“Once upon a time, I had pricing listed on my Services page.  But no more!  What the heck happened?

Is it because I’m trying to be sneaky with my pricing?  Or trying to bait you into contacting me so I can upsell you a bunch of stuff you don’t need?  Or maybe because my pricing is SO ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH that I don’t want to scare you away?

Spoiler alert:  “no” to all of those questions.  But there is a very good reason why I removed prices from my website.  It’s because I want to be able to help you better.

“What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other?”  George Eliot

My general philosophy when shopping online for a product, a service, or a subscription is that there dang well better be pricing listed on the website, otherwise I’m moving on with my life and never looking back.

That’s why I always have listed pricing with specific photography packages on my website – because that’s the kind of shopper I am!  I will almost never reach out for a quote because I’m afraid the price will be too high for my budget and I’ll have to go through the awkwardness of turning down the quote.  I would rather chew off my own arm.

But then something happened.  Something that changed my perspective on the power of a consultation rather than a price list.

I needed a service for my business and had been price shopping online (and horrified by the prices I was finding) when I came across someone offering free consultations instead of pricing.

I booked a 1 hour Zoom call with her and she spent the time asking me questions about my business to determine exactly what I needed.  Then, at the end of the consultation, she sent me a fully customized quote.  The quote included everything I needed and nothing extra, and clearly outlined the options I had chosen.

Just like that, my eyes were opened!  Talking to clients and discovering their needs rather than assuming their needs and prescribing them a one-size-fits-all package of services is the way to go.

Most people have no idea what they want, what they need, or what their options are.

Over the past year, I have offered pre-built packages to my clients.  I would estimate a good 1/3 of my booked clients have needed an adjustment to my packages.  Something needed to be taken out, added in, shortened, lengthened, or invented to make the package fit their needs.

That is because every single one of my clients are different.  No two have ever been the same.  I work with such a huge variety of clients, from Grammy award winning musical groups to brand new solo entrepreneurs and each one needs something unique.

Packages just ain’t cutting it.

If you’ve done any amount of branding photography pricing research, you’ll know that it is all over the place!   There are photographers charging $75 and photographers charging $7,500.  And knowing exactly what you’re getting for the price invovles reading a laundry list of services that you may or may not understand.

How many photos do you need?  What exactly do you plan do use the photos for?  What steps will be required to make the photos you need?  Do you need video?  What about animated gifs?  Should you let your 16 year old daughter do your hair and makeup before the session?  What are you even going to wear??

There’s a lot that goes into planning a branding photography session, and these questions eventually come up in my conversations with clients anyway.  But now, they’ll come up before you even get a pricing quote – because the answer to these questions are what determines that ultimate price!

Let’s get started with a discovery phone call.

Honestly, this is the face I make when I get an unscheduled phone call.  I’m caught off guard, kinda scared, and absolutely going to fumble my words!  Sorry, y’all, that’s just who I am as a person.  That’s my millennial toxic trait.

But if you schedule a call with me, I’ll be ready.  I’ll be so ready it’ll make your head spin.  You’ll be looking up “ready” in the dictionary and seeing my cute face.

During the call, I’ll ask you about your business and your goals.  I’ll figure out exactly what you need, so you never get charged for something you won’t even use!  That’s how I roll.  You’re going to love it.