Does anyone ever offer discounts, accept negotiations?

I may be wrong but the cheap skates are usually the people you don't want to deal with even if they pay the full amount, is that correct?

Let me hear your thoughts

I think the answer depends on your target client. For us, our prices are firm. We don't offer discounts or allow negotiation. Why? Well, for starters, we don't really want to work with anyone who doesn't feel like our work is worth our stated prices. If they feel our work is only worth a discounted version of that pricing, then they will never truly appreciate what they are paying for and could easily become a problem client down the road. The other reason is we sell our product on the emotional value, not on the price value. We want our couples to focus on what elements they want, not on how they can score a better deal.

That said, there is certainly something to be said for designing your prices with wiggle room. I know certain cultures are big on negotiating a deal, and if your prices are firm you are going to turn them off. For example, Indian couples generally like to negotiate and feel like they got a better deal. Not allowing them to do so could likely cost you those gigs.

So you need to identify your target client and what their needs are, and determine what is going to work best for you.

Great answer - exactly what I was trying to find out.

I have a father of a bride trying to get me to give him a discount but at this point I don't even want the job. He went from wanting 33% off to wanting $50 off my smallest wedding package. The package is only $895 to start with and for what it includes is a great deal.

I think I'll let this go unless I get convinced that I want this job for some reason. Its not for 4 months and I could probably fill the date with something else in that time I think.

Silas, you know this is my second year and I've learned to say no right away. You of all people shouldn't be offering a discount. Your packages are a steal bro.

I bought this Sales Call script from a videographer who charges a ton of money for his weddings, there is a section on that and I've memorized it! It works every time.

I love saying no. It feels better then being burned "for $50"

I will never give discounts.
My main reason is just that if one couple pays a certain amount for a package and another couple pays more for the same.
If for some reason they hear this, they will feel bad about it.
For me is just 1 price for all ... if they especially want your video and they can afford it, they will pay it and don't mind a 50 Us$ discount.

Hi Silas

I DO have 'Winter Specials' here to drum up future business BUT the discounted prices are fixed and the brides are encouraged to book earlier than usual. However I never offer any discount on my advertised price!! EVER!! The moment someone wants to haggle, you know that it's going to be bad news!! Even if it's a small discount you give them, they are going to ask for even more and it will never end.
I just tell them no..my prices are final ...you are welcome to get a family member to shoot your wedding but if you want me, that's my price!

Stick to your guns..if you do a job for way less than it's value your heart won't be in it!!

Chris

Usually the question about discounts includes a reason why they feel one might be allowed, such as a Friday or Sunday wedding or an event which occurs in the off-season. Some people read in bridal magazines that you can't get a discount if you don't ask. This is my stock answer.

"Do you offer discounts?"
If I could take on an unlimited amount of work I can see how I would be able to offer incentives for Fridays and Sundays and "off-season" dates, but because editing is so time-consuming I can take on a limited number of events per year. As a result, regardless of what time of the year or what day the wedding lands on, when I reach my limit I refer inquiries to other videographers.







Does anyone ever offer discounts, accept negotiations?

I may be wrong but the cheap skates are usually the people you don't want to deal with even if they pay the full amount, is that correct?

Let me hear your thoughts

The only discount I will offer is to members of the armed forces. As a veteran myself, I know how hard it can be for them to come up with the money in many cases and have even done a couple at no charge, but that's just me.
Other than that there is no discount.

I used to in the beginning but not since last year. The problem with discount is that those are the people that complain the most.

I don't think it's cultural specific. Although I agree south asians do ask for deals but not everyone. I have had almost every single race asking for discount and at times I have lost business which is fine.

However, there are very few occasions, when you don't necessarily offer discounts but take away few items to make it look like it's lower price. And I only do that if I know this client has the personality to make pre-wedding or wedding video look good, it's chirpy, bubbly etc...and believe me those tricks have flourished a wave of clients for me.

But do yourself a favor, don't sell yourself short. Because if you don't take your work seriously and don't feel it's good enough to get what you want, no one will care at all.

