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07/21/2011 09:11:03 AM · #1 |
I've had this happen a couple of times now, so I'm wondering what to do.
When I do a shoot, I guarantee satisfaction. If they don't like the pictures, they don't have to pay for the shoot. I would hate to have to pay a photographer for their time if their work sucked.
So I bill everything at one time. When they place their order, I bill them for the time and the order.
I've had a couple of clients that have taken months to place an order. I have a current shoot that was done 1.5 months ago. I sent a gentle reminder about 2 weeks ago, and they said that they would get their order together. It's been 2 weeks now. How should I handle it?
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07/21/2011 09:39:59 AM · #2 |
| I would at least require a non refundable shoot deposit upfront that would be applied to their final bill. Maybe half of your sitting fee? That would be applied to their order and maybe speed up their ordering. Why should you do it completely free if they decide not to order? You know you're good. |
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07/21/2011 09:41:00 AM · #3 |
Personally, I think you should just send them another reminder.
I also think you need to change your billing procedure and take some portion of the money up front. |
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07/21/2011 09:47:17 AM · #4 |
Hey,
Well that's a crappy dilemma, sorry to hear about that. We would all love to be able to be nice, honest, and do work for others and allow them some leeway out of our own kindness. Unfortunately not everyone will offer the same in return, photography much like private mechanical work, home PC repair, etc... is something I feel a lot of people get stiffed on in the end because it's a private service. I would suggest that you separate the services from the product in your business, and make sure that you are getting paid for your work up front at the very least and then they can chose to purchase the photos later on. It makes it easier to drop this on people if it's up-front on your website, contract, etc...
I have dealt with a lot of photographers at the race tracks, though there is no way to force anyone to purchase their photographs, one "trick" they use is the time based pay increase. They are all very busy folks, so they offer that if you order by date 1 the photos cost X amount, and if you order by date 2... the photos cost Y amount, etc... This seems to work very well. As nobody wants to pay the extra premium just to wait for the photos so they sell a lot of them up front for immediate payment at the lower cost. Photos are in most cases then post-processed upon returning home, and sent out when complete.
It is hard to set limits, be firm, and generally get what you deserve out of clients in a business that is centered around capturing emotional moments, dealing with families, etc... Often times photographers do a lot of work for their friends and family, I am sure a lot of $ gets lost there as well. When you can find the balance where you can set boundaries, and raise the stakes while still keeping all your clients happy I assume you will be better off in the getting paid dept.
Best of luck!
Nick |
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07/21/2011 09:55:45 AM · #5 |
I hate to say it, but, with your guarantee, I think you may have to accept those two clients may not place an order.
The cost in a bad economy is much more likely the reason than the quality of the images.
Your offered guarantee leaves the clients with a back door escape.
These clients do not sound unsatisfied, but unwilling to spend the money.
Perhaps a minimal sitting fee with an exception still offered for unsatisfied clients to get that fee returned if they are truly unsatisfied.
At least you would have collected an upfront sitting fee and when they have a better financial handle perhaps they would place an order. |
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07/21/2011 10:06:21 AM · #6 |
This is a friend of a friend. I know that I'll get paid, and I know they'll order. It's just taking quite awhile.
I've had this problem before. A coach of one of the little league teams wanted pictures of his son. I shot the game for him, and as a secondary idea, he wanted an action picture of each kid on the team. He was going to make prints -- one for each kid.
I made the prints, and it took about 2 months for him to pay me. After having to bug him frequently, he didn't end up ordering any pictures of his kid. At that point, I felt justified reminding him frequently, because I delivered the prints, but didn't get paid. I learned my lesson on that one -- don't hand over the pictures until you have payment. But it was the end of the season, and I wanted the kids to get their pictures. Though I think I would have made more off of the pictures of his own kid.
I know I will get the payment and the order from this person. That is a given. It's just taking so long, I'm not quite sure how to handle it.
But I think you're right -- I think the sitting fee needs to be paid in advance, and I'll just hold the check. I do not want to charge if they're not satisfied. I'd rather spend the time and not get the money than to have a bad reputation. I just don't know what to do with the people who sit on orders for a long time. That happened with a wedding that I had done. It took about 4 months for the order. |
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07/21/2011 10:42:58 AM · #7 |
I wonder if your client is only in need of some help to make up her mind about what to order? or waiting for someone else in the family to decide? It's hard to believe, but there are people who have a hard time "shopping." Just a thought.
[eta] When I work for money, I always get a non-refundable booking fee in advance.
Message edited by author 2011-07-21 10:44:46. |
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07/21/2011 11:42:14 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
This is a friend of a friend. I know that I'll get paid, and I know they'll order. It's just taking quite awhile.
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I think your problem may stem from the the friend of a friend thing. Because they know you in a less professional setting they can take you for granted. It can happen even if they don't mean to so it's going to be up to you to remind them that they're dealing with a professional and not a friend.
Message edited by author 2011-07-21 15:07:49.
