The often unspoken (and also often ignored) pain we professionals feel locally

[Clown]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2a8TRSgzZY

[vid]R2a8TRSgzZY[/vid]

maybe i should show this to clients the moment they ask for a lower price.

 

[Will03]

woah.. this is a good one.........

 

[cutecdo]

LOL! This is a good one!

 

[Dream Merchant]

How painfully true! :sweat: :bsmilie:

Imagine doing a typically local version of the video - at food court, car repair shop and public toilet. :devil:

 

[sbs99]

Good one! Hahaha :bsmilie:

 

[Clown]

it's amazing no matter how many times i watch this.
so freaking similar to what i have to go thru with every other day.

 

[ericschmerick]

I guess I have a different reaction. Of course the video is funny, but the underlying principle of negotiation for stuff (especially services, and especially photography!) is just a fundamental part of doing business. It's supply/demand a quality. If a buyer perceives that you offer value (convenience, quantity, quality) that exceeds others in the market, then they will pay more. If they think they can go down the street and find someone else offering better or the same value, then you will find pricing pressure.

The photography business is incredibly tough. I had a studio in the US for 5 years, and I didn't earn much. I had a really tough time differentiating myself because frankly there are just too many really talented photographers out there (more talented than me). In the last few years there has been a literal explosion of people re-discovering high-quality photography with DSLRs. Digital lets the average person practice infinitely more than used to be possible, so skills development can happen much quicker. The simple fact is that there is a lot more supply of photography services, and at progressively higher levels of quality, than there was say 5-10 years ago.

The wiring in my brain might also be a little off from living for quite some time in China. I guess I never negotiated post-hoc for a meal, but literally every time I got my hair cut, and every time I bought DVDs, I negotiated the price. That would be considered perfectly normal there.

Eric

 

[vince123123]

This doesn't happen just locally; I face the same thing with my overseas clients all the time as well.

 

[Hommie]

There's a even better video than this on big companies asking for free things posted couple of years ago by another CSer.......

 

[+evenstar]

many a time, i hear shop owners gossipping that big shots are usually the ones who always try to push for discounts/ freebies, etc

 

[Chris Lim]

i can't agree more that this is what i face alot from clients.

But at the same time i wanna ask one question, which is, after spending an average of 60-70thousand dollars on a wedding (because i'm in the wedding industry) day which last and ends almost less then 15 hours most of the time, AND all that 60-70k almost disappears after the night is over. What is left to remember of wat was spent on this 60-70k? wouldnt it be only either photos or videos? or any other mediums that can allow a trigger of memory?


So based on that, and supply and demand of business. Why is it that we (the photographers and videographers) are being squeezed (the demand) to produce the medium that triggers the memories at less then a fraction of what the overall wedding cost(cost of supply)? Bearing in mind that on alot of occasions the gown, decor and cake in some instances cost more then the photography or videography itself?

And on one more point(out of a million others) espcially in sg where people would pay 4 times more for a black coffee at a gourmet cafe as compared to a coffeeshop because the service is better, shows how much service quality is seemingly important to the consumers. Why then again are we as service providers not welcomed to raise our rates for our once in a life time service?

Or does it mean that unless one whole segment of the market bends together to pull the rates up to "force" the consumers to accept our new rates that the market will start to move?




i think it might open a can of worms. But its just a random discussion topic that im sure has been floating around for a long time.

 

[sbs99]

nowadays most people have a misconception that photography is digital, it's easy and fast. Hence doesn't warrant a high price unlike in the film days. Usually they don't take the effort into account. That's what pisses most wedding photographers off, somehow there are some who would love to undercut everyone just for a quick buck which probably makes matters worse. All these points have been gone through over and over again, over the years since digitalization went widespread and average photographers now pick up the finer points faster.

Which is why i usually don't shoot weddings, unless its for really close friends. Even close friends (who are not into photography) might try to undercut you, as they try their darnest to save every cent to throw elsewhere where it can be seen more obviously. :bsmilie:

 

[waderbreak]

i get a feeling it's just singapore. singaporeans are probably rank among the most cheapo no frills bunch squeeze-every-last-discount-from-seller you can get. that's why it's esp hard. we nag just at about anything.

 

[foxwagon]

Like going for job interviews & they ask you to lower down your expectations but want you to take on more responsibilities.