I too am firm on my prices. Not to say I haven't offered discounts in the past under unique circumstances (i.e. week days, friends of friends, etc.), but I feel that discounting only shows the client how much value you put in your own product.

I cannot emphasize more that typically, those that want it for less will, in the end, expect more. The saying applies "Wine taste on a beer budget".

I may have forgot to mention that I dont accept $50 discounts for no reason.
I am firm with my prices but just wondered if other get the same low ball nonsense.

Thanks for the comments!

I share the view that once established, giving a discount yet doing the full job is not good business.

But there are people in this world, wedding planners especially who proclaim that the whole business runs around price. There's an "online wedding planner" in the UK - I decline to give them publicity but let's say they sound like they can't decide if they're in the wedding business or the drinks trade - which starts every online search with "maximum price" and "minimum price".

These people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

(PS I also find stores advertising "all shirts reduced" very annoying. I like a 20" neck for comfort and anything less is very restricting.)

Yeah the whole low price people thing is horrid.
I never reduce my prices but I am shocked at the nerve of people. Its usually people who don't know anything like the father of the bride or the groom. Haha.
I ve had couples change their "budget" to way higher after they see my sample videos however!

Do you know what works well? Put your prices up by 30%, then offer a 30% discount.

People love to think there getting a high value product for the price of the cheap guys. This only works up to a point. Those wanting to pay a high price will continue to do so. but if your in the budget leagues then this is very good.

Just goto a department store and look how the ladies go nuts over a bargain. doesnt matter if they like it, the fact is its reduced.

Travis is right though. It depends on the culture. UK, people love a bargain but we dont haggle. Its rare someone haggles. People will hint that they have a certain budget but rarely ask for money off. You have to read them and offer it if you see fit. But if you publicly just say its 30% off then they come streaming in.

I give "off season discounts" and emphasize that on the receipt or contract. Most banquet halls charge lower prices during the off season or even on a Sunday reception. I have 2 December shoots lined-up that I discounted. I could use the money on during the Holidays.

Giving discount as opposed to being low balled is different though. " I really like your work but I only have this budget set aside" sounds better than " Uncle Bob says he can shoot it for half the price can you beat that?"

my 2 cents

We offer discounts as specials from time to time in order to drum up business.

But otherwise, no, we don't negotiate. In my experience, as stated by others who have responded to this question, people trying to negotiate for a deal have all sorts of other favors to ask of you as soon as you give in.

When first starting out, I had people trying to change my contract, change the due dates for payments, you name it. Granted, I was just starting out and happy for the business. But you quickly learn that running your business takes a healthy sense of boundaries. Having these boundaries - especially pricing - will help keep you sane.

Someone else stated that editing is very time consuming. It's true. If you are doing good work, don't give up getting paid what you believe it's worth. Find your price point and stick to it.

Lastly, I just recently threw in a slideshow for a couple. The soon-to-be husband was a soldier in Iraq and when I met with the bride for a consult, I learned that her fiance was cuurently in Haiti helping with the relief. I'm glad to be in a position where I can give back here and there.

I used to think about offering discounts during the 'off season,' but after shooting a wedding in January where my jewels literally froze off, I said forget it.

I should charge double!

I believe "Your Prices are Your Prices". If you've done your budget, and you know what it costs in time, money, and equipment to produce a wedding or event, then you have to be firm.

At the same time, if you're available for a particular date, and would most likely be home, working on a project that has a flexible schedule, why turn down work if the client is only asking for 5% or 10% off? For me, it's about the average profit on each job. Some jobs will generate a higher profit than others, but in the end, what's your average profit per job?

I've been reading a lot of threads on the forums here and in the Taking Care of Business section, but haven't found any information regarding the price of the wedding video in relation to the price of the wedding as a whole. Is there any ball-park percentage or range of percentages?

Naturally high end weddings would typically pay more for video than budget weddings, but as a percentage of the total cost does the percentage go up too?

I've heard of some $70K weddings, so I imagine the amount paid the video is pretty good. But suppose only $10K is budgeted for the whole wedding. What about the price then?

