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Should You Offer Discounts With Your Wedding Packages?

I received an email from my good buddy Shawn Von Ins, from Michigan. He writes...

"Roberto~
Lately, we've been getting asked a lot about discounts for our wedding photography. Here's a few: Do you offer discounts for
1. Off season weddings?
2. Non Saturday weddings?
3. Paying early?
4. Paying with cash?
5. Bridal shows?
6. Military?
I understand why they're asking, but at the same time I don't want to "haggle" on our pricing like a used car salesman would. But, I don't want to appear as someone who won't play ball with them. They might think, "Well, if he won't bend on his pricing, he won't do anything else we ask him either." How do you handle discount requests and keep the balance?
Thanks!"

Wow! Great questions, Shawn. As soon as I read them I knew there was an entire article. So, here goes. (By the way, that's the way to ask questions. Brief, very direct and extremely important for us all.)

First off, you're getting asked, and that means you are busy fielding calls and inquiries, no doubt. Any questions are good questions, I guess. Better than no questions. Questions are really opportunities if we choose to see them that way.

Second, the most important rule to follow when growing a photography business is to be well positioned in the marketplace. Your goal is to be the 'go to' studio. Of course, you get to charge more, and you should. If you are still starting out, these 'phases' are all part of the growth pains we all go through. But the prize is worth it. Of course, with success comes one of the worst enemies: complacency. I had to throw that in there so everyone is clear it's not always a bed of roses.

The big question should be, why are they asking? Are many asking over and over? If so, that could a trend. Maybe the trend is you attract lower, tire-kicker, price-shopper type of clientele.

If so, you need to do several things. Raise your prices and get real savvy with your marketing. Of course, be sure your work is good enough. Don't worry about it being perfect, or worse yet, feel you aren't worthy. Geez, that would suck. Shoot for the stars!

Getting savvy with your wedding photography marketing means having a great product, having a dynamic presentation, being well positioned in the market place and having the kahooneys enough to look 'em in the eye and not even blink when you quote your price.

Cool?

Got that?

I bring these points up for a reason. There are no straight answers to your questions, although I will do my best to answer them all. You need to be clear on what the foundation of long terms goals and long term success is built up from. Having said that, lets take a bite out of those questions.

Off-season weddings. No. We don't offer any discounts. Hey, we don't even offer anything for Friday weddings. I feel kind of bad about that, but Tina, my wife and manager, makes it all better. She says no. And no means no. End of story.

I do 'sweeten the deal' sometimes, and I will get to that.

But first, discounts for paying early. We don't, but I personally think it's a great idea. Hey, cash in your hand better than in theirs. My wife (there she goes again) would argue that when they pay early, you don't have that balance due to look forward to. I don't know if I buy that logic, but if push came to shove, I'm sure I could convince her.

I think a payment plan makes very good sense as well, and makes you look smart and caring. Organized. It makes it easier to book when they really want a top notch photographer, are willing to pay the premium you ask, but are careful with the budget. The reason a client asks for early payment options is obscure, or maybe they simply like to ask, and are frugal and like to save here and there. I don't think it means that they are tightwads and are price shoppers necessarily. If you are in demand, and ask a premium price, which you should command, then you pre-emptively offering them a payment plan would be the way to go. Make it easy for them.

Now, I do believe that it's very smart to have the entire package paid before the wedding day. We don't do this, but I think it's smart. Why? When the money is gone, it's gone. They forget about it. Now you can upsell them something else. If they have a huge balance, well, thats where their budget's going. If that's paid, well, "let's get a new budget..hey, who needs that new stereo or big screen TV or motorcycle (did I just say that?)... when we can buy that nice wedding album, or wall decor images or or or or..."

You get the picture. It's a legitimate strategy and works best if you offer them stuff to buy. Actually get up and say stuff like: "Would you be interested in xyz xwz? It slices, dices, juliennes and fries..." Not word for word, but come up with stuff. Most are willing to listen, and most are willing to buy. When they've already paid you for their package, they are that much more willing to buy in most cases.

Paying with cash. My first question would be, why? Are they offering, and therefor solely thinking it's a convenience. Cash is a pain. If you lose it, it's gone. Checks and visa cards are easily replaceable. If you have any other reason for preferring cash, maybe once in a while, well, I can't really offer any advice, can I? I wouldn't want to sound like I'm giving advice at tax avoidance. We're all honest, up front, and ethical. Right? What about what happens once in a while in our parts. We have a big Italian community, and they love photography, and they love to bargain, all cash. "I pay you cash, how much?"

