A silly email I received.You DON'T want pics?

I received this email from a potential client....

"Hello, I'm 28 weeks pregnant and my husband and I don't want professional photos taken, and we don't want to spend a lot. What are your portrait package prices?"

I actually had to re-read it a few times to be sure I read it correctly...you DON'T want pictures? But you want to know how much I charge??

So I quoted her double :P In my experience those are the ones that are the biggest headaches.

Any crazy emails/requests as of late?

You should have sent her a link for a disposable camera. LOL

Sounds to me like she mistyped her message. I bet it should have read that she WANTS pro pics taken but doesn't want to spend a lot. Makes me think she doesn't speak english as a first language, "I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I my husband "? Odd sentence structure you normally hear with people struggling with the english language.

She wants you to take the pictures, just not your professional quality ones, that way you don't have to charge her as much. You can borrow my Kodak DC210 if you want.

skyliner33v wrote in post #10144475
Sounds to me like she mistyped her message... .

I'm with you. Odds are that it was a typo. Looks like OP just lost a customer.

skyliner33v wrote in post #10144475
Sounds to me like she mistyped her message. I bet it should have read that she WANTS pro pics taken but doesn't want to spend a lot. Makes me think she doesn't speak english as a first language, "I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I my husband "? Odd sentence structure you normally hear with people struggling with the english language.

If you take that first "I" out, the sentence makes perfect sense.

OP probably did the right thing.

timnosenzo wrote in post #10144660
If you take that first "I" out, the sentence makes perfect sense.

OP probably did the right thing.

Yes sorry, I somehow threw and extra I in there after I copied and pasted it :P

In my experience, I don't mind losing a customer if I know they're not a good fit from the start. If they have a budget and ask me "I'm looking to spend this much, what can we do for that", I'm game. But telling me from the start that you don't want photos taken and you don't want to spend a lot spells trouble to me. I've worked with those people before and they are the first people to complain :P

I don't see anything crazy or unclear about her email. She wants someone to take photos, but they don't have to be super-pro quality-and she's looking to pay commensurate with that. Sounds like someone one can possibly strike a deal with to me.

Milla wrote in post #10144810
Yes sorry, I somehow threw and extra I in there after I copied and pasted it :P

In my experience, I don't mind losing a customer if I know they're not a good fit from the start. If they have a budget and ask me "I'm looking to spend this much, what can we do for that", I'm game. But telling me from the start that you don't want photos taken and you don't want to spend a lot spells trouble to me. I've worked with those people before and they are the first people to complain :P

Well there's a difference between not bringing on someone who was never your type of client, and sending someone away thinking you're an arrogant ass. She WILL tell her friends how you treated her, and she just might exaggerate a little to make you seem worse.

Instead of being a ****, I recommend Sears. I proceed to explain the difference between what I do and what they do, why they're fine for basic needs and why I should be chosen for more advanced desires.

^haha. dig it.

maybe you could have sent her an email asking her to clarify, since her first email was a bit confusing? No doesn't make sense to act like an ass for no reason.

Milla wrote in post #10144191
"Hello, I'm 28 weeks pregnant and my husband and I don't want professional photos taken, and we don't want to spend a lot. What are your portrait package prices?"

She's on a budget and seems to want just basic pictures, no extravagant high dollar stuff. She wants "photos taken" just not "professional"
It could be a quick fun shoot for a little extra $$$ with little or no PP needed. But if they turned out good, you might be expected to do all her friends portraits at a cheap price too. But doubling the price for a crap package may have done more harm than good.

cdifoto wrote in post #10144877
Well there's a difference between not bringing on someone who was never your type of client, and sending someone away thinking you're an arrogant ass. She WILL tell her friends how you treated her, and she just might exaggerate a little to make you seem worse.

Instead of being a ****, I recommend Sears. I proceed to explain the difference between what I do and what they do, why they're fine for basic needs and why I should be chosen for more advanced desires.

LOL. I never thought I'd catch you teaching someone tact.

Point her toward Sears or Wal-Mart like posted above

Permagrin wrote in post #10145513
LOL. I never thought I'd catch you teaching someone tact.

Hey, I'm getting old in my old age.

Besides, I'm dealing with teens now and that takes a helluva lot of restraint. lol.