What do you say to a client on a budget?

[Jacques E. Bouchard]

Originally Posted by Hameed Aabid

I did a video of an event for a non profit organisation. I gave them a big discount because they do good by the community. So at the end, I asked him if he was in a hurry to get the video. He was like, "Oh not really. I am not in a hurry but can you finalize it by next week."

Now, imagine if he was in a hurry.

The justification I always get from people looking to pay little or nothing is "Oh, it'll only take a couple of hours". They really do think it's only a matter of burning the footage to DVD.


J.

[Carla Raposo]

Hey Kren, I received that same e-mail on Friday, word for word.

You'll notice as the wedding season gets closer, you'll get an increase in inquiries, and most of them will be on a tight budget. As people get closer to their wedding day, they start to realize they should hire a videographer, but they have no money left.

Like the others mentioned, if someone is on a budget, I offer them a smaller package, but no discounts. Why would I give a discount when I have a couple paying full price the following weekend? It's not fair to my other clients.

[Michael Simons]

I had a bride over yesterday with a budget of $2,250. I showed her a $2,250 package then I showed her a $3,200 package. It was amazing how her budget grew in a matter of a few minutes. Don't let them fool you that they have a certain budget. If they like what they see, they will find the extra money.

[Scott Hayes]

dudes, we are getting hammered. I don't give a rats ass how many people praise wedding video, the majority of brides don't want it! it is still a luxury item, doesn't matter if you're a top 25 producer.
Brides cut video first! they will always hire an expensive photographer, and waste money on flowers or chair covers or some other nonsense bullshit first, then want video for cheap. i have 5 events booked for this season!!! I need the money, but i would rather sit at home than start shooting $1200 weddings.

[Bruce Patterson]

Originally Posted by Michael Simons

I had a bride over yesterday with a budget of $2,250. I showed her a $2,250 package then I showed her a $3,200 package. It was amazing how her budget grew in a matter of a few minutes. Don't let them fool you that they have a certain budget. If they like what they see, they will find the extra money.

EXACTLY, their budget may be completely based on what they "think" wedding videos cost, which can (and more than likely is) completely off-base.

[Bruce Patterson]

Originally Posted by Scott Hayes

dudes, we are getting hammered. I don't give a rats ass how many people praise wedding video, the majority of brides don't want it! it is still a luxury item, doesn't matter if you're a top 25 producer.
Brides cut video first! they will always hire an expensive photographer, and waste money on flowers or chair covers or some other nonsense bullshit first, then want video for cheap. i have 5 events booked for this season!!! I need the money, but i would rather sit at home than start shooting $1200 weddings.

You just answered your own question then ~ turn her away!

[Kren Barnes]

Originally Posted by Carla Raposo

Hey Kren, I received that same e-mail on Friday, word for word.

You'll notice as the wedding season gets closer, you'll get an increase in inquiries, and most of them will be on a tight budget. As people get closer to their wedding day, they start to realize they should hire a videographer, but they have no money left.

Like the others mentioned, if someone is on a budget, I offer them a smaller package, but no discounts. Why would I give a discount when I have a couple paying full price the following weekend? It's not fair to my other clients.

Hi Carla,

lol ! That's funny, ..yeah she said it was too much. we get at least a couple of these requests a week .. You're definitely correct about discounts. For us though, offering a smaller package just doesn't work anymore. Our rates and packages are reasonable enough that we cannot trim it any further. Also, we 've maintained a focus on a target market and lucky enough to be afforded the luxury of being able to politely decline some of our prospects. It pains us to say no to clients but we've paid our dues (and learned our lessons) and have come to a point where we are not willing to sacrifice family time for a few hundred dollars..

[Sarah Pendergraft]

Originally Posted by Michael Simons

Unfortunately, the brides on a budget usually hire a really bad videographer.

What's even harder for me to swallow is the fact that many brides who AREN'T on a budget still hire the bad, cheap videographer. They're willing to pay 8-10 grand on a photographer and who knows how much on the rest of the wedding, but they still can't wrap their mind around the idea that a videographer is worth anything more than, say, a thousand bucks.

I've seen some beautiful, lavish weddings posted on blogs lately and I'm amazed when I find out they hired one of the worst videographers around (more amazed than I would be if they didn't hire a videographer at all). I don't understand how they can search out the best vendors in the area in all other categories, and not recognize how ugly their video will be. My only guess is that it's a matter of people still needing to be educated about what a "modern" wedding video looks like... I think many people have a low expectation of what a wedding video is supposed to look like to begin with, thus they don't expect to pay much for it.