You will have many opportunities to photograph someone for free or allow you to work for a lower cost. You don’t have to get them all or even any of them. As a successful photographer, you’ll need to learn to say “no” more often than “yes” and how your career growth depends on saying “no” to the wrong people. This blog post will guide you through different situations and how to protect yourself.
Here are 3 reasons to say no
Help your business grow
They feel that a free photo session will help you build your business. While this is possible, it is unlikely to move the needle in 99.9% of the real world.
You are a for-profit business and while you support charitable donations, you are not a charity. I will add, “with the help of my paying clients, I am able to support some of my favorite charities such as charity A, charity B, and charity organization B. good C.”
This gets the conversation back towards you getting paid for your work because that’s how we can support the community. You pride yourself on being a for-profit business, and they never ask for free groceries, a free gym membership, or a free car in exchange for a promotion. Why is a professional photographer different?
Rude request
Here’s a story for you: I had a guy who once said “you can practice with me if you want” and really thought that would get him somewhere with me. Not only do I never ask for a test, but I’m also quite cocky. Not only are you suggesting that my work takes more practice, you are making sure it works for you. It is rude and passive-aggressive.
Let me say, I will always practice my work. However, that is about me and is never a method you should use to take advantage of me or my skills. Customers like these deserve one of several options:
Option 1: No. Say “no” and say it with a firm but polite attitude.
Option 2: You don’t owe them anything, not even a return. Silence is gold.
When the customer is polite but still wants a discount
Understandably, people may want a discount on their photography requests. This is normal. There is always a polite response that can serve both of you. The simplest way to say this would be:
I can appreciate that you like the piece and hope for a little discount. I’m also happy to work with you! I’m always looking for ways to reward my regular customers because I value loyalty. And I look forward to including you in that elite list of customers for future loyalty rates!
There are five ways to say “no” to free or discounted work. Watch the video to capture all five and go into a bit more detail on the ones already mentioned. Your career will be defined by the jobs you turn down. Choose wisely.
