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In order to properly invoice clients for session fees, print orders, packages, or any other item your studio sells, you must create price lists. In Spectra, each price list is linked to a session type that you define. In the Standard, Professional and Enterprise versions of Spectra, you may have as many session types and price lists as you choose. For example, you may have several different types of senior sessions – senior yearbook, senior sports, and senior other. All of these sessions might be linked to the same price list – the Senior Price List. This price list would contain all the session fees and item prices for products related to any type of senior session. When an invoice is generated from a session, only the items on the price list assigned to that session are available for invoicing. More information about creating session types is found in the “Session Types” topic in the "Spectra Maintenance" chapter.
WHY USE MULTIPLE PRICE LISTS?
(available in ) You should choose to use multiple price lists only if you charge different prices for the same product for different types of sessions. For example, if you charge one price for an 8X10 for a family session and a different price for the same 8X10 for a wedding, then you would want to use multiple price lists. |
WHY USE MULTIPLE SESSION TYPES?
You should choose to use multiple session types if you would like to track session trend information on reports. For example, if you'd like to know how many "Premier Weddings" you have done this year, and how many you've done compared to last year, then you'll want to use session types to track this information. Another benefit of using multiple session types is that you can define a default length for each type of session and a different color to display the session on the calendar screen. You must use multiple session types if you want to use multiple price lists. |
Begin the process of setting up your price list(s) by going to Maintenance > Price List > Price Lists. There are two main tasks involved in price list maintenance:
The first is to create and name your price list(s) and decide on what groups you'll need to organize the items within each price list. This will be done using the Price List maintenance screen (shown below) and details are given in this topic.
The second task is to set up all the items – including individual products, packages, and services – that your business sells. This will be done using the Price List Item maintenance screen. Refer to the "Price List Items" topic for details on how to set up and maintain your price list items.
Price List Maintenance
The main sections of the Price List maintenance screen include the Price List Explorer and Item Grid on the lower portion of the screen and the Ribbon toolbar – including the Management and List Maintenance tabs – at the top.
Price List Maintenance - Edit Mode
The Price List Explorer shows all the price lists, groups, and items that have been set up in Spectra. Structuring your price lists and groups carefully allows you to group items in a way that is easy to understand – keeping all items of one type together.
You will create price lists based on the main categories of items your studio sells. In the screen above, Family and Children, General, Senior, and Studio Price List are all user-defined price lists. Any number of price lists may be created in Spectra. Note: The option to create multiple price lists is not available in the Express version of Spectra. Each price list is linked to a user-defined session type.
To add or modify a price list:
Click New Price List on the ribbon, or double-click an existing price list.
Enter a name for the price list in the Description field, or modify the existing name.
Price List Title Maintenance
If you would like the price list to appear for all sessions, regardless of the session type, then check the first box. This option is usually reserved for a price list containing items you might sell at any time, such as gift certificates or frames.
Check the second box to enable this price list for use on InSpiredByYou.com. Checking this box will make this price list available to your online customers.
Click OK to return to the main Price List maintenance screen.
A group is simply a cluster of related items within a price list. In
the example above, "Portrait Packages" and "Desk Portraits"
are two of the groups in the Studio Price
List. You must organize your items into groups within a price list.
To add or modify a group:
Select the appropriate price list. Click New Group on the ribbon to create a group, or double-click on an existing group to modify it.
Enter or modify the group name and click OK.
Items are the actual products you sell, organized by groups within each price list.
To add or modify an item:
Select the group in which you want to add an item, and then click New Item on the ribbon.
In the example above, “PBP - Basic Portrait Package” and “PDP - Deluxe Portrait Package” are both items in the "Portrait Packages" group of the Studio Price List. See the"Price List Items" topic for detailed information about creating and modifying your individual items.
On the Management tab of the ribbon, you can select a number of options. With the ribbon functionality, the commands are arranged into the following groups:
New Price List - Create a new price list that you can enter items into.
New Group - Select a price list that you want to create a new group in and click New Group.
New Item - Select a group that you want to create a new item in and click New Item. This will open the Price List Item maintenance screen.
HERE'S A FLASH FOR YOU!
We highly recommend that you limit the number of items in each group. This will help you manage your items more easily and make it easier to find items at the time of the sale. |
Delete - This will delete the selected item, group, or price list. You cannot delete items that have been sold on an invoice. Instead you can make these items inactive.
Find - The Find screen will allow you to search for a word or phrase in the price list.
Price List Find
Type the text you want to search for.
Choose whether you want to search in the Price List Explorer in the left panel or the Item Grid in the right panel.
Choose where you want to the match to be found – in Any Part of the Field, the Whole Field, or just the Start of the Field.
HERE'S A FLASH FOR YOU!
|
Copy Price List - Create a new price list from an existing one, copying all the groups and items.
WHO KNEW?
The Copy Price List option will help you quickly set up a new price list. If you change your prices every year, but want to maintain the same price list structure, you can simply copy the price list. As long the price list is not selected to appear with all session types, the item identifiers will be copied along with the whole price list structure. If the price list is selected to appear with all session types, the price list structure and prices will be copied, but not the item identifiers. In order to be able to type identifiers in the invoice item detail and have them match up with a specific price list item, they will need to be unique for all the price lists you have chosen to show. |
Copy Item Group - Create a new item group from an existing one.
Copy Item - Create a new item from an existing one.
Import Price List - Start the Price List Import Wizard to import a price list from a spreadsheet or from a Spectra price list file. See the Price List Import Wizard topic for details.
Use Advanced Pricing - If checked, each new item you create will automatically include the Pricing and Costs tab for setting up your Advanced Pricing options. See the "Pricing and Costs Tab (Advanced Pricing)" section of the "Price List Items" topic for more information.
Edit Mode and Customize Grid - This will display the price list items in a grid layout. See the "Price List View Options" topic for more information on this powerful feature.
Print - Print the price list report.
Export to Excel - Export the current view to Excel. Note: The export will only include the price list you have selected and the columns you have currently chosen to show in the item grid.
Use the Copy, Cut and Paste to duplicate or move text from one field to another in the cells.
Click Help to see the help topic for the screen you are using.
The List Maintenance tab on the ribbon contains quick links to several maintenance lists that are specifically related to price list(s). Note: You can also access each of these list maintenance items by going to the Maintenance menu on the Spectra menu bar.
To organize the variety of sessions you offer, you may create your own
session types in Spectra. For
example, you may offer different types of wedding coverage: Standard,
Royal, Deluxe, etc.. Each type of wedding coverage could be created as
a unique session type. You may create as many session types as you find
helpful.
Remember, each session type is linked to a price list for invoicing purposes
and only items on the price list you've selected will be available for
invoicing. Session types can also be maintained under Maintenance
> Session > Session Types
from the Spectra menu bar.
Use product lines to categorize your products for reporting purposes only. For example, if you wish to see your sales for the year, but don’t want to see too much detail, use product lines to group your sales information. Some examples might include "Color Prints," "Session Fees," "Frames and Folios," and "Black and White Prints." Note: Product lines are optional.
As you create price list items, you may add optional upgrades to the base price of an item. For example, you might add a location fee to the basic price of a session. Or, you might add a clothing change fee to the cost of a senior session. While you may create any number of options for an item, you may only select ONE option when invoicing.
Like options, enhancements are added to the base price of an item. For example, you may add a basic retouch fee to the price of an item, or color to a black and white portrait. You may create any number of enhancements for an item, but you may only select ONE enhancement when invoicing.
You may create composite templates and then select them from a drop-down list when preparing your sales presentations, as well as during the presentation and while invoicing.