I've been finding out what the local hotels charge for the ball-rooms etc. I've also checked out other videographer's pricing. But what is the pricing based on? It's not just quality and it's not just work. There are other market forces involved.

Clue me in. My neck of the woods is VERY depressed economically right now.

Hi Roger

Where we are our National median price for a wedding is $37,500 and locally it's $25,000. Unfortunately we still seem to be way down the priority list for brides when it comes to video!! They will book the Photog at around $2K to $4K here for an average wedding and then usually decide that they cannot afford video so they get a relative to shoot it on a handycam!!

No offence to photogs but I would have thought that a relative with a fairly good DSLR would probably make less of a mess of the photos than if they attempted the video considering that they will probably shoot handheld with the on-cam mic!! At least with a good DSLR set on auto and a bundle of CF cards you can create over 1000 images and even an enthusiastic amateur will get at least 100 useable pics!!

I have no idea why video is way down in the pecking order ..maybe brides need a little education on our websites??? The sad story is that on most weddings in enconomic stressful times by the time the bride has booked the venue, flowers, photog and cake her budget is down to almost nothing so video is often discarded.

Hmmm a new thread here might be in order??? Bride Education????

Chris

Roger,
High end weddings don't necessarily pay more for video and budget weddings don't necessarily pay less. In my time in the business I've done weddings from 10K to 300K and more and here's what I found. If they value video they will pay more. For example a few years ago I did a wedding where the total cost couldn't have been more than about 12K. They invested about 20% of the entire budget to video because it was more important to them than even still photography. AAMOF I was literally the 1st vendor hired and they did not have a prostill photog. They were an amazing couple to work with and the wedding was one of the most fun and best I had ever been at. On the other hand, a couple of years ago I did a wedding where the budget was in excess of $125000 and frankly I knew when I booked it I should have turned it down. They tried to beat me up on everything from price to delivery time. The couple were both rather snarky with me all day more like I hired you to do my bid and calling and were some of the most difficult people I have ever had to work with in my 26 years of weddings. They did not value video and it showed.
Now that's not to say that's how it is everytime these were both extreme cases. IMO the key is to sell the value of the work and yes educating the bride on the importance of video is very important.
I always said in this industry you don't need to be a world class camera op or editor but you have got to be a great business person.
Having been in the business when video was so far down the list it wasn't even on it the reason IMO that's it's of relatively little importance even today is because of us. People are so used to the cheese from the 80s and early 90s and Uncle Charlies stuff, that that's what they equate video to be. Of course then there are the ones that insist they would never watch it they would rather look at pictures. Great, can you hear the vows, watch grandma dance, see the tears roll down dads face as he gives you away?
One is not better than the other, they pics and vid should work together to tell the story.

I may be wrong but the cheap skates are usually the people you don't want to deal with even if they pay the full amount, is that correct?



People who want a good deal at a fair price , are good business people. people who want to jerk you around , get out for as least as possible are great business people :-) People who then expect more than they paid for are excellent business people.
if you want to work for them Flip Burgers :-)

Nothing wrong with Bartering and negotiations. Everywhere people go someone has a price Jacked up to 200% then makes you believe when they put it to 50% (normal) it is some vast discount.
So when a customer trys to get the same thing cheaper, it is just a matter of doing business. If you want to play that GAME, then jack up your prices and close with a discount.
Myself i aint playing that game.
If someone wants to be a Great busness person, then either play games with them, OR have a firm fair reasonable price and DONT BUDGE. The person you have to lean over backwards, vs your normal customer, will just take the opertunity of you leaning over to push you too far. <-- and THAT is when it goes bad, when you screw yourself, not when they do "business".

Dont take any less than you deserve, because you will be TICKED at yourself for having done so, and that is not foreward moving. Ticked at yourself is reflected back to them, and your end product, it causes it's own downward spiral. So when you get "the Business" just remember it is business. If it is going to tick you off later, it isnt good for you OR THEM.

