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Archive 2016 · Active Service Discount?

  
 
friscoron
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · Active Service Discount?


This comes up a lot and I never really understand it. It especially comes up when ppl talk about the 3% cut credit card companies take from sales.

Does everyone really just set their prices at the cutting edge of where they need to be? If you do, then you do things differently than me. I take into account all the expenses -- costs for credit card fees, outsourcing my editing, all my regular expenses -- as well as some fluctuation to give me the freedom to offer a discount to those I wish to. I'm not trying to say this is the right way of doing it for everyone, but it works well for me.

This way, I don't have to sell more, such as in Chuck's No. 3 in his graph, but rather my initial rates give me that flexibility. Some will argue that it may cost me sales, and that's probably true, but it costs me sales to clients that really aren't mine anyway. Under my model, I don't need to sell 40-50 weddings a year to be successful and I don't want to shoot that many. I'm perfectly good with around 20 with a cap of about 25. That's why this may work for me, but not for others.

In Chuck's graph, simply increase the unit price to $55, and most sales that is what you receive, and in those exceptions that you apply a discount, you still get $50. If you know that you apply a discount to only 10% or fewer of your annual sales, then you need only raise your price to $51 and you still stay ahead.



Mar 21, 2016 at 09:12 AM
IrishDino
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · Active Service Discount?


No discount, period.

I don't care what you do for a living, what month it is or what type of wedding you're having. The price is the price unless you're a close friend or family.



Mar 21, 2016 at 10:01 AM
TTLKurtis
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · Active Service Discount?


That's some odd logic there Ron. I would rather feel comfortable knowing those requesting a discount weren't my clients to begin with. Why should I need to do that for a particular group of people and where do you draw the line. What about cops, firemen, teachers, city employees, medical residents, volunteers at homeless or animal shelters, garbage men, handicapped, cute girls, etc etc...? I know in the USA we like to be all uber patriotic and blow anyone in the military, but there are lots of respectable professions doing a service to our country and many of them aren't paid well. Someone's choice of a more dangerous job doesn't affect how much I should earn in doing the same work for them I would do for anyone else.

Edited on Mar 21, 2016 at 10:41 AM · View previous versions



Mar 21, 2016 at 10:40 AM
FLSTCSAM
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · Active Service Discount?


Depth of Feel wrote:
I don't. I have a couple who are both air force and they receive roughly 70k a year just in housing benefits they were telling me and they are looking at retiring in their 40's. Technically the military is a socialist program to begin with.



Never been in the military I see.

Sam




Mar 21, 2016 at 10:40 AM
FLSTCSAM
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · Active Service Discount?


StowePhoto wrote:
An inquiry just came through from a bride whose fiance is an active member of the Air Force. She inquired if I offer a discount for this.

Hmmm, I've never been asked. So, do you? How big of one if so?



Seriously it up to you. Some do some don't, no issue ether way.

This is no more unusual than one asking if you offer a senior discount.

Sam




Mar 21, 2016 at 10:42 AM
FLSTCSAM
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · Active Service Discount?


nolaguy wrote:
Technically, the US military is one of our pillars of strength as a nation and by all reasonable assumptions, more willing to get their ass shot off for our freedoms and way of life than most of us.

Yes, of course I offer all appreciation possible, be it handshake, buying them a drink or meal, asking to hear their story or most trivially, discounted or complimentary services. The actual details don't matter. It's the concept.

I so hate it when we think and act as if our first world indulgences or blessings as overly-comfortable Americans are without cost - real costs.

Edit: I'm
...Show more

Yes that.

Sam




Mar 21, 2016 at 10:43 AM
FLSTCSAM
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · Active Service Discount?


OlafSiebert wrote:
I'm not from the States and I prefer peace above war. I shoot love, not fights.
No, I would not give a discount. But then once again, I'm from Europe and we might have a different view on things.



I never met a person who preferred war over peace.

The reason you can have a different view is in part due to all those Americans who gave their life for you and your European countries. We also provide a large military presence in Europe to help continue your ability to have those different views.

Sam




Mar 21, 2016 at 11:15 AM
friscoron
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · Active Service Discount?


TTLKurtis wrote:
That's some odd logic there Ron. I would rather feel comfortable knowing those requesting a discount weren't my clients to begin with. Why should I need to do that for a particular group of people and where do you draw the line. What about cops, firemen, teachers, city employees, medical residents, volunteers at homeless or animal shelters, garbage men, handicapped, cute girls, etc etc...? I know in the USA we like to be all uber patriotic and blow anyone in the military, but there are lots of respectable professions doing a service to our country and many of them aren't
...Show more

They actually don't normally request the discounts. It's something my wife and I decided to do. So we offer it to the military and people in education. It's simply something we choose to do.

Another photographer can offer discounts to any group he or she may choose to do, or not offer discounts at all. I don't really care. But as a former servicemember, I like doing that. My wife still works in education, and we really value educators as well, so we offer that to them as well.

