New: Full Pricing Transparency
I’m always and forever looking for ways to make my family photography business better. While I got a BFA in photography at VCU (go Rams), I love continuing my education in technical and creative skills, and also business and marketing, and can spend money on an online course in an instant because of the benefit I see in it.
So, this business person I follow has a new offer out, and it’s like she wrote it just for me. She has great insight into running a business, and offers a new program that sounds like it would put all my issues together in one box, tie it up with a bow, and shoot my problems off into space, never to be seen again.
I want to buy her new program, to let her help me solve my problems, but there’s this one nagging issue: I don’t know how much it costs.
She keeps sending out emails prompting me to apply to her program, but nowhere in any of her info is there a price. While I can justify basically any business expense with the excuse of the credit card and a half-joking “it’s a write-off,” I also have a pretty big pride threshold when it comes to letting other people know how much I can actually afford to pay.
I’m not about to apply for a program that would be perfect for me, get accepted, and then have to back out because of the price. That’s embarrassing. And knowing my personality, I would probably say yes just to avoid that embarrassment, and then take on the debt that I’m not prepared for, and then end up holding a grudge against her and this program because I felt duped into it, even if the program is amazing.
Because I spend so much on marketing education, I can tell you exactly why she’s not listing the price. It’s Marketing 101. Get your people interested and tell them how much you can help them, and get them hooked before you tell them how much it is, when it’s too late for them to say no. I’ve been taught the same methods, and have even attempted them at various times throughout my 12 years in business. You do all of that so that people don’t make decisions purely on price. Especially when there are multiple options available (like multiple business gurus, or multiple local photographers) - you want people to make a choice based on you and how you can help them, not on the price tag.
But sometimes, we do have to make decisions purely on price. Beacuse no matter how amazing something is, if we can’t afford it, we can’t afford it.
Anyway, it took this realization and slight frustration (I really do want this program, it sounds amazing) for me to make some changes to the pricing on my website. Because while I want to be the photographer you choose, because you like me and my work and want it in your own home, I don’t want to waste your time if I’m simply out of your range.
So full disclosure: my pricing is on my website.
I still want to get on the phone before you hire me, to answer your questions and make sure we’re a great fit and that we have the same idea for your family, maternity, or newborn photos. The phone is faster than going back and forth over text or Marco Polo, after all. But you’ll already know the pricing details and there won’t be any awkward surprises where you have to pretend to check with your partner before you hire me.
You can check out my pricing for newborn, maternity, and family photography, and click the button below to start a conversation with me about any of them:
