Pricing - Two Different Approaches with Poll

After watching Sal Cincotta on CreativeLive this week, I can see the value of not giving a wedding client the Hi-Res files unless they purchase a top package or spent X amount of dollars. He actually advocates never giving up the Hi-Res files for any portrait session period and he seems to do very well for himself using this philosophy.
In contrast, Ryan Brenizer offers one package. A "Everything you need for coverage and peace-of-mind for $5,500 (plus applicable sales tax)." which comes with all day coverage and the hi-res files and he obviously does well for himself using this philosophy.


If the opinion of my fellow POTNers, what are the pros and cons of these two pricing strategies?

I'm not quite sure that I understand the difference...The strategies seem very similar, provided that X=$5,500.

From what I can tell, with Ryans method, for $X, the client gets all day coverage and the high resolution files on a hard drive. They then have to option to purchase products from him afterwards.
With Sals Method, he encourages holding on to the hi-res files and try to make the client purchase a top level package in order to get a chance to purchase the hi-res files. He does this by charging an obscene amount for ala cart items so that client will see the package as a better value.

Ahh...I understand now...I can see how each approach has it's benefits but I would be hard pressed to say which approach is "better"...I'll be interested in the answers you get from others.

It all depends on how you sell it and how well you are to enable the client to see the value in what you're selling.

Both may net you the same result, but one approach may get you more work than the other.

My disc is free with the purchase of $x of albums. Given that I price the disc pretty high, the couple is very much incented to purchase albums. And if they don't, I don't care as I've earned what I need on the sale of the disc.

Don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this.
I include the high resolution images with my packages.
I don't bother with prints and if they don't order an album, once they get the disk, them it's a closed case.

Neither... all my packages include hi-res files and all bar one include at least one album... I don't push anything afterwards as I don't need to, they've already bought it.

A mix - I include high res images, some package include an album. I don't push anything afterward, people have no money left after their wedding, no point trying most of the time. Around here if you don't include the high res files you don't get the booking.

For portrait clients I rarely will give a full CD of images. Only for a promotion or something. Otherwise my prices are for the session fee only and everything else is above and beyond. Using this method I now average about $500 total income (after expenses) per portrait session. WAY better than the old days of $250 and done.

For weddings I use both methods. My cheap-y $1400 4-hour package does not include the disc but my more expensive packages do. All of my packages include an album. I personally hate "digital weddings" and will flat out tell my clients that I don't capture weddings just to have them put on Facebook and forgotten about. I like to give my clients something tangible. Thus far, not a single client has complained that they get an album with their package and all have actually done at least some upgrades.

After sitting on 2 bridal panels in the past 3 years i can tell you w/o hesitation that you will have an extremely difficult time competing in the wedding industry as a photographer unless you offer Hi res files with your packages or some option to obtain them. Ive listened to Sal and attended one of his workshops..... I think he is full of himself and selling a bunch of wishful thinking.....he markets to brides willing to spend 5K and up for a wedding. Great if you can get it......probably less than 9% of the total bridal market with that kind of budget these days. But Sal will tell you that if you purchase his maketing kits and do as he tells you... you to can book $5000.oo weddings......Total BS and im surprised people are still falling for it.

The reason I know...wedding industry marketing reports........readily available and extremely accurate about what goes on in the industry and how the money is spent. Its a multi million dollar a year industry and its tracked......the reports are pretty darn accurate. Sal is selling something that is not easily attained. Wedding industry reports will clearly show that brides with that kind of photography budget are less than 9% of the total market. So these guys that claim they are booking 5-10K photography weddings are either extremely good and in high demand or they are feeding everyone a line of BS to get you to attend their workshops------you can decide for yourself

I would rather fish is the 90% of the market that is under 4K. In Minnesota its under 3.5 K for 90% of the bridal market for photography services. 80% of the market is B/T 1200.00 and 2800.00 for photography services in my state Most of those brides wont talk to you unless you provide a high res disc with their images.

The total average wedding spending for 2011 was $25,631.oo... average across the entire country.

If you dont believe me,,,read it for yourself..there are a couple of companies that provide this information. The company that we market ourselves with provides us with this information. all the publications use the information as well

http://www.theweddingr​eport.com …-of-the-wedding-industry/


these guys that say do it like me are probably booking a few 5k and up weddings,,,but its not the norm nor the trend according to accurate wedding industry reports that are out there......i would take their advice with a grain of salt

umphotography wrote in post #14708819
After sitting on 2 bridal panels in the past 3 years i can tell you w/o hesitation that you will have an extremely difficult time competing in the wedding industry as a photographer unless you offer Hi res files with your packages or some option to obtain them. Ive listened to Sal and attended one of his workshops..... I think he is full of himself and selling a bunch of wishful thinking.....he markets to brides willing to spend 5K and up for a wedding. Great if you can get it......probably less than 9% of the total bridal market with that kind of budget these days. But Sal will tell you that if you purchase his maketing kits and do as he tells you... you to can book $5000.oo weddings......Total BS and im surprised people are still falling for it.

