Turning down clients?

<p>I was just curious if other Wedding photographers have turned down potential clients based off a gut feeling that they would be more difficult than you would like to deal with?<br>

I know (because I was a bride less than a month ago) that couples or their families can be difficult just because weddings are often very stressful. But I'm talking when you can just feel that the bride, groom, mother of the bride etc will be impossible to please. <br>

How do you politely decline their wedding. We currently have a couple that gives off this vibe, and the last time we booked a couple against our "gut feelings", we got our first complaint about our work. :0/ <br>

I think I might place myself in the shoes of the bride to much though, because I feel guilty turning them away when we don't actually have anything booked on their date. <br>

Wanted to hear others experiences.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>I've never turned anyone away but I have expressed concerns that "I might not be the best fit for their wedding day"....and suggested that they "might be happier with a different photographer or a different style of coverage than what I offer". This gives them a chance to sell me, that they think I am a good fit and why or gives them the opportunity to think about it and check out some other options. A couple of times the couple left and I didn't hear back from them and a couple of times the couple assured me (and thus talked me into shooting) that I was a perfect fit.....and everything went well. Be careful about listening to your gut, sometimes it's not very clear and occassionally can outright lie :-) However, with that said, your gut can also have an intuitive sense that bears listening to.</p>

<p>When I had my business I turned away more than one potiential client because it looked like a hassle. I just told them I was booked. I was proved right a couple of times when heard about their weddings from someone who officiated or attended. </p>

<p>If you don't think it's a good fit and feel that you won't make money and it will harm your reputation, then walk away. No need to make up a story, just let them know that you don't really offer the things they're asking for and they'd be better off with someone who does.<br>

You can't be everything to everyone and this is part of the process of focusing on your niche market....-Aimee</p>

<p><em><strong>"I was just curious if other Wedding photographers have turned down potential clients based off a gut feeling that they would be more difficult than you would like to deal with?"</strong></em><br>

Yes. <br>

<br>

<em><strong>How do you politely decline their wedding. </strong></em><br>

I don't decline, but my services have been unavailable and / or what I offer unsuitable for their particular occasion and / or situation. There is a subtle difference - something along the lines of David's comments, above.<br>

<br>

Note our consumer laws regarding offer of sale or goods and or services might be different to those in the USA.<br>

<br>

WW</p>

<p > </p>

 

I've never turned away a wedding. This is probably due to nothing but luck. If I have problems, it's almost always with the mothers of the bride. I've always catered to the mothers when asked to take a shot of something. People can test your patients for sure and this is why wedding photography isn't for everyone. I am friends with a nature photographer thats been in National Geographic. He won't touch a wedding even though his master skill level passes pretty much everyone.

 

I think it is fine to walk from a wedding.

<p>We've had some similar bad experiences. Now, I try to be honest with them and politely explain what it is that is bugging me. For example, if they are expecting too much, or want too much input, I usually just tell them the truth or that I don't think that our styles match very well. If it's just a feeling that I can't articulate, I just tell them that we've been booked.</p>

<p>Don't make up a story - if you don't have a booking for that date - don't tell them that you do. </p>

<p>Be honest with them as stated above - If your gut is giving you a particular vibe, there must be something triggering it... Step back and figure out what that is... Once you find it, discuss it with the couple. The majority of couples are doing this for the first time, whereas most of us (photographers) meet with several brides / grooms etc a week and get asked the same questions a lot.</p>

<p>My experience is that my gut is usually right, but I look for solid evidence that there's issues. Just remember - make decisions with your stomach - you'll get heartburn.</p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

<p>I recently refunded a retainer back to a couple and cancelled their contract because they simply did not comply with my instructions, not just once but repeatedly, just in attempting to get their e-session done, and not only that but they either lied or severely disrespected my time (I won't get into details here) enough to see that I wouldn't be able to expect cooperation or anything different on the wedding day nor subsequent to it. You know, if a patient is difficult and doesn't abide by the doctor's therapy, or the legal client bucks his attorney's guidance, it wouldn't be beyond these professionals to relinquish their responsibility and let that patient or client go. Wedding photography is hard enough what with all that happens on a wedding day, to have the clients themselves present further obstacles to creating their images is not what I signed up for. <br /> <br /> "If they are problematic before a wedding, they will be problematic after the wedding" is something I realized a long time ago when I was cutting my teeth in this industry. This is a true axiom not only for photography, but just about any aspect of life in dealing with people. We hope people change, we hope things will be different, but no. Patterns and behaviors repeat. These are ingrained in people over years, and so, such traits don't disappear overnight, especially when people have no motivation to change their behaviors. Therefore, the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior.<br /> <br /> Now, if you were a limo driver, you may deal with it reasoning that after the wedding you never have to deal with them again, but as a wedding photographer, you probably still have business to conduct with them for some length of time after the event. I had a girlfriend get angry at me some years ago because she felt that I ought to just book them, suck it up and deal with the inevitable fallout later after I cashed the check, so to speak. Easy for her to say. I had to dump her!</p>

