I am off to shoot a three day event. Which prompts me to talk about business for the pros among you.
A kind colleague forwarded the opportunity. I called the client, got the details, and quoted for this shoot, and it looked like it was accepted. It was exactly what I do well. Meeting of the minds.
But then, out of the blue, I received a “Nephew Letter”. An “our CEO has a son who has a camera…” type letter. Meaning, instead of paying a pro, a kid would do it, because as we all know, having a camera equals being a pro.
So I could have been angry at being rejected after all that work (making a quote takes time), or at best neutral. I could have been depressed at losing a slice of income.
But why bother? This wasn’t personal. It wasn’t malice. So instead, I told the client “No worries! Enjoy the event! And just in case anything happens, I will try to hold these days open.”
The client was duly grateful, and I moved on.
Until a few days ago I got an email asking me if I was still available. Which I was, because I had kept the days open. And guess what? The nephew, or whatever he was, flaked out and let them down.
So I am about to pack my car to go shoot for three days.
The moral is twofold.
- First, for pros: be nice to your clients. It’s just business, it’s not personal. In the long run, this will pay off.
- And for clients: shooting a a tough job, not a “I have a camera so I can do it” thing, and also, quoting for an event takes real time.
I suppose the underlying moral is: “if we all work together, the world can be a better place”. Namaste.