Everybody has thier own way, when they come to you, STICK with your way, dont get all wishy washy. If your SURE of what you have for what price you will sell it, and what they will get out of it, then apply your CONFIDENCE. That it IS your way, and that is the way it will be. Anything else will not be good for either of you.

see what i am saying? It is a customer service to have you working happily for what you deserve and doing a good job, and having a good end product. You can apply that confidence, to insure that you Can continue to provide that service, instead of being bowled over and both parties loosing out.

they aint cheapskates :-) that is just good business , and your In Business too, so on your side keep things good.

(its only sorta like that, but its another idea)

Hi Silas

Marty couldn't have put it better!!

My attitude is much the same. If I think I deserve $XXXX for a job then I will not do it for less because I would be pretty sure if I DID accept a much lower figure, my heart wouldn't be in it as I would spend the day thinking how much I have been screwed!!

With customer's like that I usually tell them that it would be far better if they found a willing relative to shoot the wedding with a hired camera and then I take the weekend off !!

Sometimes, even if you need the work, it's good judgment to actually say no and you will thanks yourself afterwards too!!! Jobs like that often cost you far more than the discount you have given them!!

Chris

I've never had a customer asking for a discount, at least I can't remember one;
probably because my prices are a bit lower than they should be.

Thanks Don and Chris for your insights on pricing. I'm a guy that punched a time clock working for someone else for nearly forty years. I think my biggest problem is perspective. It takes a while to transition from being employed by someone else to running a business. Marketing class in college was so long ago. Before my 30 year health care career, most of my work was in retailing, with just a smidgen of direct sales.

Once I've developed a little more perspective, my decision making will improve. Right now, the economy is really slow here. More and more stores are closing etc. As for weddings, I'm a member of one of the biggest churches in town, and there are no weddings scheduled at all until October.

Well, I'm starting to get to know some caterers, musicians, and dj's in the area. Also will try to link up with the event coordinators in the major hotels, convention halls, and banquet rooms in the local area. Looks like pounding the pavement is the way to go. I hope nobody thinks I'm a lowballer if I start with low prices, but hey, people do take a larger risk with a new guy, at least from their point of view. It's like a period of grand opening specials to get things started. I have started putting a few ads on Craigs list and tweaking my web site. Also recently had my first REPEAT CUSTOMER, so that's a good sign they liked my work.

Hi Roger

Be patient and market well and you will be rewarded. By all means offer a special but keep your prices as close to the norm as you can otherwise people will tend to ignore you as you are "too cheap" ..they often figure that something must be wrong at those prices!!

We are heading into Winter here in a couple of months and I usually run a "Winter Special" as we don't have many weddings in June/July as it's cold and wet!!! The idea is to encourage couples getting married in Summer to book early and the booking fee helps generate an income during the slack months.

Essentially see what others are charging for the same sort of service as you are offering and stay in that ball park so you will be considered along with them.

Apart from referals I get most of my enquiries from online wedding directories so place an ad with a couple..some are free but some you have to pay but it will get your name out there!! One of the fastest ways of getting traffic to your site is to advertise with a wedding directory that has a forum for brides as well. That way you are in touch with the clients and they will be curious to look at your website!

Chris

Thanks Chris,

There's a group in Orlando, PVCF, that I'm a member of. A lot of the guys are wedding videographers. Some of them even shoot those extravagant weddings at Disney World. I've been learning a lot from them, and even offered to do committee work for the organization.

I've only done two weddings, and enjoyed them both. But there are other types of video I want to do as well. Medical, academic, tutorials, sports, community relations etc. Fortunately I've gotten some paying gigs doing these while trying to get the wedding video part of the business off the ground.

Roger

We do negotiate some but I imagine as we become more established this could change. We started our business 2 years ago and are going into our 3rd wedding season, although I don't really count the 1st season... only did a handful of weddings, most for free just to get a demo reel together. Didn't start advertising or make a website until going into our second season.

I've heard a couple of people say "you sell how you buy" and I do ask for deals in certain situations. When looking for a new TV we found an open box item at Best Buy. I asked if they could come down any and they took off 20%. It doesn't mean I valued the product any less, I just knew because it was a demo model I had a shot at a deal and it couldn't hurt to ask.

