This has been a discussion among photographers and wedding vendors for years. While some like to have their base price or starting prices on their website, others have chosen to not have any price list on their website. Why do you some choose to set up their websites like this? Some believe it's not a smart move to show your prices. They feel this way because if you show a price before you’ve had a chance to show the value of what you offer, many people will look at your price and realize that you're out of their budget therefore never reaching out to you. Or they fear that if someone is "shopping around for a personal branding photographer", they will just compare your prices to someone else that is cheaper. In theory I understand why they would feel this way. However here is why I have chosen to go the opposite and be completely transparent about my prices.
Being transparent about your price saves time because it immediately weeds out bargain shoppers or people that are just looking for a good deal. Those types of customers are not truly going to value you or the experience you are offering. I personally don't feel like it's a good idea for any small businesses to continue to waste time trying to attract someone who was never going to spend the money you in the first place. By having your prices clearly listed the customer knows from the beginning if they can afford you, therefore no time is wasted for you or your clients.
2: AVOID HAVING TO DISAPPOINT POTENTIAL CLIENTS
This where I feel like it's important to put yourself in the clients shoes. Lets say you've been searching for a senior portrait photographer for you childs senior pictures and you absolutely fall in love with a local Tampa photographers work. So you reach out them them all excited and ready to move forward with booking only to find out their starting prices area way out of reach for your budget. You feel crushed and sad that finically you can't spend that much money. And there again you've wasted your time and the clients. Having your prices fully listed avoids the uncomfortable "what's your budget" conversation. It can quickly feel like a sales pitch and the client may feel like you're trying to sell them something they might not want to begin with or over charging them just to make more money for the exact same service that you charged someone else because they had a bigger wallet. By being up front with your pricing you and the customer can see if it's a good fit right from the get go and if they truly value the service you area offering.
3: YOU COULD ACTUALLY PUSHING AWAY CLIENTS
What do I mean by this? I personally hate when any small business doesn't have their prices listed. I feel like I'm getting played or they are trying to hid something. I immediately don't trust them and therefore go back to google in search of someone who does have their prices listed. If you don't have any prices listed this could frustrate customers and in the end you've potentially lost out on a booking simply because you just don't have any information on your website regarding pricing.
4: FOCUS ON WHAT TRULY MATTERS
I've heard people say " if I put my prices on my website then people can see them and steal them for their business model". I understand that fear but honestly if that's what you're worried about, your business will have a hard time succeeding and here is why I say that. I feel strongly that as a small business in St. Petersburg, Florida you need to focus on the value you are providing, what you have to offer, and how that makes you different from your competition. If you put much of your efforts into making sure each and everyone of your clients get exceptional service it won't matter if someone comes along and "steals all your ideas and pricing".
And as always, thank you so much for stopping by my website and reading this blog post! If you or someone you know owns a small business here in the Wesley Chapel, Lutz, Land O Lakes, or Lakeland areas and is looking for a personal branding, lifestyle headshot photographer, or luxury eleopment photographer feel free to reach out to me about my pricing and availability. I would be thrilled to be your photographer! For more information click on the links below!
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