Gift certificates partnering with a business

mrhonimrhoni Registered Users Posts: 173 Major grins
edited April 11, 2013 in Mind Your Own Business
I read an interesting idea of partnering with a business where the business will offer a gift certificate for a photo session to their best clients.

The question: would the business pay for the session, pay a discounted rate or is it all free?

All free is good for the vet and for me helps on portfolio and word of mouth.

I'm thinking this is a short and sweet session and I will provide a free 8x10 . I wanted to try this out with my Vet.

What are your thoughts or experiences?
Thanks

Comments

  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited March 17, 2013
    mrhoni wrote: »
    I read an interesting idea of partnering with a business where the business will offer a gift certificate for a photo session to their best clients.

    The question: would the business pay for the session, pay a discounted rate or is it all free?

    All free is good for the vet and for me helps on portfolio and word of mouth.

    I'm thinking this is a short and sweet session and I will provide a free 8x10 . I wanted to try this out with my Vet.

    What are your thoughts or experiences?
    Thanks

    I don't recommend doing something like this for free.

    If you can work out a deal, discounted rate, special, etc. That would be OK, but if you do a FREE photo shoot most won't really appreciate the image, or be interested in a more detailed followup shoot. In my opinion you would work for free and not get much of a benefit from your effort.

    People need to have some interest and investment in a project for it to mean something.

    Them's me thoughts.

    Sam
  • mrhonimrhoni Registered Users Posts: 173 Major grins
    edited March 17, 2013
    Sam wrote: »
    I don't recommend doing something like this for free.

    If you can work out a deal, discounted rate, special, etc. That would be OK, but if you do a FREE photo shoot most won't really appreciate the image, or be interested in a more detailed followup shoot. In my opinion you would work for free and not get much of a benefit from your effort.

    People need to have some interest and investment in a project for it to mean something.

    Them's me thoughts.

    Sam

    Sam,
    If people have done this what kind of deal did they work out with the business. I was assuming free for the business's client as it is a perk the business is providing to their client.

    Am I understanding that maybe a better deal is some discount for the business's client and the business pays me the value of the discount?
  • idiotabroadidiotabroad Registered Users Posts: 246 Major grins
    edited March 17, 2013
    It sounds like the business wants to use your start up as a perk to it's clients, like a free car wash coupon. If I even went to redeem my car wash I certainly wouldn't think of how great the wash was. I would be thinking on how to get the business to give me more free coupons. This may seem like a great idea to get your name out in public but it's a dead end. When people get something for free they find it pretty darn hard to pay for it next time, especially perks.
    Mark

    If you don't agree with me then your wrong.
    I can't be held accountable for what I say, I'm bipolar.
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited March 18, 2013
    mrhoni wrote: »
    Sam,
    If people have done this what kind of deal did they work out with the business. I was assuming free for the business's client as it is a perk the business is providing to their client.

    Am I understanding that maybe a better deal is some discount for the business's client and the business pays me the value of the discount?

    There isn't one answer. You can can make any agreement you want, but typically the service provider (photographer) would contract with the company to provide the service for a fee. This fee would probably be discounted to the company, but be a perk for the companies customers.

    Sam
  • Gary752Gary752 Registered Users Posts: 934 Major grins
    edited March 22, 2013
    mrhoni wrote: »
    I read an interesting idea of partnering with a business where the business will offer a gift certificate for a photo session to their best clients.

    The question: would the business pay for the session, pay a discounted rate or is it all free?

    All free is good for the vet and for me helps on portfolio and word of mouth.

    I'm thinking this is a short and sweet session and I will provide a free 8x10 . I wanted to try this out with my Vet.

    What are your thoughts or experiences?
    Thanks

    From what I've learned on workshops on Creative Live, the companies you partner with actually have nothing to do with the photo session, other than handing out the gift certificates or vouchers. What you are doing is getting them to send their clients to you for a photo session, and in return you agree to send your clients to them for the services they provide, and maybe a large print for them to hang on the wall, which also has your name on it. One photographer on Creative Live offers free hair and makeup that might cost $190.00 to $200.00 from their package, but make up for that in their print sales. I would also put a time limit on your Gift Certificates, that says "Good or Valid untill ??/??/?? only." As others have stated, never do the entire session for free, as they will expect that from you as long as you're in business!

