Preston
while I appreciate your point of view, the whole idea is to get them committed to purchasing at the point of when the photo is taken so they can't simply decide to wait until the image is posted on the ARC website and right-click on it to save it for their own website. Last year, the multi-winners had lots of photos taken but they bought only one or two because they could get the others off the site and then could wait for the ARC Newsletter which publishes all the major placements. So I spent a lot of time and energy taking pictures for use in media for which I receive no compensation and, because they are a contract item, I have to provide them regardless of whether or not I've been paid for them.

So, by offering a discount at point of photo, I hook the buyers on their first "win" and I get a pre-payment which is good for my cashflow. If they get more wins, they most likely would take advantage of the discount as well. So, if someone had the Best In Futurity dog and they bought at the discount rate -- and then went Best In Sweepstakes -- they would be very likely to purchase that photo at the discount as well.

BTW, I agree that there's not much more incentive between 20% and 25% so I'm going with 20%. Unlike most show photographers, I tend not to punish folks who are very successful at large shows like the National and I usually provide a discount to those folks "under the table" when I proof the images. Most photographers just charge their top rate and get as much as they can. In doing so, I believe they get less than they should because folks are limited in what they *perceive* they can afford in today's economy. A discount makes it easier to rationalize.

The product "throw in" works well for private portraits but it really doesn't work well for show formals. That's a totally different animal.

Jim