# Do Your Customers Prefer Price Or Quality?



## LarissaPhotography (Jan 2, 2009)

Is price a major consideration when your customers choose you as their photographer or are they more interested in your portfolio to make sure you've got good work?


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## ACrossley (Jan 2, 2009)

LarissaPhotography said:


> Is price a major consideration when your customers choose you as their photographer or are they more interested in your portfolio to make sure you've got good work?




I think it is a careful balance of both ... especially as a beginning photographer. I do not think people would consider a photographer who had no samples or poor material. Price is essential, too, at least in my market. It is very competitive with a great deal of talent. Keeping my prices lower is allowing for more experience.


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## ksmattfish (Jan 3, 2009)

ACrossley said:


> I think it is a careful balance of both ...



I agree.  Some people look to prices first, others the portfolio, but in the end it's often a compromise between what they like, and what they can afford.  I definitely prefer working with clients who have chosen me primarily because they liked my portfolio than because they thought I was a bargain.  It's fine if they like my work and think I'm a good deal, but I like folks who think the photography is important, not just something they are supposed to do.


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## jlykins (Jan 3, 2009)

Lets be honest. We'd all like to say "they loved my work, so they picked me to do their wedding", but to be honest with the economy the way it is a lot of people are looking to make their money stretch farther.  Offering cheaper packages may not be a bad idea, it may even be good for business. Whatever the reason they want to choose me is fine, as long as they *do *choose me.


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## LiveWave (Jan 3, 2009)

All depends on the clientele that you are targeting, if you aim to shoot high end weddings and charge a lot but you have an extensive portfolio then the people who go you obviously have more money to spend. If you aim to show midrange, then it would probably be a balance between portfolio and pricing, and of course how you interact and your personality also helps.


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## federerphotography (Jan 13, 2009)

Oddly enough, the higher you go up the price range, the less people care about the price and the more they care about quality and perceptions.

BUT...

You HAVE to have the quality in the first place.


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## Big Mike (Jan 13, 2009)

federerphotography said:


> Oddly enough, the higher you go up the price range, the less people care about the price and the more they care about quality and perceptions.
> 
> BUT...
> 
> You HAVE to have the quality in the first place.


:thumbsup:

This is why the #1 advice for photographers is: Raise your prices.  
Not only does it improve the viability of your business...but it can also bring you 'better' clients who come to you for the right reasons.


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## amandakifer (Jan 13, 2009)

big mike--- I agree with you 100%.  You want clients that respect your work.  You want to be in the range where your clients really want you for your skills and not just looking to save a buck.


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## shuttercraft (Jan 13, 2009)

Big Mike said:


> :thumbsup:
> 
> This is why the #1 advice for photographers is: Raise your prices.
> Not only does it improve the viability of your business...but it can also bring you 'better' clients who come to you for the right reasons.



This is true, but if your work needs some improving then lower prices or not  a bad idea. If you are just starting out then I suggest you sit down and write out a list of services you offer, you will need to be honest to your self about the quality of your photography and base a price off of that. Compare  the prices you have come up with to other photographers offering services similar to you own at the quality you offer. 

It is  better to charge slightly less then the other photographers in your area. You will make a little less money, but if to similar products where on a store self and one was priced at $0.99 and the other at one dollar which would you buy? 

If you are just starting out and you have not yet made a name for yourself you may need you charge a bit lower then the others to get some of your first jobs. If you undercharge to much some people may not look at you as a legit photographer, to many people have the mindset of "you get what you pay for." 

*Good luck!
*​


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## craig (Jan 13, 2009)

Quality on this end. My clients choose me because of my book. Sometimes I blow the bid. More often then not I negotiate within the client's budget. That is where the juggle for me begins.

Love & Bass


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## nmerrick (Jan 14, 2009)

This is an interesting question. Most of your clients are certainly interested in price - up to a point. But, if you can't get them emotionally involved in the photography first, then the price really doesn't matter, because they will not buy from you. I agree that, for some clients, price is all that matters and I prefer to send those away - I've found that they are never pleased with anything and are constantly dickering.

Regarding quality - I would say this. Your client generally can't tell good photography from bad - it's a sad fact, but it's mostly true.

I don't really care what the client thinks about quality of materials - I use only the best products and work only with the very best professional vendors - because the quality of those things absolutely matters to ME as the business owner. I charge the prices I do because I believe in the quality of my products and services and the client will only be able to judge that quality in the products and services that they themselves receive, not by looking at what everyone else got or at my samples. Quality is related to how they are treated in a sales presentation, service and the experience, as well as tangible things like prints and books.

Sorry if that's a bit garbled  and I hope it makes some kind of sense.

I plan to write a more in depth article on this on my blog later, so check that out. I added an interesting piece on there yesterday about the difference between price and cost - "How Much Does That Cost Again?"

