Sell Out?

From time to time I find myself in situations of where this comes across my e mail...

"Scott..The AE just called from his meeting with the client and asked if we could lower the number.  Is there any room to lower your cost?  Let me know in the AM..thanks"

Ugh, after the agency has approved the budget this does and can happen.  So what to do?  I'm believer that you can not just lower the cost for.."just because".  I think that can send the wrong message that the price was too high to begin with.  And leaves the impression they can come back and do it again for the next round.  When I give bids or proposal I figure what is a fair price from the start.  So after talking with Director of Production, he mention that the client was looking for a $3000 cut.  Yikes!  So I asked, is this $3000 was a deal breaker?  Yes it is!  What the agency  came up with, was that they would take a $2000 hit if I would take a $1000.  I said sure.

Now, I have have just contradicted what I said before about lowering the cost "just because".  But in this case it is a little different because the agency had lower there cost as well.  This job would of went away if I did not lower my side as well.  These are decisions we all will come across from time to time.  My guess even more so as the economy take it time to re build itself.

There are many factors in why we take jobs or not.  Money is usually the top of the list.  But what if money was not the issue.  Then what?  Do I want to work for this client?  Is the job cool?  Will it help me on the long run?  One of the big factors for me was to work to work with agency.  I have been courting them for years.  So meeting them a 1/3 of the way, was just fine by me.  I know other professional photographers would had said "forget it, I'm not cutting my price".  We are all in different places fiscally and creatively.  You just have to do what is right for you.