More Perspicacity from Maria Piscopo, April 28, 2011
More Perspicacity from Maria Piscopo
by Brent Brotine
Photos by Cindy McEwen
Every time creative services consultant Maria Piscopo presents to C3 members, it’s a win-win for everyone in the room — and this by-popular-demand return visit was no exception. Maria held 60 C3 members and guests, plus our colleagues from American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) and America Photographic Artists (APA), spellbound on April 28th at this joint event at Harrington College of Design.
Maria’s new presentation, “Getting Paid What You Are Worth: Taking Charge of What You Charge” brought the audience wisdom and insight from her most recent publications. She is the author of Graphic Designer’s & Illustrator’s Guide to Marketing and Promotion, and the fourth edition of Photographer’s Guide to Marketing & Self-Promotion.
Among Maria’s noteworthy tips were:
- Change the client’s perception of your value by changing the question “What do you charge?” to “What does it cost?”
- Ask clients,“What is the total project budget?” rather than single line items.
- Be sure to start with a complete and thorough job description.
- Never agree to less money without negotiation of some part of the overall project.
- Clients respond to what you say, not how you feel.
- Never just drop your price, because clients will tell their friends!
- To pay less, clients must give you more — time, credits, payment terms, samples, etc.
- Package your price to help sell it to the client.
More information from Maria is on her website, www.mpiscopo.com. After questions from the audience, lucky attendees won copies of Maria’s books in our door prize drawing.