What’s on the iPod: Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World
What I’m reading: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Dear friend Anne Wayman has a post up about saying no. It’s a small word, easy to spell, but damn tough to utter sometimes. Anne has learned how, but how many of us have?
Here’s the scenario: you’re facing a new client with what seems to be a great project. During negotiations, the client says “My funds are limited. I need you to reduce your rate. If you do, I can promise plenty of work in the future.”
Dilemma time: The client wants you to cut your rate in half in order to secure that phantom future work. And you’re considering it. Why? Because you’ve been taught not to disappoint people, or you simply want to work so badly you’re not really thinking about price.
Solution: Say no.
Real dilemma time: Now that you’ve said no, you’re facing what was probably the biggest reason you hesitated and almost said yes in the first place – the client’s reaction. I’m willing to bet the fear of the reaction is why a lot of writers say yes to lousy offers. And anyone who’s had to say no in the past has seen reactions from “Okay” to “You arrogant, pathetic wad of monkey spit! You’ll never work in this town again!”
Here’s the thing – any client who would verbally attack you over a glitch in the negotiation process is one you’re well rid of. Remember what you parroted in school – sticks and stones, people. If you say no and the client doesn’t like it, the world won’t end that second, nor will you ruin your career or bring on plagues and pestilence. Life goes on. The world will still turn in the same direction, the client will get over it, and you’ll find either a middle ground or a parting of the ways.
Anne said it best – it’s all in the delivery. She said her “no” in a congenial manner, and maybe more to the point, she was satisfied with her answer. If you as a business person can say no and know fully that it’s the best answer you can give, that’s going to be projected in your tone and your delivery. Life will go on. You’ll still have your career and you’ll still get work. You’ll just feel much better about the work you’re securing.
Do you find the fear of the reaction entering into your responses ever? How have you overcome that?
13 responses to “Life Goes On”
This is my business, not my hoby. I have to pay my bills. The vet sure as hell isn't cutting his price because he's out of my budget, but if I want my cat to survive this illness, I damn well have to pay it. the cable company, the utility company — none of them will cut their rates because I can't afford it.
We need to stop behaving as though our clients are doing us a favor by hiring us. They are hiring in a skill that we have developed over a period of years, and one that is worth a fair wage.
"No, I can't afford to work for that rate" is a perfectly acceptable response.
Recently, I pulled out of a round of interviews because of low rates. Then the potential client started to lay into me about it, I said, "I usually get 10X for the same word coount. Why would I accept 10X less than my normal rate from you, because you have 'continuous work'? I don't need to work 90 hours a day for this other client and I make the same money. Plus, his name recognition is far higher than yours in the market."
That shut him the hell up.
I play hardball. I have bills to pay and a life to run. I don't give a flying f– if a "potential" client likes me or not if he's going to show such a high amount of disrespect. It does not bode well for a future rlationship. Best find out you're not suited before the client makes your life hell.
There are plenty of clients who respect our talents and will pay fairly.
Above should read "90 hours a week' not "90 hours a day" — although some days feel like it! 😉
LOL! I hear you. Definitely does feel that way.
It doesn't surprise me that the argument usually comes from those who are unwilling to budge on their own pricing structure. Frankly, I get my back up the minute they use guilt or some other emotional ploy to try lowering my rate. The price is the price is the price. I don't do this for free, nor do I do it just so I can say I'm a writer. I do it because I'm skilled at it, I love it, and it's my job.
And you're right – they're not doing us favors by hiring us. They're asking for a service we provide. If they can't afford it, it's not our issue to solve. We can try to help if we can, but in the end we have to stick by our own price in order to make a living.
As I wrote on Anne's post, I don't seem to have a problem (now) saying "no," but I do seem to have a problem of not following that with some statement like "no, I'm sorry…"
I think that has more to do with Catholic guilt pang 🙂 than actual regret.
I have gotten much better at turning down projects that don't pay enough or are ones that I just don't want to do (usually more administrative than writing gigs). Devon hits the nail on the head. This is our business!
Three cheers for this post, Lori, and the comments from Devon and Cathy! There are people asking for work for pennies, and it's sad knowing that there are writers out there who will work for that price. What the clients don't realize is that they could get much better work for a fair price – or maybe they do realize it but don't care. Or maybe even more likely – they don't realize it's bad writing 🙂
Yes, I find the fear of reaction makes me hesitate to say no. I remind myself there are other clients out there willing to pay something fair — and just like Devon mentioned, no one is reducing their prices because *I* can't afford it.
It takes a lot of audacity to ask someone to cut their rates that drastically – especially in the middle of negotiations.
Other than the firm but polite "no," the only other possible option I see is to respond to the promise of future work by saying you'll consider a slight rate reduction on a bulk deal. If they can pony up three or four assignments at a reasonable (albeit lower) rate, it might be worth considering. Otherwise – no.
A resounding NO (ha ha), I never fear the reaction I'll get to declining a job offer. I used to, but I don't anymore. In fact, I just said no to a project and therefore lost out on some good money, but my sanity thanks me, even if it doesn't realize it. The client wanted me to write 200 math problems, the issue being they are all due by the end of the month, and splitting the project up with another writer was not an option. So I declined, lost out on a pretty nice chunk of change in the process, but ensured I don't have to scramble my butt off for the next three weeks and/or put other projects on hold or rush to squeeze them in. No isn't always a matter of price, although for me, those types of nos are the easiest.
Cathy, more bad decisions have come from Catholic guilt (trust me – I know!)….
Ashley, an example of why you're right – I had a client to whom I said no. The response was to walk away (my response). The result – they came back later and agreed quickly to MY price. Happily ever after. 🙂
Good approach, Paula. If it's contracted work, no problem in giving a slight break. The key words – "contracted" and "slight."
Kathy, I did something similar. They wanted the article last week – when I was out. I had a day to put it together. I said no. I know my own limits. I lost out on that one, but not on the one I have due with them next week.
You did right by yourself. We all need to do that more often.
I forgot to mention that my sister, the graphic designer, decided to sign up for a class that teaches business women how to more effectively and directly communicate and negotiate with men.
Something tells me her decision to take the class stems from a major jerk she had to deal with a couple months ago. He blamed his mistakes on her (and the printer she hired to do the job) even though all of the documentation shows he approved every single thing he was upset about.
I lost a very promising client last year by saying no. I had just started work on their project when my contact apologetically told me a higher-up had decided I needed to do an additional article for the fee I was getting. It wasn't a small addition to my workload, it was doubling it; so I said no and that this should have been decided before they signed my bid letter. Relations became frosty and they treated me as if I had pulled a fast one on them. It was really uncomfortable. I think they were mostly offended that I didn't cave – and I was mostly offended that they assumed I would!
It was one client. The world is full of other clients. Losing their business didn't hurt me as much as becoming a doormat freelancer would.
I think you dodged a bullet on that one, Valerie. If you had a contract and they came back after it was signed and wanted to change the terms, what's to stop them from doing the same thing next time?
Would someone go into a fancy restaurant, order a $20 steak, and then say since it cost so much they should get two steaks?
Stacy, I love that comparison. It would be like saying "Well, I decided I wanted the lobster, too. So go ahead and add that one without increasing the price."
Valerie, doesn't it make you wonder if they'd be upset if their clients did that same thing? If they cannot behave like professionals, they don't need to call back. Just pay the invoice and move along.
I've had that client too, Paula. It's frustrating. They change things, introduce errors, then blame the writer, who's unable to change their minds on those changes in the first place.
All great comments… I've also had prospective clients apologize when they can't meet my rate… I've never really had one yell at me.