I would love your input. I have been throwing this idea around in my head since January...then I went to a seminar & the wedding photog does charge a base price. So for $xxxx amt of dollars you get this & that. THEN if you want Cd of negatives, albums, large prints, etc that is all extra.

So what is your alls opinions of this...just charging one base price & not having wedding pkgs?

Pros...Cons????

That's what I do, it's awesome. I always book my highest package in a sense... (if you look at life as having the glass half full... ) It's uncomplicated for the bride and yourself with more of a here it is take it or leave it and not... hmmm.... what package can we afford and how many hours can we cut out from where...

I can't really see any cons because I've done the math and know how much I need/want to make from every wedding I do and that's what I charge. So I'm never stuck with a small package booked for a date and then having a client inquire about the same date who wants the works. So yeah I love it, it's simple and all my brides so far have loved it as well I think it's just one more decision off their shoulders.

But I'm sure that some will post up cons, but it really has been awesome for me!

Its what I do as well. Since I've implemented it, the number of people who book has risen by a huge number!

One thing I have learned is that I have to be willing to work for my base price. Some people just want the base (in my case, 8 hours of coverage with one photographer and the DVD of high res files). Some people have just opted for the base and haven't purchased anything else. However, the majority of people book the base, but then also add on engagement sessions, albums, etc and I have actually brought in more money with this method than my old packages.

Ksenia

Thanks for posting, I have been toying with the same idea myself.

My brides always try to take something out in order to make it fit their budget, so it's such a headache, and to lose clients by saying, "Nothing can be taken out or substituted" seems like a bad idea.

Also, I'm actually happier when they choose my lowest package, which does not include an album, since I know how much more work it is, and as a package deal, I don't feel that I am making all that much on it. If it were separated, no matter what, I could set the album price at an amount I feel worthwhile.

Hope this makes sense! lol

what do you offer in your base price? do hours matter at all?

i do it as well. no more packages fo rme. i have my base price to shoot the wedding, then they add anything else they want ala cart. easy simple. love it. i will never go back to packages.

Yep I offer a base (and yes with me it's a base of 5 hours) + add on as much as you want from there (hours, websites even the post processing is an add on (no one has ever not done that BTW) you name it) ....... and they absolutely do.
Brides like it because they feel in control of how they spend their photography budget, and I like it because it still allows me to do a few smaller weddings each year where I know it's a stretch for them to hire me at all, yet they know the quality. I find with them feeling like they can come back and order the album afterwards if they want to , they are able to make the stretch.

How do you guys handle album orders? Do you have a whole separate price sheet for them to pick number of pages, size, cover style, etc? Or do you have set "albums" with 20 pages 8x8, 40 pages 10x10, etc.

do you get a lot of people that balk at the price of your base price? our first draft packages didn't have tons of product and we had people complain, i'm paying you THIS MUCH (which was NOTHING btw) basically just to come shoot it! and i almost feel safer offering products in my packages because you can sort of make things more acceptable or hide behind them really. our area is very stingy and traditional and so forth. i mean, we're still not expensive. our TOP package has 10 hrs, an e-session, a 10x10 kiss album, a cd with all images, 150 print cred, AND a 16x20 and it's only $2350 so we're not overpriced by any means. perhaps i'll feel better doing the base thing (which is much more appealing to me) when people know us better???

Hey All!

Since you have changed to this type of sales approach, how much of an increase do you see per wedding?

Here's the pricing right off my website:



I include everything I need to to make my photography the best it can be and don't leave anything to chance. I KNOW I'm going to get better photos at a wedding if I do an engagement session first, I KNOW more people will look at the wedding photos after I take them after they've seen the engagement photos. I KNOW that having a custom guest book that every guest is going to see when they sign their name with my photos in it is going to help my word of mouth and again make them more eager to see the wedding pics. I KNOW I will get better photos if I offer unlimited coverage since neither I nor the bride and groom will be stressed out about what time it is. I KNOW my word of mouth will be better if the bride gets an album with her awesome photos in it to pass around to her friends. Everything I do and that is included is either to promote myself or make the photos I take the best they can be. That is why I'll never go back to packages ever again, because I KNOW for me this is what works best, so why should I let a bride and groom make a decision that is in the end only going to hurt me.

