Professional photographer Peter House thinks you should never ask your clients for their budget.
In his very interesting article over at Fstoppers he explains what this might do to you and your business, and what you should be doing instead. I don’t think I’ve ever asked for a client’s budget myself, and I agree with many things Peter is writing about. However, in some areas of photography it might be a completely different situation. Do you have personal experience on this subject? Please share in the comments below.
Its not often that you go to a restaurant and get asked what you want to pay for your meal. When you call a plumber, a mechanic, or an electrician, they all usually have pretty fixed costs for the services they offer. So why do creative types such as photographers constantly ask clients what their budgets are? Why are you giving the client that much control over your business?
Aren’t you worried about photographers under-cutting you?
I frankly don’t care one bit how little others get out of bed for.
I respect those who want to keep in line with industry standards and try not to under cut their competition. Bravo; but if you want to price yourself at $100 for a whole day of work, well, be my guest. I’m not worried at all. One of two things will happen.
- You will get a ton of work and will inevitably have to raise prices to curb overwhelming volume and the stark reality of not making any profit.
- The more likely, you’ll run your business into the ground because you’ve priced yourself in an unsustainable way. Before you know it you are spending countless hours on projects working for less than minimum wage and burning out. Try raising prices and all those bargain basement clients you found will leave you for the next cheap thrill.
You have to eventually realize that competing based on price alone is a terrible tactic. There will ALWAYS be someone willing to do it cheaper than you. You can’t keep doing it for less if you want to keep a career in a creative field for the long haul.
Won’t clients think I’m too expensive?
When I talk about not asking your clients for budgets, I don’t mean you need to suddenly pick astronomical numbers from thin air and present those as industry standard. Arriving at what you are worth is actually a very simple process. If you follow it rationally, you will get VERY realistic numbers which line up perfectly with the current marketplace. Why? Because those are the numbers required to pay for basic living expenses. Nobody can argue with those, and if you adhere to them, you will ensure a good quality of life for yourself and a thriving environment for your business.
You can’t be too expensive if you are asking to make a comfortable living, and any client that thinks that is out of their “budget”, is not the right client for you. Its a hard lesson to learn as a freelancer but you dont need to, or want to, say yes to every project and client. Learning to say no and knowing your worth is key to keeping your value.
You must also understand that being expensive is simply a frame of mind. If I came to your house and tried to sell you a bottle of water for $20, you would probably scoff at me and turn me away. What would possess you to pay me $20 for a bottle of water if you could get it for free from the tap or for a fraction of the cost at the store down the street? However, if you were parched and in the middle of the desert and I had the only bottle of water for miles around, suddenly that $20 seems like a bargain.
What You Need To Do
Stop thinking of your photography as a service with ambiguous prices and begin thinking in terms of offering a product with fixed costs. Your photography is a culmination of investments in gear, learning, overhead, staff, marketing, etc. Those are all expenses which determine the final “price” of your service.
Read the full article over at Fstoppers.
Source: Fstoppers
