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Providing Better Estimates

By Ira Gostin © 2003 www.gostin.com

1. You should do everything in writing. Don't give ballpark estimates over the phone. There is nothing worse than miscommunications.
   
   
2. Always start out your proposal with a recap of the initial discussion of the job. Make sure that you are quoting the most recent version of what the job is. Sometimes things change and this will allow the client to review what specifics you are quoting.
   
   
3. Make sure that the shoot list is relative to the job and is being submitted for approval with the quote.
   
   
4. Don't buckle to buy-outs and unreasonable usage requests. And on the same note, don't lose a job because you were holding out for additional fees for something small like added web presence or an additional billboard. Negotiate!
   
   
5. Ensure that the payment protocol is discussed and approved. We shoot our jobs with new clients with a 50% deposit. No exceptions. Existing clients are given a 21 day term. If an agency demands a 90 day payment, we either charge them for financing or suggest that they get a line of credit for the job. We are not in the business of lending money and financing advertising. Sometimes no is the right answer.
   
   
6. Discuss how the job should be delivered. Chromes? Scans? Do they understand that they do not see outtakes? Is your policy regarding their picks clearly stated?
   
   
7. Is your policy regarding delays, cancellations and adjustments/changes to the shoot list clearly stated?
   
   
8. If the agency provides its own contract, I cross everything out that is duplicated in my agreement, only letting stand things that are not covered in my agreement. As the photographer, you are the seller; they are the buyer. The idea that they should dictate the terms by which you run your business is ridiculous. However, so many photographers have given in to this practice that it has set a terrible precedent. Don't perpetuate this practice by allowing it.
   

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