Posts from — July 2010
5 Negotiating Tips Every Freelancer Should Know
I got this in my email inbox from Steve Slaunwhite of forcopywritersonly.com and thewealthyfreelancer.com/blog . It’s about negotiating, an important skill for any business owner.
Enjoy the article.
Say you provide a project quote to a potential new client, and she says, “Your price is a bit too high for us.” Do you now need to drop your price to get the job?
Not necessarily.
You can negotiate. By that I mean offering the client an alternative plan that gets her what she wants — your freelance service — and gets you what you deserve — your professional fee.
Here are five ideas for doing just that.
1. Offer to get the job done sooner.
If the client wants the job done in three weeks and you can do it in two, offer to do that as a bonus. The client may be willing to pay your price in exchange for getting the project done sooner. It’s a stress reliever.
2. Throw in an extra.
Can you offer some value-added extra that doesn’t cost you a lot of additional time and money? Perhaps you can submit the press release (if that’s the project) to the media release company, saving your client time? She may be willing to pay your full fee for that extra service.
3. Ask for more time to get the project done.
For many freelancers, getting a few extra days or weeks to do the job is a real benefit — one that may be worth being paid a little less. So if the client wants a better price, offer a discount if you can get four weeks to do the job instead of two.
4. Offer a discount for paying your full fee in advance.
I learned this technique in Alan Weiss’s excellent book, “Million Dollar Consulting”. I say to the client, “I offer a 10% discount when my quoted project fee is paid in advance.” That savings may be all the client needs to award you the work. (And it sure is nice to get that cash in the bank right away!)
5. Offer a volume discount.
Query the client about upcoming projects and offer him a package deal. For example, if you’ve just provided a ballpark quote for a new sales brochure, ask her about other sales materials she may need created, such as a web page and email series. Then offer a lower overall price for all three projects.
I know it’s tempting to just drop your price. But I encourage you to give these negotiating tips a try. Clients will respect that you stand behind your professional rates. And, more often than not, you’ll stand a good chance of getting the project.
– Steve
July 14, 2010 0
