David Bergman Gives Tips on How to Let Clients Show You The Money

It's always such a sensitive subject for the creative industry. Money is what the creative industry hates to ask for. but loves to have for their gear and career. So let's get it out there. Professional photography is a business, and in photography, you'll only flourish at it because you love what you do. You'll never become a photographer if you didn't love it. David Bergman gives some good tips when starting out because photographers don't usually know what their images are worth.

He makes the point that we exchange our products and services for money, just like any other business. He mentions communication as the most vital part of the role as photographer. Let your clients know before-hand what they can expect to pay, even if they're family and friends. Have the conversation before the job, even get a deposit paid so they know you're there for work and that you're not just taking photos for the fun of it. 

He creates a scenario that you as photographer can actually try. Give a plumber, locksmith, or any skilled working service delivery person a call and tell them about an issue you have. Make one up. It can be a blocked drain, a key stuck in the car, anything. Then, inform them about your budget being what it is and see whether they are willing to negotiate or if they laugh and put the phone down. 

That's what sold the video for me. I've always felt there was a business industry that would try push a photographer's prices down as much as possible. In my mind they knew that if I didn't lower my prices, there'll be someone else that will, and that they also will have a camera.

We're creative professionals. And to be a creative you need to work hard and give it all you got. It is part of your life and who you are and not just a 9-5 job you do. We get emotional about it, and this is the weakness. They know this, and that's why they are able to negotiate us down.

To double down on the business part of being a photographer my advice would be to educate yourself with some sales negotiation training. Jordan Belfort, the guy that the movie "Wolf Of Wall Street" is based on, has a wonderful course on it, and you can also check out the free courses on Alison.com on negotiation too. It might not be what you use day-to-day, but you can be sure that when you're meeting clients and they try to negotiate a better deal for only them, you've got the skills to stand your ground and make it known that what you have and the service you have cannot be found anywhere else.

In the design industry you get the Designers holy triangle which is shown below as switches. A client can only choose two, and never three. Maybe we can adapt and get something similar for photography, and make sure we charge for two switches, whether it's good and cheap but takes time, cheap and fast but not good, or good and fast but expensive. 

My Take On the Video

What I take out of the video is to communicate with your prospective client from the start and to be clear about what the exchange of value will be. Secondly, I've approached it like a business for the last five years, and yet I'm still constantly learning about myself as well as the business world. Have the confidence to know what you're worth and charge for it. If they can't afford you, walk away. The impression you create by doing this shows that you put a value to your work. One day they'll come back and ask to work with you and be grateful for being able to afford you and have a larger budget. That's where you want to be, it's the impression you want to create and the clients you want to have knocking on your door.