Best regards

Nigel


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## 93rdcurrent (Jan 14, 2009)

Whether it is a fine art print or a portrait that my client is buying from me it is always because they like working with me... it really isn't about quality or price. I have been in the sales field for over 19 years and it has always been a matter of comfort and trust. Part of the trust comes from seeing my portfolio and the other part comes from talking to me and how I convey my vision with them. As for the price well that's just what it costs to work with me. If they like me after talking to me then I have a client.

I orginally went to school with a major in psychology and a minor in business. Kind of a dangerous knowledge set I know... but the moral here for me was that I learned how to tap into the emotional side of the sale while keeping a good focus on best business practices. It has allowed me to understand what is important to my clients and kept me in my toes to make sure I am meeting and beating their expectations. All too often people think of slimey used cars salesman (no offense meant to any used car salesman on the site) when they here the term sales but a real salesman is someone who satisfies their customer in the end and both parties are happy.

My first month in business I did a group photoshoot at a martial arts studio (over 50 students), a set of family portraits, a wedding and sold 3 fine art pieces from my stock portfolio. I purchased my first camera since I was in highschool just a little over a year before this. I'm not the best photographer in the world and I am always trying to find new way to improve but I am making a living and I'm happy with the direction my business is going.

I guess what I'm getting at is that you can be a successful photography business by understanding your clients. It's not about what they pay but about what they perceive that they are getting from you for what they pay. In many cases that is not just the photographs but the personality behind them. I like to pride myself on my number of repeat clients, too. I see it as a measure of their overall satisfaction with the experience of working with me.

OK, price does play a part but it is a much smaller part than most people think and most of it is about you. Get to know your clients, take the time to find out who they are and what they are interested in. I find this only takes about 45 min and that is when I get paid for the sitting fee. After I know a little about them I let them know what to expect when they show up for the shoot and how to prepare. How many _Sit & Smile_ mall retailers or _Super-marts_ (you know who I'm talking about) do any of this? People expect to pay for quality... it's your job to demonstrate that you represent quality.


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## bellacat (Jan 23, 2009)

ksmattfish said:


> I agree.  Some people look to prices first, others the portfolio, but in the end it's often a compromise between what they like, and what they can afford.  I definitely prefer working with clients who have chosen me primarily because they liked my portfolio than because they thought I was a bargain.  It's fine if they like my work and think I'm a good deal, but I like folks who think the photography is important, not just something they are supposed to do.


well said and I totally agree. I have found that even though I am not getting a ton of customers at this point I am getting as much as I can handle and the huge bonus is that they chose me because they liked my work more than my price. I am in the process of trying to step things up by offering more "special items" for my business like Keep Sake Photo Boxes, custom laser etched photo items, photo packages and gifts with every session (photo key chain at the moment) I want to step it up and be able to do more for my clients than i did last year which mean meeting with them to review the proofs in person while also showing them samples of the products they can purchase. I am an impulse buyer so I am hoping my clients will be too and buy something because they think its cool when we sit down together to place their order.

I did start of inexpensive though so that i could build my portfolio but just worked my way up. Now if there is something special I wanna try then I have a casting call which seems to work out pretty good


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## bellacat (Jan 23, 2009)

Big Mike said:


> :thumbsup:
> 
> This is why the #1 advice for photographers is: Raise your prices.
> Not only does it improve the viability of your business...but it can also bring you 'better' clients who come to you for the right reasons.





amandakifer said:


> big mike--- I agree with you 100%.  You want clients that respect your work.  You want to be in the range where your clients really want you for your skills and not just looking to save a buck.


I couldn't agree more. In a very small circle I am in there are two other photographers. I have raised my prices so that I am just a step above which has turned out to be a great move. I find that those who come to me are strictly for my work and not my price which is an awesome feeling IMHO


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## Lynnzora (Feb 4, 2009)

I was reading this and it can be tough sometimes...  I don't agree with the fact that keeping the prices up will completely weed out people only looking for a bargain... looking to get something for nothing.

For example one of the reasons I decided to start my photography business is after dealing with a local photographer.  I'm also an actress, dancer, and have done some modeling work.  I was in college, didn't have a whole lot of money and desperately looking to get my headshots and modeling portfolio together.  A guy who went to the same college as me did photography in his spare time and was phenominal at it!  I got my first portfolio from him.  He gave me a discount because I really needed it.  In return I recommended him to EVERYONE I knew.  My sorority sisters in turn got pictures taken by him, fellow dancers and actors, etc...  So he may have given me a discount but I appreciated his talent enough to at least give referrals.

