While viewing a news web site tonight, there was a survey asking readers a question and the possible answers were: Yes, No, Undecided.
Why would anyone take the time to respond to a survey and then answer “Undecided”? It’s like a student raising their hand in class to answer a question posed by the teacher and then, saying, “I don’t know.”
Why did the survey even offer the third option? If everyone chose “Undecided”, the survey would be meaningless.
What does this have to do with running a photography business?
Photographers should avoid Door Number 3:
Customer: We need portraits of four of our employees. How much do you charge?
Photographer and Door #1: I can produce four great business portraits for $1,000 plus tax.
Customer: Oh. We were thinking of something around $300 to $400.
Photographer and Door #2: Okay, for $400, I can do one business portrait. But as you can see, doing all four at the same time for $1,000 works out to only $250 each.
Customer: (pause)
Photographer and Door #3: Okay, I tell you what. How about all four for $500?
After you’ve made an offer or a second revised offer, shut up.
Unless the customer comes back with a revised set of expectations, then anything else you say after Door #2 will usually hurt you.
In this example, the third offer to do the job for $500 means your initial offer of $1,000 was meaningless because $500 was the “real” price. The customer will think that you were trying to gouge them with the initial $1,000 offer.
Door #1 should be your best offer for the customer’s proposed assignment.
Door #2, if necessary, is your revised offer for their revised job request. If the customer doesn’t immediately reply, then wait. Don’t rush to Door #3 without first hearing a response from the customer. Without their response, you have no idea in which direction to move, if moving is even necessary.