<p>Did you tell her that it just didn't seem to be a "good fit" and that she might be happier with a "different photographer"?</p>

<p>I let a client go after they butt-dialed me and I over-heard a huge fight about a permit issue we were having with the City of Queens. I sent them a full refund of their deposit and said that I would not be a good fit for them. I have had situations where a gut feeling told me to walk away, and divine intervention stepped in and they either canceled on their own, or changed their wedding date and I was thankfully not available for that date.</p>

<p>I have been fortunate enough not to be locked into a situation with a bridezilla or the like, but I would have no problem being honest with the couple and telling them that chemistry is so very important and that there is just something that doesn't sit right. I would definitely recommend they find another photographer, and like others have said, professionals in other industries would drop the problematic client. What makes us different? We are not court musicians forced to play for the king. We are professionals.</p>

<p>We, too, have ran into problems similar to those listed above. And, though our contract is clear in that we can sever relations if both parties are not following-through with pre-wedding requirements, we've found it's best to not reach the point of a signed contract if you don't feel the fit would be good.</p>

<p>Early on, you know, you take every wedding. This is a business and we all like for the business to do well. But it doesn't take long to realize you can't be everything to everyone despite your best efforts. Having said that, there have been many weddings I've gotten a weird vibe from at the initial consult, but ended-up taking anyway. It really does a disservice to both the B&G and the photographer, alike.</p>

<p>Now, I make sure expectations are understood by both parties, plenty of representative work is shown and the unknowns and surprises are kept to a bare minimum. Still, though, you can't "fix" folks you just inherently don't get along with. Don't even try. In nearly every instance, you'll deliver a better product to someone you get on with, rather than someone you don't. So don't be shy about following your gut and giving it up to someone else who might do better.</p>

<p>We all like to form good rapports with clients, but we also have to remember this is a business and if you conduct it trying to not hurt people's feelings, you're just not going to have a good outcome.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I recently had a situation where the couple sent a signed a contract back with no deposit, it was what they considered to be an "off day" and they had plenty of time. As months passed I called and emailed with no answer. I assumed the deal was off. 2 weeks prior I got a phone call from the groom asking if I could still do the wedding. I stated that I'd need some payment. He said he'd get back to me. 3 DAYS prior he calls again wanting to know if they could pay some out afterwords. ????? I told him that we couldn't do business even if I would let him pay it out because there was no evidence that I'd ever get paid. I said so in the nicest way though. :)</p>

<p>2 different things going on here. One is not taking the wedding in the first place and the other is cancelling a contract.<br>

If you cancel a contract, make sure that you have a written cancellation that's signed by everyone who signed the original contract. Otherwise you're asking for lots of trouble.<br>

I NEVER give or mail a contract with my signature until it's first signed by the clients. I won't make a commitment until they do. I don't want anyone assuming that I'm holding the date. I've seen too many problems resulting from this. My contracts are computer generated specific to each wedding. I wil only mail it if I've received payment and I still send it unsigned. When I get both copies back -signed, I sign them both and return one to my client.<br>

If I send them a signed contract, what incentive do they have to return it right away with their payment. They might wait until a week before the wedding. Am I supposed to be holding the date until then? I don't like chasing clients -it's a waste of my time....-Aimee</p>

<p>I've had turn away a few, one who said she would only pay me the day of the wedding to make sure that I showed up.... ummm yeah not happening...<br>

and another who said she didn't like any of my sample photos...... but yet still wanted to hire me ??? "no thank you, I think you'll be much happier hiring some one else to photograph your wedding."</p>

 

<p>Absolutely. I don't make the final decision here, but Michelle meets with every bride and groom and their parents (if possible) for an initial meeting. If she gets what she calls a "bridezilla" vibe during the coversation, she puts it out that she is waiting on a confirmation retainer right now, but if it's not in hand by the end of the week or whatever, and so on.<br>

She also always is ready to recommend another photographer as well that she feels would suit them better. It has worked well for her and helped create a local network amoung a few of the photographers locally.<br>

Diane</p>