Have prices on website or not? at DVinfo.net

Andy Loos · February 17th, 2010, 12:00 PM

I have been debating on taking my prices off my website, will this help generate more leads? My prices are very reasonable, so thats why I figured I would put them up. I have been watching my webstats, lots of lookers, but not a lot of people emailing or calling. Dont get me wrong, I am still getting jobs.
Just wondering if you have done better without having prices on website.
thanks in advance.

Richard Wakefield · February 17th, 2010, 01:03 PM

I think the question is not how many more bookings/enquiries you will have, but what sort of person are you when it comes to business.

For the 4 years I've been doing this, I've always always had my prices shown clearly on my pages. That's because I want people to make their own decisions on my clips and my prices, and then phone me. At that stage, i'd say 90% will book me there and then.

But maybe you aren't so busy/lazy(!) and feel you can reel them in on the phone when they make that first phonecall. Personally, I don't work like that - I dislike being a salesman (formal or informal) and reeling people in and pushing them for higher packages. But I am not in the slightest saying that is wrong, just that it's not me. Some people are VERY successful at reeling all enquirers towards the top package. But the negative side is, you'll take a LOT of phonecalls, and face rejections (yep, there's always brides asking for the £500 budget package!)...whereas I never get that = easy route? :)

something to think about!

Chris Harding · February 17th, 2010, 05:50 PM

Hi Andy

People are basically lazy and most will not bother to email you for prices. Not showing your prices can also tell a bride "if you have to ask the price, then you can't afford me" That's fine in affluent areas but doesn't work for most of us!!

I get clients who will even book on the phone because they tell me "your site has all the information I needed to make a decision"

Up to you but I like to give the client enough information to be able to almost make a decision become she contacts me!!

Chris

Buba Kastorski · February 17th, 2010, 07:13 PM

When i started, i didn't have the prices listed, but after countless calls of brides and grooms just to ask the price range, I gave it up and posted the price list;
I can't tell if I get more, or less bookings, but I certainly get less useless calls, and as Richard says, 9 out of 10 callers are booking with me.

Cody Dulock · February 18th, 2010, 09:00 AM

Very subjective topic here... If you are doing something unique that no else is doing in your area, or country for that matter, people will want YOU not your prices. If you are charging a lot of money for your packages you should probably be a better salesman, have a sales script, etc... I lean more towards the side of not posting prices, but that all depends on the quality and uniqueness of work you put out, IMO. There are guys like Chris P. Jones who does not post his prices and then guys like Joe Simon who put only the base prices down... why is that?

What kind of marketing are you doing? What kind of people are you marketing to? Does your brand represent a high value?

Just things to think about...

Andy Loos · February 18th, 2010, 09:02 AM

awesome, thanks guys! I have my prices on my website, but wanted to get some feedback. really appreciate it.

Danny O'Neill · February 18th, 2010, 09:56 AM

Yes to prices. Or at least what we do which is an indication.

Sure, if you remove prices your enquiry rate will increase, but youll spend a lot of precious time talking to couples who most likely simply cannot afford you.

You can have your full prices listed, but then your risking people being put off before you get a chance to do your sales bit to them or your locking yourself into a fixed price.

We have an indication to the price. So if were way out their budget people dont have to bother. But if the price sounds ok then they can enquire to find out more. We've managed to upsell our higher packages a few times by doing that.

I think no prices is always a mistake. I know that from personal experience if im looking for something then I want to see at a glance roughly how much it will cost. If there are no prices listed then that instantly says to me "Must be expensive, wont bother asking".

Chris Davis · February 18th, 2010, 11:01 AM

Back when I shot weddings I had virtually everything a bride needed to make her decision on my website: prices, samples, even a copy of the contract to download and view. 90% of my bookings happened over the phone with no "sales meeting". I hate sales meetings and will do anything to avoid them.

Now that I'm doing mainly corporate videos and events, it's much more difficult to have all the info available on a website. Each project is different and needs a personalized quote. So now I'm back to sales meetings...

Michael Simons · February 24th, 2010, 05:16 PM

I find that most brides want to meet me in person and I'm basically selling my personality just as much as my product. So I say "No" to prices on my website. Besides, I don't charge the same for a wedding that is 5-minutes away from my home as I do for a wedding that is 5 hours.

