Happy Wednesday!
Today I wanted to talk a bit about Friends and Family and when you have to work professionally with them. Its always awkward having the dreaded “money conversation” with friends and family regarding your services. You want to be nice, you love them, and at the same time you want them to value you and what you do.
A lot of the time I hear professionals giving up and shooting themselves in the foot and working for free (and even worse, free without a contract) because they don’t know how to navigate the rough waters of discussing price and money with their friends and/or family. And even weirder, asking someone you trust, and trusts you to sign a contract. So lets talk about this a bit.
I’m all about setting the proper expectation. You’ll hear me say that phrase over and over. As long as you’re setting the proper expectation up front with someone, they’ll be happy with the whole arrangement, and so will you.
I’m about to head to California later this month to photograph the wedding of a good friend of mine. We’ve worked together in the past, and he’s second shot a few of my weddings. The conversation was really basic. It pretty much went like this: He called inquiring as to my availability and pricing for his wedding. I gave him the price, he was more than happy to pay it, and to sign my contract.
So how did I do that? Am I just super bold and don’t care what people think? Heck no. I’m super self conscious! I’m also introverted! Its all in how you frame the conversation, with the proper expectation, way up front. I also have a small secret weapon. Read on to find out what it is.
Photographing some close friends for their engagement was awesome, and a year later I photographed their wedding!
The “Money Conversation”
So here’s how it goes down in detail:
A friend or family member calls, texts, or emails me regarding my services for their wedding.
I respond congratulating them and letting them know how truly flattered I am that they’d choose me for their special day.
Then comes the scary part…..except its not scary at all. This is where I insert my secret weapon to fight awkwardness of the dreaded “money conversation” with my beloved friends and family: I have special friends and family pricing. And I make sure that they know they’re getting special pricing.
Is that cheating?! No way! Is it undercutting your services? I guess that depends on how you look at it. I truly do love people, and especially the people in my life. I WANT to do something special for them, and at the same time, I know I still need to get paid to live my life. SO, I have special friends and family pricing. It serves a few purposes:
First, it sets the expectation that, hey, I’m your pal, and I want to do something cool for you, so here is a discounted rate because I love you.
Secondly, it sets another expectation that I will not be photographing their event for free.
Yay! Everyone is happy!
You should never give your services away for free. Friends and Family Pricing will show your value, while still showing friends and family that you want to do something special for them!
Clients usually become really great friends by the end of the night, even if I’d never met them before, like this wonderful couple from New York City
How To (non-awkwardly) Get Them To Sign Your Contract
Ok so the first part of the storm is done and navigated. Apparently I’m an expert Seaman. Heh.
But there is still a tricky part of the conversation to be had, and it has to do with the contract and protecting your professional relationship, as well as your personal relationship.
Your contract is your number one tool in setting all of your expectations up front. If a family member or friend is offended that I would even ask them to sign a contract I simply let them know that I value them, and I want THEM to be protected. I don’t talk about my business needing protection. I remind them that the contract is there for their benefit to hold me accountable. Done. That was easy. Psh, and you thought it’d be hard!
Bottom Line
In the end, ALL of my clients become my friends, and I want them to be happy with their entire experience. I want to be professional, and caring, and I want to be there for them through thick and thin, and I want my friends and family to have that exact experience as well.
So next time you run into this situation and you’re not sure what to do, set in place some special pricing for friends and family, and always remember to set those proper expectations way up front, and suddenly, you’ll find that all the awkwardness associated with this kind of relationship will be GONE!
Have more great tips on how to successfully work with friends and family on a professional level? Leave them in the comments!!
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