Who doesn’t have a free quote?
I came home yesterday to see this flier my Arizona “lawn” also know as a rock garden including 1/2 dead weeds because I sprayed them and have not yet taken the time to remove them. I guess Phil thought I was too lazy to pull the weeds in my own front yard.
I’ve decided that Acme Photography is not going to not be like all the other guys. I’ve seen many general contractors, lawyers, and builders in Phoenix not charge for an estimate or consultation. From small business to large corporations, this is a very common practice.
In evaluating my photography business and I’m pleased to announce that I’ll have options for those who would like a paid quote and those who would prefer the free quote. We’ll test this and see how it works. This policy is trial and will be evaluated after 1-2 weeks based on your feedback and our analyisis.*
* UPDATE* – This test run is now over…..
The real reason I didn’t want to be bothered for a week is because AcmeWife & I were expecting acmeBaby v3.0. Izzy arrived safe and sound.
You may now call for a quote. 
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The rules are simple
Rules:
- Phone Estimates & consultations are a paid service and will incur a fee.
- Phone Estimates have tiered rates, standard rate & peak rate.
- Internet / email & twitter quotes will remain free.
Rates:
- Standard Phone rate: $25 / 10 min.
- Peak Phone Rate: $40/ 5 min.
- Holiday rate: $50 / min.
Fine Print:
- Prepay via payal - adam [at] acmephotography.net
- If you think it might be peak rate, it probably is. (weekend or nights)
- We might call you back when you submit an email request, however it’s on our schedule not yours.
- Filling out the web form below will help us understand your project. (free quote option)
- If my wife is in active labor phone time be billed at the holiday rate.
IF you prefer the free quote option, please feel free to fill out the form below and a representative will contact you.
cforms contact form by delicious:days
After paying, wait for our call or simply click the button below.
_________________________
Please drop a comment below with your thoughts on this new concept!
Adam Nollmeyer
http://AcmePhotography.net
@acmePhoto – twitter
April 17th, 2009 at 8:44 AM
Sounds like you are a few steps shy of becoming a lawyer with those rates
On a serious note, I think you are taking a giant step in the right direction. The quoting process is monotonous at best. You could spend hours quoting a custom photo shoot for someone, and when the client receives the estimate, they immediately forward it to another photographer with, “Can you beat this?” Very few people are looking for the best service/product anymore. Most just want to make the purchase that will get them by and save the most money. What can you do but weed them out with a lovely process like the one above…
Love your use of paypal and Google’s call me. Nice work!
April 17th, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Blair, I think some lawyers even bill for time they spend on email, so if you ask them a question about something, they’ll charge more to explain it. Truthfully sometimes a phone call is great because many people prefer to discuss the “feel” or direction of an assignment on the phone. OR….
They don’t really know what questions to ask if they have never hired a creative professional before. Another challenge can be when the “boss boss” has an intern or secretary call to get information and the “middle man” knows nothing about the job requirements. Sometimes the middle man does a great job of helping me, however other times, it’s a challenge. Sometimes they are just “screening” photographers and do well cutting through the clutter. Other times I get nowhere until the higher up gives me the time of day to discuss the project.
With all this being said, the phone does work great, I’ll be honest with you, I’m really just low on cell minutes this month, but I was afraid to tell you that.
~Adam
April 18th, 2009 at 4:55 PM
[...] case you missed my blog post yesterday about charging for telephone quotes, it’s not because I’m arrogant, nor is it because I’m running low on cell phone [...]