[Brett Frame]

Hello Bob,
Thank you for your comment. We billed out $5100 for the spot. In our area that is on the high end. From what I have gathered from this post the spot could fall between $5k-$10k depending on the location.

These are very positive comments for us. We would like to continue to develop our skills, creative and marketing, and begin to expand out from our location. The previous posts have given us the information to help price ourselves correctly for our skill level. We do not want to over charge and we do not want to under cut ourselves or others by being too low.

Thanks,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

We use Quickbooks as well. I have to say, until I had our accountant show me exactly what I should be doing with it I mostly used it for creating invoices and thats it. Invoice out, invoice paid, etc. Now it is set up so I know where are money is coming in from and out to. If you are not interested in finance programs and you get caught up in work I would recommend paying someone to sit down with you for a hour and help you set it up. I love learning via books, the web, etc but when it came to Quickbooks I just could never seem to get it done.

Also Function Fox is an online time keeping software. Pretty handy, worth looking at. Again you have to take the time to clock in clock out etc.

Take Care,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

I haven’t had any experience on the level of dealing with national stuff but I agree with what I have read. On a local level, I have never had one person who said “Do this on the cheap and there will be more work to come” ever pan out. They never come back around or their ideas never work and their spec jobs fall apart. I stay away from jobs that promise more work in the future for a cut rate right now.

I don’t know if this is helpful but I have had questions answered here and I would like to give back when I can.

Thanks,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

Thanks Steve and Grinner. All good points.

The idea of giving one to a receptionist is pretty interesting. Like you had mentioned, this may make them feel more important and keep your name in their mind. They also may leave for another company and take your name along with them.

Thanks everyone,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

Thank you for your insight.

It looks like by increasing the opportunities for a potential client to see your work you are increasing the chances of getting hired… if you’re qualified.

Each items seems to have it’s advantages. Maybe a mixture of all?

Thanks again,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

Thanks for the insight.

I guess as we have dealt with photographers, jingle artist, talent, etc we have seen their rates go up depending on what the use is for. If it’s local… it’s rate A, regional… rate B, etc. I think a great edit job or motion graphic can have as much value to a piece as a great photo does. It would be nice if our rates adjusted as well. But…

Thanks,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

Hello Rich,
Thank you for your reply and for your insight into your market and where this spot might land regarding pricing.

Also, we appreciate the constructive criticism. Like you, and probably most on these forums, we are always striving to do better and criticism delivered constructively give us an opportunity to look at our work from another’s eyes.

If anyone else reads this post and can chime in regarding what the value of this spot may be in their market, it’s appreciated.

Take Care,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

Hello Todd,
Thank you for the in depth reply. There were a lot of great points on subjects I didn’t have a very good grasp of. I will take what you have shared and put it to good use in 2008.
Thanks again for your time,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

Hello Guys,
Thanks for taking the time on a Saturday to reply and provide some great insight.

We are located in the south west corner of Arizona. We billed out $5100 for that spot. For the city that we are located in, that is a pretty hefty rate. Lucky for us, the company had used a company out of San Diego in the past and our quote was in the ball park of what they had paid for in the past. We made the contact with them so there wasn’t an agency in between.

We are only several hours from Phoenix and San Diego and would like to begin to work with in those markets, attracting more 5K-10K jobs. Working with agencies out of those areas would be nice, as that would eliminate some of the time we spend searching for new clients. Not sure the best way to get in with an agency though.

As a note, we created the music and did the voice over ourselves and piled that all into the quote. We have seen were others adjust those rates depending on audience reach. This might be a way to adjust our quotes.

We would like to be paid fairly for the work and creative effort we put in so your input gives us an idea on where to position ourselves as we try to stretch out.

Thank you,
Brett

[Brett Frame]

Thanks again for everyones input.

I have seen rates very for items like graphic design, voice talent, etc. depending on the reach of the piece. If a tri-fold brochure was selling tire services for a local shop the rate is low, if it is for Firestone and placed in stores across the country the rate goes up, even if the clock hours on production are the same.

Currently, we are creating the concepts, shooting, motion graphics, original music and soundscapes, voice overs, and editing. Maybe our rates increase for editing are by the hour, but our music, voice over, etc. are increased depending on how large a market the piece is for?

Thanks everyone,
Brett