How to Tell Clients You’re Increasing Your Rate

Wedding photography prices rank among the things that clients pay attention to before booking.

While quality and compatibility are much more important for hiring such a professional, your rates will always be factored and taken in consideration.

As a wedding photographer or videographer, you already have set prices and packages that some of your clients are familiar with.

What happens, however, if you need to increase your rates? How do you communicate this kind of information with clients? Do you introduce the change abruptly? Or do you postpone it because of fear that you’ll lose some of your loyal customers?

All of those are valid questions. Most wedding photographers and videographers will be hesitant about a rate change. Eventually, however, such adjustments become necessary.

Acquiring more experience justifies increasing prices. Given the current economic situation across the world and the growing inflation, raising prices will once again be a good idea.

If you’re confident that the decision is the right one, the time has come to communicate the change with your clients. Here’s how to make the announcement without causing disappointment and losing gigs.

 

Let Customers Know in Advance about the Change

 

 

Serving information about wedding photographer prices in the last minute will obviously not go well. The sooner you let existing clients know, the better.

This is especially true for those who have contacted you some time ago and are now planning their wedding.

If you don’t have a contract already in place to detail the cost of the service you’ll be providing, you have every right in the world to charge the higher new fee.

Still, it’s a common courtesy and a good business practice to let your clients and potential new customers know as soon as possible.

Announcing the fee increase early enough allows people to plan their wedding budget and change wedding photographer or videographer plans if needed.

Let’s face it – chances are that you will lose some business after a price increase. Some people will be unhappy about the change or incapable of paying the higher fee. Letting them know early enough, however, will get people to respect your decision.

You wouldn’t be ruining their wedding day plans and as a result, everyone will get to move on (regardless of the decision your customers make).

It’s also a good idea to feature the new price information on your website well in advance (for example – publish an announcement about an upcoming change in package costs and the date from which the new prices will become effective).

 

Justify the New Wedding Photographer Prices

 

The cost is just one factor that clients consider when hiring a wedding photographer or videographer.

That’s why you have to be capable of justifying a package hike.

It’s a good idea to remind your clients that a higher price usually means better service quality. Let them know that making your packages a bit more expensive allows you to purchase new equipment, dedicate more hours to the event, bring a second videographer/photographer to the venue, etc.

Whatever the reason for the price increase is, be upfront about it.

Having the right kind of justification will often offset the negative effect of the price hike and keep clients interested in working with you. That’s why you need to consider and plan the price increase really well.

If you’re doing it for the right reasons, you’ll typically end up keeping most of your existing business (as long as you communicate that information effectively).

 

But Don’t Over-Explain

 

Trying to over-explain and justify yourself only makes the price hike questionable.

That’s why let clients know what has changed from their point of view – you’ve acquired knowledge, you have new equipment or editing software, etc. Make the communication clear, concise and factual.

Give your clients an opportunity to ask additional questions but never go on the defensive when trying to explain.

Increasing the price of your packages is a standard part of running business. It’s to be expected every few years. You acquire knowledge, you have to factor in inflation. Hence, it’s common sense that such change is going to take place sooner or later.

If people are trying to push you to offer them the older rate, be polite but firm about the change. Don’t apologize and don’t go into long-winded explanations as to why a price hike is needed.

Those who value your work and your time will not give you a hard time. Everyone else will be difficult to convince, which is why you shouldn’t even attempt to do so.

 

Work on Really Making Your Product Better

 

Most people will be willing to pay higher wedding photography prices. That’s because clients need you and they wouldn’t be too eager to make a change.

Finding the perfect wedding photographer or videographer is far from an easy task. After all, couples want everything to be impeccable on their special day. Once they set their eyes on a service that they like, chances are that they wouldn’t want to make lots of changes.

That’s why you have to work on making your product better after announcing the change in prices.

Disappointing the clients who have decided to trust you is the easiest and quickest way to ruin your business. If you charge more but the execution is somewhat missing, you’ll lose a lot of business.

Do your best to embrace strategies for exceptional service provision. Get feedback on what clients want and incorporate that information in your package offerings. If you have to, hire external teams or outsource post-production/other aspects of getting the job done that you’re not an expert in.

By working on making your product better, you will deliver on your promise and end up with happy customers. That’s the one thing you should be focusing if you’d like to maintain an exceptional reputation and increase the likelihood of word of mouth promotion.

 

Offer Loyal Clients Some Perks

 

Discounts are a tricky thing to offer so you should be counting on such campaigns sparingly.

To lure clients into giving you a try after a price hike, however, you can consider some perks and extras. Everybody loves a “freebie” that comes on top of what’s been agreed upon. Such an offering will easily sweeten the deal and result in a win-win situation for everyone involved.

 

Offering a few pictures more on top of what’s agreed-upon in the package is an easy way to provide a bonus. If you’re a videographer, let clients know they’ll be getting a quick online promo on top of their wedding video.

The additional perk can be something relatively small that you’re capable of producing quickly. For people, it’s the gesture that matters. Don’t be afraid of expanding on what’s included in the package.

Who knows, experimenting with such perks can highlight new service areas and the potential to create new offerings that clients will be drawn to.

 

If Possible, Avoid Indirect Communication

 

Sending an email about a price hike may seem like the smart thing to do (looking clients in the eyes and telling them that they’ll have to pay more is obviously scary!) but it’s not.

Whenever feasible, let clients know about the price hike in person.

Being available to address such changes shows respect and your desire to communicate in a professional manner.

It also gives clients the opportunity to ask some questions and get a better understanding of the change. Sure, such a conversation may feel uncomfortable at first. Eventually, however, it will provide excellent opportunities to advertise the change.

That tip obviously holds true for clients who already have a relationship with you and who have a certain understanding about your pricing. New clients will be getting information from your website.

They wouldn’t know about your old rates, which is why you’ll be free from having to explain what’s going on.

 

What to Do When Clients Can’t Afford the New Rates

 

As a last tip, here’s a situation you’ll probably run into – some clients will let you know that they can’t afford the new rates. Should you, in such instances, offer a discount or stick to your guns?

First of all, such situations aren’t all too common.

Chances are that you’ve increased your rates by a reasonable percentage. Most people who want you as their wedding photographer or videographer will be capable of handling the small extra charge.

If a client really, really can’t afford your fees, you may want to offer a recommendation about a service provider who’s a good match for them.

Such a recommendation, however, should only be made if you’re really confident that one of your colleagues will get the job done exceptionally well.

Making a concession for someone isn’t a good idea. They’ll potentially expect such special treatment in the future. Also, you risk setting a precedent that will cost you money and business in the long run.

Raising your prices isn’t all that scary. You’ll probably be worried about the change more than you should be. Once you communicate the information with some of your clients, however, you’ll find out that the anticipated clapback has been unwarranted.