HOw do you deal

[Breezy]

with being undercut?
I was asked about the MC Ball as most of you know.
I told them 125 an hour or $400 for 4 hours. plus packages ranging from 15-50 dollars.
Well I got the reply back this morning.

Good Morning Ma'am
I regret to say we found another photographer. Not to sound cliché but she
made us an offer we couldn't refuse. Thank you for your time.

What do you say to that?

[Jenny Z]

I'd say "Thank you" and move on...

Sounds like whoever they got probably isn't making enough to make a profit.

[groovyone]

Just say thank you for the notification and move on. You don't want to start lowballing your work.

[Breezy]

Thanks
I did thank him and told him I hope they get the quality of work that they are looking for and moved on.
I didn't want to say I hope you get what you pay for cause that could be really mean depending on the photographer.

[andyz]

I'd say the same thing the photog before you said, who wanted $600 for the same 4 hours. You were under that bid, and another was under yours.

I might respond with, "I hope your selection works out well for you. Please keep me and my high standard of quality in mind for your next event."

[Breezy]

Thanks Andy
I didn't think of it like that.

[pavi]

I agree with the other posters. You do not want to be know as a cheap photographer.

[Truckman]

In the gun business I always had a price on my products that was far less than MSRP but enough to where I could keep the bills paid and bank a profit...I was constantly being told that some other store was selling the same thing cheaper and would I meet or beat their price...Unless it was a longtime customer, I always told them that the other store has a great price and they should go there and buy it...

I always said that in a friendly manner with no sarcasm...More often than not they would wind up buying from me because I knew the other store didn't sell that cheap and they didn't stock it anyway, would have to order it...

I recall once when I wouldn't meet a pawnshop price on a new H&K...The customer went to the pawnshop and bought it then came to my store to shoot it...When he showed me the great new gun he got at a great price, it looked very familiar...I looked up the serial number and got to tell him that "new" gun was actually sold new by me a year ago to someone who appartently pawned it...He was even less happy when he called the pawnshop from my store and they told him all sales were final...

He never bought a gun from anybody but me after that...Stick to your "guns" and you'll have the kind of clientele you really want over a period of time...Ben

[CaptainTom]

It's hard to want a gig and then not get it, for any reason. This is the essence of sales. We have to be able to take rejection. It certainly doesn't mean that they don't like you or your work.

What it means is that you probably didn't sell yourself and your services and quality enough to make it important to them that they hire only you. Most people couldn't care about IQ or equipment or experience until you make it an important issue in their decison making process. This can be the hardest part of sales. Once you start making them aware, you will get more and more business.

[123canon]

ya get what ya pay for? sorry, that was my outside voice-i agree, thank them for the consideration and move on...

[dcnctx]

Put the fellow on your mailing list. He may be a much better educated individual after his experience with your competitor. (and much more cooperative.) You win a client and get your price or better.

[Bruce M. Morris]

Now what you should do is to find a good looking Marine couple, set up just like you are shooting this event, and create a sample that you would be able to show to either other smaller commands in the area, or for next year. Between the Navy Ball and the Marine Corps Ball and all the commands in the area, I am sure there is one that is looking. Just look through the government pages in the phone book and see the listing for all of them!!

[sldi]

If you want it cheap, there is a Walmart around the corner.

[KdLaneJr]

Originally Posted by Breezy

with being undercut?
I was asked about the MC Ball as most of you know.
I told them 125 an hour or $400 for 4 hours. plus packages ranging from 15-50 dollars.
Well I got the reply back this morning.

Good Morning Ma'am
I regret to say we found another photographer. Not to sound cliché but she
made us an offer we couldn't refuse. Thank you for your time.

What do you say to that?

An offer they couldn't refuse.., could mean anything from more for less, no booking fee and less per photo, to free coverage for experience with a CD supplied at the end of the night.

[CaptainTom]

Originally Posted by KdLaneJr

An offer they couldn't refuse.., could mean anything from more for less, no booking fee and less per photo, to free coverage for experience with a CD supplied at the end of the night.

Or, it could mean that the Colonel's son in law has a new XTI and wants to be a professional photographer.