Background:

My husband is a cinematographer and I am a photographer. We market ourselves as a team and separate. We have separate pricing and then couple earn a "double booking discount" when they book both of us together.

What's up:

Travis (my husband) recently redid his pricing and his packages vary on time and "enhancements". Enhancements are really cool things like save the date video, love story video, growing up montage, hd upgrade, etc. Each package is put together with enhancement credit. So the bigger the package, the more enhancements automatically included and then a credit to spend on what they want.

He would like me to do something similar. (in otherwise semi-ala carte) So my enhancements would be ...guest book, engagement album, invite design, save the date design, diva session with album (boudoir), rehearsal coverage, thank you cards, trash the dress etc.

However I am stuck because there is another philosophy that says don't offer everything ala carte because those "enhancements" will move them up to a higher package. In fact, Charles Lewis says no ala carte whatsoever. So that they have to give up stuff" to save money.


So I know this could go both ways but what is your $.02?

Candice

Maybe we should just open up a whole section of the forum called "Candice's Pricing Questions"

How's that sound?

Why don't you stay out of threads that you have NOTHING to contribute to.

Jeez, for someone with 4 kids and two businesses you sure have a lot of time on your hands to troll my posts, biach. Same thing could be said for you I guess.

It's kind of a valid point actually. Every single thread she's started (minus one or two) is about pricing. Kind of floods everything ya know? 4 threads going at once.... wow....

Thank you Sarah.

It is amazing that everytime I post anything on OSP there is always someone who is just mean. Why is that? What is it about me that makes people want to do that? I don't see that on other posts. Is it just me?


Candice

There's nothing wrong with asking pricing questions and so don't trip out Trevor. Candice can ask whatever she'd like.

Thanks DJ ... Trevor loves to call me a "trolling bitch" and to be honest, it's getting pretty old. Do a quick search for his posts and see his negativity for yourself. I know it's "OPEN" here, but is it really okay to tell me I'm "full of shit" and a "bitch" every time I disagree with him?

Trevor - your way is fine, but NOT EVERYONE HAS TO DO THINGS YOUR WAY. Some people like PCs. Some people like album companies other than KISS. Some people like Pictage and SmugMug.

If you have nothing positive or useful to add - DON'T POST!!!!!!!!

i agree that trevor was a bit mean and shouldn't have called sarah as such. Hi sarah

But really, all this morning the posts from candice were kinda long, unorganized and annoying.

sorry

Ok I don't think 3-4 paragraphs about something is too long. What is up with people. I'm sorry but I just don't understand that kind of attitude. When I look at other posts I don't look to see what else they've recently posted or how long the post it is.

Isn't that rather judgemental?

Not saying this in anger at all because I've had nothing but a great experience on here, but....

I know that it's easier to be more "open" online than in person, but I don't think it's EVER, EVER okay to call someone a B****. I know that some people may joke around with that word with their friends, but it doesn't sound cute on here, even if it was meant in a joking way.

I have to remind myself that tone can't be heard by text.

I don't think it's a problem of me not being able to hear Trevor's tone of voice. He's not joking. He's a rude, arrogant jerk to me and anyone who disagrees with him. Really - do a search. According to Trevor - anyone who doesn't use a Mac is an idiot. Anyone who uses Pictage is stupid. Anyone who disagrees with him has no idea how to run a business. It's really annoying and I guess I've just gotten tired of nobody telling him to shut the hell up. Him jumping into threads that he has no valuable input for is ridiculous.

So what if someone asking a bunch of questions is annoying. If you're annoyed, don't click on that person's threads! Even if Candice's questions were stupid (which I don't think they are) she still has just as much right to post as anyone else. We've all needed help at some point or another. Being rude doesn't help ANYONE.

Just for information's sake, he edited that post. The orginal wording was the "c" word. I just can't believe someone would say that.

I honestly feel that every time I take a chance and post something on OSP I get beat up about it. I just don't understand why people act like that. I am on other forums and no one ever is rude like that.

Even just saying that someones posts are "annoying" is rude. It makes me really angry and I am trying hard to not sink to the level of others and be rude right back.

Candice

Sorry your thread took a negative turn Candice

Thanks. Apparently to some people everything I always say will be wrong. I try not to take it personally but .....sometimes it is difficult.

Off topic, but...

Maybe he has a crush on you Sarah? You know.. boys like to tease the girls they like?

nooooooooooooooo it wasnt the 'c' word....... seriously, tell me it wasnt.

I am dead serious. I just about choked when I saw it! I showed my husband too!

Well ...

I am pretty darn cute

Okay, as disturbing as Trevor's behavior seem to be, I'm going to try and get the thread back on track.

As far as a la carte versus packages, I think that both can have an equal amount of success. And that the most dependent factor is how comfortable you are with your own pricing to be able to "sell" it to the client.

