Package pricing only, no session fees... opinions

I'd really like to do a "bundle" package.
I see some people doing it: Its like $850 for the session and you can get digitals or a combination of prints off the price list, basically whatever but it's $850 flat. They pre pay and there's no "sales session" at the end, it's more just like "here's your images what prints do you want", but it's all paid for. So no walking out the door with no sale, etc etc.

I like flat pricing. It seems logical. But how do you overcome the sticker shock with photography.

We did something like this at the gym. many martial arts schools charge a low monthly rate and nickel and dime for testings and all sorts of crap. Our prices are double, but there is nothing more to buy unless you want something optional (which we do offer optional stuff) but it's not like the parent comes in at $80/ month and we are like oh you gotta buy this or that and it comes out to a $1,000 sale over the tem they didnt expect and they are griping, etc. Our flat price is $1000 and the parents love it b/c they dont have to deal with an upsell or anything. They are paid and done it's simple. I know how to overcome the objection with martial arts to get this, but I'm not as comfortable with the photography to do it. in addition for the gym we dont put the prices online.

so what might i say if I offer a package to someone with a flat fee?
They might think "wow that's expensive, such and such charges $150".
All I can think is "well true but then you have to purchase a print package which will also total this amount, and I bundle it up front to make it simple"

Does anyone do this? How do you pull it off? Would anyone share tips?
I would really really prefer to do this.

I think most people seem to do this sort of thing when starting off. That's what I do now, just an upfront fee with a disc with the edits. But I think usually this goes with someone who does not charge very high fees for their work (which normally happens when you're starting if you actually want clients).

I don't know a ton of (or any, for that matter) more 'high-end' photogs that do one bundle for everything. Maybe they're out there, and I just don't know it?

I do agree about the low end market but the people I've seen are charging like $850 with the option to buy more. IDK but to me that doesnt seem low end.. seems to me like a lot of photographers aim to get around $1000 off a portrait sale maybe more for very high end. I'd just like the idea of getting more up front, enough to justify the work, then of course you know they are good and you can always try to sell more.

Personally I actually like it the other way around. I charge my session fee only and the clients are not obligated to buy anything. I don't do packages, minimum purchase, print credit, or anything like that. I feel keeping things simple is important for me and my clients. Also it was very important to me to price my session so even if people don't buy anything, I am making a profit.
And when you deliver great photographs, clients are bound to buy them. I just tell them to buy only what they love, which makes my clients feel empowered spending their money! ALL my clients buy average 2-3x session fee worth of photographs once they see them. I think if they had to pay that up front without their photos in front of them, they might feel it's too much. But once they have a whole gallery of their own family/baby photos, it all seems worth it.

I dont like the "min purchase either". I do see people do that on top of a session fee and to me it's like just charge $500 or whatever for the session then.
But if you dont mind me asking what's your session fee? you said you like to turn a profit anyway, but a lot of people do a session fee for like $150 and after planning, shooting and editing if someone doest buy I cant see how that is a profit on several hours worth of work.

I see people complain that clients dont buy b/c of the print price after doing a session even after htey knew the price.

I have no experience on that myself, I am just viewing others "problems" an thinking ahead how to avoid them when I do start selling.

I like hte idea of the least complicate possible. Your idea is good: charge for the session and get what you want. But IMO the session would have to be a few hundred dollars to be worth 4-5 hours of work plus (and it seems it would take that long to plan a good session, do it, edit, and then add in teh time spent corresponding with client, etc etc. I cant see how you'd get it under 4-5 hours at best.) and for that much I'd never do it for $150. I see the high end people around me only charge $150 for the session. I know it's bc they are relying on back end sales to make up for it, but even so it seems like a headache. I like simple.

Depends where you are located and what you are taking photographs of. Martial art students? Or was that just an example. Either way I don't think a lot of people are going to pay $850-$1000 for a simple portrait session unless A LOT is included. Most pro photographers around here only charge $250-$500 for a portrait session but then again I don't know what exactly is included with that but I would imagine enough to make it worth while.