Travis Cossel · February 24th, 2010, 06:16 PM

Whether or not to post prices on your website depends on a number of factors.

Are you competing on price or product? You have to ask yourself this question honestly. If you're competing on price, then it's a no-brainer ... put your prices on the website. If you're competing on product then you have to look at some other factors.

When we started out we were offering a product that was a step above everyone else in our area, and our pricing was also a step above. We chose not to list our pricing because we needed to get people into the studio and try and sell them on the product first. It was a very successful strategy as we often booked couples who would have never called us had they seen our pricing first. So you have to consider your product and how your pricing compares to your competition, as well as how your market is educated in terms of your product. It may very well be more advantageous to leave your pricing off for now and encourage studio consultations.

On the flip side, we are now providing our starting rate on our website. Why? Well, we've become so popular in our area and are getting enough referrals and inquiries both locally and nationally that it made sense to start qualifying couples before we got them into the studio. We typically spend 90 minutes or more in a consultation (keep in mind we're also presenting our photography services) so it made sense to eliminate any consultations where our starting price was an issue for the couple. Could we still book some of those couples that are getting scared off by our starting rate? Sure. But the key is that in the last few years we don't 'need' to book those couples. If they don't book, another couple will book in their place. So in the interest of maximizing the use of our time (consultations), we now pre-qualify by listing our starting price on our website. We also further pre-qualify with a phone call, but that's another topic entirely. d;-)

Michael Simons · February 26th, 2010, 05:04 PM

Travis, what if a bride emails and asks your prices? How do you respond? I don't post my prices because I also want them to see my product. If I posted my prices, the bride would never come see me. Thank you.

Travis Cossel · February 26th, 2010, 05:34 PM

If a bride emails and asks for pricing, we reiterate our starting price and explain that we provide complete information on our packages and pricing during our in-studio consultations. For 9 out of 10 brides this is fine and we just schedule an in-studio consultation.

For that remaining 10% who replies and still asks for complete pricing by email, we simply explain that we don't email our complete pricing information out because the products and services we offer are very in-depth and we need to have them at the studio for them to get the most out of it. About 50% of the time this results in a consultation booking, and the other 50% of the time we never hear back from the bride. We're okay with that, because if a bride is so hung up on the prices/packages and isn't interested in meeting with us in person, she's probably not a good fit for our studio.

I should add that when a bide contacts us by email we also have their phone number 99% of the time. So we always follow-up by phone first if at all possible. On the phone it's much easier to ease the bride's mind and get her to commit to an in-studio consultation. Email is just set-up by nature for requesting information and not connecting personally. You must genuinely care about the bride and develop a personal connection when you're on the phone with them.

Michael Simons · February 27th, 2010, 08:18 AM

Travis, thanks for the response. I don't post my prices, but do send them when they ask. I'm going to try your approach of telling them my starting prices and that's all. When they email me, they don't always give me their phone number. One bride did give it to me and I called, she responded "I'm at work!" and hung up. It amazes me at how some of them can be so mean, even though they reached out to me first.

Jim Snow · February 27th, 2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Simons

One bride did give it to me and I called, she responded "I'm at work!" and hung up. It amazes me at how some of them can be so mean, even though they reached out to me first.

You're fortunate. Imagine what you would endure if you got the job from someone that rude.

On the more serious side, it's always a good idea to ask if it's a convenient time to talk when you call someone. If someone is preoccupied or busy, they may resent your timing and react harshly. It's also a good idea to indicate that you are responding to their email, phone message etc. rather than just jumping into your pitch. Some people automatically put up a defensive wall when they smell a sales pitch.

Travis Cossel · February 27th, 2010, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Simons

Travis, thanks for the response. I don't post my prices, but do send them when they ask. I'm going to try your approach of telling them my starting prices and that's all. When they email me, they don't always give me their phone number. One bride did give it to me and I called, she responded "I'm at work!" and hung up. It amazes me at how some of them can be so mean, even though they reached out to me first.