I will say we actually stuck to our prices more last year than we have going into this wedding season simply because we were already charging too little last year. We've raised our prices and gone to an hourly rate and we feel we have a little more wiggle room now.

I also think it depends on the situation. There's a difference between the person who wants something for nothing (and would rather spend the money on, say, expensive favors) and the person who genuinely loves your work and wants to at least ask for a deal before moving on to the second videographer on their list. We have one bride whose planner only put $1,000 in the budget for video. The bride wrote us and said how much she loved our work and asked if there was any way we could work with her. We came back with a price that was over her video budget but threw in a free hour from us. She reworked her entire budget to fit us in. Yes, we're giving a bit of a deal, but do we feel taken? Not at all. I'd rather work with a bride like this than one who pays twice as much but wants the video to be as cheap as possible and is spending way more on everything else. Yes, both pay the bills, but one is much more fun than the other.

I've been finding out what the local hotels charge for the ball-rooms etc. I've also checked out other videographer's pricing. But what is the pricing based on? It's not just quality and it's not just work. There are other market forces involved.

Clue me in. My neck of the woods is VERY depressed economically right now.

I think there is no math involve. During one smoke break at a wedding, I was speaking to the Limo driver/owner. He asked me how much I charged the couple, I told him $ 1200. How much is my camera worth? I bought it for $ 2400 back then. He then told me that he bought his Limo for $ 100K, and he charges $ 700 for the day. He is not bitter but he told me life is not fair. I guess if the market is $ 700 for a 100K limo, we also tend to follow that pattern and charge according to prevailing market rate for wedding videographers.

My 2 cents.

Hi Roger

Just remember that you do need to charge out your time at a rate that will make your effort worthwhile!! There is no sense in spending 12 hours on the shoot and 40 hours on a cinematic style edit at $100 an hour for your time when no-one in the community is likely to be able to afford a $5000 wedding video.

If that's what you stand by and that's what you are worth it's senseless dropping your rate to say $20 an hour to cater for clients that only have $1000 in the kitty!!! Better to relax at home than work for peanuts.

If the market seems to be "budget brides" then you need to maintain your worth and simply do a more basic shoot and some basic editing. You do need to do some market research and see what others are charging and what brides expect or budget for in a wedding video and adjust your operation to suit the market.

Chris

and he charges $ 700 for the day. He is not bitter but he told me life is not fair. .


i always make sure i tell other vendors, that it is NOT ONE day ever. For us it is minimum one day to prepare everything, minimum 2 days to clean-up edit and finalise, and often that is more like Weeks . I never let anyone be confused that just "drove in" shot and handed them a video and left, it is SOOO not that way.
heck i need a day of rest where i aint moving after any of the half day or full day shoots ( i intend to work it).
i really doubt that the cook, and the driver, and the officiant, the florist, and the party planner and everyone else cant even move the next day :-) and isnt FInished till at least a week later.
Video with editing and (dvd) delivery and now with wonderfull computers, then edited/processes really well, is more like rebuilding the limo after each job :-) We have spent more than 1 million dollers on equiptment that became obsolete and worthless, while the limo years later and after hundreds of jobs can still move down the road.
i dont see them making more or less money, when all the costs and time factors are involved.

if your making $1200 in ONE DAY, and finished in that ONE DAY, and it only took one day, well then the video probably was only worth $700 :-) even if you can get $1200 for it.

Hi Marty

Absolutely!! The limo driver books just one job a week for $700.00 and his limo at 10 years is still an asset and has earned him $350,000 ...if he sold it after the 10 year period for a measly $30K he still has earned himself a gross profit of $310,000 for working just one day a week!!!
We definately need to look at the big picture as we all get quiet periods and there will be times when the season is just too cold or wet or work but things later make up for the so called slack times when you think that life is unfair.

Maybe he would be happier doing a graveyard shift in a factory for $8 an hour week in and week out??? I doubt it!! All in all we have a pretty satisfying job despite the complaints.

Me too.. the day after the shoot is definately a rest day!! I don't think people realise how much effort and physical activity is involved.

Chris