don't agree with some of what he says but the way he says it sucks and is a put off for people on this board.

As I said to Bitter..I have called pros around my area..no one wants to take on second even for free. To them its competition and they don't want to teach the competition.

Look at bitters post count and the number of likes... Now look at his join date. Now look at mine.

The more people try to help here the grumpier they become. We're like a bunch of old men yelling at the kids speeding through the neighborhood. (I'm sure I'll be told that's a bad analogy...)

Don't take it too seriously. Read the content, ignore the mild snark.

As far as your problem, I obviously can't know your market but I hear what you're saying. It's tough because if you increase the prices too much for the low end customers but not enough for the good customers you'll get no business. I know a guy who had a hell of a time until he got fed up, went back to IT, and tripled his fees just to tell people not to bother him unless they felt like making it well worth his while. Next thing he knew he had too much business.

There are no easy answers- I wish there were. In the meantime you might consider putting in a catch-all hourly rate for services above and beyond the contract and use that to dissuade people from bugging you.

Thank you I appreciate that and quite honestly I bet you guys do get tired of answering the same old questions all the time....lol

 

[andywag]

How do you handle clients who do the following:

Call/text you at all hours of the night literally one texted me a 1:45am! Another 10:45pm and another 11:20 pm. Ignore the call/text until the following business day

Send you emails/Fb messages once you have given them their images ( I currently give on CD) asking why they don't have X pose and X pose. I always tell clients they may not see all poses they remember doing for a variety of reasons before we begin our session. So the information was put out there yet I have had a few clients who ask me still and then act upset when I tell why. You are not managing their expectations properly. If they want specific poses then shoot them. If there are shots which don't turn out then just tell them that.

Clients who call/email you the day after and every day until you are done asking if their images are ready. Again, manage expectations properly. Give them a date when they will be ready and stick to it. If they still call then answer the first one referring them to the contract you have (you do have a contract/t&c's don't you?) then ignore any others

Clients who send you repeated messages asking you to post pictures on Facebook from their session. YET AGAIN, manage expectations. You are not starting off the session well if they are doing this. All this should be covered in initial meetings and again at the end of the session. It is NOT your responsibility to post images to facecrap (unless that is part of the deal)

Clients who send you a message 2 weeks after you have given them their images asking for your unedited photos from the session. Sorry to have to say this but you do not seem like you have actually sorted out any of the most basic aspects of your "business". Put in your t&c's that they will receive the images which YOU deem worthy, AFTER editing and any others are destroyed or something along those lines. NEVER NEVER give the client raw files.

Please tell me I am not alone in this? I have had all of the above numerous times and I am tired of repeating myself. Is there anything I can do to help limit the number of times this happens??

Thanks in advance.

Quite simply, sort this sort of stuff out BEFORE you shoot a single shot, put it in your t&c's and if you get queries after then refer them to the contract that they signed.

 

[andywag]

. You're selling your labor, .

Absolutely not. As a professional photographer I am selling my labour, my skill, my artistry, my expertise amongst other less tangible things.

If you think that a photographer is just selling their labour then you are sadly mistaken.

 

[PhotoWrangler]

Absolutely not. As a professional photographer I am selling my labour, my skill, my artistry, my expertise amongst other less tangible things.

If you think that a photographer is just selling their labour then you are sadly mistaken.

Unfortunately... your statement is just as much of an opinion as his is.

 

[andywag]

Absolutely not. As a professional photographer I am selling my labour, my skill, my artistry, my expertise amongst other less tangible things.

If you think that a photographer is just selling their labour then you are sadly mistaken.

Unfortunately... your statement is just as much of an opinion as his is.

Absolutely, just my opinion is right and his is wrong :mrgreen:

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

. You're selling your labor, .

Absolutely not. As a professional photographer I am selling my labour, my skill, my artistry, my expertise amongst other less tangible things.

If you think that a photographer is just selling their labour then you are sadly mistaken.

Actually, you figure all that into your CoDB, which yeilds your hourly labour rate.
So yes, in a way you are charging for all that, BUT it's wrapped up into your hourly rate.
You don't charge $85/hour labour + $10 skill fee + $50 artistic fee + $25 expertise fee...

 

[godsotherson]

I am a new member here. This string of posts is most disheartening! The OP was seeking advice but most replies are not addressing her needs but addressing the lack of assist by previous posters.
I am not a professional photographer but now have a need and desire to improve my skill set to both enjoy the creative side and be able to sell product without being in a store or at a show. I have been a successful full-time antique dealer and appraiser for over 35 years. My profession is actually very like the photographers with the only major difference being, you create the final product and I must find someone elses creation to be my final product.
I will address the price issue here and nothing else. The OP claims that her market will not support a higher price because 2 old studios have a price ceiling that she has yet to achieve. Her opinion is the local customers do not want to spend as much as the 2 studios charge, so she believes that by charging less they will use her services.
None of these suppositions can be proved. When you buy gas for your car most places are within 10 cents per/gal but many areas have a station which costs even more. Why?
Because they ask for more. The gas is the same but some buyers only want to buy the higher priced for a variety of reasons known only to themselves. Do not try to figure out why, just accept the obvious. You must then choose to be either the high volume/low mark-up seller or the low volume/high margin seller. Neither is right all the time.
Regardless of which the OP chooses, she must in short order get a high enough price for her product to cover the overhead costs she chose to incur. I have observed over many years that a product that is priced too low compared to other similar products being offered is considered by many to be inferior or flawed. To prove my supposition, on several occasions I put identical items out for sale with different prices on each. In most instances the higher priced one sold first. That said, the only thing stopping the OP from setting a price higher than she thinks is right is her fear of failure at that level. She has complete control but must also have complete confidence to believe her price is right. Her posts do not give the impression that the confidence is present at this time.
I am sorry I do not have enough time to address the phone problems but will maybe say something another time.
good luck in your endevors

 

[Tee]

This string of posts is most disheartening! The OP was seeking advice but most replies are not addressing her needs but addressing the lack of assist by previous posters.

Is nobody reading this thread? There are plenty of replies to the original post. It's like everyone is only seeking out the snarky posts so they can be a White Knight and scream " there's nobody helping...I'll save you!"

I will address the price issue here and nothing else.

Which was addressed nowhere in her original post. See... you just did what you were complaining about. Congratulations! You're a real member of TPF. Please see one of the mods and pick up your club jacket.

 

[eric-holmes]

I missed the link to the OP's website.