Are You Talking With The Boss?
A sometimes overlooked, but very important factor in any negotiation is making sure the person to whom you are speaking is in fact the decision maker. If he isn’t you ideally need to get that decision maker involved in the negotiation.
One method I use to tactfully determine if the person I’m talking with is the decision maker is to ask him, “Is there anyone else I should email samples of my work to?” Or, perhaps, “Can you suggest any other persons in your company I should send a few samples of my work to?”
Your goal is to try to get the ultimate decision maker involved in the negotiation. If you still can’t get to that person, then it’s best to “empower” the person to whom you’re talking with “talking points” or “bullet points” so they can talk about your value and essentially sell you to the person hiring the photographer.
Remember, that initial phone conversation is the time when you have to talk about what it is that makes you different from your competitors. How do you differentiate yourself? What do you “bring to the party” that others may not? What I’m really saying is what value do you provide this potential client?
The inability to show your value will only put downward pressure on the total price of the job. Only with differentiation can you command higher fees, primarily because you will be providing a look, or style, or service that is not easily found elsewhere.
3 Responses to 'Are You Talking With The Boss?'
Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'Are You Talking With The Boss?'.
Hi,
I can’t find any other contact information so I’ll post here….
This blog looks interesting, but it’s the only only in my (very long) reading list that doesn’t post full RSS feeds. This is annoying in general, but it’s particularly annoying when using an RSS reader on something like the iPhone when you have to leave the application to go to safari.
Please consider posting the entire post on the feed.
Regards,
Why not just ask the person if they are the ultimate decision maker, or if there are others involved upstream? Nothing wrong with just being straightforward, is there?
Hi Gary, Nothing at all wrong with being straightforward. I think the questions one asks during a negotiation are usually tied to the confidence level and “negotiating style” one brings to the table. What works for someone who has been at this 20 years might not “flow as smoothly” from the mouth of someone who is just getting started in our business. Thanks for the excellent question.