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How to negotiate a better price with existing clients

I recently wrote a blog post for Portable Career Success, which I think is also a good fit here. It is about how freelance writers can negotiate a better price with clients they’re already working with, without them sounding like they’re just begging for money.

That’s something a lot of writers have issues with. I’m guessing it’s also a problem for people on a permanent job – asking for a raise.

The article covers two things. The main problem for people asking for a better pay, and a couple of solutions they can  use. From what I’ve learned, working as a freelance writer, is that fear seems to be the biggest obstacle. People are either afraid they’re lose the client altogether, or they fear it will just sound like they’re greedy, begging for money.

The article talks about how to lose this fear and progress in your freelancing career.

Be fearless

The other thing this piece covers is a couple of useful tips and suggestions about things you can do when asking for a raise in rates. Those things include:

  • Doing market research
  • Doing work research
  • Offering extra value

By looking for other clients, and just straight going for a higher price at the very start, you can feel out the market and see if you’re being underpaid with the clients you have at the moment. If the majority of new potential clients have no problem paying the higher price, then you’re probably being underpaid. That’s a good way to start negotiating with your existing clients.

By researching your own work, you can see if the scope has changed over time, and if you’re doing more (or more demanding) work than what was initially agreed. That’s also a good way to start your negotiations.

And finally, by offering extra value (expanding your work), you can offer to be paid more. Clients usually don’t turn down an offer for extra value, especially if you’ve been doing great work so far.

The full article can be found on the Portable Career Success site and I hope you find it helpful and useful in your freelancing endeavors!


Image Credit: Flickr / Markus Spiske

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