There is so much information out there on negotiating with clients… but, I feel like we can never have enough. It is a tricky subject that definitely requires a much deeper look into behavioral psychology to understand all the different personalities you may encounter and how to best communicate with them. After several years of negotiating and bidding on photography projects, I’ve found a few quick tips that work for me in every opportunity that has come my way.
Get Face Time
I always push for zoom calls with new prospective clients. Before covid, most of these meetings would happen in person I can say with confidence that at least 8 out of 10 clients will book when I have an in-person meeting. Pretty much the same percentage with a Zoom meeting today. Without face time, I might book 2 out of 10. The reason for this is that there are a lot of good photographers out there with wildly different rates. With a face-to-face interaction, you get to show your personality and expertise. Something that isn’t as clear to a client in your portfolio.
The world we live in can also be so impersonal. Text in an email is so much easier to reject or like most people do, ignore altogether. But, face-to-face creates a stronger human connection. It becomes much harder for most people to just reject you without getting any valuable feedback as to why they didn’t book you on this project. That information can help you land more clients in the future or give you insight as to whether or not it was even a good fit in the first place. You can also get answers to ALL your questions quicker than emailing back and forth 5+ times and realizing they are still avoiding answering some questions. The one question that is often unanswered is “What is your budget?” But, when asked in person you will always get some sort of answer, even if it isn’t what you were looking for.
Be Confident in Yourself
I once asked a client why they hired me over the other photographers who bid on the job. They went on to tell me that I was the most expensive by A LOT, all the other photographers had a studio, and everyone’s work was comparable visually… That’s basically 3 reasons that in most cases would make the other photographers more appealing.
Where I won the job was by being confident. I believed in the work we do and our worth. Even though the agency would not make as much money because they couldn’t mark up our services as much. When they asked questions, I answered without hesitation and with CONFIDENCE that we could do the job. The other photographers all hesitated with their responses, tried to figure out all the logistics of how they were going to execute the job on the call with the agency rather than “Yes I can do it” and figure out the “HOW” later.
Fortunately, I had experience with a similar subject, so the how was pretty clear. I sold them on the shoot being easier for their client by having me shoot on-location which downplayed the importance of a studio. In the end, because of my confidence in the meeting, they knew they could confidently hire us to deliver what they were promising their client. So price became less important in the negotiation.
Ask a lot of questions!
The questions you ask are the key to unlocking everything. Through strategic questions, you can figure out their perceived value of what you do, find their pain points, and all the details you need to consider when developing a bid. It also keeps them talking and allows you to sit back and listen. People like to talk, by being a good listener and having the time to do so, you can really observe the finer details.
You might think, “The problem is they need photography” but that is only what is on the surface. There are other problems they need to solve that you can help with. This might be something as simple as helping them fill a job position. But, you wouldn’t know that if you didn’t care enough to ask a lot of questions.
If your client has a problem unrelated to photography and it takes a couple of minutes for you to solve, they will remember that you were the one who went out of their way to help them. It sets you apart from the crowd because you’ve shown them that you genuinely care, will be an honest and good person to work with. Don’t only think about their photography-related problems. Pay attention to the opportunities that are presented to you, be a good person, and just help wherever you can. In general, questions mean everything and all the knowledge you are able to collect will help you lock them in for years to come. That is the goal, long-term, valuable clients, not 100 one-off clients.
That’s a few tips to get you started. Experience is everything and negotiations will always get easier if you reflect and ask questions about why you didn’t land the job. If you ask, you may not always get an answer but, you’d be surprised how many clients are willing to give you that feedback. In a way, losing the job to someone else can teach you more than landing the job… IF YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN.
What are some of your favorite negotiation tips/resources?
– Brandon