Ok, ok, sometimes you have to play the game. I want to make them feel good. Occasionally, I will offer some sort of discount, if and when the circumstances make sense.

However, when they are strictly looking for a good deal, and are price shoppers, we try to turn them loose or help them see the light by uplifting their appreciation of paying premium price; that road equals better product and service. Which brings me to marketing. My favorite part.

Ok. I'll say it again. You need to have a good product. It really, really helps to be very personable too! With that, make sure all your information you give them is top notch. Your price lists, slide shows and any other informative goodies, such as my special report I created for brides called "The Seven Mistakes Brides Make When Hiring a Photographer For Their Wedding..and what you can to avoid them"

All the pieces that make up your marketng mosaic should be well designed and loaded with samples of your work and information. Notice I DID NOT say just the word: well designed. Too many stick with design only and create obscure pieces at worst and pieces that do not answer all the questions, at best. A confused buyer is a tire kicker (or seemingly so, until you shed the light of day for them.)

Create dynamic and informative marketing pieces and create a sales presentation that follows that thread. Your prospects will 'get it' and appreciate you and your product, and will get away from the price issue. If they still don't, then you know they simply aren't for you. Being willing to walk away from the table gives you a powerful negotiation position.

Okay, back to the list. Bridal shows. I did many, many bridal shows in my day, and I can honestly say I don't know that I actually booked that many weddings from them. The wedding market is a fickle market, and it relies heavily on the position you've created for yourself in the marketplace if you are to be successful. Shows may help this positioning effort, but it's hard to measure. When a couple get engaged and she starts the planning, one of the first things most brides run through their minds is a quick wish list. Which venue, photographer, etc. she would like to have at her wedding. Not all brides know which photographer they would like, but if you've done your marketing right in your area, again, you will pop into her head. Even if she's never met you or stepped into your studio.

If you are doing bridal shows and are having success, great! Keep it up. To offer discounts for those booking weddings because they saw you there? Sure, why not. I'd do it. Offer some incentive, a free, exclusive, time-limited gift- because they were at the show. You see show specials all the time, at many trade shows.

Personally, I never take the price down. Instead, I like to 'sweeten the pot'. Maybe offer a few extra prints, or a small wall portrait or a folio. One of my favorite gifts is the wallet size mini album. I have several samples in the studio and when I show them the ladies love them. I use these to give the bride that extra bribe.

The best road to take if you are starting out, or getting loads of 'price shoppers' is to look at your product and marketing. Product, by the way, also involves you as a person. Brides buy the person behind the camera as much as they buy the photography. By the way, in the studio, I always use the words 'invest'. Never cost. Or buy.

Discounts for military? Or any specific group for that matter, is a great idea. If you have specific groups in your area, or associations or non-profits, you could offer a specific discount or donation in support of a group when they buy your services. It makes poeple feel they are part of a group. You could even offer some free gift if the idea of discounting your price under any circumstance doesn't appeal to you.

When I clued into the whole marketing answer many years ago, I worked heavily on my wedding price list. I built it up to about 23 pages long. It was great! I used it as a guide when I would meet with the couple, flipping the pages and going through everything. That way I wouldn't miss anything. It's called a system.

My price list was so loaded with information, and so impressed couples, even though it was only photocopied black and white, they felt like very often I was the guy for them.

Nowadays I print them out in color, and have many samples of my work sprinkled throughout, but still loaded with information. I also have the special report I spoke of earlier.

Many have told me years later that's what made their minds up. The information I gave them, and my enthusiasm. Remember, they may have been to 3 studios before you. I want to them to notice me. I want to, and need to, stand out in a crowd of sameness and copy cat marketing. I want them to say :"Weve been to places cheaper than you, but we really like what you had to say."

You need to market on everything but price. One strategy I tell everyone to do is to go to their price lists and double the prices. Now print out a few copies. Look at it. Get used to the idea. Put a copy up on the fridge, by the computer. Do this for your eyes only, until you're ready to bring it to the world.

It all starts with an "idea". That idea starts inside YOU. When you've created a great product and you've convinced that toughest client of all, yourself, that it is worth every cent, they too will believe you. Even if they came in expecting to "haggle". Your job is to teach. To serve.

But it all starts inside you.

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