No the martial arts I was using as an example of how we bundled all services and stuff with pricing. Instead of some schools charging $89/ month plus testing plus gear we charge $167 and its not an objection, and I like it bc we don't have to haggle ppl every month to come up with $ for testin or gear to meet our sales goal. The low intro and then add on seems like a bait and switch to me.

The $850 I saw that I referenced was for newborns actually. The session was 2 hours or so and you could use it for digitals and or prints in any combination from the price list. But she got a straight $850 up front which I thought was nice!

Locally to me people pay a flat price for the portrait session which can be as low as $75 and then make the sales on the images that way they feel they get more session bookings and hope to then up sell.

My session fee is $300

richardhurst wrote in post #16062379
Locally to me people pay a flat price for the portrait session which can be as low as $75 and then make the sales on the images that way they feel they get more session bookings and hope to then up sell.

that's basically the gist of what most do I see, which seems kinda a pain to have to upsell.

syclarac wrote in post #16063256
My session fee is $300

Now see, this is pretty reasonable and I like that. the folks around here, even one that is a mentor with ppa and really good IMO, the session fees are still $150...which is just too low imo.

so either way if I have a reasonable session fee which should be at least $300 imo to cover all the time, or set pricing like some of the people I referenced at $850 which covers session and any print or digitals they want... im still afraid of sticker shock....if I'm giving the price online or on the phone.

the only way we overcome it at the gym is to dont put the price online and make people come in for a class. If we put the price online (like photographers do) I think people would see us and other gyms and see we are double and just not come in, or come here last, anyway. Most poeple at the gym dont raise an objection, but occasionally we have it with kids mostly, who know other gyms are half price. It's an easy cover at that point "well you wont have to pay for testings and the other requirements other gyms have, which puts you at higher than this amount anyway"

I've considered i could not put any price online for photography and make people come in for a consultation to discuss what they want, but i see no one do that. Absolutely everyone i have seen puts a price online or gives them all when the person calls....

syclarac, when you raised your session to that price did you face any objection to price? how did you overcome it?

What is your policy if, after the pictures are taken and they've paid you your $850 they don't like your images? Do you refund them? How much, everything except a predefined session fee? For this reason I only do session fees and they buy what they like.

And I have a hard time w/ monthly testing in martial arts...that to me spells hurry them through to make my money. But thats me and my traditional training I had. Most american martial arts "schools" are a let down anymore. Sorry for the rant or imply that you're rushing ppl through, just sounds that way from your post.

DagoImaging wrote in post #16063402
What is your policy if, after the pictures are taken and they've paid you your $850 they don't like your images? Do you refund them? How much, everything except a predefined session fee? For this reason I only do session fees and they buy what they like.

That's a good question, I would have to go back to the sites I found that price on and look. I would think it would depend. To me a refund is only valid for anything if the service is not up to par. IMO a photographer should only refund $ if there is something technically wrong with the images that was not consistent with the portfolio. The person just not liking how they look or something to me is not a reasonable justification. But that's just me.

exactly, this is why we dont charge for testing. If you arent ready you dont get to do it but there's no charge. The only time someone has to pay is if they miss the testing day. We dont make them buy extra gear or anything. It's all reflected in the bundled monthly price, which is high enough to keep us in respectable business and at the same time we dont have to harass people every month or however long to pay up for a new weapon or testing or uniform, etc. But my point was at $80/ month those other gyms wouldnt be in business, they HAVE to nickel and dime. and it seems to me that's kinda how some ppl do with session fees: they are too low to stay in business and then it's a lot of selling at the back end. That's not necessarily bad, just I dont like to do a lot of selling to get them in and more selling.... same reason we dont do it at the gym, my husb was like "who wants to do all that selling".

To me, portrait/wedding photography is a luxury service. It's like you walk into a BMW Store knowing you want to buy a 3-series or whatever. You have a budget. But you also have discretionary budget increase for items that you really like (M Package, Audio package, sport rims, Super Duper iDrive etc...).

There are multitude of ways on pricing strategy. My principle is irregardless which one you do, make it easy for your potential clients to spend money. Help them spend money. People don't mind spending money on good works.

It doesn't matter how much the other person charges. What matters is how much you need to KTLO for your business.


*Keep The Lights On

I think you'll have a tough time getting people to cough up $850 before they've seen a single image from the session.