So the price has been agreed, now what?

[delhi]

Hello Pros,

I am just wondering what is the best practiced transaction ethiquette after the price of the photos has been agreed upon.

1) send the photos to them & invoice and wait for the cheque?
2) send them the Invoice, wait for the cheque then send to photos?
3) Have the client put the cash in a plastic bag and put it in a specially marked garbage can while one watches from a multi-storey building with a binoculars before releasing the photos?
4) http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/emoticons/confused.gif other alternate ideas?

Also how do I get them to sign the invoice since this is done electronically?

I guess this is where trust comes in yes?

[PAFC2004]

Option 3.

[liza]

Get the money first.

[R_Metzel]

although #3 does sound like fun, Id go with #2. They pay for the photos then get them.

[PAS Photography]

Option #3 makes for a fun day. but, option #2 for all customers except previous commerical accounts that pay upon beng invoiced.
You dont goto walmart or any big lab and walk out with photos and wait for a bill.

[tim]

I send the bill then start processing the photos once the payment has cleared.

[md_129]

Cash first, always!

[IndyJeff]

It all depends on who you are talking about. Is this some mom wanting pictures of her kid playing baseball etc etc? Or, is this a company who is buying an image for use in a magazine, ad, newspaper, brochure etc etc.

If it is a person buying for personal use, i.e. a photo album or hanging on the wall, the money ispaid and the prints are delivered just like the grocery store, gas station, Wal Mart etc etc.

Now if this is the other purchaser mentioned above, send the files/prints and invoice them. If you ask for payment first from a commercial client you won't have to worry about collecting, you'll blow the sale.

[xepherys]

I haven't sold photos, but just as a general business practice, I'd tend to agree with IndyJeff. Yes, it puts you out on the line, but it also can give you extra great word of mouth references. Also, there are further ways to "collect" if a business tries to screw you over after the fact.

[fairytails_photography]

We have always collected "service" fees upfront, but with prints we either 1) collect at the time of the order and then process the order and deliver it, or 2) post images to our website and clients "pay as they go" with a credit card. So, in a nutshell, we get paid upfront, regardless. It's all in how you deliver it to them... walk softly but carry a stick.

Last year, we decided to be non-strict about payments and we were burned very, very badly. We still have accounts in collections, and we'll never recover the full amounts.

The moral of the story is to take care of your business finances like your own and secure them with the client. Just be politically "nice" about how you do it... firm, friendly, fair, and consistent. Since we've adopted those practices, along with our contracts, we've had very, very little problems.

[michael_]

send invoice with a proof sheet of all the photos when payment is made hand over cds, i had a photoshoot done for my car recently and thats the way the photography did it, worked great