Budget swipe: Matchmaking for freelance photographers
How much do you charge? What is your fee? Please share your commercials. These are common questions as a freelance hotel photographer in India. On both sides of the market, budget is the magic word. Maybe Tinder for freelancers could be a business idea! Swipe till the budgets match. Ignoring the usual human mentality of wanting the best and paying the least, in other words, “a great deal”. The challenge is how to approach clients with different budgets while still offering value through our professional hotel photography services?
Just ask
This is my favourite. It can be awkward, possibly inappropriate but it beats having to waste time and effort on exchanging multiple emails back and forth. In my experience as a freelance photographer working with hotels, resorts, and homestays, most of the time you won’t get a direct answer. No one wants to reveal their cards. They want to hold on to information, creating an illusion of control, most likely, and waiting for the other side to open first.
Rarely does this lead to much discussion. If your client’s budget is too low, you’ll want to end the conversation. If the client’s budget matches what you would want to charge for hotel photography packages in India, they probably won’t tell you!
Play detective
Don’t share your numbers immediately. Ask questions, to understand what it is the client wants to achieve. Are they looking for luxury resort images, lifestyle storytelling, architectural details, or aerial shots? This could give you some insights into their expectations allowing you to tailor specific solutions.
Package It Smart: Give Choices
If the conversation has made no progress or provided scarce data for you to make an informed decision, offer multiple options. This works whether you’re a high-end hotel and hospitality photographer or just starting out. If you consider yourself an expensive resource and do not want to compromise on your fee, offering less for a lesser price is a win-win. Alternatively, if you don’t have the experience or skills to charge a high fee, offering different packages allows you to up your game.
Shoot straight
Mention specific inclusions and exclusions for each price bracket. Many clients may not be aware of what it costs to hire a professional interior and hotel photographer in India. Sharing details transparently helps the client understand your value and builds a level of trust. This also gives you the opportunity to specify what you can and cannot achieve within a given budget.
Sweeten the Deal
Be flexible in your offerings as professional hotel photographer. Try and meet the client’s requirements with the least amount of compromise on your side. Like I said in the beginning, everyone loves a good deal. Throw in some freebies to make a deal look good to the client. Specially if it does not incur much cost to you.