I know this has been discussed to death, so do ignore if you don't want to entertain, or indeed moderator feel free to remove if you feel the thread not necessary.
So I've been trying to incrementally increase prices (and structure) since the end of last year (the two main reasons being that I felt I'd improved and that I felt underpaid for the amount of work I did). I am new, but even then I imagine you'll tell me I've been perhaps attracting the wrong client to begin with, which was overwhelmingly true in one case (documented on here...). Part of me wonders whether I should just drop the 'bottom package' because (a) I've only ever done one wedding in that timescale and (b) as mentioned, probably attracting the wrong type of client and putting off the right sort (the word 'wrong' is a poor choice admittedly, but hopefully you understand what I mean). But then there is (c)... I have managed interest in some half day type affairs (6-7-8 hours), (some of which are also interested in a larger album), which is useful in months with fewer bookings.
I had a very small wedding in May (18 people for the ceremony), which I very much enjoyed, and they did have me there for a shorter time, but she really loved what I did, and understood how I worked (and loved the results). She was initially interested in the lowest package, but paid for an couple of hours or so in the end. This sort of situations makes me think it's beneficial to keep the lower options, as well as to perhaps appear better value in some way...
I guess this is spurred by a inquiry I got today, stating that the 'maximum budget' is my starting number. She seemed enthused, but I wonder if I'm creating more work than is necessary to start with...
Saying that, it isn't all negative. The bookings which I have for next year are all happy with pricing and interested in longer days (as well as being enthusiastic about the photography itself, of course).
Has anyone here kept a lower priced option whilst moving 'upwards' & made it work for them? Or is the consensus that this is counter productive?
Congratulations for reading that and now I can apologize!
Im not sure I follow. Sounds like you are talking about a discount bottom package? IMHO your lowest package should still be profitable for you. If you cant do the lower package and still cover expenses and pay your self a living wage, then it isn't worth keeping. If you are discounting your lowest package heavily then the numbers won't work out when they start adding things a la carte. So I'm not sure I follow your question. If you can shoot your low package every weekend and make a good living after expenses then you have priced yourself well.
stevez32 wrote:
So I'm not sure I follow your question. If you can shoot your low package every weekend and make a good living after expenses then you have priced yourself well.
To clarify. The simple answer to this question is "no". I really need a full days shooting in order to make any sort of profit. The bottom one serves as something 'supplementary', perhaps mid-week, friday, additional work (fully committed to non the less of course). If every wedding was the bottom package then no, I'd not be in a good place.
EDIT: Actually, one could probably survive if I were doing the bottom package every weekend, meaning 52 times a year. But I'm aiming for around half that (just what I feel I'm capable of personally, about 25 is my aim, for which the lowest price I do wouldn't be sustainable). If that makes sense...
I think what you have in mind is similar to what some venues do, they require a larger commitment on the client for prime days and then offer other lower prices for non-prime days, I could see that working. My feeling is you should not work for less than you feel good about which may mean changing the way you structure your packages. When someone calls me and tells me they don't need a lot of coverage, when I explain how I do things, they forget everything they thought they wanted mainly because I cover the entire event and I don't offer partial coverage, it's just not my style and I don't want clients who think they have to scrimp on coverage to get what they want.
I dont list a lower priced option, but I do get emails asking if I do half days. If it's a sunday or Friday I'm happy to take on a half day and charge maybe 80% of what I normally would, while only doing "half" the work. Of course I'd prefer full day gigs, but it is very pleasant when the day comes around and you realize "Oh yeah, I dont have to be there until 2pm!!"
Are you unhappy with the amount you make at your lowest price point relative to the amount of work you must do to deliver that package?
If so, then what do you think would happen if you simply raised the price of your base package to the point where you were satisfied with the revenue-per-man-hour ratio? Are you worried that you would scare off too much business?
If your pricing model involves multiple package tiers (mine doesn't -- I have one "package," though there are a couple of add-ons clients can elect), then, by definition, you will have a "lowest" price point package. The questions, then, are:
1) whether you have priced each tier appropriately, given your costs, and
2) whether you should limit the availability of the lowest tier.
You might simply limit the lowest tier to non-peak-season Saturdays. Folks looking to save money often are building their weddings on off-days anyway.
