Negotiation and the Power of Paper

The reason many photographers are afraid to negotiate is they are afraid the client will say no and they'll lose the sale; so many times they sell themselves short.

The trick with negotiation is not to shut the door. The way a price negotiation works is that you work within a price range. This gives you room to negotiate. Using the price range in fotoQuote you begin working within the top price range; you never begin a quote in the bottom range because it leaves you no room for negotiation. In the Coach Tips we provide you with ways to back off if necessary, without looking like you've fallen off.

A contract is an agreement of a negotiation. When you put things in writing it looks official. It's like pricing in a catalog. You never negotiate a price in a catalog; you don't call up Pottery Barn for example and ask, "Can I get a better price on this vase?" That's why companies put things on paper, and that's why in fotoQuote we suggest you fill in a stock quote to send to your client.

When you send a quote stating your terms and conditions and how much the usage is going to be, there is more acceptance over the price and less questioning from your client about whether they can get it for less. The client receives a professionally prepared document and your asking price becomes official.

Large corporations and ad agencies have had the benefit of training from experts in the ways of negotiating. They have lawyers who have drawn up their contracts, stating their terms of business. You have the right as a business owner to have your own terms of business and you have the right when you are handed a contract with terrible terms to say, "I'm sorry that doesn't match my terms of doing business." If you don't have your own terms of business your clients will dictate them to you.

All photography is a negotiation and it really does pay to become a good negotiator. Consider this example. You can increase your income by 20% by getting 20% more jobs and working 20% harder, or you can get 20% more in your negotiations for the jobs that you do. The better a negotiator you are, the more you are going to make for doing less work. So be sure and read the fotoQuote Coach Tips and practice your negotiating skills whenever you can!