There’s No Crying

THERE’S NO CRYING IN PRICING

By Victoria West, CPA

WINTER 2020 | GALLERIE MAGAZINE | 26 HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR PRICING? IF YOU LOOKED AROUND YOUR AREA (OR ONLINE) TO SEE WHAT OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS WERE CHARGING, YOU DID IT WRONG. WHY? BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO IDEA IF THOSE PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE RUNNING PROFITABLE BUSINESSES, AND BECAUSE NOT ALL BUSINESSES ARE THE SAME, WITH THE SAME OVERHEAD, EXPENSES, ETC.

If you sat down and thought about what prices you would feel comfortable charging, you did it wrong. Why? Because price lists aren’t places for our emotions. Price lists should be based on real numbers. That’s how you build a price list you are confident in, one that sets you up for success. So how do you do that? Figure out your cost of doing business. 8 years ago my sales average was $300. I had a 5-page long price list and offered every product a client could ever want, yet all I ever sold were digital files. I was struggling to get by and getting deeper into debt each year. Sound familiar? I knew something had to change so I finally sat down and figured out my cost of doing business (google how to do that if you aren’t sure). I realized that in order to be paid $25 an hour, at the time, I needed to sell $1200 to each client. uh oh. So I changed my business model entirely. I switched to in-person sales because hardly anyone is going to order $1200 worth of product from an online gallery. And then I built a price list that would encourage people to spend what I needed to make, $1200. And guess what? I made $1200 every. single. time.

It was uncanny. Here’s how you do that.

1. Sell what you love. I sell folio boxes. I think they look amazing. I love the built-in frame so you can showcase each individual image. I love that I can keep them in stock and have them ready to go within the week for clients. I love that, and they even come with their own packaging and make my life easier. And I especially love the idea of that beautiful box becoming a family heirloom. I love folio boxes so I sell folio boxes 99% of the time. You will sell what you genuinely love because your clients will believe you and trust you. If I sold you on folio boxes, I order mine from 3XM and you get yourself a bonus 1000 reward points with the code “Burton”. So get rid of any products that you don’t love since you likely won’t sell them anyway.

2. Build a 1-page price list. Clearly my novel-sized price list wasn’t doing my business or my clients any favours. A confused mind doesn’t buy so keep it simple and don’t force anyone to do any math with complicated credit or discount systems.

WINTER 2020 | GALLERIE MAGAZINE | 28 suddenly the $100 shirt seems like a real deal. So build your price list from the top down and if you want to sell $1200, make sure that’s your bottom price.

4. Communicate your value with imagery, not words. You are a photographer after all! I send my price list in the back of a pdf that is a portfolio of sorts. It also shows behind the scenes and what to expect. There are a few short quotes from happy clients and a few titles but nothing to read, other than the onepage price list and my bio in the back. This is a good extra reminder to potential clients why I’m worth it.

5. Have a short answer. If you ask me how much I charge my answer is “I charge $190 for the photoshoot including hair and makeup, and my packages start at $1400”. If someone asks you how much you cost, you should be able to answer that question without telling a story. If you can’t, you need to keep paring down until you can. Now, if you’ve read all that and you’re thinking “well, I’m not good enough to charge $1200”, STOP. When I started charging $1200 eight years ago, I was far from amazing. But that didn’t matter. My sales average changed overnight and it wasn’t because I did anything other than changing my pricing and I started selling. Things don’t sell themselves. Every company on earth markets, advertises and sells to you. That’s business. **Side note, I also live in the poorest province in Canada according to the latest numbers so your geographic location is not the reason you aren’t making money. So, If you are good enough to call yourself a professional, accredited photographer, then you most definitely are good enough to make a living wage. But don’t get hung up on whether or not your work is worthy because that’s irrelevant in business. It only matters that you charge what makes financial sense. Of course, building a good price list isn’t the only important step to business success but it’s one essential part of the puzzle.

When you build a price list this way, based on numbers, you won’t feel bad/scared/ nervous asking for money. I had no issue charging $1200 because I knew that $25 per hour was the least that I deserved. Because I felt confident in the value of my price list, my clients also did. And no one questioned it even though they used to question $300.

Victoria West, CPA Victoria West is a full-time portrait photographer. She’s built a strong reputation and business in Oromocto, NB, by creating portraits for people who hate being photographed (just like her). She’s a proud PPOC member and serves on the board of the Atlantic Region. She is also an internationally awarded photographer having top 3 finishes at WPPI, WPE and World Photographic Cup in 2019. She’s also 2019 Portrait Photographer of the Year for PPOC. Victoria is also a passionate animal rights activist and lives with her husband, 5 dogs, and 1 unlucky cat. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF CANADA (PPOC) is a diversified group of creative artists dedicated to the highest standards in professional imaging. We welcome photographers of all genres to join our community of dedicated professionals. PPOC offers photographers a way to rise to professional status. Educational opportunities, networking, direct member benefits and the ability to earn awards and designations will assist in your potential for growth and economic improvement.

Did you know you can become a member of Canada’s oldest and most recognized professional photography association for as little as $26 monthly (plus tax)? Observer membership will entitle you to discounted pricing on educational events, access to a peer network upon whose knowledge you can draw, preferred rates with many of our industry partners, critiques of your imagery, and will open the door for you to submit for Accreditation in your chosen photographic field(s). You can even sign up for a Mentor to help you get the most out of your PPOC membership! Once you’ve achieved your Accreditation, you’ll be able to upgrade to full “PPOC Accredited Photographer” membership status, and will be listed on our “Search for a Photographer” feature on our website. You can promote yourself using the PPOC Logo and will also be eligible to vie for prestigious awards in National Image Competition, and to work toward earning the designations of Craftsman of Photographic Arts (CPA), Master of Photographic Arts (MPA), and Service of Photographic Arts (SPA). Are you ready to take your photographic career to the next level? Become recognized as a member of PPOC, stand out from the crowd, and take advantage of the benefits of membership! Create an Observer membership profile by following the links to join at www.ppoc.ca, and activate that membership with payment in full online, or by contacting us by phone at (888) 643-PPOC (7762) to set up a convenient monthly payment plan using your VISA or MasterCard.

Apply TODAY! https://ppoc.formstack.com/forms/ membership_application_web

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