What do restaurants and photographers have in common? When it comes to choosing a restaurant, (or a photographer), a consumer in a larger city usually has many hundreds of choices. In the eyes of the customer, most restaurants, (like most photographers), are more or less the same.
Why choose one restaurant (or photographer) over another: Convenient location? A positive previous experience? Price? Good word-of-mouth referrals? Maybe the web site looked nice?
Restaurants rely on their menu to entice customers. They usually post menus online and near their front entrance. But compare how restaurants present their menu.
Restaurant A might use a bare bones approach for its menu:
Grilled Cheese………………….$5.95
Hamburger with fries ………. $7.95
Cheeseburger with fries………$8.95
This style of menu emphasizes price and encourages customers to take cost into consideration when making their food decision. This menu also suggests that the restaurant serves commodity meals, food that’s just okay.
Restaurant B might go with:
Grilled Cheese Delight: Canadian cheddar or mozzarella cheese grilled to the perfect gooey-ness you love, between two slices of whole wheat bread toasted to a golden brown, just like when you were a kid. 6.95
Hamburger Heaven: Fresh ground Canadian Grade A beef grilled the way you like it and topped with lettuce, a juicy tomato slice and a tangy pickle. Accompanied by a huge scoop of our famous crispy french fries. 8.95
Cheeseburger Paradise: Even better than being in Hamburger Heaven because now you get your choice of cheddar, swiss or mozzarella cheese melted over your delicious, perfectly-grilled burger. Of course you get enough of our famous crispy french fries to fill you up. 9.95
This menu encourages the customer to get involved and it puts the customer into a positive, anticipatory mood. This is an example of the marketing phrase, “sell the sizzle, not the steak.” Also notice that the price, which is slightly higher than the first menu, doesn’t call attention to itself by not having a “$” sign and by being buried in the description.
If these two were on the same menu, which would you order:
Grilled Cheese………………….$5.95
Grilled Cheese Delight: Tangy Canadian cheddar cheese grilled to the perfect gooey-ness you love, between two slices of whole wheat bread toasted to a golden brown, just like when you were a kid. 6.95
A price-conscious customer might ask the waiter for the difference between the two. But most folks would probably order the second grilled cheese because of the “emotional” connection made through the description. They wouldn’t mind the higher price because they would assume the lower-priced meal must be a lesser sandwich because (a) it costs less, and (b) the restaurant couldn’t be bothered to say anything nice about it.
What does this have to do with photography?
If the conversation revolves around price, (“How much for a picture of…”, “What do you charge for…”), the price will never go up, only down. If the conversation centers on value, the price might go up but it’s unlikely to go down.
If a photographer has a web site price list that looks like a menu from Restaurant A (above), it might prevent any conversation from even starting:
Business Portrait: …………………..$425.00
Corporate Events: …………………..$225.00/hour (two hour minimum)
This type of list emphasizes price. It encourages the customer to notice the price and then make decisions based on that price. Photography price lists like this don’t indicate the value (which is why I removed prices from my web site).
Not publishing a price list will (hopefully) entice customers to contact the photographer to ask for more information. This should start the conversation by having the photographer ask the customer what they’re looking for, how the pictures are to be used, what they’re expecting to gain from the photography, etc. These questions are intended to highlight the potential value (the sizzle) of the photography (the steak).
When a person goes to a restaurant, they don’t go to eat a grilled cheese sandwich. They go to satisfy their hunger problem and to enjoy the restaurant experience. When a customer goes to a photographer, they don’t really want pictures. They want to solve a problem by using photography. They also hope the professional photographer can provide a good experience by producing better than expected results.
Nevertheless, sometimes a photographer might need to have an online price list. This is common for portraits, weddings, headshots and some event photography. But be sure to learn from restaurant menus.
First, build value by including a description written to trigger the right emotional responses. Describe and sell the value. Include the price in the description using the same colour and size of text as the description. Don’t call attention to the price.
Instead of:
Business Portrait: …………………..$425.00
Corporate Events: …………………..$225.00/hour (two hour minimum)
Maybe try something like:
Business Portrait: You will make the right first impression with a distinctive portrait custom-created to suit your business and your personality. Your photograph is designed to be a perfect fit for your web site, business blog or media handout. Remember that a quality portrait is no longer a luxury but a necessary business tool. Our highly-regarded photography will reflect the corporate standing that you’ve earned. 480.00
Corporate Events: You’re spending a lot of time, money and stress planning the event. Your company is depending on it to be successful. Be sure to follow through with the proper photo coverage specifically designed to produce the best pictures for both media handouts and your corporate use. You can always rely on us to provide professional coverage without disrupting the event and to deliver the finished pictures on time. With a two hour minimum: 255.00 hourly
Next time you’re at a restaurant, analyze the menu for its marketing impact. Pretend the menu is a (paper) web site. Does it encourage you to flip to the next page with anticipation or with desperation? Does the quality of photography pull you in or push you away? Does the menu emphasize price, food quality or the dining experience? If the menu has in-depth descriptions, do you find yourself reading them? Why? Do these descriptions have any influence on what you order?
Now apply this to your photography web site.
What about the fancy restaurants that mixes those like :
Grill Cheese Supreme …… 7
Canadian Beef cheese grilled burger ….. 10
? hehe