    GaryB
    GaryB
    “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” - Ansel Adams
  • Gary752Gary752 Registered Users Posts: 934 Major grins
    edited March 22, 2013
    Sam wrote: »
    I don't recommend doing something like this for free.

    If you can work out a deal, discounted rate, special, etc. That would be OK, but if you do a FREE photo shoot most won't really appreciate the image, or be interested in a more detailed followup shoot. In my opinion you would work for free and not get much of a benefit from your effort.

    People need to have some interest and investment in a project for it to mean something.

    Them's me thoughts.

    Sam

    I have to agree with you on this Sam! What I would do is maybe discount the session fee for a limited time, but not do the entire thing for free. Then if you have properly priced your prints, you should be able to make up what you discounted for the session fee, provided you got some saleable images to show them.

    GaryB
    GaryB
    “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” - Ansel Adams
  • Gary752Gary752 Registered Users Posts: 934 Major grins
    edited March 22, 2013
    It sounds like the business wants to use your start up as a perk to it's clients, like a free car wash coupon. If I even went to redeem my car wash I certainly wouldn't think of how great the wash was. I would be thinking on how to get the business to give me more free coupons. This may seem like a great idea to get your name out in public but it's a dead end. When people get something for free they find it pretty darn hard to pay for it next time, especially perks.

    The idea the OP is asking about was talked about on one of the Sue Bryce workshops on Creative Live not to long ago. The way it actually works, is you make up some Gift Certificates, or as Sue Bryce calls it, Gift Voucher, and then go to a business, like a clothing store, and ask them about partnering up. You explain that if they send their clients to you for a photo session, you will send your clients to them for their clothing needs. If they agree, you leave some Gift Vouhers with them to give to their best clients. On the Gift Voucher, I would put either the business's name or some code so that you can identify where the person got the Gift Voucher, and if that business ends up sending you a lot of clients, then as an appreciation, give them a large wall print of one of the clients wearing an article of clothing from that business. That buisness pays you nothing, and the only thing it might cost you is a print for them to hang on the wall, if they are sending you alot of paying clients. In reality, you don't really have to discount anything. Just say that you are.

    GaryB
    GaryB
    “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” - Ansel Adams
  • GlortGlort Registered Users Posts: 1,015 Major grins
    edited March 23, 2013
    I was doing this near 30 years ago. It's hardly anything new and actually seems pretty funny that some of these " Guru's are preaching it as some sort of outstanding marketing technique.

    This can work, -IF- you do it right but I have seen 100 time people don't do it right and it bites them on the arse.
    It can work as a free Giveaway but you have to set the Pics up right.

    If for instance you are doing a free 8x10 with every family portrait sitting, DON"T shoot a groups shot because that's the one they will take and see ya later. If you only do individual shots, then to get the freebie they have to buy at least the other kid shot to go with the freebie.
    Better still, make the offer a Free wall print with orders over $500 or something that gives you a guaranteed feedback and weeds out the Freebie chasers.

    The idea that getting people in your door means they will automatically spend money or come back to spend money is a very Naive one. You need to hedge your bets to make sure that happens and also put a qualifying parameter on it.
  • ian408ian408 Administrators Posts: 21,904 moderator
    edited March 23, 2013
    I think Glort is correct in his assumption about spending money.

    I know I'm guilty of using restaurant coupons as money savers-they don't encourage me to spend more by any stretch mwink.gif
    Moderator Journeys/Sports/Big Picture :: Need some help with dgrin?
  • Gary752Gary752 Registered Users Posts: 934 Major grins
    edited March 24, 2013
    Back when I worked at a local Wally World, in the photo lab, we would do photos with Santa, and the Easter Bunny, and offer a free 5x7, and give them an order form to order one of three packages we offered. About 80 to 90 percent would take the free 5x7 only, and probably took it to another 1 hour lab and scanned and printed what they wanted, or did it at home. The other 10 to 20 percent would order one of the available packages.

