Brace yourself… there is no right or wrong way. And anyone who says differently hasn’t really seen things from both perspectives. In the end, it’s a decision that you need to make based on a few factors such as your brand, who you want to attract, and what your sales process is. We’ll explore each of these in detail in a moment.
It’s just important to remember that whatever you do, whatever decision you make, you should know why you are doing it and stick with it. That’s not to say you can’t switch things up later on if you want to go a different route.
Showing your prices
Having your prices visible on your website means that any and all visitors will know your price point. I mean, that’s the goal, right? The benefit of this is that it weeds out price shoppers who are just looking to get an idea of what things cost. This ultimately means that when someone reaches out to you – they’re already aware of what you charge and feel that you fit within their budget. That’s already a good start.
Another plus to this is that it subconsciously shows your value. So long as you are pricing yourself right. Imagine you’re browsing online for a service you have no idea about (it’s often the case with Brides as it’s generally the first time they’re looking for a wedding photographer), and you come up with a few results. One is priced at 1000€, the other at 500€ and the last is 100€. Even though you may not notice such a big difference between all of them, the 1000€ service provider tends to seem more…professional. More established. You ask yourself “Why is he/she so expensive? There must be a reason”.
Believe me when I say that not all brides want to go for the cheapest photographer.
Pro’s of Showing your pricing
- Gives visitors an indication of your value
- Weeds out price shoppers who’d only reach out for a pricelist
- Brides reaching out to you are already aware of your prices, yet they still reach out. Generally means they’re okay with your rates.
Con’s of Showing your pricing
- You do lose a bit of flexibility
Photo by Melli & Shayne
Sending a pricelist (no prices shown)
On the opposite side of the spectrum, things are very much similar in terms of right or wrong. Sending out the prices via email or links after making initial contact with a potential bride can be just as effective. The main difference here is that the client will have contact with you before ever seeing your prices. This can be incredibly advantageous as that first email reply you send brings about your tones, who you are, the friendliness, and so on. This definitely makes those high prices a bit easier when people like the person offering those services.
It also allows you a little bit of control in terms of what to charge. There’s nothing wrong with putting together custom quotes for clients as everyone tends to have different needs and locations. Especially if you’re a destination wedding photographer. Flights & Travel costs change all the time so it’s best to have the option to shift things as needed. Sure, you can write something on your website saying ‘starting at X price, travel costs not included.
For us personally, at Melli & Shayne, we chose this route after some time having our prices visible and it’s worked out just fine for us. We love to have that initial point of contact where we can reply to their questions as well as comment on anything they’ve filled out in our form. It makes things immediately feel a lot more personal.
Pro’s of sending your pricelist
- Gives a personal connection immediately between you and your potential client
- You can answer all their questions at the same time, making things feel a lot friendlier
- You’re flexible in what you charge and to who based on location, the scale of the wedding, needs, etc…
Con’s of sending your pricelist
- You may have to deal with people who are only looking for prices, and not keen on booking.
- It’s a bit more work & energy putting things together
- Can get confusing if too many different pricelists are floating around
Photo by Mati Photography
Showing a price starting point
A third option that seems to solve a lot of the con’s in both previous points is to show your prices but not entirely. One can simply put a line of text/information that states that Prices for weddings start at €4,000.00 plus travel costs. Get in touch for a personal quote. Or something. This gives a clear indication of what your ‘minimum’ price is so that anyone who is under budget is already aware of what you charge. It also should weed out price shoppers but, they could be anywhere regardless.
By stating that the travel costs are not included opens up the doors for you to change them according to the location of the wedding, the season, and so on. Flights are more expensive in high season obviously and we need to account for this. Finally, a little line saying “Get in touch for a personal quote” does mean that when people reach out, they can expect a personal reply from you, where you can still bring about your brand, your tone, your friendliness and so on…
Pro’s of a price starting point
- Shares all the pro’s of both previous points
Con’s of a price starting point
- Extra work to put together personal quotes
Photo by Flora Gibson
Conclusion
Whatever route you decide to go down, there is no right or wrong method. Only how you want to come off to your potential customers. We personally have chosen to go down the “Sending the prices” option but that’s simply because we did it, it worked and hasn’t changed since. Showing a price starting point seems like the best of both worlds as it does immediately give an indication of your value while also encouraging the clients to reach out to you for personal interaction.