Referral fees...

[dimitrii_popov]

Hello, a friend of mine showed her wedding photos which I took, at her work. One of her co-workers saw it and wants me to shoot her wedding as well. My friend told me about it and also told me she expects a 10% referral fee.. Is this normal?

[lil_miss]

I would like to think not... Most wedding photography business comes from referrals and word of mouth....

I would just politely say - I'm sorry I dont work like that.

[dimitrii_popov]

I talked to my friend and told her that I don't work like this.. and I won't pay her.. From our conversation I understood that she thinks it is a normal business practice, but since we're friends, she doesn't really care about it and told me to forget about it... (which is strange, because if she thought like that she wouldn't mention money in the first place. Plus we never discussed anything about referral fees before..). She explained that she only told me about this referral fee, so I won't feel bad, by getting this gig through her and making all the money myself. In the end she still asked me if I still want to shoot her co-worker, I told her I would tell her tomorrow, but I feel really awkward doing it now, what should I do? Should I take the job, and not pay her knowing she expects it or should I tell them to find somebody else? Should I tell her to stop "advertising" me to avoid implications?

[Mike]

I don't pay referral fees and I get most of my business by word of mouth.

Don't feel awkward and don't tell her to stop advertising you as that would be bad for you. Just thank her and take the job.

[tim]

I don't pay referral fees, but I do offer a $200 print credit to past customers who refer people to me. This is enough for some prints, or a family portrait session. It's my way of saying "thanks". I never pay cash.

[egordon99]

That's a strange request from the friend. I could see if YOU offered the friend an extra print or something after she got you the job of shooting her co-worker's wedding. But to flat-out REQUEST (demand?) 10%....That's absolutely bizarre.

Pretty much ALL of my upcoming and past jobs have been word-of-mouth/referrals (I have yet to do ANY advertising :) ) The mother of the Bar Mitzvah I just shot did a great job of talking me up to the other parents, and I ended up getting booked for three more jobs, so I gave her a big break on her job, but I would be aghast if she came up to me and said "Oh, you can pay me the 10% in cash or check...."

[mminnig]

Like Tim, we offer print credits in exchange for referrals and they have been very well received by our clients.

[dimitrii_popov]

Everyone thanks for the tips and support.

[collierportraits]

Agreed. Never pay cash. IF you do book the wedding, absolutely send a thank you note and if the client books a large package, you could even include a "studio credit" or a gift certificate to a local restaurant if you wish. Thank them in some way, but 10% could even offensive to your client, as she may not want her friend to know what she spent.

I had one client for years that referred me so much work, I used to joke with her that it was like the cards Subway used to hand out. Eventually their work would be free. However, I did appreciate it and let them know that although I never gave them any cash. I may have not charged them for prints here and there, don't exactly remember.