BY HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS COACH, Vanie Poyey
We’ve all come across that one guy who wants to haggle you on price right?
A long time ago, before I knew to make my systems super solid, I had a lawyer ask me how much I would charge to photograph portraits of him at his office.
I gave him a rough idea of what I would charge over the phone and then sent a follow up email. First mistake.
The following week, he called again and asked the same questions but differently. Again I answered his questions and gave him a rough idea of cost.
A few days later his assistant called and asked the same questions. It took a lot of self control for me not to ask them if they were really that dumb.😤🤷🏼♀️
It was as if they didn’t understand what I charge– or at least that’s how they acted.
But underneath their act was the not so subtle effort to try to get me to lower my price with their “constant asking pressure tactic” which of course didn’t work on me.
So you can imagine my surprise when they eventually hired me to photograph the firm. I thought I was too “expensive” for them.
The photo shoot went ohhkay only because the owner was OVERLY controlling, narcissistic and high maintenance. Surprise! Yet, I delivered amazing images.😬
Just when I thought the worst was over, came the multiple emails and calls about retouching costs.
I heard comments like “I didn’t realize that’s how much retouching is” despite it being discussed before the shoot and clearly outlined in the invoice. Second mistake (I’ll explain in a sec.)
The client liked many images but didn’t want to pay for retouching them all… even though he wanted to retouch them all.
Eventually, he agreed and paid $900 for retouching.
Soon after I delivered the final images, I received a chargeback notice from my bank.
If you don’t know what a chargeback is, the term is used by banks when a customer disputes a charge and the charge is then reversed.
In other words, my bank account was suddenly negative $900!!💸 I was lucky, nothing bounced.
Here’s where I went wrong and what I should have been doing all along.
I LACKED SYSTEMS for my photography business.
My process consisted of verbally giving a quote, followed by an email outlining the quote, followed by an invoice with an outline of what the package includes with a contract attached to the invoice, at the bottom of which was a required signature.
It was messy and not comprehensive, allowing potential clients to question prices before and after becoming a client.
✨My process now includes, a phone call during which I never quote prices and then a VERY detailed fee schedule with the following:
✅ The job description, location and deliverables.
✅ Any add-ons (like retouching and advanced retouching) AND the fees for each of them.
✅ Standard delivery time frames and rush delivery fees.
✅ Definitions for standard retouching AND advanced retouching.
✅ Finally it includes licensing, terms and my creative fee, my assistant fee, parking, per diem etc.
A “fee schedule” template that you tweak for every client communicates you as being a professional, one who does business regularly. It implies your process and fees are non-negotiable.
Once a client wants to move forward, I send them that exact fee schedule as a “quote” from my CRM (17Hats 👈 discount link for you), so that they have to actively accept it by initialing it only after 💁🏼♀️ which then takes them to my contract.
As for the contract (which was my saving grace along with all the emails I was able to provide proving the client knew exactly how much the retouching would cost him), per the bank’s instructions, each and every line needed to be initiated in addition to the signature at the bottom.
So now I have my contract setup so clients have to initial each line (and hopefully read it) after which it takes them to the invoice to pay their non-refundable reservation fee.
As for the chargeback, after their investigation, the bank returned my money and I learned my lesson.
With solid processes, you won’t get these kinds of low quality, high maintenance clients that are sure to cause headaches.
Now, if after my process I get the rare red flag,🚩 I know to bow out because we’re “not a good fit.”
P.S. During the investigation, this a-hole had the audacity to use my images on his website but I was able to take down the pages on his site with my copyrighted work.
Wanna know how I did it?
Comment below and I’ll tell you in next week’s article!
While the bank investigation was taking place which can last anywhere from 30-60 days, the client had posted all the final retouched images on his website.
I pulled in the big guns with a lawyer friend of mine (also a client- nice to have lawyer clients!) who sent him a cease and decease letter *and* with a DMCA takedown notice to Google, I was able to bring down all the web pages with my images on them.
I now use a customer relationship management software and it’s a GAME CHANGER my friend.
The CRM that makes it possible for me to send a quote to my clients, require an initial on that itemized quote, and then require a contract to be initialed and signed before they pay the deposit for their session is called 17Hats. If you sign up, my affiliate link will save you 50% the first year!
Establishing a solid system in your business can save time, money, and hassle, ultimately leading to success without the need for costly mistakes.
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