Here's a little clip with a story.

This is a short video of a logo spinning that I created as a proposal for a potential customer.

It doesn't have a lot of flash but it's the general idea of what he wanted. This was a basic version that I'd jazz up with better textures and lighting once it was accepted. A formal quote was signed and sent. I know that the client had two other quotes for exactly this same work. The higher of the two was double the price of what I quoted.

Today I hear that the client did actually like what I prepared for him as a start point for the project but that he gave the contract to someone else for more than double my price in hopes of getting some extra exposure for the Super Bowl that was included in the deal.

Client paid the cash...never received anything. Not the finished logo and not the exposure at the Super Bowl.

After this job went cold I thought that it wasn't good enough. That turns out NOT to be the case. It's not Pixar quality but the client was happy with it as a start point.

So here it is. Not looking all that difficult but could not be completed on time by someone else at over twice the price that I was charging.

I'm still working on finishing the cellar video.

It has turned out to be more work that I can do quickly. There are also issues that need to be fixed from the teaser video. Like the way the camera moves, very choppy.

It's still in the works despite thinking it was nearly ready to post.

I'm sorry the potential client's mistake ended up costing you a gig as well as emptying his wallet. Did the competition take him out and get him drunk and throw hookers at him or something? What could you do differently to close a sale like this? Your product was apparently there.

The client was allegedly promised exposure via jumbo tron at the Super Bowl. Not the main but the secondaries.

What is that sort of time worth at the Super Bowl?

There was really no way that I could compete with that. On the other hand, would someone believe that they would get any time at all for a few thousand bucks during the Super Bowl? Seems silly to expect so.

What could I have done differently to get the project? It was not possible in this case IMO.

People in the loop ( middlemen or salesmen ) that were able to see what was proposed might have me submit another quote. That could turn into a win.

Those same people also know that I'm at least capable enough to deliver something as described. The formal quote was also a positive too.

Maybe next time? It's possible.

Knowing the prices of the other quotes was helpful too. There is money is this. It may not be flowing to ME yet but there is money in this.

No reflection on you, but it appears the guy is looking for upscale customers... I guess it's clients at that level.
Anyway, I'm not sure the name LOL presents an upscale aura. :eyebrow:

I've seen low price prejudice a lot in the photo and film business. The more you pay, the more it's worth ;)

Seriously though, if your price is too affordable it can raise red flags. I knew a photographer whose business skyrocketed when he jacked his prices up 700%.

The business that contacted me through a friend is also a start up. My friend that I worked with in design was asked if he could create this simple logo with the graphics to which he replied "I make engineering models with UGNX, so no I can't do it...but I know someone that can." So they contacted me.

They are in NYC so they are looking for big $ customers, sure. But they're a start up too with the same bottom up growth strategy that I have.

Yes, I'm one of those people. If it's a low price my expectations are low.

That's not always the case as we know but it's the norm.

Right now I'm trying to get some work at practically any rate just to get things in my portfolio.

Once I have a few more "good" videos it seems possible that I could charge a more realistic rate. Rates like...about $1000 a minute for completely original content are not all that unreasonable.

You have a good point about pricing. I'll be scheming to get more money for my videos even now as they aren't that impressive.

It seems to me that if you have an effective sales and marketing plan and bring your own prospects to conversion your chances of making MUCH more money is possible. If there is no sales and marketing plan then you are stuck in the online marketplaces where they demand small miracles in technical skill and delivery for very little cash.

The big skill is truly attracting your own clients. Everything else can be outsourced in one way or another.

Here's my latest clip. It's not impressive by any stretch but it IS better than my other videos.

The image quality is BAD. The camera views are jumpy and the script is not well thought out. The voice is GREAT but the script is not great.

As my skills get better I'll look back at this video in horror. This is my best effort today though.

And, there are some pretty funny parts to it.

I'm close to finishing my next cellar promo video. It's promoting the thread "Down here at the pawn shop" and shows some screenshots of a pawn shop with quotes from the thread mixed in.

This one is better. All around better. Really.

The question that I have for someone here is how do I add a link to my video. I'd like to have a click-able link to the thread Down here at the pawn shop at the end of the video. No extra effort required to go visit the place that the video is showing. Click and you're there. Or more accurately, click and you're here.

Youtube seems to have a limitation on the links that you can embed into the videos. Is that right or did I misunderstand it? Having a link directly in the video makes sense for many applications.

Does anyone know if this is possible and if yes, how?

Thanks.

In YouTube, you could use an annotation in the video for the link. You can control when the annotation pops up, I think.

No idea how, though, I've never done it.

ok, thanks. I'll go back and fiddle around with it.

Seems that there was some type of restriction but maybe a closer look will show otherwise.

Yes friends, it's another installment in the cellar. org series.

This one is titled "cellar.org Homebase - Down here at the pawn shop by Undertoad."

"Is it better than that terrible excuse for a video that you posted last time?", you may ask.

Maybe. Look at the bright side, at least Clodfobble's voice is in the vid.

Is that really Clodfobble's voice?

I've never seen her speak to hear her voice but I'm pretty sure, yes. It's her voice.