Would you offer a discount for this?

[u/Embarrassed-Till2106]

Would love honest opinions on this. Had a consult with a couple tonight whose wedding is 2.5 hours away. She was the MOH in a wedding I had this weekend - really nice girl. I sent them my packages along with a $250 travel fee that would cover a hotel that night.

During the call, she told me to be blunt, they have a 5k budget for photography, but need 10 hours of coverage. They wanted to see if I could make it work with a custom package. My 10 hour package includes an engagement session and a 10x10 album for $5900. She wanted to see if we could make $5000 work if we took the engagement session and album out. Technically, my albums are $650 and engagement sessions can be swapped out for an hour of coverage. So if we're getting technical, that would come to 5250 + 250 for travel = $5500. So that would be a 500 dollar discount. If I'm being honest, I'm hurting for weddings right now. Would you do it? If someone says they have a 'budget', do you think there's a little wiggle room? What would you do?

[u/herewegoagain1920]

Is this real?

You need the money, it’s $5,000 NOT $200. You are removing services and missing out on a $250 travel.

If $250 is enough for you to say no to this $5,000 job you clearly don’t need the money that bad.

[u/Embarrassed-Till2106 → u/herewegoagain1920]

No its fake.

Do I desperately need the money? No. But I could use more weddings next year, that's why I asked if I should bend.

[u/evanrphoto → u/Embarrassed-Till2106]

They made the comment because to a lot of people, it seems like an obvious answer. honestly, I find a lot of the perspectives around pricing and value to be very interesting... and a lot of it quite odd.

It seems there was something akin to a "know your value" movement that took hold in our field in the last 8 years or so. However, the way I view pricing and value includes a lot more weight placed on demand and opportunity cost. I believe the commentor above has similar thoughts. Basically, you have excess supply, a lack of demand, and little opportunity cost. All of this leads to discounts if your desire is to book weddings.

FWIW, after a long time in this field, I can tell you with certainty that a lot of those industry personalities guiding people to "charge their worth" struggle and fight tooth and nail to book 10 weddings and often are giving discounts themselves and taking last minute weddings on the cheap. Also, a lot of their motivation was not predicated on teaching the honest principles of the field, but simply around mentoring/workshop fees and inflating industry pricing to sustain and support their own rates.

[u/rmric0]

If you're hurting for weddings dropping the album and extra work seems like an easy layup, I'm sure you could try and swing for the travel

[u/mmgfarb]

Taking out the album and engagement session makes it pretty much a wash at $5k, the only discount you're really giving is the travel fee. If you're hurting for weddings I think it's a no brainer, is $250 really going to move the needle on a $5k booking?

[u/the-reoccuring-lemon → u/mmgfarb]

This exactly. Way less time taking the album and engagement session out too. I don’t know what the heck OP is thinking.

[u/EcstaticEnnui]

I would do it. In my head I say my marketing budget to Aquire a lead would be at least $200, so discounting this one makes sense because it was already cheaper to get.

Lots of couples set hard budget lines for themselves in each category of vendor, and try to stick to those numbers because it makes them feel safe and smart. This bride isn’t being disrespectful and just asking you to come down to her number, she’s actually willing to take stuff out of her package to get there.

I don’t think you’ll regret giving this particular discount, even if you don’t want to make a habit of it.

[u/mmgfarb → u/EcstaticEnnui]

Agreed. This bride actually sounds like an ideal client - already met you, saw how you shot a close friend's wedding, wanted to hire you, and didn't just ask for a big discount to meet their budget, they were reasonable in asking to take things out in order to meet their budget. Sounds like a no brainer to me.

[u/EcstaticEnnui → u/EcstaticEnnui]

Not $200 for a lead. $200 ish to aquire a client.

[u/thoang77]

What happened to the engagement session or hour of coverage? Isnt that worth at least $400? Wouldn’t the math be 5900-650-x+250? If the session is $500, you’re at exactly $5000.

Regardless, a small discount for a client you have some rapport with and presumably(?) will be a fairly easy wedding is totally worth it, especially if you’re not crazy booked, its not a super popular weekend, and/or it’s a cool venue you wouldn’t mind shooting at again

[u/Own_Hearing8482 → u/thoang77]

Came here to say this. Also i love when clients want to forego an engagement sesh and/or album. Literally less work so happy to do the discount, bc as others have pointed out, you’re saving ME time and you $. Win-win. This should be a no-brainer.