Sure thing, Michael. We use contact forms on our website that have a phone number field so most of our brides provide a phone number by default. Sometimes they don't, though, and when that happens we send them a very polite email expressing how we can't wait to chat with them and would like them to provide a number we can reach them at. It doesn't always work, but it works enough that it's worth the extra effort.

Trust me, we all deal with brides that are abrasive and rude and whatnot, and it's no fun for sure .. and luckily they never book with us so it's all good. d;-)

Also, Jim is spot on about calling people. It's always a really good idea to double-check that you've caught them at a good time. The last thing you want to do is start talking and not realize the bride's boss is expecting her in a meeting or something. Besides, even if the time is right, it makes people feel more valued and important if you check that they aren't too busy to talk.

February 17th, 2010, 12:00 PM	#1
Andy Loos Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 84	Have prices on website or not? I have been debating on taking my prices off my website, will this help generate more leads? My prices are very reasonable, so thats why I figured I would put them up. I have been watching my webstats, lots of lookers, but not a lot of people emailing or calling. Dont get me wrong, I am still getting jobs. Just wondering if you have done better without having prices on website. thanks in advance.

February 17th, 2010, 07:13 PM	#4
Buba Kastorski Trustee Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,414	When i started, i didn't have the prices listed, but after countless calls of brides and grooms just to ask the price range, I gave it up and posted the price list; I can't tell if I get more, or less bookings, but I certainly get less useless calls, and as Richard says, 9 out of 10 callers are booking with me. __________________ I love this place!

February 18th, 2010, 09:56 AM	#7
Danny O'Neill Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Northampton, UK Posts: 915	Yes to prices. Or at least what we do which is an indication. Sure, if you remove prices your enquiry rate will increase, but youll spend a lot of precious time talking to couples who most likely simply cannot afford you. You can have your full prices listed, but then your risking people being put off before you get a chance to do your sales bit to them or your locking yourself into a fixed price. We have an indication to the price. So if were way out their budget people dont have to bother. But if the price sounds ok then they can enquire to find out more. We've managed to upsell our higher packages a few times by doing that. I think no prices is always a mistake. I know that from personal experience if im looking for something then I want to see at a glance roughly how much it will cost. If there are no prices listed then that instantly says to me "Must be expensive, wont bother asking". __________________ mintyslippers.com

February 24th, 2010, 06:16 PM	#10
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Whether or not to post prices on your website depends on a number of factors. Are you competing on price or product? You have to ask yourself this question honestly. If you're competing on price, then it's a no-brainer ... put your prices on the website. If you're competing on product then you have to look at some other factors. When we started out we were offering a product that was a step above everyone else in our area, and our pricing was also a step above. We chose not to list our pricing because we needed to get people into the studio and try and sell them on the product first. It was a very successful strategy as we often booked couples who would have never called us had they seen our pricing first. So you have to consider your product and how your pricing compares to your competition, as well as how your market is educated in terms of your product. It may very well be more advantageous to leave your pricing off for now and encourage studio consultations. On the flip side, we are now providing our starting rate on our website. Why? Well, we've become so popular in our area and are getting enough referrals and inquiries both locally and nationally that it made sense to start qualifying couples before we got them into the studio. We typically spend 90 minutes or more in a consultation (keep in mind we're also presenting our photography services) so it made sense to eliminate any consultations where our starting price was an issue for the couple. Could we still book some of those couples that are getting scared off by our starting rate? Sure. But the key is that in the last few years we don't 'need' to book those couples. If they don't book, another couple will book in their place. So in the interest of maximizing the use of our time (consultations), we now pre-qualify by listing our starting price on our website. We also further pre-qualify with a phone call, but that's another topic entirely. d;-) __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

February 26th, 2010, 05:34 PM	#12
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	If a bride emails and asks for pricing, we reiterate our starting price and explain that we provide complete information on our packages and pricing during our in-studio consultations. For 9 out of 10 brides this is fine and we just schedule an in-studio consultation. For that remaining 10% who replies and still asks for complete pricing by email, we simply explain that we don't email our complete pricing information out because the products and services we offer are very in-depth and we need to have them at the studio for them to get the most out of it. About 50% of the time this results in a consultation booking, and the other 50% of the time we never hear back from the bride. We're okay with that, because if a bride is so hung up on the prices/packages and isn't interested in meeting with us in person, she's probably not a good fit for our studio. I should add that when a bide contacts us by email we also have their phone number 99% of the time. So we always follow-up by phone first if at all possible. On the phone it's much easier to ease the bride's mind and get her to commit to an in-studio consultation. Email is just set-up by nature for requesting information and not connecting personally. You must genuinely care about the bride and develop a personal connection when you're on the phone with them. __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