After that everything is add ons. Although I supposed there isn't really much to add except upgrading an album. But like I said I know my costs and I know what I need to charge so I make all my money on the front end. If people want to upgrade fine, it's just an extra cherry on top... not something I'm depending on...

Kadie, your pricing seems smart and well thought through. It's also great marketing. I keep going back and forth as I'm about to go live on my wedding site. I definitely don't like when people try to squeeze everything into like 3 hours...

Kadie, good way to do it. So from my earlier question, do you have a whole pricing list for ordering the album? And I assume the couple does that after the wedding, or do you have them order their album ahead of time?

What vendor do you use for the brag books and guest signing book?

And Kadie, in your package setup, everyone gets an album (or a credit towards an album)... do you get anyone that asks if you have a cheaper cost if they don't want an album? Or do people just pay it and never order the album?

so it's more like...you have one package, period. do you allow for any changes? like, we don't want this brag book or we don't want the sign in book? how do you deal with that?

also, what sort of albums do you use for your brag books/sign in books? and your main album...what kind do you use and if you don't mind me asking, what do you charge?

do you make CDs of all images available?

sorry i have like a billion questions, we're just revamping pricing/products in 2009 and trying to decide on a direction...

its not so much an increase as it is just easier for me - i've only booked a few since i started this - but i've also booked each enquiry. even with my base price and adding in an album, i still come out basically the same as my competition - i am slightly higher, but i am not too worried about it.

Wow! Lots of questions! Here goes:



I do have separate pricing info for the albums all of which is included in the info packet that I give when I meet with my clients. Although we usually decide after the wedding if they want to upgrade albums at all.

As for vendors, I use pictage so the brag books are simply their little 5x5 willow book proof books with the image numbers taken off. They are cheap for me and my clients love them! I give those out since I don't give printed proofs. Plus they usually put them in their purse to show all their friends.

As for the guest book I use vision art... THEY ARE FREAKING AMAZING! And their albums are just perfect for this type of book since you can write on the pages with any old pen. They only have about a 1 week turn around time as well!




I've had people ask, but really the package is just take it or leave it. If they don't want something it doesn't change the price. Although I might swap things around for people sometimes, like if they want more pages in their album and don't want the brag books I'll just cut those out and trade it for the larger about of album pages for them.



Well like I said above it's a take it or leave it thing, and most people just really love the products and take it. And like I said if they don't want something I try and upgrade another item instead of lessening the price.

As for albums I use Asuka for my main included album
Kiss for my upgraded leather option
Vision Art for my guest books
Willow book for my brag books

As for a CD, what I do is hold onto the images for a year and then on the couples first anniversary I send it to them with printing rights as a free anniversary present. That way they can't screw with my images right away and people see them the way I wanted them to be seen and after a year's gone by they'll have an excuse to remember me again and maybe bring up my name to some more friends. Like I said everything goes back to what is best for me, and then making it seem like I'm doing this great awesome thing for my clients.

I hope that helps

WOW!!! Great info!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write all this.

So those of you that offer the CD of images a year after they're married....on their one year anniversary. Do you have clients who say...WHY a year. WHY WHY WHY??? haha...I've seen other photographers start doing this as well & as I don't have the images on the CD in my packages...if they want those they have to pay extra....but they get the CD once they buy it. I haven't had bride's do enlargements from the CDs...they print a bunch of 4x6s & 5x7s for their receptions & have them all over the tables.

So not sure if that's good to give the CD a year after they're married.

To rephrase above...my bride's like to buy the CD of images of their engagements & bridals to display the small prints all over their receptions.


Hope I'm making sense...haha..I'm not having a very great day!!!! So my brain is a little scattered!!!!

My CDs are in my package and I say they can have them after 6 months when I take their gallery down, but they really don't like that. They do ask why? Why the delay, doesn't it take a few seconds to burn a disk? So I say that it will be delivered with their album or at 6 months, whichever comes first. It's hard to explain to them, since that really is the ONE item that everyone asks for in every inquiry I get. Those darn chain stores with their 19 cent 4x6s!! lol

Wow Kadie. I really like your one package.

