We got slammed with ~21 inches of snow Friday night and most of Saturday. That was in all 60 feet of my driveway. Plus in front of the two car garage. A few years ago, I paid $60 to the Amish guy in a bobcat to clear out a foot of snow. So, I figured I'd be spending $100 to $125 to get it cleared. No worries. That's what you get for 2 feet of snow. Imagine my surprise when I asked the guy how much it would be, he led into it by telling me there was a lot of snow there, so would $45 be OK? Did I tell him he wasn't charging enough? Nope.  Are your customers telling you if you're not charging enough? I think the snow plow guy didn't know what his services were worth to me, the customer and he left money on the table. How about you?

Dave

If our guy told us it was going to be 100 bucks I'd laugh at him and call one of the other 25 people around here that do it. ;) hehe

 A couple of years ago I met with a couple who had done extensive looking around for a photographer.  At the meeting they told me they loved my stuff.  Then they asked me why I was so cheap.  That was before they'd even booked.  It was a real eye opener for me. 

Not bad..The farmer up the street from me came around with his big tractor and cleared all of us neighbors out for free. He wouldn't even take a few $$ for gas. Said that's what neighbors do.

 Well typical argument with  clients in Russia (magazine, ad, private shoots) looks like "well we really like what you do, and want to hire you. How much is it for..."  "oy, well, you know, in our city there are plenty of good photographers who can do it for less, so we think you should reconsider your prices"  on which i am typically saying things like "well, sorry, you like me, my style, but you want me to be just like other folkz that you dont like?"...

And in States its normally "what? how much? Ok.. Lets do it"  :P  

 But  i am changing my rates like crazy depending on what is it i am shooting and how much i like it and how much i see people can actually afford (i never ever charge single moms full rates , for example. I grew up like that and know how tight money could be for them).  And i am not promissing 100s of images on CD after 2 hour shoot - thats typically argument against me ;) I am slooooow..... (of course then i like to ask people if they want 20 images "like this" or 2 images "like that"...  Funny how they like second choice :PPP)

Dave,

I hope you gave him a generous tip. 

Cheers,

Colby

Dave W:

We got slammed with ~21 inches of snow Friday night and most of Saturday. That was in all 60 feet of my driveway. Plus in front of the two car garage. A few years ago, I paid $60 to the Amish guy in a bobcat to clear out a foot of snow. So, I figured I'd be spending $100 to $125 to get it cleared. No worries. That's what you get for 2 feet of snow. Imagine my surprise when I asked the guy how much it would be, he led into it by telling me there was a lot of snow there, so would $45 be OK? Did I tell him he wasn't charging enough? Nope.  Are your customers telling you if you're not charging enough? I think the snow plow guy didn't know what his services were worth to me, the customer and he left money on the table. How about you?

Dave

robn70:

Not bad..The farmer up the street from me came around with his big tractor and cleared all of us neighbors out for free. He wouldn't even take a few $$ for gas. Said that's what neighbors do.

+1, This is what I like reading.

Sergei:

 But  i am changing my rates like crazy depending on what is it i am shooting and how much i like it and how much i see people can actually afford

 

I wonder if this is asking for legal trouble. It sounds like discrimination. If I found out I was charged differently than someone else for the same product or service, I would be upset!

Sergei, no offense intended. I love your work. I aspire to be like you.

 

I think it would only be discrimination if he had a set price and charged a person more without probable cause. To discount a customer isn't really discrimination. There are some that just deserve a break and others it won't hurt to charge your normal fee. I do that for passport customers. Had one the other day that needed the passport for a missions trip to Nicaragua. It really only took me about 10 minutes max to do it and order it. I chose not to charge for it.

Dave W:

We got slammed with ~21 inches of snow Friday night and most of Saturday. That was in all 60 feet of my driveway. Plus in front of the two car garage. A few years ago, I paid $60 to the Amish guy in a bobcat to clear out a foot of snow. So, I figured I'd be spending $100 to $125 to get it cleared. No worries. That's what you get for 2 feet of snow. Imagine my surprise when I asked the guy how much it would be, he led into it by telling me there was a lot of snow there, so would $45 be OK? Did I tell him he wasn't charging enough? Nope.  Are your customers telling you if you're not charging enough? I think the snow plow guy didn't know what his services were worth to me, the customer and he left money on the table. How about you?

Dave

ewwww you are good aren't you?!

vmaxguy:

Sergei:

 But  i am changing my rates like crazy depending on what is it i am shooting and how much i like it and how much i see people can actually afford

 

I wonder if this is asking for legal trouble. It sounds like discrimination. If I found out I was charged differently than someone else for the same product or service, I would be upset!

Sergei, no offense intended. I love your work. I aspire to be like you.

 

I do and have done that, I know what it's like, been there done that! And know what? I'd do it again. i don't call it discrimination, I call it goodwill, and maybe paying it forward. There was a time when someone I barely knew helped me out of a HUGE jam, I was pregnant, unemployed and my daughters father decided wow he didn't want to be a daddy after all and kicked me out, no place to go. A friend's girlfriend's parents offered me a safe place to stay, I'd never even met them before but they fully supported me till my baby was born. Because of them my baby was healthy and happy. I can never repay them but I can pay it forward to someone else.

Sennie:

vmaxguy:

Sergei:

 But  i am changing my rates like crazy depending on what is it i am shooting and how much i like it and how much i see people can actually afford

 

I wonder if this is asking for legal trouble. It sounds like discrimination. If I found out I was charged differently than someone else for the same product or service, I would be upset!

Sergei, no offense intended. I love your work. I aspire to be like you.

 

I do and have done that, I know what it's like, been there done that! And know what? I'd do it again. i don't call it discrimination, I call it goodwill, and maybe paying it forward. There was a time when someone I barely knew helped me out of a HUGE jam, I was pregnant, unemployed and my daughters father decided wow he didn't want to be a daddy after all and kicked me out, no place to go. A friend's girlfriend's parents offered me a safe place to stay, I'd never even met them before but they fully supported me till my baby was born. Because of them my baby was healthy and happy. I can never repay them but I can pay it forward to someone else.

 

I took a pricing class about 2 weeks ago. The instructor said that you can give discounts to single mothers, for example, but you must give the same discount to every single mother. If you don't, it is discrimination and can get you in some serious trouble. She said that you can have what ever pricing structure you want.You can offer as many discounts as you like, but they have to be consistent or it is discrimination. I do agree however that you can give an occasional discount that is inconsistent and probably not ask for trouble. The rule of your pricing would still be consistency because it is an occasional discount. The problem enters when your prices lack consistency.

In this case, "changing rates like crazy...depending on how much I like it...how much I see people can actually afford" , three things catch my eye that seem to indicate inconsistency in prices. To me that is a lot and raises some flags, especially the last one because it sounds like clients that appear to be able to afford more are charged more. I only mention it because I don't want anything bad to happen to anybody on Mpix, especially someone with so much to teach those of us who are less experienced.