When people pay, they pay attention.
So as you know I am in the very early stages of building my photography business and with that comes lessons. Lessons that seam to come along faster than wins. However, a lesson can be a win if you learn from it, right? Something that I learned for the SECOND time in my life is that when people pay, they pay attention. Let me bring you back to the first time I learned this little lesson. I was 23 years old hawking organic soda for an amazing little Organic Fair Trade Soda Company out of Maine. I was brought on to build the brand and sales in New England. I would, like most food & beverage brands sample our goods out to hundreds of people at events, store etc. Like most things free the products were well received and the initial reaction was always, “WOW!” Then they would walk away and just like they peed that soda out a few hours later, out when the name of the company, the soda, and anything I shared about the brand. I quickly pivoted and rather than waste my time, the brand’s time and money I started selling the soda at all the events instead of just sampling.
Effective marketing does not mean you have to give it away for free contrary to what consumers see on a daily basis. I put a value on each flavor of soda, therefore creating a value around the brand. Don’t get me wrong, some people definitely balked at the price. Mind you, this was the first organic soda on the market and our society was used to paying .99 cents for a huge bottle of conventional soda. So our products were not for everyone, yet! When people laid down their hard earned cash for an amazingly refreshing soda they became invested in what they were spending their money on because it was probably the most they had ever spent on a soda at that time. They walked away remembering why our products were superior to the conventional sodas and why we were the better choice.
Fast Forward 18 years and I had to reLEARN this lesson. What’s a great way to practice your craft and build a portfolio? DO IT FOR FREE! Naturally I reached out to my friends and family and asked for a favor and in return they would get the benefits of my talent and services for free. I had two specific scenarios that once again back up my theory, when people pay, they pay attention. First scenario I did all the images for free and delivered them ready to go for absolutely zero dollars. My images were not used. Total bummer but I did learn and gain experience that has helped me serve my clients better. Second scenario was intended to be free however in the end I was compensated. The reason the plan changed is because once onsite the wonderful marketing manager wanted additional photos that were not a part of what was discussed with the owner. However, I was happy and eager to please. It was a smash hit! I absolutely loved doing it and it is what turned me on to branding photography. After the images were presented the owner felt that I should be compensated for the branding photos as they were not discussed originally. I wanted to say, “no thank you.” but it took considerable time above and beyond what was planned and I bit the bullet and said, “YES PLEASE!” It was discounted rightly so, but gosh it was a compliment and it helped me invest in a new tool for my business. What you should know is that I NEVER would have asked for compensation if it wasn’t offered. Which in hindsight is a lesson in itself. Know your value and don’t be afraid of it.
Since then I have moved on to charge a significantly discounted rate in exchange for experience that benefits myself and the client. A mutually beneficial collaboration that gets my images out there! Remember, when PEOPLE pay, they PAY Attention.