    As for people asking for a discount, if that becomes a constant problem, just raise your prices and then offer to discount the price down to what you originally charged. I watched another workshop taught by Roberto Valenzuela, that said if you originally offer an album for $1000.00, and people won't hire you cause you don't discount, raise your price of the album to $2000.00 and when they ask for a discount, to offer it for $1700.00. If they push for a bigger discount, then lower it some more, but not to go under your original $1000.00.

    GaryB
    GaryB
    “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” - Ansel Adams
  • GlortGlort Registered Users Posts: 1,015 Major grins
    edited March 29, 2013
    I personaly Don't like outright Giveways.
    I did it back when I was younger and more naieve and IT bit me on the backside several times.

    There was a big glamour promo I did at one show and I ofered a free wall poster with every booking I had several people do an entire days shoot and just take the poster and nothing else. Some even asked if they could get multiple smaller prints so they could give them to BF's , mum etc. One made out it was all so important to be able to give so to other people but when I said no, it wasn't important enough to actually buy something to give them.
    At least they couldn't scan the poster print and it was only one shot they got.

    I was naieve there because I'm not a coupon person and basicaly, I couldn't imagine how anyone would be stuffed going through hair and makeup and doing a shoot for hours just to get one freebie pic. It pays to remember not everyone is the same!

    The next promo I did I simply made it with every full package purchased, they got the poster print. That seemed to work better in that people thought of it as being a higher value and it certainly weeded out the people just looking to spend minimal or no $$ and get whatever they could.
    I think this seems to be a growing mindset these days with people thinking they have greater entitlement, especially with pics they all want but don't think they should have to pay for.

    If you do want to do such a promotion, make it a value added rather than a give away.
    Make it with every " Family Heirloom" package they get a X" x X ' wall portrait valued at $XXX rather than they walk away with something and you get nothing.

    As I said, I'm not a coupon person but occasionally my wife comes across some offer she wants to use. If I see a " Get something for nothing" deal, I'm always a bit suspect. If I'm aware of the business like having seen them in town but never been a client, the first thing I think is they must be struggling and are overly keen to get new people in. Second thing I think is if they are doing a poor marketing/ business offer like that, they mustn't be very good business people.

    If the coupon/ Offer is something like " Buy dinner for 2 and get a free bottle of wine" and the wine isn't some $2 bottle of Spumante that is better fit for cleaning grease of driveways than actually Drinking, then the offer and the place providing it has a greater worth and value in my mind. If I go to a place, it's not because I want a cheap feed, it's because I want to find a new place to eat that I can enjoy and want to go back to.

    Being a fundamentally lazy person, Freebies don't work well on me. If I want something, then I'll go buy it. If something I'm not real interested in is offered to me for nothing, then I'm too lazy to be attracted to something I don't really want, just because it's free.
    The other thing is and there is no way I can say it without sounding conceited, I feel a bit embarrassed about taking advantage of handouts like some cheap arse " Bogan" as we call them here.
    Don't get me wrong, I am cheap but I'll either pay for what I want or do without rather than bludge and be seen to be bludgeing.

    And I think there is something in that.
    Give-aways in the photo market especially, seem spectacularly successful in attracting the exact type of client you DON'T want. People who will screw you endlessly on price and then complain and whinge and take 10 times more of your time satisfying their never ending complaints than the people that come in, pay what you ask and then carry on like you just saved their lives, thanking you for doing what was an easy and enjoyable transaction.

    IMHO, Value added offers are much better at attracting people you do want as clients and are just more enjoyable to deal with and make your working life far less stressful.

    I can only say over the years I have learned I don't want every client out there. Boy do I not want every client out there! Most of them are either tightarses or lunatics. I'm not aftaid to put out a few hoops for people to jump through so I pre qualify them as to being the clients I want. One they have shown that, then I'll do more for them than I would have otherwise because I know it's worth my while.

    Anyone can get 100 people through the door. Getting 5 GOOD customers to your business is a whole different matter but one that should be the real goal of a promotion, not just outright numbers.
  • SnowgirlSnowgirl Registered Users Posts: 2,155 Major grins
    edited March 29, 2013
    AMEN to that! (and yes, I'm finally back two surgeries later).

