@DanSmigrod I agree completely.
With pricing on a 50/50 basis -- consider also --
#1) Who is proofing, taking snapshots, setting the start location and finalizing in 'Workshop'?
#2) Who is paying the processing fees?
#3) Will you pay the moment the model is turned in and take on the financial burden?
#4) What is your normal rate? What is their normal rate?
Metroplex360 has been 100% my work until February 2017. I now have multiple cameras, 3 photographers and have 2 MSPs that I send out work to when we cannot (or do not want to) do it. I'm using PhotoUp to increase the # of photography opportunities I take and I'm trying to optimize my time to where I drive less and make more $ while building a team.
How I accept subcontracts:
I want 66% of the published prices that I publicly ask of my clients on my website. If you're hiring me and you usually charge 5/c per square foot, call someone else.
I believe that my pricing is the market value where I'm at -- and I believe that a 66/33 split is a "temp service mentality." A temp service that my wife used 10 years ago would fill a $12/hr job and pay the person $8/hr. When that person went from temp to permanent, they then received the full amount. Thus, I think that a 66/33 split is fair.
Dan has brought up the fact that there's value to the salesman, the business, etc - but I will say too that the temp service is not factoring in those things separate to the 66/33 split. They are justifying the split that way. Plus, the job that they are filling probably sends them a commission... so... my analogy falls apart at this point.
How I pay my employees (that I provide a camera to):
50/50. I provide the camera; I provide the training; I provide the cloud hosting and processing; I do the workshop/finalization; I take on the financial burden. And as a perk, on your day off, you can go scan whatever you want for your own 'clients'.
I also have a minimum of $150 per job (2 apartments = 1 job if at the same location). I have actually lost money on a job, and you may too if you start to scale up. It keeps the people working for you excited to share your vision when you don't ask them to make sacrifices and stay consistent with them.
I pay my employees based on MY published prices. Therefore, if I cut a deal with the client, it's not an employee / subcontractor's fault. The 'salesman' takes the cut out of the commission - therefore, I make less money, but I keep the work consistent.
Additionally, I take on the shoots that also have photography. I do not have secondary photographers. I also reserve the right to make $ off of any peripheral things -- so if, for example, I chose to sell schematic floorplans to a client at a modest markup, I as the salesman keep the profit (and buy a cheeseburger, or perhaps a value meal if I am very very lucky). Depending on how the Street View Summit goes, this may open up some new revenue that the salesman in this scenario would make $ off of, but the photographer would not.
What are the difficulties:
- On the employee perks (wherein the employee is using your equipment on their day off) - there's always that looming Doomsday Clock of 'When will my account reach the 300 scan limit.' I'll cross that bridge when I get there... I think they need a $200/mo plan that supports 1,000 scans because it's no secret that cloud hosting costs pennies. Cloud hosting is storage, bandwidth and processing. Once the tours are submitted and idling in one's account, they really don't cost Matterport very much $ from the cost analysis I've done; therefore I live in full faith that I'll soon be paying $200/mo for hosting 1,000 scans.
- On sending someone in your place -- I subcontact for Agency A. The reached out to me today and asked that I send out Photographer B, which is not me, because the agent liked him. That was weird. I'll send out Photographer B... but that's a subcontracted subcontractor already... and at that point Agency A is taking a cut, and then I'm taking a cut ... and the pot gets rather empty and I end out not taking any money for myself.
- Realizing that you probably need a bookkeeper and to reorganize yourself as a section-c. Right there is a wonderful service that someone might want to start offering here. If a bookkeeping service that is passionate about photographers / freelancers who may be paying too much in taxes as a DBA or LLC wants to get on the We Get Around Network, it would be a clever thing.
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What do you guys think? |