Bidding Process

Q:

How do I leverage this abundance of accolades and high end client work to get more exposure? My past mailers and hand curated Do you always expect clients to negotiate? Or do they just walk away sometimes if the price is automatically too high?

A:

Unfortunately, clients walk away for so many reasons beyond our control. I like to feel out the situation to hear the temperature of their response before fully committing to a price. Odds are more in our favor if we can create a human connection off the bat, helping us open the doors of communication. The conversation can include the openness to flexibility by discussing a price range before we officially submit an estimate. If clients know we are willing to bridge, they may be more apt to negotiate.

BID PREP STEP ONE:

Being ready to go with a solid inventory of crew + producers based on different bidding scenarios and locations can help you (me) avoid the regretful danger zone of losing a job we didn’t need to lose. Be ready to reach out without relying on only a few contacts because it could be too late by the time we hear back. Some jobs are pressure-cookers where the fastest one wins! Building a comprehensive crew and producer list has to happen way before the bid requests come in.

Q:

How do I leverage this abundance of accolades and high end client work to get more exposure? My past mailers and hand curated marketing promos have yielded a 3% response rate, and I must say I’m a bit frustrated.

A:

Emails, in general, seem to be a dying breed pushing us to figure out new ways to be in touch. They are no longer the one dependable marketing tool as they now serve one piece of the promotional pie.

You know I’m all about Instagram, so that is my first suggestion, but of course, we still need to push those promos out.

Email promo material should go out in two separate ways, which will, in turn, support each other:

1. Mass email lists will have a lower response rate because they are a larger list of unknown clients but provide us with solid marketing open/click data.
2. Smaller fine-tuned lists built around those we know, and those who open/click the larger mass emails will get better traction.

Q:

Why can the best cinematographers serve the story and change their look for each script, depending on the requirements of the script, but if a photographer does that, they are condemned, overlooked and discarded for being a “generalist?”

A:

We get to choose two types of paths: technically savvy with a lot of variety or those who provide a more specific curated style, look and feel.  Both options can work, giving you a long-lasting accomplished career, usually depending on your situation, the size of your market, and your skillset. I’ve repped both of these and found the careers of generalists depend on the relationships they build, and the specialists get jobs for their portfolios.

Q:

I was invited to bid for what developed into branding services for a white-labeling startup company. The company to whom I was “bidding” did not actually provide a specific scope, brief or RFP. Such is how it grew into a “branding” project. Their communication with me wasn’t very responsive. I interpreted it being more like an RFI, providing them with the following:

1. A list of typical deliverables.
2. A list of things not included.
3. A budget range with minimum & not-to-exceed amounts. 
4. An explanation of how scope development was needed to pinpoint the actual cost of services. 
5. Scope development was included in the minimum.

What is your opinion on my approach on the above mentioned project?

A:

This request sounds like the massive amount of undeveloped clients using social media mass photographer reachability to save them money. You’ll need to quickly assess if this is a reliable potential client or an “info for free” mass request.

They are asking you to be their creative development ad agency so you can:

1. Do that for free.
2. Give them your hourly rate for that type of branding work.
3. Tell them to contact you again when they have their shot list spec sheet prepared. 

An essential job bidding tip is to take that extra minute to slowly and carefully scan every line, making sure each detail is correct before sending it in. This extra minute is well worth your time and can be a factor in getting you the job vs. losing you the job. 

Q:

What does it mean when a client wants me to bid on a project, but they don’t want to have a creative call?

A:

If clients don’t want a creative call, that may be a sign for us to read into how they are not taking this as seriously as we’d like. It is time for the photographer to share their vision and approach, introducing the director who you will be on set. I read into them skipping this stage in a couple of ways: You may be the 3rd bidder and not be high on their list for this project so you should kick butt on your treatment as that can serve as your intro to the creatives and the client. Your estimate should be as ethically conservative as safely possible to entice the client to choose you but remember you could get locked into these prices in the future. This project may not be happening yet, and they needed your numbers to provide the client with a preliminary budget range.

Q:

So, I was recently asked to pitch for a shoot with ***** for *****. The topline brief included a total budget (presented to client) of $80,000. They had set the photographer fee at $1,000 with an inclusive social usage for 3 months (I assume paid post) they also wanted post production included within this fee!

My question is, how common is the huge disparity between total budget and photography fees?

A:

This huge disparity between total budget and photography fees sounds fishy to me. These days, many projects come from smaller social media agencies or directly from production companies, who often have more control over the production budget. We need to keep a watchful eye over who is hiring the photographer and setting the fees. Companies that control your fees may also be the same companies that have you sign away your copyright ownership. Know who you are dealing with, what you agree to, and who you are trusting.

Every bid inquiry requires its own fine-tuned strategy + gameplan. 

The question is, which response will align with the client’s goals to get us the job while clearing up any potential usage terms that don’t protect you. We usually have to think quickly and make fast decisions following our instincts. Sometimes it’s in our best interest to wait for the details to be ironed out after the creative call. Strengthening our position first can allow us to make the changes we ultimately need to make.

When we are asked to bid on a job, especially client-direct jobs, they often request usage terms that we may disagree with, such as copyright issues or work-for-hire clauses that restrict us from showing the images. These terms often need education because, unlike ad agencies, client-direct clients may not fully understand what they’re asking for.

What I like to do is take a strategic approach: I first suggest having a creative call where we sell them on our ideas using catchphrases that will make them think, “This is the person we must work with.” During this call, we showcase the images and have the producer on the call to really hook them. Only after this is it time to negotiate the usage terms.

Assess whether you need to address these terms upfront before you bid on the job or wait until after the creative call to use the opportunity to get them hooked.

Q:

I recently lost out on a job because my perpetuity number scared off the agency. They needed a 5 year license estimate and a perpetuity estimate. My 5 year license was $16,000 and perpetuity was 4 times that. Seemed fair to me because I’m not comfortable with a lifetime license of my images anyway. What are your thoughts on this? I’m gutted because I lost out on the job but I’m ok with not giving a lifetime license away for next to nothing. 

A:

When bidding on a job requesting usage duration fee options, those are often an excellent place to start high, expecting to negotiate and not risk losing the job. 

The usual fundamental reasons you could lose a job you are bidding on:

-They have a #1 favorite choice in mind based on their style. 

-Your overall estimate price is much higher than someone else, so high they don’t even want to try to negotiate, 

-Your overall estimate price is very low, showing that you do not have the experience needed to fulfill the goals of this project. 

-Another bidder impressed them more with their treatment or ideas on the creative call.