http://irreverentfreelancer.blogspot.com/2011/04/aol-joining-free-freelancer-bandwagon.html

I got to read this post early in the day and wrote a lovely (and long!) comment. Blogger thought it would make a good snack, though, and ate it. So here I go again…

An anecdote about one of the worst cases of client price-setting: When I was a budding entrepreneur at the age of, oh, 7 or 8, I set up my little table and chair at the curb and sold different things (lemonade, stickers, bubble gum, etc.) So one day, I had my shop all set up, selling stickers for 10 cents each. A "customer" came up with two children who wanted stickers. The parent handed me a dime, but thought I should give the children each a sticker, a buy-one-get-one-free deal. In my innocence, I didn't say no, but even at that young age, I was dumbfounded that someone could be so cheap as to cheat a child out of 10 cents. Perhaps the parent had only one dime, and if so, that would have been a great "teachable moment" for the kids – you can't get something for nothing.

That situation would not happen again today. I'm no longer afraid to tell clients no when I see I'm getting a raw deal, and when I give something for free or discounted, it's on my terms, not the client's.

Jake's team and my new home team and going to Round 2 — whoo-hoo!

As far as exposure, when that's what I'm offered, I say, "Sorry, I'm not a flasher. I'm not looking for exposure. I'm looking for cash."

As for "great" opportunities (choke, choke) someone recently offered me a blog spot — if I PAID for it. Um, no, I am PAID to blog, or I guest blog under certain circumstances, but I do not PAY to blog.

I think there are times clients don't realize that we're not employees who are there to perform all tasks. We're specialists. Our skills are in writing, not in performing sales tasks.

Shockingly, I didn't hear from him again. Even if I had, I wouldn't have taken the job. I would've run for the hills.

Wade, I've not had it happen a lot, but it does happen. I think the best advice I can give you is to know your bottom line in your head and walk away if the client tries to go under it. Seriously, there's no reason to work for less than YOU can afford to because the client doesn't want to pay for what you're worth.

And if you start that hockey blog, you'd better let me know where it is! I'll follow.

You must be in hog heaven today, Jake. 🙂 Good on you guys! And your wisdom is right on. "Future work" is never a reason to take a crappy job. I fell for that a few years ago. Turned out the "future work" was full of "We don't see the difference, so we're not paying" and plenty of nitpicking.

Kim, my little voice was screaming bloody murder! LOL I'd say you're very good at it. I've not seen you take guff from bad clients.