I’m not going to take up a ton of your time because I really just have one point to make! As photographers, we often struggle with pricing. I totally get it. I’ve struggled with pricing in the past too! I could write for days about this topic but today I really want to address ONE area of pricing. I have heard this story several times in the last few months and so I thought it was about time that I share my humble opinion!! This post is directed towards the photographers who are over half booked or are completely booked already for next year.
If you wanted to book 18 weddings for next year and you have 14 booked right now then you fall into this category! So many photographers have told me that they are booked for next year (or close to it!) and my next question is ALWAYS… “So, you raised your prices, right?!” The majority of them have not. That’s crazy!! Do You want to know WHY it’s crazy? Because they have nothing left to lose. They are already set for next year, so if they raise their prices and no one books, it’s OK! It’s really the BEST CASE SCENARIO for any photographer and yet a lot of people don’t raise their prices out of fear.
Fear is crippling when it comes to pricing. It’s what drives the decision NOT to increase prices because we are so afraid that everyone is going to stop booking. Part of growing a business is having the discernment to take risks and then stay safe. Raising prices is definitely a risk but it’s SO worth it!! If you’re almost booked for 2016 and you haven’t raised your prices, go for it! What this tells me is that right now you have nothing to lose! Sure, it may take longer to book since you’ll have higher prices but the clients who do book will do anything to work with YOU… and even though you’re booking fewer weddings, you will still be processing close to the same amount of income with fewer Saturdays away from your family!! It’s a WIN-WIN!!!
So if this is you…. and you know who you are…. I want to challenge you to change your prices. If you are booking quickly and 2016 is almost spoken for, then the time has come!!! You need to do this for YOU, for your FAMILY and for your CLIENTS! Our clients deserve to have the best possible experience when they work with us and I’ve found that it’s HARD to maintain that amazing experience for everyone when we overbook! Overbooking past what you were intending to shoot in 2016 is a sure sign that you are unaware of the supply and demand of your business! There is only ONE of you… adjust accordingly! :)
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Oh where do I begin? This wasn’t just another wedding for me. This was a legacy KJ Wedding and I have been looking forward to it ever since my first email from Danny and Megan!
I’m really excited about this YouTube video because I know that it resonates with ALL photographers who photograph PEOPLE!!
Have you ever walked into a client experience and realized “oh wow, this is not what I was expecting?” ….