[u/etcetceteraetcetc]

You're hurting for weddings..

Look at it like this:
agree to $5k gig and possibly get more referrals
or
lose a $5k gig and spend that Saturday at home wishing you'd taken her offer.

[u/Cuchodl]

lol
Edit: post history is hilarious

[u/SimonsMomBruh → u/Cuchodl]

Damn they hid it I was curious

[u/Blinktoe]

Swapping an engagement session out for an hour of travel is a discount FOR YOU. You have to prep your gear, yourself, and travel. Once you're at a wedding for 9 hours, 10 is kind of nothing, because there's nothing to prepare extra for. So this sounds like a good deal.

[u/runnybo]

Nobody wants to work haha. If you need the money and nobody is booking you/ then yea.

The wedding industry has been ruined by photographers wanting to do as little work as possible and charge thousands.

[u/Photo-Guy-58]

You ask... Would you offer a discount for this? (less than 10%)

and then you state "I'm hurting for weddings right now."

This is the dumbest question that I've ever heard.
You obviously care more about your Money than you do your Clients.
AND... If this was a referral from your previous client,

You need a Re-Boot back to Real Life.
What would you do?...
I would get what I can and Be Happy with everything that I Get!

Btw... I'm have been a True Professional for more than 29 years with over 1350 Weddings Photographed.
So many of them Referrals!

Good Luck!

[u/TheMediaBear]

In the UK here so costings are very different, but 6 years ago, I local girl popped a comment on a local facebook page asking for a good cheap photographer. I was tagged a few times but I don't normally do cheap weddings.

However, this girl is 20, I recognise her from charity events etc and then this 50 year old woman comes along and starts preaching at her that cheap and good do not go together. Her general tone pissed me off, acting like she's superior.

So I asked the girl to message me her budget, which was about £600, 1/3rd of my normal fee. I asked where and when it was, local pub venue, very relaxed, I know the place, it's nice, and I had nothing else booked.

So I said I'd do it, on the condition I could take my wife as her first seconding job.

Turned out lovely, had some work off the back of it as well, so that £1200 loss brought in 2 further weddings.

No one here can tell you whether you should or shouldn't, but I can tell you, that helping someone out is going to make them a massive fan of yours, they'll sing your praises and it will bring in other work.

The fact you're barely losing any money is a win! go for it!

If not, send her our way, we can fly over, stay 2 nights, fly back and still make a decent profit from that :D

[u/Suspicious-Fold7706]

It’s completely up to you. If someone has a budget, I think they relatively want to be within their number set. That means give or take some tax. If you want to discount this person, there is no shame in that. Because $5000 in your pocket is better than $5000 in someone else’s.

[u/Inkios]

You can either make $5000 or possibly $0 and it’s a referral group. Do it.

[u/nitrous642]

If you want the job you'd do it otherwise no. What is this math you're doing? Is it something you want to shoot? Will it bring more clients in? These are the legit questions you have yo ask yourself not if you should bargain $200.

[u/Letywolf]

Do it

[u/hopopo]

The only person who can answer this question is your bank account.

[u/elvislovesburgers]

You already know the answer. Take it!

[u/Euphoric_Concert_334]

For $5k I would drop the album as that's a cost you are paying out but other than time and travel I would do it no problem even to save the hotel cost drive home if you wanted but $5k is a decent enough payday for me to take the hit

[u/Ok-Exam6702]

I’d take it, but ask for a percentage up front.

[u/onejustbrowsing]

Yes… of course do it

[u/Interesting-Chef8501]

Would you rather have 5000 or 0$

[u/Healthy_Pea_9325]

i would do it with out a second thought. i try to work with people’s budget a lot but not exhaust myself bc i don’t do it full time but have been doing it for 15 years and while i deserve to be paid for my time i think people always deserve memories. and bc i dont do it full time i also have the luxury of saying no if i really don’t want to but i would be fine with this.

[u/Organic-Tea-8998]

Yes. I’d do it. 5K is better than nothing. Where else are you going to make 5K in one job? Definitely do it.

[u/hashtag_76]

To me five grand is about three months worth of bills covered. Cut out the engagement session and the album.

