What’s on the iPod: Dearly Departed by Shakey Graves
Tuesday was a great day off. The music was the best I’ve ever remembered it. I was glad to get back here, though. While it’s always a good time on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s equally nice to come home and relax before heading off to bed. I was home by 7 pm.
Yesterday I got an invoice out to a client and attended another Twitter chat, connecting with a few more people in the industry in which I write. Plus I had a few email conversations with some client prospects.
Since I’ve been marketing hard for the upcoming trade show attendance, I’ve been getting responses from client prospects who are at various stages in their marketing/communications processes. Some have full-blown marketing budgets and projects, others have nothing beyond ideas.
That means the reaction is different every time.
This month, I’ve had two or three client prospects who have held back, worried a detail or two, and focused solely on price tags. For them, I gave the basic information, offered to chat, and let go.
Sometimes, it’s just not a match.
In one case, the client was so focused on the per-hour rate (which I gave as the “for all other projects” — at the end of a long list of stated project prices) that I couldn’t get them to see the project price, if they agreed on it, was within their budget. “We can only afford $XX per hour.” Fine. But if I quote $500 for the project and you say yes, that’s within your budget, right?
Alas, sometimes the dollar sign is more concrete in someone’s mind than in actuality.
I didn’t keep asking. It was a dead conversation because someone had stopped listening. Sure, the perceived cost isn’t the one that matters, but to them, it was the one that mattered. Anything I said beyond that wasn’t being heard.
I let go.
That’s tough, especially when you have a client who’s talking. Here’s someone who responded — they need your help. They’re inquiring in hopes of coming to some agreement with you. A live body is better than silence, right?
Except when it isn’t.
It would have been easy to say “Sure, I can do it for two-thirds less than what I usually charge.” I think you know why I didn’t — 1) it sets a bad precedent caving in to budget constraints that are clearly lower than you can work for, 2) it’s a lousy way to start a client/writer relationship, 3) it’s no guarantee the work will be there, and 4) it makes it that much tougher to negotiate with that client or any other in the future.
When to let go, though? I’ve let go when:
Price is the only consideration. We all have budgets, but when the money is the only topic of conversation, I don’t know how it will ever be about the work quality (which is what I think it should be about). Every client will ask about price. When they lead with price and won’t talk about pricing options, it’s over for me (and probably for them, as well).
They won’t make a decision. That’s different than can’t make a decision. Waffling endlessly is a waste of time, and you just know when the client has all the information needed. I’ve let go of client prospects who have said a number of times they need my help, but when given options, they go silent or don’t act at all.
They ask endless questions. I remember one woman who questioned me nearly to death (figuratively, of course). Seven emails in, I decided to send her an agreement template to look over and help me fill in. That’s when the questions stopped. Did I lose her by pushing? No. I never had her. The agreement was my traffic light — either we’re going to proceed on a more formal basis or she was going to turn another direction. Either way, I was putting a limit on the free time I invested.
They dictate. This isn’t an employer/employee relationship. It’s an alliance, a temporary business partnership of sorts. Business owners working together. For that reason, I won’t ever tolerate someone telling me “Here’s what you’re getting paid” or “Drop that price” kind of directives. Instead, we negotiate. If a client says “Here’s my budget” or “I can afford only this much” — that’s a conversation. I’ve dropped clients for telling me “Here’s what you should be charging” (oh yes, he did). And I’ve told them what they should be charging in response (nothing wakes them up like a dose of their own inappropriate behavior).
Writers, when do you let go of prospective writing clients?
Have you ever broken it off in the middle of negotiations? If so, what were the circumstances?
Any advice for writers on how to know when to let go?
Good list… I also let go when they quit responding… which happens.
This is a great list. I also let go when they just don't seem able to commit to a plan — or they want a plan that encompasses every possible scenario that could ever come to pass.
If someone says, "Here's what you should be charging," I'd counter with, "No. Here's what you should be paying for all of that work." In my dreams, anyway.
Next week I have a call with a prospective client who I know doesn't have a big budget, so I'm thinking of ways to present options to her that might fit her budget and at least set up a path that will lead gradually to what she probably wants all at once. I'm sure she can't afford my rates for weekly blog posts right now, so maybe we can start with one per week, or maybe she can outsource that to someone willing to take $25 or $50 per post.
One thing I won't do is scare her with an hourly rate. If she asks, I'll say, "I don't charge people for my time, I charge them for my talent."
Anne, that's true. Sometimes it's obvious. Though I will say I had a client who'd stopped communicating. I kept sending periodic notes. Nine months later, I was hired. You never know.
Dava, great seeing you here again! Excellent insight — funny how it swings so wildly from can't decide to want it all, isn't it?
Good for you, Paula. Those preparations will pay off, I'm sure. And I agree on the hourly rate — I don't know what made me toss that in. Normally, I don't. You can almost tell which clients won't care and which ones will make that the deciding factor.
"I don't charge people for my time, I charge them for my talent"
What a great quote Paula!
It's why Paula rocks, Emily. 🙂