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When it comes time to "take your order", don't let the agency sell you a five course meal when all you really want is a tuna sandwich.
If the brochure you are working on will be distributed only in Maryland, don't pay for "national rights".
If the ad you're doing will only appear three times, don't pay for "unlimited insertions".
All of which seems pretty obvious, but sometimes YOU have to be the one to put the brakes on. If you're being quoted a price that seems too high, make sure the price doesn't include rights you don't need. Have the agency spell out exactly what rights the price includes, and then start hacking away at anything that is superfluous to your needs.
And bear in mind that the rights you are purchasing fall into two categories. In our experience buyers tend to focus on the first category while paying too short shrift to the second. The two things are: Rights you are purchasing that involve how YOU can use the picture, and rights you are purchasing that prevent OTHERS from using the picture.
You need to be sure the agency is spelling out -- and that you are clear on -- both sides of that equation. If they are providing rights that you don't really need, eliminate them. If they are offering protection against competing usage that you are paying for but which is so unlikely that you can "live" with the remote possibility that it will happen, eliminate it.
Make sure you know exactly what "rights" you are getting, and only pay for those you really want and really need.
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