25/01/2023
A post by Missy Mwac:
I have a lot of print displays around town. One of them is in the airport. It sits right next to the Southwest Airlines counter. It’s made from salvaged barn doors and is lit day and night. I keep it, and all of them, stocked with printed materials and update them seasonally. I pay each month for these displays as part of my marketing plan and they work well for me.
A few months ago, I received a phone call from someone who had flown into the airport, seen this particular display, and liked what she saw. She explained she was in town for a huge event, during which she needed 200 headshots taken. Great!
We discussed the event and then I gave her a price. She was flabbergasted. I mean, completely taken aback.
“Oh no!” she cried. “I’m not paying for this. You would give us your services in exchange for exposure for your business.”
Not that Ms. I-dont-value-what-you-do would know it, but I’ve been in business over 30 years. I market my butt off every year. (Okay, I WISH I marketed my butt off. Sadly, each year I look in the mirror and that thing is still there, reminding me I like cake.) The event woman on the other end of the line was simply shocked, SHOCKED, I say, that someone would charge for their work. And I guess she was shocked because she was more than used to photographers jumping at the chance to work for free.
“With all due respect,” I said, “you’re not looking for a professional. You’re simply looking for someone with a camera who doesn’t value their work enough to charge for it. And hey, as you know, there are plenty who don’t.
As for exposure, YOU found ME. My marketing is how you found me to begin with. I work hard for clients who respect and value what I do. I stand behind what I do. I’m running a business here- why would I work hard for someone who doesn’t care enough to pay for it?
I mean…do YOU work for free?”
“But I’m happy you like my work and good luck to you!”
(Remember, people :
if YOU don't value what you do enough to charge for it, no one else will, either.)