I guess what I'm saying is (photographers) don't automatically think of someone looking for a discount as being up to no good and just wanting to take advantage of you.  Depending on the person you're doing the favor for, you can really be doing yourself a favor in the process.  I got him tons of referrals.  By keeping prices high you may weed out the people who can't afford pricey packages...  But you may also weed the people who could really put your name out there.  I guess for larger photography businesses who don't need the publicity... this doesn't apply to you.  However, it does feel good to do something like that for someone every now and then.  Or even just creating a cheaper package...

Anyway, with this photographer one thing led to another and now he mostly does celebrity photography and wouldn't think of doing a photo shoot for less than $2000... lol hummm... Oh well, times change.


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## Lynnzora (Feb 4, 2009)

But by All means, I do believe that it's important not sale yourself short...  Charge whatever you feel your services a worth.  However, I also say that there are times and circumstances when I think it's cool to bring them down a little.


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## Big Mike (Feb 4, 2009)

> I was reading this and it can be tough sometimes... I don't agree with the fact that keeping the prices up will completely weed out people only looking for a bargain... looking to get something for nothing.


I think you are looking at it backwards.  Sure, 'bargain hunting' clients can be great...and even lead to a lot of work and be a great thing for you....as pointed out in your example.

But it's also likely that with bargain prices, you will attract the type of people who are not good clients....probably a lot more likely than if you had much higher prices.

Of course, high prices won't _completely_ weed out bad customers...but there is a big difference between having one or two bad customers a year and having to deal with a bad one every other week.  



> But by All means, I do believe that it's important not sale yourself short... Charge whatever you feel your services a worth. However, I also say that there are times and circumstances when I think it's cool to bring them down a little.


I agree with that :thumbsup:


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## CrimsonFoxPhotography (Feb 4, 2009)

Lynnzora said:


> But by All means, I do believe that it's important not sale yourself short... Charge whatever you feel your services a worth. However, I also say that there are times and circumstances when I think it's cool to bring them down a little.


 

The key word there is that there are "circumstances" where dropping is okay, but one should be very careful.  One other person on here pointed out quite clearly that some of the very people that negotiate to get that price down somehow then have this false mentatility that you'll still give them the moon.  I think part of this is because [with some of these people, not all] in the back of their mind they still think that lower negotiated price is expensive, so they show up with a rather "why aren't you exceeding my expectations" attitude with any little hiccup that might occur.  Bottom line is that you simply have to read people well enough to understand that they are clear on what to expect for the money, I think.

The other potential backfire is that while word of mouth about how good you are might spread, some of those referrals may take offense to the fact that you're charging them regular price compared to the other person...especially if you had dropped the price significantly.

I say if you charge less, offer less..under no circumstances should you ever drop to the point where you lose money unless you turn it into a marketing opportunity, and even then, you should always have a minimum price in mind.  For instance, even if I'm making money by charging $300 for a big wedding, what kind of message does that send down the grapevine about your brand?


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## Lynnzora (Feb 4, 2009)

CrimsonFoxPhotography said:


> The key word there is that there are "circumstances" where dropping is okay, but one should be very careful. One other person on here pointed out quite clearly that some of the very people that negotiate to get that price down somehow then have this false mentatility that you'll still give them the moon. I think part of this is because [with some of these people, not all] in the back of their mind they still think that lower negotiated price is expensive, so they show up with a rather "why aren't you exceeding my expectations" attitude with any little hiccup that might occur. Bottom line is that you simply have to read people well enough to understand that they are clear on what to expect for the money, I think.
> 
> The other potential backfire is that while word of mouth about how good you are might spread, some of those referrals may take offense to the fact that you're charging them regular price compared to the other
> person...especially if you had dropped the price significantly.
> ...


 
You are both absolutely right.  You don't want to sell yourself short and DEFINITELY don't want to loose money.  I'm just talking about those few instances where you run into someone motivated, humble, and sincere.  I don't think anyone in their right mind would expect a $300 wedding lol...  Hummm maybe creating that one affordable package that doesn't take too much time and energy for the photographer to execute but in turn it also enables the "average joe" to obtain something quality and nice...  Affordable package?  Maybe something like 30 minutes, 1 look... includes 1 8X10 and 2 5X7s...  This way you're not loosing much time or resources in doing that person a favor.  If people know what to expect up front they can't act crazy when you don't go above and beyond...  In fact we reserve the right deny services to anyone we want right.


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## RyanLilly (Feb 4, 2009)

Walmart prices are always something like $9.97, or $ 197.47

Applebees, TGI fridays, other chains, price; $12.99, $8.99 etc "pick 2" deals and "limited time specials"

Fine dining establishments do not use the "$" symbol or decimal points in their prices, just whole dollar amounts; 15, 18, 24 etc

Now consider the type of customer that patronizes each establishment, and think about what their priorities are when selecting a product.
The same goes for photography.


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## LarissaPhotography (Feb 4, 2009)

That's good insight on pricing strategy.  Show pennies if you're marketing to penny pinchers.  Thanks for sharing that.


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