Without a doubt, photography is a luxury product when it comes to wedding and portrait photography. This fact is unfortnately only magnified in a recession. So, we need to do things that will help maintain cash flow.
For those of you who sell the DVD from your sessions, here’s a simple and effective idea.
“I am so glad to hear that you love all the images from your session. You know, you have the option of purchasing a DVD of your portrait session for $xxx with files large enough to print 8x10s and smaller. And, as an added bonus, all portrait orders placed after the purchase of your DVD will be 50% off.”
Giving you clients this kind of value is an interesting approach. What is your goal for an average sale from a portrait session? Price your DVD at this price.
The client receives all their images, with the value of being able to make reproductions on their own, and you have stimulated the possibility of making additional portrait sales with the 50% off bonus offer.
Aric C. Hoek BFA, CPP, AuthorPPBF Administrator
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Houston Wedding Photographer, Aric Hoek
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You can sometimes increase traffic/sales/sessions by offering discounts, but I think you end up training your clients to wait for sales. Instead, focus on marketing your products and services better and more effectively. Many photographers are already pricing their work unacceptably low, with such thin margins that a half off sale might not even break even.
You are quite right. My main purpose with my wedding and sales consultations is to get the contract. What I am talking about here are specials I can show my clients after I have the contract signed and secured. Once the contract has been secured, then I have room to offer additional products to my clients. My goal is to convert them into repeat clients.
I do very much agree that there is a dangerous level you can go into by lowering your product so much that your clients can feel there is something wrong.