February 17th, 2010, 01:03 PM	#2
Richard Wakefield Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Surrey, UK Posts: 680	I think the question is not how many more bookings/enquiries you will have, but what sort of person are you when it comes to business. For the 4 years I've been doing this, I've always always had my prices shown clearly on my pages. That's because I want people to make their own decisions on my clips and my prices, and then phone me. At that stage, i'd say 90% will book me there and then. But maybe you aren't so busy/lazy(!) and feel you can reel them in on the phone when they make that first phonecall. Personally, I don't work like that - I dislike being a salesman (formal or informal) and reeling people in and pushing them for higher packages. But I am not in the slightest saying that is wrong, just that it's not me. Some people are VERY successful at reeling all enquirers towards the top package. But the negative side is, you'll take a LOT of phonecalls, and face rejections (yep, there's always brides asking for the £500 budget package!)...whereas I never get that = easy route? :) something to think about!

February 17th, 2010, 05:50 PM	#3
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Hi Andy People are basically lazy and most will not bother to email you for prices. Not showing your prices can also tell a bride "if you have to ask the price, then you can't afford me" That's fine in affluent areas but doesn't work for most of us!! I get clients who will even book on the phone because they tell me "your site has all the information I needed to make a decision" Up to you but I like to give the client enough information to be able to almost make a decision become she contacts me!! Chris

February 18th, 2010, 09:00 AM	#5
Cody Dulock Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: arlington, texas Posts: 420	Very subjective topic here... If you are doing something unique that no else is doing in your area, or country for that matter, people will want YOU not your prices. If you are charging a lot of money for your packages you should probably be a better salesman, have a sales script, etc... I lean more towards the side of not posting prices, but that all depends on the quality and uniqueness of work you put out, IMO. There are guys like Chris P. Jones who does not post his prices and then guys like Joe Simon who put only the base prices down... why is that? What kind of marketing are you doing? What kind of people are you marketing to? Does your brand represent a high value? Just things to think about...

February 18th, 2010, 09:02 AM	#6
Andy Loos Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Minnesota Posts: 84	awesome, thanks guys! I have my prices on my website, but wanted to get some feedback. really appreciate it.

February 18th, 2010, 11:01 AM	#8
Chris Davis Trustee Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Willmar, MN Posts: 1,400	Back when I shot weddings I had virtually everything a bride needed to make her decision on my website: prices, samples, even a copy of the contract to download and view. 90% of my bookings happened over the phone with no "sales meeting". I hate sales meetings and will do anything to avoid them. Now that I'm doing mainly corporate videos and events, it's much more difficult to have all the info available on a website. Each project is different and needs a personalized quote. So now I'm back to sales meetings...

February 24th, 2010, 05:16 PM	#9
Michael Simons Major Player Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Red Bank, NJ Posts: 553	I find that most brides want to meet me in person and I'm basically selling my personality just as much as my product. So I say "No" to prices on my website. Besides, I don't charge the same for a wedding that is 5-minutes away from my home as I do for a wedding that is 5 hours.

February 26th, 2010, 05:04 PM	#11
Michael Simons Major Player Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Red Bank, NJ Posts: 553	Travis, what if a bride emails and asks your prices? How do you respond? I don't post my prices because I also want them to see my product. If I posted my prices, the bride would never come see me. Thank you.

February 27th, 2010, 08:18 AM	#13
Michael Simons Major Player Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Red Bank, NJ Posts: 553	Travis, thanks for the response. I don't post my prices, but do send them when they ask. I'm going to try your approach of telling them my starting prices and that's all. When they email me, they don't always give me their phone number. One bride did give it to me and I called, she responded "I'm at work!" and hung up. It amazes me at how some of them can be so mean, even though they reached out to me first.