What Freelancing Photographers Should Know About Triple Bidding.
Summary
What is triple bidding?
Who does it benefit?
How to stand out amongst the competition.
Do’s and Don’t
A dirty secret. #6
What is triple bidding?
After a prospective client reaches out about a project, it may seem like they are only talking to you. Assuming this is a big mistake. Simply put, triple bidding is what it sounds like––when three or more entities bid for the same project.
A client doing their due diligence by researching all of their available options is a good thing. It shows they are willing to put the time in to set the photoshoot up right from the start. Don't take it personally. Do ask, though if they are talking to other photographers or agencies. That is normal too. It shows that you are an experienced vet. Embrace the competition; it's a big motivator for you to do your due diligence.
Please don't ask anything more about the competition; it's unprofessional. The details of your competition are none of your business, and any inquiry will give you a bad look.
Do be honest about your chances. 1 in 3 is not great odds. How can you gain an advantage to tip the scales?
Do’s and Don’t.
1- Submit your proposal on time. To do this, set twice as much time aside as you think you need to complete it.
I finished one today at 1 pm that I started yesterday at 3 pm. In truth, it was 90% completed last night, but after a good night's sleep and fresh eyes, I spent this morning tweaking and polishing it.
2- If you haven't already, submit a treatment that includes images demonstrating your vision.
In truth, my proposals are a hybrid treatments/budgets. Most of my proposals have been hybrids for about two years now. I have not done the numbers, but my conversion rate has increased. I like my clients to visualize the shoot as they digest the numbers.
If there are too many early red flags, I don't invest too much time into proposals. I type up a clean line-item table and paste it into an email. That works often, especially if the client is looking to move quickly and is not talking to other photographers. The real reason I do it is if the client seems like they are price fishing, which is fine; I won't have to waste too much time with a client who is not ready for a real shoot. No shade, it’s just the truth.
3- If the client does ghosts you…
…which happens, it's okay to follow up 48hrs later to confirm they received it. If you don't hear from them after that, don't take it personally and move on. It is just like dating. Keep cool, don't text, and look forward to better opportunities. Unlike dating, however, if you are not rewarded with the job, it's okay to ask why.
Copy this line…
" I am glad you found someone for this exciting project. If you have any feedback that may help me compete for future projects, I would love to hear it."
You will be surprised how often you hear back.
4- Don't worry about bidding too high. It's okay to be the premium option.
Copy this…
"In the attached proposal, you will find an estimate. I drafted this estimate based on the information you shared up to this point. This estimate is flexible in either direction as the project progresses and begins to take shape."
5- Do worry about being the cheap option.
If your rate is why you are getting booked, your financial state is untenable in the long term. I am speaking from experience on this. Trust me, your price is your brand. It’s okay to be expensive. Even too expensive.
In 2017, a client emailed with a creative brief. A simple eCommerce marketing shoot on-location in Oakland, California. She showed an incredible amount of professionalism in her email with the line…
" send me your rate for a project like this; I want it to be a win for you too."
It was like a bolt of lightning. The money component of any project should be a win/win every time. She also taught me that this aspect of the job, money, is best communicated with as much honesty and transparency as possible.
Too many of our projects meet the financial goals of only one stakeholder. Why? The #1 reason, just taking a guess, is that too many of us are uncomfortable talking about money.
6- So this is a big one. It has to do with a dirty trend in advertising.
Agencies are now creating their in-house production teams
(nothing new),
allowing those teams to rebrand and present themselves as a small, independent company
(dirty but okay),
and then telliing the client they are triple bidding for a client's new campaign.
(wait, what?)
Technically a triple bid but a deceptive one.
When an advertising agency hears from its client about wanting a new print campaign, the agency will request two independent entities (freelancers, production houses, etc.) to submit bids; then, the agency will craft its proposal, having already seen its competition. They do this to have the appearance of doing right by their client but in reality the agency was always going to win the job.
In this trend, the client is not receiving the benefit of understanding all the options in context, and we freelancers are just being used as props with no real chance of ever winning the job.
But it gets worse.
In several documented cases, the agency chooses the winning proposal without submitting all three bids to the client. So called, “grading their own homework.”
How bad is this? The D.O.J. is now invovled.
If you want the whole story, Steve Davis at Campaign Live reported on this in 2017. [Link]
So if your prospective client has an agency relationship who has an in-house production team, you can ask,
"Who is evaluating the proposals, the client or the agency?"
Then set your expectations accordingly.
Stay hungry my friends.