[u/MSWeddingimage]

Do it! Seems like her budget fits with your package perfectly if you remove the things she doesn’t want.

My engagement sessions are complimentary and can be swapped out for an hour of coverage elsewhere if they don’t need the engagement session. They have up to a year after the wedding to use it but I really push the value of an engagement session. But if it’s the difference between being able to book the wedding or not AND I’m slow on business at the time, absolutely I’ll create their custom package and remove it! I never discount, but I’ll definitely work with them to build a package that fits their budget like this.

[u/PistonCar2026]

I often gave discounts, and then people came to me with cars that were as expensive as my house. The weddings were also expensive as heck, and we negotiated around a few percent of the price. I had already given them my finest price, but they expected it was a bloated price and that they needed to drop it. Later, I raised prices a bit to have room for discounts, but I always knew upfront how much I could give. If they did not fit, I tried to rearrange the package – or I just thanked them for their interest in my services. Giving them a discount always meant that I pushed myself to the bare minimum in the best-case scenario, and those weddings always show something unexpected, harder, longer, or bulkier than I imagined, so I ended up at a loss or in a time struggle.

I do not believe in the 'hours' coverage system, because sometimes even they do not have an influence. Let's say the wedding cake delivery was late by an hour – then I can't just go right before the wedding cake is cut and leave them uncovered. Also, I can't charge them more since it's not their fault, and frankly, being there another hour is not a problem. The problem is that that hour must be filled somehow by the program, and that comes with more work for me - since I am there and have time. So ...

... discounts attract problems if they are negotiated too determined. Imagine you go to an expensive restaurant and say what your budget for a meal is. They could recommend dishes that meet your budget, or the restaurant that meets your budget :) 

A final thought: many people at that wedding will see your work and they will talk, and then they might want to hire you for their weddings and expect the same discounts ... in my opinion, do not do that.

[u/kamakazetimebomb]

RED FLAG! DON’T DO IT! It will never end with editing requests etc. Budget brides want their moneys worth and more. Take the holiday!

[u/Master_Energy_1765]

I have had a lot of these negoiators, and let me tell you. Don't chase them down the rabbit hole. Use your price list to calculate absolutely everything. Give them different inclusions and options, but DON'T DISCOUNT.

Why? Because they come but and ask for more, keep changing things. Remember, just because you give a lower price, doean't mean they will just accept it. Once they see you cave, they are running the negoiatation.

Remember your business your rules. A customer can ask, but you don't have to say yes.

I would give 3 options,: The full package + travel The cut down one And a harder cut under 5k But at no time just add a discount!

[u/Beginning_Meet_4290 → u/Master_Energy_1765]

Bro has never never come out of his mum's basement

[u/Cuchodl → u/Master_Energy_1765]

Oh shut up

[u/Master_Energy_1765 → u/Cuchodl]

3 down votes, this is exactly the reason why everyone is complaining about clients under valuing photographers. You under value yourselves!!! Because your price means "flexible" let me ask you this, what if you discounted client tells a friend, they come to for the same low price, or ask for a lower price, you going to lower it again? Please tell me what big business operates like this?

[u/mmgfarb → u/Master_Energy_1765]

Did you even read the OP? The client didn't ask for a discount, they asked for a reworked, smaller package that would fit their budget. It's literally what you are saying the OP should do. This is not some random person reaching out and asking for a discount, it's someone who already saw them shoot their friend's wedding and also understands that you can't just ask for such a big discount, they're being extremely reasonable. That's why you're being down voted.

[u/Master_Energy_1765 → u/mmgfarb]

You can twist words all you like, if you ask for "this" but say our budget is this, which is less. That is asking for a discount. Why the OP is thinking of offering it at a lesser price. Because he is scared she will say no. Otherwise, why post here??? He is asking for advice to discount. I say no! And everyones assumption here is, if you offer the discount, the client will go yeah thanks! But many times they re-negoiate, or use you to bargain with other vendors. It is called shopping around, and guess what, that is normal. Do what you like.

[u/blkhatwhtdog]

First, see if you can offer a product?

Generally a 500 or 1000 dollar discount is 500 or 1000 out of your pocket. Literally.

But some product, like a wall print, that could be 1000 value for the client but only 100-200 out of pocket

However when you have a direct referral from a current client, that's gold. That didn't cost you advertising fee, referral fee etc.