A wedding photographer that I admire gave me some advice on this. We were talking about a low-ball wedding package. Most of the photographers in this area don't have a "budget package" available. He told me, "what about the young bride and groom that don't have much money, and are paying for their wedding out of their savings?... they deserve a decent photography package too." He suggested offering a budget 'no frills' package, but make it only available during slower months September - March, and only available Sunday thru Thursday
Ian Ivey wrote:
You might simply limit the lowest tier to non-peak-season Saturdays. Folks looking to save money often are building their weddings on off-days anyway.
RSpears wrote:
He suggested offering a budget 'no frills' package, but make it only available during slower months September - March, and only available Sunday thru Thursday
I think these both hit the point nicely, and might be something you want to look into doing. It allows you to keep that lowest price, so that you can book it in the off-season (which you admit is fine from time to time), and to make an exception if you need a booking or think a couple is worth it. But, it also theoretically takes that package out of play for your busiest season, which accomplishes the task of raising your rates.
I think the wording is important; how do you make it sound like its a rare thing and not give every bride the idea that you might discount your rate for them?
How do you effectively do that ? Remove it entirely at certain times of the year ? Only offer it to a client who is getting married in that slow period ? So it's only offered once you know when they are getting married ? Do you have a hard price sheet ?
All good stuff guys, thanks for your input, something to think about.
othfilm wrote:
I think these both hit the point nicely, and might be something you want to look into doing. It allows you to keep that lowest price, so that you can book it in the off-season (which you admit is fine from time to time), and to make an exception if you need a booking or think a couple is worth it. But, it also theoretically takes that package out of play for your busiest season, which accomplishes the task of raising your rates.
I think the wording is important; how do you make it sound like its a rare thing and not give every bride the idea that you might discount your rate for them?...Show more →
This is an interesting idea, something I'll have to give some thought to. But how I'd actually present such an idea is somewhat confusing. At the moment I mention my prices 'range from £600-£1500'. If I were to remove the lower offering, say 'range from £900-£1800', would that not immediately mean that anyone looking for a off-peak wedding package wouldn't even contact me? I think mentioning "half day packages from" or "off peak packages" etc could just confuse things, and perhaps attract people to save money/cut time, when they would have otherwise been focused on a full day.
For those that asked about pricing structure, I have changed since I started, but I've found 'ala carte' more straight forward, and people seem to like that to from the feedback I've had. I basically quote services after gathering info and add in products if necessary, and provide a price list for them to choose from.
Ian Ivey wrote:
Are you unhappy with the amount you make at your lowest price point relative to the amount of work you must do to deliver that package?
You might simply limit the lowest tier to non-peak-season Saturdays. Folks looking to save money often are building their weddings on off-days anyway.
1) No, I think I'm okay with it now. Although I haven't done one for over a year, I'm happy with what I get relative to the work put in. But if it were used too often, I would feel it as opportunities missed... People have cut off coverage at 5 & 7 hours recently (deciding to go on holiday instead....), which has always left me leaving at odd times in the day, or starting at odd times, and I just don't feel as satisfied. Not necessarily with what I'm making, more to do with the story feeling cut up, missing. So if I have to many clients who don't really "get it" or value it, it takes some of the joy out of it all. This is part of the reason I'm pondering removing the bottom offering, or adjusting it somehow.
2) As others have suggests. Sounds interesting, but I'm unsure how to present it. Could it not make other clients think I'm over charging them? If he can do it for this price, on this day, why can't he do the same for us etc...
We market our packages so that the client feels they get a better bargain by booking the package we want to sell most. We give them three package options to choose from (aside from customizing one completely), and we want to sell the middle package as often as possible. So we worked it out that a client finds the most value in the middle package and generally book that package. That's our business model.
imaginephotoaz wrote:
We market our packages so that the client feels they get a better bargain by booking the package we want to sell most. We give them three package options to choose from (aside from customizing one completely), and we want to sell the middle package as often as possible. So we worked it out that a client finds the most value in the middle package and generally book that package. That's our business model.
More good stuff, thank you. This is what I used to do, but I probably didn't do it as well as you (clearly). People felt a little confused by the package options, which is why I've long stripped it down and just said "What do you want?" to a certain extent. But I've got some good ideas as to how to tweak this now, so thank you for all your input
