How FIRM are your prices?

Sell everything you do as though next week depends on it. There's nothing to say now and then you can't mare a few discounted ( to a point ) with repeat customers. Even when you have banked ahead of the game, keep in mind next week still depends on today to get there. If you truly want the to feel good because you gave the a discount, start with you price already market up to allow for it. You get the price you want, they get the discount they want. Give them something that makes them go WOW! They'll be happy all the way around.
If your going to have clients help by holding the lights and this or that, explain that your work is already discounted to reflect that. They help out as you save on overhead by working alone and you pass that savings on to them from the get go!
The first time you falter in there eyes over your price, it just became there game and even relatives go for blood if they think a buck can be saved.

Building a business is a slow sometimes painful journey and it takes commitment to make it survive. You have to commit to your self first,, before you can commit to them.

If you discount for someone just because they ask you to, the next person will expect (and rightly deserve) the same discount.

You undermine your entire pricing structure when you hand out frivolous price breaks. The only way you can get away with concessions if you can tell yourself and the client that YOU (the photographer) gain something in return for offering a price break; a chance to try a new genre/style that is completely out of your comfort zone, etc.

I sell mine with selected prints, understood before the transaction takes place. After that purchase I put those selected prints and a few others online at da Smug. They have paid and received agreed upon service and prints beforehand. If I think some would look better with a bit of embellishment I also put them online with the rest, in a blind link. They can purchase extra or family can purchase prints from the blink link. I make a little extra when and if they do. A built in backdoor sales system I do not have to mess, worry or toil over. If they want mugs for Gran or mouse pad for uncle Joe, there they are. I do nothing and collect on top of the original sale. Anything after my original sales is profit I do nothing extra for. Sometimes they chose a larger print format than I had arranged for but, I receive email notice from Smugie and a bit of this and re upload for that print. Large family or business get togethers I sell the initial set and service and put those plus the rest online with a set price per print. I don't plan on profit from those extra sales, but if they purchase from online I make more trouble free money.
If in advance I know there will be so many purchased online, I figure half that expected volume and price accordingly to make them and me happy.
They will not look as nice as the prints on the original sale. I plan it that way. The side sales look nice almost like the original but not exact. They know that before. I explain that my printer does work not often found. Sometimes they order extra prints from me and I use my printer for that. They have been printing longer than I have been taking photographs.
I pretty much have all angles covered.
I don't dinker price or have fear of being told I charge to much and they think they will use someone else. If they are polite I am. I thank them for there time and let them know I'll still be around should they find they need my service. If they are cross lipped, crinkle headed, cheese weenies abbot it.. I thank them for there time and continue on my widdle way.
It's not a perfect system but it works for me and when it all comes down to it, that's what matters.!

My business model, or someone elses business model may or may not work for someone else. The work is finding what will or will not work in the area they are in.

Smoke and mirrors and if there happy they'll leave a bit of coin. Make them happy enough and they will return for more.

Well she FINALLY made a purchase, just websize files, but a lot of them, decent size order I guess.

5 hours later, they are all cropped on her facebook with my watermark cut off.......should I say something?

If she purchased them why is the watermark still on them?

Oh, I told you she'd be back.

Let her become a figment of things learned. The price of learning is a pain In the rump sometimes.
Give them an inch ( discounts ) and they'll struggle for the nine yards. 250k files won't do her much good for printing anyway.

Today's door prize, lesson learned.

Maybe by watermark, what was likely might have been bottom right studio name.

Seems like her and her friends were not interested at all in prints or high res files (I charge a lot for those). They wanted websize files, so I offer them cheap (retouched), but they have a border and watermark on them (very subtle in the lower right hand corner). If you want a bigger file, no watermarket,etc then they have to pay more.

Now the trick is to sell a set fee with prints and the prints they chose are the ones the receive a low res web file also. Ever price a school photo package. You get this for that or you get nothing at all.
That's a bit hard nosed but expected from schools. Sit, smile, click - next.

Your session comes with these prints to start with, and if you like we can add more prints.
Oh and by the I automatically create a web size file, suitable for blogs, from every photograph you chose to print.

I do offer that, but they don't want the prints.......I offer a websize print for a 5x7 or larger print. If I had an expensive package filled with prints they would of found another photographer willing to give them files. I priced each websize file just under what my 5x7's cost, my high res files are 3 times the price.

If you lower your prices this time, she will want the lower price next time and in the future. Not to mention those that she tells that you gave them a deal will want the lower prices to.

your perception of value will go down and it'll be hard to get it back up.

I would just explain to her that the prices are as low as you can go as it is. And make an offer for a payment plan, which can be annoying, but its an option.

TopHatMoments wrote in post #11259744
Let her become a figment of things learned. The price of learning is a pain In the rump sometimes.
Give them an inch ( discounts ) and they'll struggle for the nine yards. 250k files won't do her much good for printing anyway.

Today's door prize, lesson learned.

My websize files can be more expensive than my prints. But when I sell them, I include an example of a professional printed picture and the same file printed at a place like walmart/cvs/walgreens to show them the difference. Just to encourage them to use the web only file for web only purposes.