    Value added is definitely the way to go. Years ago I used to give gift certificates for a free photo shoot plus at least one decent sized print as prizes at local horse shows (to get horse/family photo business). DISMAL failure. As Glort said, I ended up with the cheapies wanting the free stuff and booked virtually NO paying business from that effort.

    Now anything I do in that line is value added only so I at least get compensated for some of my time and effort while supporting a cause or group. The alternative is I'll donate a framed photograph as a prize - something I've taken for my own pleasure for example. At least if it's signed it gets my name into someone's hands .
    Creating visual and verbal images that resonate with you.
    http://www.imagesbyceci.com
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    Picadilly, NB, Canada
  • mrhonimrhoni Registered Users Posts: 173 Major grins
    edited March 29, 2013
    Gary752 wrote: »
    The idea the OP is asking about was talked about on one of the Sue Bryce workshops on Creative Live not to long ago. The way it actually works, is you make up some Gift Certificates, or as Sue Bryce calls it, Gift Voucher, and then go to a business, like a clothing store, and ask them about partnering up. You explain that if they send their clients to you for a photo session, you will send your clients to them for their clothing needs. If they agree, you leave some Gift Vouhers with them to give to their best clients. On the Gift Voucher, I would put either the business's name or some code so that you can identify where the person got the Gift Voucher, and if that business ends up sending you a lot of clients, then as an appreciation, give them a large wall print of one of the clients wearing an article of clothing from that business. That buisness pays you nothing, and the only thing it might cost you is a print for them to hang on the wall, if they are sending you alot of paying clients. In reality, you don't really have to discount anything. Just say that you are.

    GaryB

    Gary,
    I'm missing something in your post. Is anyone paying anything in this scenario?
  • mrhonimrhoni Registered Users Posts: 173 Major grins
    edited March 29, 2013
    Thanks for the responses.

    Based upon your suggestions, I'm thinking I will give out session gift certificate for vet or others to give out to best clients. *Vet pays reduced fee for session. Client pays normal prices for prints. I now don't think I need to offer a free print because the client is already getting the session for free and if they want anything to come from their time they need to pay for prints.

    An additional option for the right situations, a framed print from the client session could be hung at the business such as client of the month. Maybe have business owner at least pay cost to hang print which is watermarked to advertise my business.

    How's this for keeping it simple but still generating income?
  • GlortGlort Registered Users Posts: 1,015 Major grins
    edited March 30, 2013
    mrhoni wrote: »

    How's this for keeping it simple but still generating income?

    You need to ask the business partner.

    I can see where the benefit to you is, will they see a benefit to them?
    If not, you are going to have a hard time selling it and an even harder time getting any results from it.

    Put the shoe on the other foot, IF someone came to you with the offer you are making, how interested would you be in it and how much benefit would you see in it?

    If it's something you'd jump at, chances are enough people you are pitching the deal to will as well.
    If what you're offering wouldn't be something that would enthuse you, then you probably need to have a rethink and tweak the arrangement so it would.
  • GerryDavidGerryDavid Registered Users Posts: 439 Major grins
    edited April 2, 2013
    mrhoni wrote: »
    Thanks for the responses.

    Based upon your suggestions, I'm thinking I will give out session gift certificate for vet or others to give out to best clients. *Vet pays reduced fee for session. Client pays normal prices for prints. I now don't think I need to offer a free print because the client is already getting the session for free and if they want anything to come from their time they need to pay for prints.

    An additional option for the right situations, a framed print from the client session could be hung at the business such as client of the month. Maybe have business owner at least pay cost to hang print which is watermarked to advertise my business.

    How's this for keeping it simple but still generating income?

    Ive been using this for a few months, teaming up with a few businesses, and as an incentive for them to do it I offer them a cash bonus for each successful referral. the vouchers themeslves dont cost me much, 250 cardstock sheets at sams club is like $8, I put 4 on each sheet and the ink im using is generic from amazon so I'm not even sure if its pennies a voucher. The most expensive part is the time cutting them up and delivering them which is minimal, I wait to deliver them until I am going to be there anyways.

