Bidding Process

I may have already told you this, but…

Part of the purpose of an estimate is to protect yourself. On EVERY bid description be sure to include:

“Bid based on information provided, any changes may incur overages”

AND

End the usage terms with, 

“Granted with full payment”

Your estimate is so important. It’s your terms and conditions, it’s what’s going to protect you. You must put in all the details, such as how many shots, how many days, how many hours, is there overtime? Will there be retouching? Always use that line, “Bid is based on…” Make it all clear in that top job description paragraph. Make sure they read it. You also would have it in the terms and conditions below, but we don’t think anyone is really reading those. They will protect you in court, but hopefully we will never get to that point. Make sure you put in all your details.

Q:

What kind of usage are you including as part of the creative fee? Is there any kind of standard usage fee?

A:

I don’t know of a standard usage as it always depends on the duration, the location, and the type of usage. The only standard would be “Unlimited usage for an Unlimited duration,” which is more common these days. The one thing I can say as a rep is our favorite work is “reuse” so avoid that “Unlimited” as much as possible.

Q:

How often do you get an advance? All I hear, over and over again is, “it takes 30 days to get in the system and process payment,” etc, etc.

A:

This does depend on what industry you are in, but for commercial photography, an advance prior to the start of the shoot is especially important if it is with a new client. I would not begin a shoot without an advance for 50% of the total or 75% of the expenses.

Q:

What is your suggestion for how to navigate this world where every client seems to want more and more deliverables? Trying to stand firm on pricing feels hard when many are charging less.

A:

The best way to stand firm on pricing is to become more valuable with a strong style. If your style is unique to you, then they will need to find the budget to hire you.

ALWAYS GET A 50% ADVANCE FOR A PHOTOSHOOT.

Q:

How do I know if I am too low on a bid?

A:

If the client responds to your bid by asking if you have enough for certain line items like “location scout” etc, then you can assume you are too low. At that point I’d be direct and explain how you were assuming the budget was low, but you may have been mistaken. This can be turned into a positive to show your excitement for the project. Has anyone had an experience like this you’d like to share?

Q:

How do you know if you need a producer or not on your job?

A:

If you foresee the job needing a producer you can always ask the client if they think there is room in the budget for a producer. It’s actually a nice way to try to get more budget info. If the answer is “no” then I would suggest not having a producer do the estimate for you because they usually have higher production costs.

Q:

What do you do if you don’t know how to ask for what you’re worth?

A:

This is common and most freelancers don’t know how to rate themselves fairly while balancing out competition, usage or market prices. My approach is to connect with the client on the phone and listen to what they often want to tell me. My favorite sales approach is honesty. It works wonders. 

What is your favorite sales approach?

Clients can’t usually give you numbers, you have to throw numbers out there for them to bring you up or down.

Q:

My client list isn’t huge and consists of mostly small startup companies. I’ve been on the shortlist for bigger jobs lately, but haven’t been getting awarded. The response I’ve been getting a lot is, “you have great work and we would love to work with you, but we’re going with someone who has more experience.” How do I get more experience and reputable clients under my belt when no one will give me a chance?

A:

This type of response is most often what every bidder gets that isn’t getting the job. It could mean they liked someone else’s work more, or the other photographer had the specific look they were going for. It could be that the other photographer had the specific look they were going for, was better on the creative call, or had a better treatment. It could also be their past experience with the winner, or that the winner has a rep. Mostly, I’d recommend working harder and get your book even better with more stylists involved.