Small town fees

[djb28]

I live in a very small town. All the towns around me are also small, until you get to Buffalo or Rochester. I am smack dab in the middle of both cities. I have to keep my prices low or I would never get any business. You can click to my site to see my photo prices, if you wish. I am currently in the neighborhood of 50.00 less than competitors and i offer more prints. That doesnt really bother me. What does bother me is how many people who tell others about me say. He is good, and he is cheap!

I cringe even writing that! While i know i am not as good as probably half the people on this site, i do believe i am decent competition for any one in my area. But how do i get rid of this CHEAP tag I have acquired? Do i raise prices? Do Speak up and sound like a fool?

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by djb28

I am currently in the neighborhood of 50.00 less than competitors and i offer more prints. That doesnt really bother me. What does bother me is how many people who tell others about me say. He is good, and he is cheap!

I cringe even writing that! While i know i am not as good as probably half the people on this site, i do believe i am decent competition for any one in my area. But how do i get rid of this CHEAP tag I have acquired? Do i raise prices? Do Speak up and sound like a fool?

Honestly, I believe you've answered your own question. You are obviously charging too little. If your work is equal or superior to the competition, you should charge thus so.

I haven't looked at your work, but if you and your clients feel that you are cheap...you ARE.

Do you want to be known as "the guy who's cheap" or "the photographer whose work is worth every penny"?

My two cents.

[Jim Poor]

If you don't want to be called "cheap" don't BE cheap.

Seriously, if you're "in the middle of both cities," that puts you within 40 minutes of either. I have clients that drive up to 5 hours to reach me, and for a fee, I'll drive to them. No reason you shouldn't be charging Buffalo or Rochester prices if your work will hold up to it.

Originally Posted by djb28

I live in a very small town. All the towns around me are also small, until you get to Buffalo or Rochester. I am smack dab in the middle of both cities. I have to keep my prices low or I would never get any business. You can click to my site to see my photo prices, if you wish. I am currently in the neighborhood of 50.00 less than competitors and i offer more prints. That doesnt really bother me. What does bother me is how many people who tell others about me say. He is good, and he is cheap!

I cringe even writing that! While i know i am not as good as probably half the people on this site, i do believe i am decent competition for any one in my area. But how do i get rid of this CHEAP tag I have acquired? Do i raise prices? Do Speak up and sound like a fool?

[Jim Poor]

Would you rather hear "S/He is great and CHEAP too!"

OR something like this from a real client of mine:

Jim immediately connected with both our dogs, and had all of us relaxed in just a few moments. The entire session took about 45 minutes. The photos he took were absolutely amazing. Jim shot a ton a photos, each better than the next. Even though he had just returned from vacation and had a big backlog, he had the proofs posted to his web site within two days.

There were so many wonderful photos, it really was hard to decide. We ended up with an 11x14, a bunch of 8x10s, even more 5x7s, several 4x6s, and a set of wallets to send out to the family. I won't kid you, the photos are not inexpensive, but Jim has several money-saving bundles available on his web-site, so it is pretty easy to figure out how to get a the best possible deal.

I spent about 45 minutes with the clients, 30 minutes prepping proofs, less than an hour prepping final images. Total time = less than three hours. Total order > $800 beyond the sitting fee.

This client drove about an hour to my home studio.

[navcom]

I agree with everyone here...charge what you are worth and what your market will bear. If they are calling you cheap, you are.

Four things to do...

#1. Do a more in-depth market comparison. Find 25 photographers who do what you do within 90 minutes of you and compare their prices and packages. Compare them to yours. See what market segments are saturated and which are not.

#2. Don't compete with the Walmart-types. Countless businesses have sunk because the only criteria they market for is price. They feel if it's not lower than the lowest around, somehow they aren't going to be able to survive. This is based on the assumption that everyone is shopping solely based on the cheapest price. It's simply not true. Yep, some do. But are they your target market? Do you really want someone who wants you to practically give your product away and then constantly bicker about how they can get it cheaper elsewhere...all the while demanding more and more service for less and less price? Can you really make a living doing that? Most who think they can soon find out that they are loosing money after all is said and done. You will find that those who shop based on quality and service are not only much easier to work with but also understand your value a bit better. It's never possible to satisfy everyone, but you do notice a difference.

Which brings me to #3...

#3. Find your target market (your niche) and design your products/services around that market. Find a niche...not the cheapest and probably not the top of the line...but something you can market towards based on #1 above. Then sit down and figure out what it's going to take to satisfy that market/niche. Make a plan and execute it.

#4. Don't worry so much about whether you match up to everyone else or not. Worry about satisfying your customers. That's all that matters. And be confident. People are drawn to confidence. Not arrogance...confidence. If you are worrying about whether you are as good as another local photographer, the customer will sense that and it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If people are buying your stuff already?...your already on your way. Build on that.

Hope that helps!