Who is your competition?

[jessiper]

Does anybody ask their clients who else they are meeting/have met with? I never have, but I just so want to know who they've turned down when they hire me, or who they've booked when they don't hire me (like that ever happens! :lol: lol). I've never found an appropriate way to ask them, so I was curious to see if you ever find out who else they were thinking about hiring. Sometimes they'll say something like, "I've met with several other photographers, and I just love your stuff," or, "I have appointments to meet with a couple other photographers," etc., and I want to ask, "With who??"

[coreypolis]

It would be kind of intresting, but it can lead down a bad path. Customers never want to here you bad mouth the competition, and its an easy thing to do.

I'm good friends with several of my own competitors, and we'll pass eachother referals once in a while if they're booked or they couple is looking for a different style.

[jessiper]

It would be kind of intresting, but it can lead down a bad path. Customers never want to here you bad mouth the competition, and its an easy thing to do.

I'm good friends with several of my own competitors, and we'll pass eachother referals once in a while if they're booked or they couple is looking for a different style.

I hear what you're saying, but I wouldn't ask so I could bad mouth them, just out of curiosity. I don't even say anything negative about my own wedding photographer (because there are some things that really bothered me).

[CyberPet]

If they hire me, I don't have any competition. :D

[JaertX]

If they hire me, I don't have any competition. :D

that is so awesome...

[oldshooter]

It is easy to ask, if you book the couple, and they will tell you the positive reason they booked you.

But more important is to find out why some one didn't book you.

Did a competitor offer a product or service you should include in you packages? Was it a style they liked better? Take the negative information and turn it into a positive! I have even had a customer that did not book me, later refer me, because they were so unhappy with the photographer they eventually choose.

Wedding photography has gotten much more competive, every one with digital camera seems to want to get into the business. Keeping on top of your customer's buying decisions is a key to long term survival in the business.

What I hate is being the 1st photographer they meet with. I would much rather be the last. Because early on they are collecting information, and at the end they are able to make an informed decision.

[Mike Fulton]

Your only competition is yourself!

Don't worry what others are doing, as long as you take care of your end of things and your clients, everything will work out very well!

[jbstudios]

i like to keep my prices with others, but otherwise i dont care who they book with. I dont want to give my services away for free like in the past so besides keeping current with that, we are all different. we offer different things so i try to not take it personal.

jb

[samsheather]

i'll ask just out of curiosity. But I follow it up with encouraging my prospective clients to do their homework as what they are looking into is truley an important investment.
HRS

[Scott_Quier]

Your only competition is yourself!

Don't worry what others are doing, as long as you take care of your end of things and your clients, everything will work out very well!FWIW I really like this attitude - the long view. Take care of your business and your current clients and the rest will take care of itself.

I have asked a prospective client why they went with someone else after explaining that I'm trying to improve my offerings. This has helped me to refine and focus my offerings and my presentation of those offerings.

When they tell me, if they tell me, who they went with, I'm all about re-inforcing their decision. They have to make the best decision for their needs and I didn't fit. That's cool. I can't be all things to all people.

[oldshooter]

Your only competition is yourself!

Don't worry what others are doing, as long as you take care of your end of things and your clients, everything will work out very well!

Imagine if a large company like Ford took that same attitude. Don't worry about the competition, build a better car and business will take care of itself. Hmm that is exactly what Ford did. They kept on building the best sport utility vehicles and light trucks in a market that had changed to more fuel efficient cars lost a record $12 Billion dollars!

What we may be talking about here is a difference in markets the photographers are approaching. Tri Coast is reaching a national market with their marketing strategy, and the original poster marketing to a competitive local market in a depressed area where price and demand are highly competitive. What works for one studio may not work for another. Especially when just starting out in a new field, finding out what customers buying needs are based on is very important. And not knowing why customers went else where is just plain silly, especially if it is a pattern. Loosing one or two customers is insignificant, but imagine loosing millions!

Finding out why a customer went elsewhere may be tough, but if you can find out the Secret Special the guy down the street is running before it costs you a whole season, might make or break your business.

[Banbert]

Your only competition is yourself!

Don't worry what others are doing, as long as you take care of your end of things and your clients, everything will work out very well!


Whilst I respectfully agree with that to a certain extent and can see where your coming from, I also think its very useful to benchmark against other photographers and see what they are doing. Certainly for me as a newbie I have checked out tons of photographers sites in my local area and many around the world so I have a better idea of what the competition is offering .... weve then tried to offer somethig different and compelling to attract people to our very new business.

I dont talk about other photographers in my area to clients/potential clients but ive heard some interesting comments about some from a few clients and its always particularly interesting to hear comments from clients that have seen a few photographers already but then decides to book us instead of them. Were very cheap at the moment as its our first year but I dont think its just about price with some of the comments we have recieved.