Some people really love packages. Others (like myself) love the simplicity of a la carte pricing. You really just have to look at your clients and what they want, look at your business and what you want (both what you want to offer and encourage as well as just how you want to structure your business). And then make a decision. It's very hard to decide something like this for someone else that we don't know more personally.

If you're comfortable selling packages (and it sounds like you are), then stick with the packages and don't worry about your husband's pricing structure because they are booked separately.

I will say though, that the word "enhancements" is confusing to me because when I think of it, I automatically think of something that is done to the image itself, not add-ons. I would try to develop another term that isn't confusing.

Karen-

Thanks so much for your input. I realize it is hard to tell another photographer what to do. My hope was just to hear a bit more on both sides so I could get a bit clearer in my own mind and help others too.

Oh and thanks for the advice on "enhancements". Out of curiosity, do you think it would have the same connotation (sp?) if you were not a photographer? Good point though.

Hmmm, not sure. It's hard to get out of photographer-mindedness, ya know. If I was going to try to find a word in place of "add-on" or "upgrade", I would probably use "embellishments" or something fancy like that. I feel like Fancy Nancy now - using all these fancy words. (it's a kids book - look it up).

Look it up in the dictionary An enhancement is something that makes something better, changes it... not an additional item. It's also what chain studios (Sears, JCPenney, WalMart, etc...) call their digitally edited images.

Candice, sorry your thread had to be hijacked but this just has to be said.

Sarah has ass-humped me up and down the forums for the past couple of weeks, trolling my posts, calling me an asshole whenever she feels like it and generally just being immature. I'm fed up with it, and whether or not I think she's a C word is not something I'm openly going to discuss on the forum.

Sarah, here's the thing. I can stop this just as quickly as you can. You lay off, it ends. It's that simple. The ball's in your court. No one ever said anyone has to do what I say or the way that I do it. If you don't like it, don't say anything. I can do the same. Deal?

I'm honestly just so astonished that you don't have anything better to do than stalk me immaturely all over OSP... it's rather annoying and I'm just fed up with you and your behavior.

So there we go... it ends when you say so. Hopefully you make the right choice.

I called you an asshole once - right after you called me a bitch, told me I was full of shit and to STFU. I like to defend myself, thanks.



Um, yeah, you do this all the time - that's what's so irritating about you (well, that and other things)



Yeah, that's what I told you when this thread started. If you don't have anything nice to say, DON'T SAY ANYTHING. Take your own advice here, Trevor.



Stalk you? Please.

Immature? Yes, you really are.



If you keep being a jerk (to me or Candice or anyone), I'll keep calling you out. I'm a say-it-like-it-is kinda girl. Deal with it.

You want me to leave you alone? Quit being a jerk.

Funny how since I first called you out, several other people have commented on how rude you've been. Even DJ had to jump in and tell you to back off. Here's a clue : it's not EVERYONE ELSE - it's YOUUUUU.

And now back to Candice's thread. If you have anything else to say to me, PM me. This is just dumb.

Okay...


Sarah & Trevor...


Click on each others profiles

Go to the Options drop down menu on the left under the user photo.

Click on "IGNORE USER"

And be done with each other already... mmmkay?

Neither of you is being any more mature than the other, regardless of who's right.

Damon was right about you Melody

I can hear the birds chirping, the grass growing....

A whole new worrrlllldddddd

Have a good night melody. Thanks for reminding me of the iggy feature

Can you tell my boss/wife that?

I've been pulling my hair out attempting to update my pricing this week.

This post is exactly why I didn't ask for help here on this forum.

Just had to add how frustrating it is to come here for help and have to weed through all this crap.

sometimes its better to just let some threads die.....

I feel like I need a cigarette or something.

call me.

Now that I've waded through all of that....

Candice, I think the problem is that you're indecisive about the approach you're going to take. We all struggle with that - the thing is, I think you're going to get people here who will be able to tell you that any approach *can* work, given certain conditions. At the end of the day, YOU still have to pick one that you think can work for your business, NOT anyone else's, and you need to stick to it long enough to see if it works - commit to it, for 6 months, a year - unfortunately any less and you do not really see any concrete or measurable results. And once you choose, don't look at the other approaches until you know you've done your dead-level absolute best to implement the one you've chosen!

There are clients who are going to love the a la carte approach, there are others who will love the package approach. I honestly think that it doesn't make that much of a difference. I don't think that people who choose one or the other fit into any kind of pattern or stereotype, largely because I think the most attractive clients look at our pricing/setup, but are FAR MORE CONCERNED with our approach to their wedding, to their family, to our photography. Price is only one portion of the equation. That's why you need to just choose something and move onto other areas of the business because those other areas are far better to spend your [finite] time on.

Thanks! I think this nails it... as it's been stated many of us are struggling with pricing- and I've been guilty of wanting someone to give me the answers when I'm the only one that decide what's best for my business. And, I agree with you- nothing is set in stone! Try something out, if that doesn't work, tweak it. Tweak it until you find something that is successful and works for you.

...tune in next time for another episode of, "As the OSP Turns."