Comments on: When Quality is Your Trump

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:14:39 +0000

Eileen, that had to be a bit fun toying with him. Sometimes the amusement factor is all we have. :)) And I do love that story about how you swayed the client with quality. It's nice when the client sees the value in your talent.

Paula, exactly. Devon cut through the BS to the real point - if you can make more money elsewhere, then do it. If not, work for content mills.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:30:18 +0000

I had a lot of fun about a year ago with a fellow who claimed he had a lot of steady work for me. He was a startup and had a unique business model, supposedly, for his industry. He wanted to know what I'd charge for X number of pieces each week. I told him my normal rate, and then slashed it by almost 50% because of volume (I think it was $175 per piece, down from $350, or something like that). There was complete silence at the other end of the phone when I dropped the price bomb. Then he began stuttering and gibbering with indignation. He was really angry that I didn't get it and wouldn't buy into it. His main point: "You just don't understand my business model!"

How is his business model my problem? He sure didn't seem concerned about my business model, which is based on making a fair wage. I had anticipated his reaction based on some things I'd heard about him, so he was never a serious contender, but I couldn't resist toying with him a little.

Compare that with another recent situation. I may have already mentioned it on this blog, so forgive me if I'm telling the same story over again. A guy who owns a startup called me, I loved his product, seems like a company that's really going somewhere. So I cut my price dramatically. He came back with, "So and so is only going to charge me X (literally one third the price of my already discounted fee) for the same thing. Can you explain that?" So I replied, "I cannot explain how so-and-so arrives at her pricing or what her business model is. I can, however, tell you how I arrived at mine." I proceeded to explain precisely what I bring to the table. He hired me. Project is almost finished, it's gone great. He's easy to work with.

Listen to your gut; it's never wrong.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:24:31 +0000

Devon nailed it in one sentence: "If the mill content writers were good enough to earn a living wage elsewhere, that's what they'd be doing."

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:02:53 +0000

Wendy, sometimes you can't save them from themselves. They get so adamant about how they envision it. Worse, if you had written it and he'd bombed, guess who would've been blamed?

Devon, that's the best approach. They're free to do what they want. You're free to charge your rate. If they don't want to pay, fine. Good luck and best wishes. What I can't stand is, as you've experienced, the way some will give you grief over a fairly normal rate. Anyone arguing that strongly is using emotion to negotiate. No way. It's business. I don't care if you hate me or think I'm crazy - the price is the price is the...

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:32:02 +0000

It's happened fairly frequently, that I'm told my rates are "outrageous" and "this isn't NY" -- this, from a client 15 miles outside of NY, when I have no trouble with my rates in many other parts of the world, that "anyone" can do what I do, and they can get someone at a lower price.

My response, "go ahead,then."

In the past year, I've had a half a dozen clients crawl back, contrite. The low-ball writers couldn't deliver quality. Uh, duh? If the mill content writers were good enough to earn a living wage elsewhere, that's what they'd be doing.

And, if I take them back, it's at a HIGHER fee.

And I'm worth every penny.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:14:48 +0000

I had one not long ago that didn't involve pay, because I refused to do the project before we ever got to the pay rate stuff.

The person wanted a humorous speech written for a speaking engagement he had coming up. He wanted a ton of humor put into the speech.

I'm not an expert on speeches, but I do know enough to know that the topic he was speaking about wouldn't fly with all that humor.

The topic went along the lines of grief counseling. Sure, some light humor sprinkled here and there would have been okay, but not the amount this person wanted.

I explained it to him nicely and then got a cyber-tongue lashing from him. So, I said Goodbye and that was that.