Monthly packages, raising rates, crossing the VAT threshold, and the moment when you turn work down.
Opening a supplier costs a company dearly
Four reasons an existing client is worth more than a prospect.
Opening a supplier account mobilises several people and often takes two weeks.
The first payment follows a complete administrative circuit, longer than the ones after.
Trust about quality and deadlines has to be established, which costs time on both sides.
And the internal client who chose you has staked their credibility, something they will not readily do again for a stranger.
One consequence: a satisfied client almost always prefers to entrust you with one more job rather than look for somebody else to do it.
What to offer before being asked
Five offers to write into the quote, from the first order.
The batch of several videos rather than the single one, with a lower unit price but a higher total.
The monthly format, which gives the client predictability and you a base of income.
Adaptations for other channels, produced from the same shoot.
Language versions, when the brand sells abroad.
And the extension of rights, priced in the first contract to avoid negotiating later.
How to raise your prices without losing clients
Five rules that make an increase acceptable.
Set an annual date, the same for everybody.
Announce the rise a month ahead, in writing, with no long justification.
Apply it to the following orders, never to orders in progress.
Add something along the way: one extra format, a shorter deadline, an additional revision.
And accept losing one client in five, which is the sign that the rise was necessary and not excessive.
What caps a business
Four ceilings, in the order they appear.
The available time, which limits the number of shoots.
The rate, which limits the value of each hour.
Rights granted too widely, which remove future income.
And dependence on a single client, which prevents you from refusing anything.
One note: the first two ceilings are handled by working more or charging more, the last two are handled only by saying no.
What to measure each month
Five figures, on a single row of a table.
The turnover invoiced, distinct from the amount collected.
The average order, the main indicator of the next level.
The number of clients having ordered twice or more.
The share of the biggest client in the total.
And the number of days genuinely billed in the month.
What turns a one-off order into a flow
| Lever | What it changes | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| The same client's second order | Predictable income | A follow-up at three weeks |
| Widening the deliverable | A higher basket | Knowing how to edit, not just shoot |
| Word of mouth | Clients arriving on their own | Asking for a referral at delivery |
What caps an activity
Billing per video and nothing else. Adding variants, editing and usage rights multiplies the value of one shoot without lengthening the day.
What is refused in order to grow
Orders that are too small, clients who negotiate every line, and impossible deadlines. Every refusal frees the slot for an order that does repeat.
What protects you when a client stops
Four protections, to put in place before needing them.
A cash reserve covering two to three months of costs.
No client above half of turnover.
Prospecting maintained even in busy periods, at half a day a week.
And a written catalogue of offers, which lets you approach former clients with a concrete proposal rather than a mere message about availability.
One last marker: a business becomes stable neither through talent nor through volume, it becomes stable the day losing the biggest client no longer changes your next month. All the rest is growth, and growth comes first from what you add to the orders you already have.