I'm not really trying to be logical.



Mar 21, 2016 at 04:23 PM
nolaguy
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · Active Service Discount?


friscoron wrote:
This comes up a lot and I never really understand it. It especially comes up when ppl talk about the 3% cut credit card companies take from sales.

Does everyone really just set their prices at the cutting edge of where they need to be? If you do, then you do things differently than me. I take into account all the expenses -- costs for credit card fees, outsourcing my editing, all my regular expenses -- as well as some fluctuation to give me the freedom to offer a discount to those I wish to. I'm not trying to say
...Show more

Well said, Ron and I agree completely. The point isn't about anything other than awareness and ensuring profitable, sustainable practices. As long as we understand our costs and the variables, as long as we understand how things shift when we make adjustments in whichever direction, we have visibility and awareness. It's the surprises that tend to undo small businesses.



Mar 21, 2016 at 09:29 PM
frdjohns
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · Active Service Discount?


TTLKurtis wrote:
Quote snipped for brevity
.... I know in the USA we like to be all uber patriotic and blow anyone in the military,....


Wow. unbelievable.

Give a discount or don't. Then go home every single night to your safe, warm bed. Someone else will be keeping you safe at night...




Mar 21, 2016 at 09:52 PM
TTLKurtis
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · Active Service Discount?


frdjohns wrote:
Wow. unbelievable.

Give a discount or don't. Then go home every single night to your safe, warm bed. Someone else will be keeping you safe at night...



Remove context much? I bet you love some Fox News too.

First of all, let's be realistic about something. While I appreciate the service of men and women in the military, just as I appreciate the service of men and women in the police force... nobody is keeping me safe any night, ever, in my nice, warm bed. There are weapons which will keep me safe if it comes to that, but unless there's a dude in uniform hiding under my car every night waiting for baddies to come get me in my home, they're not "keeping me safe in my bed". In fact, while it's not their fault, a lot of the issues we have with terrorism have to do with our government sticking their nose where it doesn't belong, trying to be the world police, training and arming forces to overthrow other forces, then pulling out and leaving them for things to worsen, rinse and repeat... There's a reason certain parts of the world despise us and want to do awful things to us, and it has a lot to do with those calling the shots for our military. Soooo perhaps we need less people out there 'keeping us safe' and more people improving our own country's infrastructure, I don't know, maybe building fiber networks and high-speed-rail etc?

Second, I have family in the military. And guess what, they chose what they do because they love the adrenaline rush, not because they want to tuck me in at night and make certain the bed bugs don't bite.

Spare me the extremes, thank you very much.

Personally, I think teachers deserve a discount more than military for putting up with everyone's kids all day every day and making pennies for it. And our future, all of our futures, literally depend on these little annoying stinkers. But I don't give them a discount either, because frankly I just don't think that discounting makes sense in this industry for a small business.

As I've said, for large businesses which are scalable and not severely time-limited in the amount of business they can accept, and for whom every incremental increase in customer does not require a significant time and financial investment, it can make a lot of sense. For little guys like me, not so much.

But hey, if it makes your peepee wiggle a little to do it, that's cool too. Just isn't for me.



Mar 21, 2016 at 10:35 PM
rcm123
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · Active Service Discount?


frdjohns wrote:
Wow. unbelievable.

Give a discount or don't. Then go home every single night to your safe, warm bed. Someone else will be keeping you safe at night...



TTLKurtis...here's a cupcake whose toughest day is carrying two camera bodies in a church without air-conditioning. And he has the balls to denigrate the military and/or people who he feels are are "uber patriotic"? WTF?



Mar 21, 2016 at 10:46 PM
TTLKurtis
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · Active Service Discount?


When you actually run a photography business and don't just shoot old abandoned barns and trees, you can come tell me what my opinion should be with regards to offering a discount to military or anyone else, muffin.

Ah, just realized that comment is from a second great patriot. You guys are funny.



Mar 21, 2016 at 10:47 PM
nolaguy
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · Active Service Discount?


Good. Glad we got all that cleared up.

Shall we move on?




Mar 21, 2016 at 11:12 PM
rcm123
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · Active Service Discount?


TTLKurtis wrote:
When you actually run a photography business and don't just shoot old abandoned barns and trees, you can come tell me what my opinion should be with regards to offering a discount to military or anyone else, muffin.

Ah, just realized that comment is from a second great patriot. You guys are funny.


Well, that's just about what I expected. You were simply unable to comprehend the import of my comments. If you had actually read my post, or had someone read it to you, you would have realized that I wasn't trying to tell you what your opinion should be. Rather, I was simply suggesting that you're not in the right forum to subject people to your anti-military social/political diatribe. I expected that someone who "actually runs a photography business" would be perceptive enough to figure that out on his own, but I guess I was wrong.



Mar 21, 2016 at 11:21 PM
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