Stop "educating" clients with a laundry list of expenses: Create a Commitment to Excellence statement instead
It’s every.single.day that I seem to come across a post on Facebook where a photographer either has shared a post to their followers on the costs that it takes to run a business, or asking how they can “educate” clients on their pricing.
In every response I give, I say not to do any of that. Why? To be blunt, people really don’t care about your expenses. Too harsh? When was the last time you ever considered the expenses of a business you interacted with? Have you ever thought about the cost of the grocery conveyor belt, or the cost of the box your custom cake was delivered in, that contributes to the final price to you? Would it be weird if someone pointed it out?
Yes, many of us want to support local small business, but it doesn’t mean you sit down with their bookkeeper and look over their backend purchases for the year and in doing so, you will be more inclined to spend your money with them. You still shop with your budget in mind, not theirs. You need to have them communicate the value you receive for your dollar, not that they took that dollar and spent it on toilet paper for the bathroom in their location.
So how else exactly do you convey value without releasing your itemized list of annual expenses? We have to think beyond the features of our business - meaning the things that allow other things to happen (the camera that creates images or the computer and software that processes the images) and start thinking of the benefits that those features produce. The benefit is the result that the client needs and wants and that result is truly the only thing that matters. When you are hosting a birthday party, you need a cake. That’s the feature. But what’s the result? You need to find a delicious treat to feed 10 toddlers and to put a smile on the face of the birthday boy or girl so that they remember this special birthday forever and you are the hero parent that throws the best parties. When that’s what you seek, the cake store selling you on the quality of the box that the cake comes in, or ‘educating’ you on the inflated price of flour these days to justify the cost of the cake doesn’t get you to your result.
Ideally, we want clients to understand our position and see the value in our services and pricing without ever asking the question “why is it so expensive.” That’s where a Commitment to Excellence statement can come in very handy.
What is a commitment to excellence Statement?
At its base level and to satisfy the “education” temptation — without actually doing it— it’s kind of a pre-emptive statement that establishes the position of your business as a premium service and correspondingly, the level of financial investment expected when working with you. I’ll venture to say that a big chunk of photographers have never even thought of having something like this (and you could be in that group right now), so this kind of statement can really set you apart from the crowd. It’s a form of a guarantee or assurance, such as the money-back guarantee that I wrote about in a previous post. The difference is that what you put on the line isn’t money, but essentially your reputation. By committing to certain standards, you commit to a level of service that you then strive to uphold, and that communicates value to clients.
It can come in the form of an actual statement, or a manifesto/ list of values. You can even do a bit of both! I have a manifesto that’s listed on the main page of my website. It lists things that are important to me, and also starts setting an expectation that there has been thought and consideration placed in the business to establish its values as well as financial value. It also helps define my brand voice.
My statement of excellence appears on my investment page that is password-protected and only sent to clients after they’ve reached out. It appears after all of my collections/ pricing has been presented and that is strategic to then follow up pricing with some value statements that validate the price - helping clients make that connection for outstanding results. An excerpt:
Lucy Baum Photography: Commitment to Excellence in Service
“The financial investment requested reflects and honours the level of service that I strive for in serving the clients who choose to become part of the Lucy Baum Photography family. Pricing of products and services is based on ensuring the continued sustainability of the business at the highest level, as well a positive and elevated experience for all clients:
I commit to:
Being accessible, and prompt to respond to all communications;
Maintaining confidentiality of all client information disclosed to me;
Offering a privacy promise of how your photographs are used in promotion, or kept fully private, with a right to change your permissions at any time;
Etc.
This is an example. You can go on to develop the key points that are relevant to your business and brand- maintaining a quality, clean, and varied client closet with a variety of sizing and styles to suit all body types, messages of inclusiveness and acceptance, exclusive locations, convenient payment plans, 100% satisfaction guarantees etc. Notice how all of the statements are client-centred - the benefit to them. The underlying message here is that with a higher price point, you get higher touch service.
I also add some detail around how I invest highly in my business:
Top-of-the-line equipment to provide the best photographic quality
Redundant backup systems both local and cloud, to protect precious memories
Investment in continuing education to always be improving the quality of my work
This last part especially is closest to the “educate on expenses” part, and see again at how each feature results in a benefit to the client - this is critical! I get to educate without educating and if ever faced with a client questioning prices, I can easily send them a link to this information. When something is pre-written, it does 3 key things:
Removes stress away from having to craft a response on the spot
Sends a powerful message to clients of professionalism, confidence in your work, and dedication to getting client the results of beautiful and memorable imagery.
It holds you accountable to the provision of excellence and the embodiment of your brand, as you have defined for yourself (before any client or anyone else can). That can be a great reminder to always act with integrity, especially if we encounter any bumps in the road with clients and not allow ourselves to be derailed from leading everyone to a graceful close of their business with us.
With a written Commitment of Excellence, you control the narrative, you take charge of how you want your brand to be perceived, rather than allowing people to make up their own mind about your pricing, without input from you. Bonus, it’s also hard for anyone to ask for a discount after you’ve lead them to an entire statement of the things you do to ensure an incredible client experience and all the investments you have made! Wouldn’t that alone be worth doing this?
Elevate and enhance your client experience
Take it one step further than an Excellence statement and start implementing luxury concepts into your business. This handbook contains low to no-cost ways to stand out from other photographers using psychological and design elements used in luxury markets. One chapter is dedicated to Education Through Excellence!