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07/21/2011 01:58:04 PM · #9 |
if you "know" you're going to get paid, then stop worrying about it and focus on other things.
i learned this, too, that if you don't take money up front, you give them no incentive to hurry. establish a setting fee and take either a pre-printed invoice or a receipt pad with you to the shoot. you can always cheerfully refund their money (or a portion of it), if they aren't completely satisfied.
keep in mind, it's up to you how you operate...you'll drive yourself nuts if you let each customer dictate their terms to you. you'll get more respect by dictating to them, pleasantly, fairly, and reasonably. let them know that the images will be available within X days and that the gallery will be online for Y months, and then after that there will be a archive surcharge to bring the gallery back online. then you send them a reminder 2 weeks out from the gallery expiration date. and when the x-date hits, pull the gallery - simple as that.
sure, you want satisfied happy customers, but they really aren't customers if they aren't paying, are they? i've made it a habit to over-deliver. i throw in extra prints, larger prints, coupons, etc. i want them to open the envelope and go, "WOW!" and by using an online service (like Exposure Manager), i don't have to worry about getting paid for the prints. the last thing any of us want to be doing is chasing people down for money.
one last thing, as far as your guarantee goes. if you have enough confidence in your ability to deliver (and there's no reason for you not to), then you really don't need to harp on it or to use it as a sales point (at least not upfront). let your work speak for itself and people will know what to expect.
good luck!
Message edited by author 2011-07-21 13:59:10. |
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07/21/2011 02:44:54 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by Skip:
if you "know" you're going to get paid, then stop worrying about it and focus on other things.
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What he said. And don't ever work for friends or family. (You will, of course, but you can remember you shouldn't have and move on...) |
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07/21/2011 04:38:25 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Skip:
if you "know" you're going to get paid, then stop worrying about it and focus on other things.
i learned this, too, that if you don't take money up front, you give them no incentive to hurry. establish a setting fee and take either a pre-printed invoice or a receipt pad with you to the shoot. you can always cheerfully refund their money (or a portion of it), if they aren't completely satisfied.
keep in mind, it's up to you how you operate...you'll drive yourself nuts if you let each customer dictate their terms to you. you'll get more respect by dictating to them, pleasantly, fairly, and reasonably. let them know that the images will be available within X days and that the gallery will be online for Y months, and then after that there will be a archive surcharge to bring the gallery back online. then you send them a reminder 2 weeks out from the gallery expiration date. and when the x-date hits, pull the gallery - simple as that.
sure, you want satisfied happy customers, but they really aren't customers if they aren't paying, are they? i've made it a habit to over-deliver. i throw in extra prints, larger prints, coupons, etc. i want them to open the envelope and go, "WOW!" and by using an online service (like Exposure Manager), i don't have to worry about getting paid for the prints. the last thing any of us want to be doing is chasing people down for money.
one last thing, as far as your guarantee goes. if you have enough confidence in your ability to deliver (and there's no reason for you not to), then you really don't need to harp on it or to use it as a sales point (at least not upfront). let your work speak for itself and people will know what to expect.
good luck! |
Very good points. The whole satisfaction guaranteed stuff is kind of silly, actually. It was more for me. I didn't want someone to have to pay for something if they didn't like it. But I'm not out advertising. When people come to me, they already know that they are hiring me. I just want them to be happy with the product.
I need to get the sitting fee up front. If they've already paid me for the time, they'll probably be more interested in actually getting the product. I'll still offer the satisfaction guarantee, just so that I'm more comfortable with it. But I can certainly hold on to the money until they place the order.
And I like the idea of saying the gallery will only be up for a certain amount of time. |
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07/21/2011 07:55:02 PM · #12 |
| Deposit checks promptly. Some never balance their account and you wouldn't want to embarrass them with a bounce. |
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07/21/2011 10:35:49 PM · #13 |
Wendy, take a look at how businesses you frequent have their billing set up. If you are, indeed, running a business, then you should not be feeling apologetic about your product. You are a wonderful photographer.
Definitely get a sitting fee. 50% up front is not uncommon.
Set up online galleries and tell them up front they'll only be available for a limited period.
Have a two tiered pricing system - lower for images ordered within the time period, higher (plus a re-uploading fee) for ordering after that time period.
And for God's sake, get an online printer to fulfill the order and take their money. |
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07/21/2011 10:53:02 PM · #14 |
Ditto on a sitting fee up front, double ditto on the limited online gallery time, and triple ditto on the online printer/fulfillment. (smugmug is one good option: private galleries, ordering, etc. -- even paid digital downloads of images if you wish-- all in one place).
I'm dubious about noting a money back sort of guarantee upfront--it may plant a seed of doubt or result in a first choice request if they have an issue. You'd probably prefer in most cases to work to satisfy them, refund only as a last resort. Your real guarantee is in the way you conduct yourself, your personal brand of quality and service. "Satisfaction guaranteed" is good wording, I think, but maybe don't add the "or your money back" bit. :-)
Another advantage to a sitting fee upfront/in advance: it cuts down on No Shows.
Message edited by author 2011-07-21 23:00:29. |
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