Comments on: Life Goes On

By: Anne Wayman

Anne Wayman — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:27:07 +0000

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.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:32:34 +0000

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.

By: Stacy Ranta

Stacy Ranta — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 06:09:00 +0000

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?

By: Valerie

Valerie — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:50:17 +0000

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.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:54:30 +0000

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.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:42:45 +0000

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.

By: Irreverent Freelancer

Irreverent Freelancer — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:33:59 +0000

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.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:38:12 +0000

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.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:13:49 +0000

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.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:54:24 +0000

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!