The reason I know...wedding industry marketing reports........readily available and extremely accurate about what goes on in the industry and how the money is spent. Its a multi million dollar a year industry and its tracked......the reports are pretty darn accurate. Sal is selling something that is not easily attained. Wedding industry reports will clearly show that brides with that kind of photography budget are less than 9% of the total market. So these guys that claim they are booking 5-10K photography weddings are either extremely good and in high demand or they are feeding everyone a line of BS to get you to attend their workshops------you can decide for yourself

I would rather fish is the 90% of the market that is under 4K. In Minnesota its under 3.5 K for 90% of the bridal market for photography services. 80% of the market is B/T 1200.00 and 2800.00 for photography services in my state Most of those brides wont talk to you unless you provide a high res disc with their images.

The total average wedding spending for 2011 was $25,631.oo... average across the entire country.

If you dont believe me,,,read it for yourself..there are a couple of companies that provide this information. The company that we market ourselves with provides us with this information. all the publications use the information as well

http://www.theweddingr​eport.com …-of-the-wedding-industry/


these guys that say do it like me are probably booking a few 5k and up weddings,,,but its not the norm nor the trend according to accurate wedding industry reports that are out there......i would take their advice with a grain of salt

I both agree and disagree with you. I saw Sal speak last year and while he's speaking about a very small market I'm not sold on it being an unattainable market. In my area people just don't have money. Yes, it's in California but in a very depressed part. But I decided to try it out and just see what happened.

I've never had a package over $3200 in my entire career and had only booked that once until after hearing Sal speak and I gained a bit of confidence from him and went home and created a $5000 package that more than doubled me take-home from my previous higher package. Within 3 months I'd booked it and now my $2500+ and $3000+ packages seem way more appealing and get booked a lot more than my $1400 package. So I'm working a lot less since I dropped my $1000 package that included a disc (photographer suicide), but when I work I make twice as much and almost doubled my income this last year. And my portrait income also doubled using his method. I'm not going to complain about working less and making more.

No, I'm not working every weekend and making $5K per wedding. I'm not even making that in a month this year except the months I have that $5K package booked. But if I can pull even ONE $5K wedding off in an area with a 15% unemployment rate and half the town is just drunk college kids, it can be done elsewhere and probably way more frequently. But, unlike Sal, I do make the disc available with all of my packages and hi-resolution available at all packages over $3800. Plus they can be bought/added onto any package as, you are right, the market mostly demands it.

But that's basic business 102. It's nothing new and what Sal is selling has been done for years in many different markets. He just figured out a way to sell it to all the wanna-be photogs out there who will pay to hear him talk. Which in itself is a brilliant business move. He probably makes more money doing that than doing photography.

PeaceFire wrote in post #14721986
I both agree and disagree with you. I saw Sal speak last year and while he's speaking about a very small market I'm not sold on it being an unattainable market. In my area people just don't have money. Yes, it's in California but in a very depressed part. But I decided to try it out and just see what happened.

I've never had a package over $3200 in my entire career and had only booked that once until after hearing Sal speak and I gained a bit of confidence from him and went home and created a $5000 package that more than doubled me take-home from my previous higher package. Within 3 months I'd booked it and now my $2500+ and $3000+ packages seem way more appealing and get booked a lot more than my $1400 package. So I'm working a lot less since I dropped my $1000 package that included a disc (photographer suicide), but when I work I make twice as much and almost doubled my income this last year. And my portrait income also doubled using his method. I'm not going to complain about working less and making more.

No, I'm not working every weekend and making $5K per wedding. I'm not even making that in a month this year except the months I have that $5K package booked. But if I can pull even ONE $5K wedding off in an area with a 15% unemployment rate and half the town is just drunk college kids, it can be done elsewhere and probably way more frequently. But, unlike Sal, I do make the disc available with all of my packages and hi-resolution available at all packages over $3800. Plus they can be bought/added onto any package as, you are right, the market mostly demands it.

But that's basic business 102. It's nothing new and what Sal is selling has been done for years in many different markets. He just figured out a way to sell it to all the wanna-be photogs out there who will pay to hear him talk. Which in itself is a brilliant business move. He probably makes more money doing that than doing photography.

Watched it today and was B L O W N A W A Y...yeah Sal can be full of himself but it's the common sense approach that makes the light bulb go off..if you are paying attention.

In my market, every other photog is giving the disc away for free. Times have changed. There is no way I’d be able to charge for it, unless I lower my price and charge on the backend.

The big upsell nowadays is the wedding album. But even then, I couldn't charge $1,200+ like Sal or Zach and Jody charge. My clients would laugh in my face.