Article View

published: 3/09/2010

Once thought of as recession proof, the wedding industry in the US has suffered significant losses in the past eighteen months, with prospects of a quick recovery remote at best. Vendors in all aspects of the wedding day package are seeking a dwindling base of prospective clients, offering discounts and incentives not even imagined just two short years ago. We all do what we must do to stay in business, but there is a practice that is infesting the industry now that has ramifications long past the current downturn. That practice is kickbacks. Some call them finders fees: Some call them referral fees: Some call them incentives. What they really need to be called is unethical.

Why? Let's take one industry where kickbacks are rampant.Wedding photography is one of the most competitive fields in the bridal arena. There is no qualification procedure to label yourself as a "professional photographer." Therefore you have a huge pool of part time people seeking a source of extra income, or an out of work individual who wants to supplement dwindling resources. Understandable certainly, but picking up a how-to book on wedding photography, and a decent digital camera does not make one a professional.How do these people market? They start with friends and family, maybe put up a modest display at a local bridal show, but most offer payment to other wedding services that could funnel business to them.It is done by offering the caterer, gown shop, and even ministers either a referral fee, or percentage of sale.Even bridal consultants have been known to solicit referral fees.

Unfortunately established professional photographers have also participated in this practice, but who really gets hurt?

First: The person giving the referral for money. If the person receiving referral is less than ethical, or incompetent, the credibility of the former can be severely damaged. Bad word of mouth travels at light speed compared to positive feedback.
Second: The person receiving the kickback, if less than a professional, will not be in business long, but they leave in their wake a damaged impression of what a "professional" photographer is.
Third: The client. The bride who has placed their confidence and capital in that particular vendor is left with a bitter experience which can turn them into missiles of dis-missives of what it is like to deal with a photographer under any circumstances.

It is not our intent to single out the photography industry . While it is pervasive in this field, it has spread to most areas of the wedding industry. The purpose of this article is to alert all real professionals seeking to offer clients the best in service on their once-in-a-lifetime event, the best that they can be. Your talent, passion, and love of your craft or service will dictate your future, not how much you can shell out for one tainted morsel at a time.We must all operate with the highest standard of ethics, or relegate ourselves someday to being regarded as a pack of charlatans waiting to pounce on the next unsuspecting victim.

Back to List