When pricing a photo assignment or negotiating with a potential customer, the photographer’s frame of mind matters a lot. The photographer could be thinking along the lines of “If I get this job, I’ll make $4,000,” or they might be thinking, “If I don’t get this job, I’ll make nothing.”
The former train of thought (being “promotion focused”) is about trying to maximize gains. The latter (being “prevention focused”) is about trying to minimize risk and prevent loss.
Overall, neither type of focus is better than the other and we often switch from one to the other depending on the circumstances. But research has shown that when pricing or negotiating, being promotion focused tends to lead to better outcomes (e.g. earn more when selling or pay less when buying).
A photographer should stay focused on the best outcome (e.g. “The price should reflect the full value of my work”) rather than worry about potential risk (e.g. “If I don’t charge low enough, I’ll lose the job”).
Being promotion or prevention focused also applies to customers [link to a very long PDF. Short version here].
If a photographer pays attention to what a customer is saying, they might better understand the customer’s focus. The photographer could then adjust their marketing or negotiating to better suit that customer. For example:
A promotion-focused corporate customer may need to know that their photo project will be successful because the photographer knows how to do the work, has several ideas for the job, understands the company’s objectives and that the job will be done quickly.
A prevention-focused customer may need to be reassured that the photographer knows how to do the job, has backup plans just in case, there will be little disruption at the client’s office and that the job will be done right.
By appealing to the customer’s focus, a photographer can increase their value to that customer.
