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Do you publish your fee's or not?

Help! I'm torn. I'm creating a brochure for my business and I wonder if it's better to list my service fee's in the brochure and on my website or leave it for consultation. What does everyone think?

Deanna

Fresh events

Cincinnati

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Permalink Reply by The Light Box on October 5, 2010 at 6:05pm

Since you are a photographer looking to make a brochure. Remember the clients you want. Know you are giving them a quick over about your company. You want to sell yourself easily in the brochure. It sounds to me you are leaving this out like a buisness card. You want to give them a little more than just your name and number. I actually put an image on my card. But never the less you want to put images in your brochure. Remember as a photographer you are being hired on your work. Clients respond to what they like. Do you stand out? What makes you different? Why should they pick you? If you want them to pick you because you are cheaper, then go for it, put your prices in the brochure. But most brides want you because they like your work. They like your style. They like your creativity. I put a price starting point on my website. Mainly because I am a new company and I want people to see I have great work anyone can afford. My goal is to good spread word of mouth about my company, not hey she's a cheap photographer hire her. I want to spread the word you want to work with us because we are great photographers, professional photographers, and we go over and above for our clients. If our clients can't afford to spend $2500 on a wedding package then so be it, we will make a package affordable to them so they can have us photograph their wedding. Just a thought. As an advertising major I've learned the minute you give out the price you lose them. You may miss out because they didn't talk to you. They didn't see you care about them and you care about making their day a great day. We photograph weddings because we love it. We love working with our clients one on one and giving them that special attention they deserve. That is why people buy your work. It is good, you are good, and you make them happy. They will pay a little more for someone they feel comfortable with. How can you show them that side of you on paper, or on the web? You can't. Give them something but don't give them everything. Have your client call you and meet you. Let them know I am a person who cares about you and your wedding and I will do everything in my power to make sure you have the best experience that makes you want to tell your friends and come back and work with us again. www.thelightboxonline.com

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Permalink Reply by Classy Transportation, LLC on October 6, 2010 at 2:15am

You are absolutely right. This is the same business model I use and I'm convince it is the correct model because it works! Most of us sell a product and a service without realizing it. Your photos are your product and your skilled photography is your service. Anyone can take a picture, but it take a skilled photographer to take a great picture. My products are my cars and my service is the ability to present these cars and the chauffeurs in a manner that will impress the bride and groom and all of their guests. http://www.classytransportation.com/

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Permalink Reply by Candice Cain on October 6, 2010 at 3:50am

It depends on the services that you offer. Do you charge a flat fee, or is it contingent on what is booked and where it is booked? My fees depend on the couple. :-)

Candy Cain
www.candycaintravel.com

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Permalink Reply by Classy Transportation, LLC on October 6, 2010 at 4:06am

Not sure I follow your reasoning...Are you saying the more a couple have to spend, the more a service cost? If couple-A has a $10K budget and couple-B has a $30K budget and they both want exactly the same service, what would it cost? http://www.classytransportation.com/

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Permalink Reply by Candice Cain on October 6, 2010 at 4:11am

No, not quite. What I mean was that it depends on what the couple WANTS, not the couple itself. I specialize in destination weddings. My fees depend on the size of the wedding, whether or not the couple wants me at the event, whether or not the guests book through me, etc. I think fee schedules also depend on the TYPE of work that the vendor does. For example, it is a lot easier for a limo company to give a base fee schedule than it is for a photographer, because there are a lot more variables for a photographer than there are for a limo company.

Budgets really don't make a difference, as I negotiate all of the prices for my clients. Besides, $10,000 in Mexico can get you a lot more for a wedding than $10,000 in Manhattan. My service is never the same for a wedding... Every couple is different.

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Permalink Reply by Terry Holdershaw on October 7, 2010 at 4:27am

We list our prices on our website and brochures. Brides are much more comfortable and likely to call you if they know the pricing up front I find.
Terry Holdershaw, Scotia Entertainment Services
http://www.ScotiaEntertainment.com

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Permalink Reply by E Schiesl on October 11, 2010 at 8:16am

Deanna- The best advice I've received from posting this question on Linked In-- list your fees at a starting point or a range, not just one set price. This advertises the low end of your fees to appeal to a broad audience but doesn't out-price you before you even get to talk to a prospective client.

Good luck! I'm in the new business boat too :)

Emily Schiesl Events

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Permalink Reply by Marvin de Guzman on October 14, 2010 at 5:58am

When I went to one of wedding class photography, we were told that it is better to list at least 3 or 4 of your pricing on your site. My 2 cents is to list it on both. It gives your potential clients a feel for what they can afford instead of guessing if you are the right person for their big day. I for one will do that when we revamp our site soon. Its a competition out there and what you offer will determine if their budget fits your pricing.

3 to 4 Items from Basic to your Grand services.

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Permalink Reply by Dahlia Galas, LLC. on October 17, 2010 at 8:25am

Hello! I am actually in the process of redesigning my website and I have decided to list my starting prices and I plan to do so on my brochures as well. I went back and forth with this but in the end I decided iit was the best choice for me. I know that I personally like to see what costs are going to be up front when I am searching for a product or service so I think that many consumers would like to see the same thing. Also, I believe that this will lead to 'serious inquiries' only. If you cannot afford the starting price for my base package then you are probably not the client I am looking for and we won't be wasting each others time. Hope this helps!

Corrin

Dahlia Galas, LLC.

Langhorne, PA

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Permalink Reply by Rachel Corrine on October 18, 2010 at 7:42am

I totally agree. Clients feel more comfortable about calling you if they already have an idea about your pricing. Most importantly, I would look at what your competition is doing, and if they list than you definitely should.