So do you even tell them they get their disc at a year or do you just surprise them?

I'm creating new pricing for myself and totally lost, so I love hearing what other's do.

Thanks!

Personally I've already built it into the package, so really they have already bought them from me. So I'm really not losing out on any money there. Plus I think it's a great way to get your name back in their mouth after a year has gone by. It's a great way to protect your images from being portrayed badly as well. Because if I give a bride a CD right away they can photoshop them, print them green, whatever and I can't really stop them. But if I wait a year all the people she shows her photos to will see them the way I want them to be seen, from the lab I prefer. Then after a year they get the photos and can do whatever they like with them because people will have already seen them the right way first.

As for people asking why a year... I just explain it to them like I just did to you, they understand the reasoning behind it. Plus I give them enough product with the initial package that they really leave with a substantial amount of stuff to tide them over for the year they have to wait.



Yes and no. I don't put it in my package online and I don't really mention it until the end of our client meeting, that way it's like this awesome gift that I'm throwing in. And at that point they couldn't care less if they have to wait a year, because 4 seconds ago they didn't even think it was an option to get the CD.

Good luck with your pricing, I am an expert by no mean, I've just found that so far this is what has worked the best for me.

Wow Kadie. You and Shane should so do workshops on pricing. You both have such great and solid ideas. I love hearing about them!!!

I can tell you that I've had this pricing system in place for only a few weeks and I've already had a better success rate with meetings. With the base price system, you can still make package offerings. But your clients are "prequalified" for the base amount. I can still put together a couple of packages that show some savings off a la carte, and still get beyond my goal of $5,000 per wedding.

This base pricing includes: Full wedding coverage, an engagement session or bridal portrait, online proofing, web slideshow.

I am experimenting with only giving the CD with the purchase of an album. That way, there's built in value and incentive to purchase an album.

Kadie has an awesome system. The package pricing system can work to get you to a certain level; but if you stall out, it's time to rethink your strategy. A "Base price-plus" system is a great way to do that. The clients who come to you will be serious about your work and will have a good idea what your minimum is.

When you negotiate with this system, you are doing so from a position of strength. With the package-only system, you're negotiating from a position of weakness. Your "stuff" is pushing down the value of you.

I know I'll definitely be interested in hearing what Kevin Swan has to say at OSP South this year about album sales. That's where my future sales energy will be going.

Hey shane, i don't know if this is a faux pas, but what is your pricing on albums? And what kinds do you offer? (This part of the forum is searchable as an FYI)

No problem. For 2009, my pricing is $75 per page.

Thanks man You mind if I PM you with some questions?

I do the base+ system and heartily agree with everything that's been said thus far. I just want to mention that I also include an album credit in the base price to get them started. With pre-design, I'm like to make an extra $1000 and up on the album alone. Sure, it's more work -- but it's priced for that and I don't feel like I'm doing something for nothing (something that was previously mentioned).

or email

shane@shanesnider.com

I have also started the a la carte system for 2009 pricing. I have booked higher packages with 2 of them than I expected. In the old packages, it included everything that they "needed" - with coverage, engagement, album, prints and high resolution files (free upfront after $5k or after 1 year otherwise). By having all of the things that I offer available and actually going through the list with them, they keep adding it on. Only my really high package before had an 8x8 leather parents' book that matched the couple's album. I've sold 2 of those last week! They are also really thinking about coverage like bridal luncheon and day after.

I am offering the high resolution files for $600, free after the first anniversary or included with any album purchase. The albums are also discounted if they purchase them upfront, so they can save $200 - $400 if they go ahead and put it into the contract.

I have done a la carte for quite a while now and I love it! My clients really appreciate the flexibility too. The only con is getting people to decide what they want so I can include it in the contract. IT works out, but it is usually a little bit of a pain to get them to decide on what they want. OTherwise, I would never go back to set packages. I love having a la carte!

i dont worry about that - they can buy the ala cart stuff separately through my shopping cart system.

as soon as i sign them and they pay the deposit, i draw up my contract which is for wedding coverage - this is where my system has proven to be quite attractive - they only have to pay the deposit on the wedding coverage.