    It's a bit early to fully judge the results of this experiment, but I've noticed everyone has waited until a few days before the deadline to contact me, so I'm glad I staggered the deadline to each month. So far I haven't received the number of replies I had hoped, but I was trying a new pricing system that did away with gift prints so the cheapest item on the list was $200, with the list was on the back of the voucher so they would know ahead of time what I charged so the people that contacted me would be pre qualified. I generally just say packages start at $x and the average person spends $y, so this was another experiment to go ahead and let everyone know what the prices were. Sal and Sue conflict on this advice, one works for the other and vice versa.

    The next time I try this I'm going to include gift prints/packages so I still meet my minimum purchase requirement with each redeemed voucher. :)
  • GlortGlort Registered Users Posts: 1,015 Major grins
    edited April 2, 2013
    How many vouchers have been given out and how many have been Redeemed?
  • GerryDavidGerryDavid Registered Users Posts: 439 Major grins
    edited April 3, 2013
    I'm not sure how many have been given out. I gave 400 to one business and 200 to another, and I have 3 appointments on the books coming up soon from those. Assuming all 600 have been given out that is a 0.5% return rate. My cost for those 600 vouchers is minimal so it was worth the effort since that is 3 appointments I wouldn't have had otherwise, plus up to 600 people seeing my name and being that much closer to being aware my business exists. :)
  • GlortGlort Registered Users Posts: 1,015 Major grins
    edited April 6, 2013
    I get that the cost was next to nothing literally but that is a very poor return rate for such a targeted offer.
    Getting 600 vouchers out there no doubt is great but I would look a bit more into what you are doing and whom they are being given out to with a view to rtrying to increase that response.

    People seeing your business is all well and good but the only thing that counts is getting them through the door.

    It seems you have great distribution channel to be getting these things out but I'd look at getting the response rate up. From what I understand you are in a place of limited population so you want to work on response rate over straight numbers of recipients.

    Just doubling your response rate is going to mean a lot of extra $$ and if you can also get more Vouchers out there through other sources, You'll be laughing.
  • Gary752Gary752 Registered Users Posts: 934 Major grins
    edited April 6, 2013
    mrhoni wrote: »
    Gary,
    I'm missing something in your post. Is anyone paying anything in this scenario?

    Sorry for the late reply. Yes, the person you are photographing is paying you. In your case, the VET would only be referring clients to you. What I might do, is do a portrait of the VET and his pet, leaving a border around it, and at the bottom add text that give the owner and pet's name, and then below that "Photographer -" and your name. Print it and frame it and have the VET hang it in the waiting area as a sample. Then give him the Gift Coupons (Vouchers) and ask him to hand them out to his customers. If you get a lot of work from them, you could then also do portraits of the VET's assistants with their pets and have them hung on the wall with his. As for the Gift Coupon (Voucher), I would NOT use the word FREE anywhere in it. I would put something like: "For a limited time only, Get $xx.xx Off sitting fee" or "For the month of ???, Get an 8x10 portrait of you with your pet for only $xx.xx. Other sizes available. Contact me for pricing." As Glort and others have already stated in this thread and many others. when you set the prices, make sure you are getting paid for your time, and making at least some profit on the prints. Hope this helps answers your question.

    GaryB
    GaryB
    “The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!” - Ansel Adams
  • GerryDavidGerryDavid Registered Users Posts: 439 Major grins
    edited April 11, 2013
    Glort wrote: »
    I get that the cost was next to nothing literally but that is a very poor return rate for such a targeted offer.
    Getting 600 vouchers out there no doubt is great but I would look a bit more into what you are doing and whom they are being given out to with a view to rtrying to increase that response.

    People seeing your business is all well and good but the only thing that counts is getting them through the door.

    It seems you have great distribution channel to be getting these things out but I'd look at getting the response rate up. From what I understand you are in a place of limited population so you want to work on response rate over straight numbers of recipients.

    Just doubling your response rate is going to mean a lot of extra $$ and if you can also get more Vouchers out there through other sources, You'll be laughing.

    I think the problem is I showed all the prices up front and they may have assumed they couldnt afford it. Plus the starting price was $200 for the a la carte list and I have had more luck in the past with $150, so im going to make up new vouchers and see how those do. Plus find more places to give out my vouchers.
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