Do you find it difficult to strike great bargain with a potential client?
We all need good negotiation skills
Effective negotiation is the hallmark of success in freelance business. I’ve missed several promising freelance opportunities, as a result of poor negotiation skills. If you master this skill and put it to work, nothing will be impossible to achieve.
There are 100s of skills required to excel when dealing with prospective clients, but the most cherished is to ‘become a skilled negotiator.’
When a potential client decides to hire you, the battle line is drawn. It’s your duty to understand this ‘delicate’ stage of winning or losing a project. It doesn’t matter how strict your hourly rate is, at some point in dealing with clients, you may have to adjust, to satisfy someone else.
As you climb the ladder of success in your freelance career, here are 3 exceptional tips to negotiate efficiently.
Avoid Desperation at all Cost
Yes, desperation is one thing that stops freelancers from hitting the right button. A desperate service provider would miss opportunities even when it’s under his nose.
Desperation usually happens to beginners who are just ‘praying’ for that initial project.
“If only I can lay my hands on this writing project, I know I shall succeed!”
It all boils down to the mindset you came with. And when this pivots your freelance career, you’ll make the wrong choices and bargain recklessly. Desperate freelancers are like waves – they say one thing right now, and may change their minds almost immediately. If you bargain like this, you’ll lose potential high paying clients.
Solution: Before sending a quote to a potential client, take few hours to study the project, weigh various options and alternatives your client has. Once you’re armed with relevant information, speak boldly, speak professionally and don’t subtract courtesy.
Know When You’ve Won
Do you know that most of your negotiations are worthless?
Every stage of negotiation reveals winning or losing characteristics. A client might ask you questions regarding your previous completed works, and if you fail to clarify this, he may back off or throw you off-balance with irrelevant questions.
When you see these questions below and similar ones from your clients, know you’re on the winning side:
- When will you deliver the project?
- Do you have any challenge with similar projects, if yes, what are they?
- What experience have you gained in the course of dealing with other clients?
- When do you intend starting this project?
- What’s your payment module?
These and more are questions that indicate you’re on the winning side. At this point, the client is expecting straight-forward answers. You’re expected to give ‘close-ended’ answers which are meant to further encourage the client.
Close ended answers should begin with ‘I’ for individual and “We” for corporate and partnership ventures.
Consider Future Projects
The right communication could stand as a viable element for future projects. When negotiating with potential client, it pays to adjust your “strict” rules and aim for the sky. By this, I’m saying you should work on strengthening what you’ve today, so that tomorrow’s jobs will flow in naturally.
If a potential client sound promising, you could slash your hourly rate by 10% or 20% to accommodate and win this particular offer. But don’t be too lenient on this and jeopardize quality service.
Serious clients who understand the value of quality service, in-depth research and professional touches will not hire a cheap service provider. Charge fairly, keeping the future in mind – it’s very important.
Effective Negotiation Quote:
Negotiating for the big cut requires total entrepreneurial confidence, not academic qualifications.” – Michael Chibuzor
So when next a freelance project comes your way, don’t just stand still and pray for a miracle, consider future projects, know when you’ve won the project and avoid desperation at all cost.
These are secret recipes to winning the race of life in this competitive freelance industry. Keep them to heart and grow your business – See you ahead!
About The Author:
Michael Chibuzor is a young freelance writer and blogger. He runs an SEO content writing blog, and you can hire him to handle your next blog project. Click here to hire Michael