From my experience dealing with Photographers there seems to be just two main ways a Photographer sells his wedding packages. The first is via a range of wedding packages starting at a particular price point with three or four price points. From my experience all photographers might charge these at different rates but I have seen packages start at £800 going up to £5000.

£5000 I hear your say… I couldn’t sell that. Think about it … If you offer it do you actually need to sell any … you will still sell more because it will up-sell your Bride. How will it do this? I will answer this with a few questions which I will answer myself:

Who makes the decision to order a particular album? Answer: The Bride heavily influenced by the women in her relationship.

Who has no say or very little? Answer: The Groom … however he is generally there to make his new wife to feel that he is really interested or if he was really honest to make sure she does not spend too much.

I am sure you will agree with me that watching this buying process can be really fun. Watching the reactions of both of them, keen not to annoy each other, this early in their life together. So what generally happens… You tell me … you see this interaction more than I do … but this is what I have seen and think this is probably typical. Let’s say for simplicity sake you have three packages … One the entry level at £1000, a middle package £1700 and your premium deluxe package at say even £2500 (if £5000 makes you uncomfortable). So tell me which one sells most? Don’t tell me… let me guess the £1700 middle package. Did you ever ask yourself why the middle package sells most? Here is the reason… The Groom would be happy with the £1000 package … The Bride would love the £2500 package … So where do they compromise … you are right the middle one .. so they spend £1700. All the talk about having a budget etc is total baloney … This is just used as a negotiation tactic between them and you and each other.

 So what happens if you stop at the middle package and never offer a Deluxe Premium Package? You are right you will sell less of what should be your £1700 middle packages.

So what do you do? I would suggest you always have on display you’re Premium De- Luxe package with the expectation you will sell few of these but that it will sell more of your next package down. This is what I call strategic positioning of your offering to up sell your customer. In a recession this is even more important as the Bride is much more likely to feel the pressure to compromise more and not go for the De-Luxe album option.

So if you agree with me what should you do? Contact Hannah or Ronan at www.photovalue.com and order an I Nobili Magnum Modern album. I guarantee this album will help you increase your sales next year and if it doesn’t I’ll eat my hat.  

 

 

By the way a final tip… always show the Bride the most expensive package first. This way you set in her mind the need that she really likes … and if she gets her way she may even just place that order for one.

 

Hopefully the negotiation dynamic your bride and grooms work through are far more subtle than the two on the left. 

Season’s Greetings to you all and I wish you all a Healthy & Prosperous 2010.   

Happy Snapping

PV Photoman