Pop quiz for you: If you’re in the middle of a client negotiations and the client counters your price with a request to put something together quickly for them while ignoring all mention of your price, what do you do?
Answer: Nothing.
The hard fact is that until you have a contract, you have no obligation to do anything for any client, emergency or not. Thus was the situation that came to me last week. The aforementioned “we want you back” client followed that plea with “we need you back” and “what’s your price” notes. Fine, but my response back to the client with my price clearly stated, was at first ignored for days, then answered with a “we really need your help – can you put something together for us now?”
Nothing doing. The price topic first needs to be addressed and it hasn’t been. A contract has to be in place, and no amount of begging, niceties, or SOS talk is going to suffice. I type not one keystroke until agreements are signed. No trusting the “email word of honor” either. It’s signed or it’s a no-go. And the deflection of that discussion had me more than a little distrustful of their intentions.
I dislike attempts to instill frenetic negotiations on me, or on any freelancer. Some people are under the mistaken assumption that if they start a fire, the rest of the world will rush to extinguish it. In reality, their fires are exactly that – their fires. Not mine. Not yours. Not anyone else’s who doesn’t have a vested interest or a contractual interest in said fire. So without the contract, burn, baby. Burn.
I think what most unhinged me about this was the sense that once again, this client doesn’t get that I’m a professional. The assumption that I’m waiting impatiently to hear from them or that I’m going to take the lack of any solid offer because they’re such swell folk had me seeing red. It also convinced me that this client is running a business on little forethought and a whole lot of cheekiness.
No thanks.
What was the weirdest negotiation or contract talks you’ve ever had?
I don't like when clients that complain they have money issues and expect that this is going to make you more sympathetic to them. Forget it.
Exactly. Moreover, the ones who tell you how much money they make, then balk and argue on your price. That earns them the "buh-bye" wave.
OMG, I was dealing with this exact situation last month! A new client contacted me frantic about a product description project. I gave my rate and he seemed to brush it off at first. I explained that I wouldn't be able to start the project until the contract was signed and returned. He became very annoyed.
Then I tried to pin down a deadline date for this "emergency project." He was even vague about that saying, "I need it as soon as you can get it back to me. Ha!"
I took it upon myself at that point to put a deadline date on the contract, he signed and returned it immediately (all the while complaining about the rate I was charging). Then he turned around and emailed me five minutes later asking if I could turn the project around in 24 hours instead. "Buh-bye." *Miss America wave*
Hi Lori, not sure the client doesn't get that your a professional… it may be that he has no clue that HE could be a professional.
I have on occasion offered to begin something in a hurry if 50% is wired to my account. I make sure the email states the terms because it can act sort of like a contract.
I may have had this work once… I remember some drama about wired money… but it may have been something else.
My theory is that if it's a true emergency, sending me 50% in an instant manner (paypal would also work) would get my attention.
What do you think?
Anne
I like it, Anne! I like it a lot. And I agree – they may not realize they are professionals. Good point. 🙂
I wonder how serious they are about it, though. I gave a specific price. They waited almost a week, then ignored ALL mention of price, instead asking for immediate help.
Oh Kimberly, he tried that? If it were any use negotiating with him (and it sounds as though it wasn't), I'd have said, "Ah yes, no problem. Let me send over the contract addendum for that rush fee."
I understand emergencies. But using them as a tool to get something for nothing is not fair.
Two in particular come to mind…
One potential client asked me to write articles that would be spun (I know, I know). I had to include three alternatives for each word I wrote. When she asked a price, I said I had no idea how long this would take me and quoted a price for one. Then, I explained, I would raise or lower the price according to the time spent. Her response — since I didn't know how long it would take, I should do the first 5 as a *free* trial. hahah
The second was a lawyer who wanted content for her site. She had about 20 sections she wanted written. I asked her how long she wanted the articles to be. Her response — make them really long. She could always cut out what she didn't need or want. The catch was she was only planning to pay me for the final word count. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way!!
I just want to see how Writing Frump would answer this question!
Oh, I've had that, "we really need you to start work as we negotiate."
Uh, no, sorry, I don't work for you until there's a signed contract in place specifying payment and the deposit clears. Your emergency is not my problem until there's cash in my account.
The weirdest "negotiation" I had was someone who contacted me asking me to write a 90K sci-fi piece IN A WEEK as a for-hire, but not get paid until "the advance earns out". somehow, this bonehead landed a publishing contract, but "didn't get around" to writing the book and was now trying to get someone to ghost write it in a week for no money, because he'd spent the advance.
Oh, and I was supposed to be grateful to ghost for nothing because "women can never publish in sci-fi themselves anyway." In other words, not only was he sans outline or any chapters, he was sans knowledge of the genre or common sense.
Not my problem.
Krista, free? Is she kidding? My lord, these people just get more brazen with every minute. And I had a "we pay for the final word count" job once. It was the first – and last – time I worked for him. Worse, he rounded down the word count to determine my pay, which was supposed to be based on "what we publish." And he was offended when I insisted on a contract. Jerk.
I'd forgotten about the Writing Frump, wordvixen! I'll have to go check it out. 🙂 But I can hear how she'd be up and down this one! LOL
Devon, isn't that what we silly little women crave – male attention and bread crumbs for payment? I know you let him know what a dork he'd just proven himself to be. Does he not know Marian Zimmer Bradley? What an ass.