You want to make the most of every business enquiry you receive, so you respond quickly, giving people the information they ask for. But there’s a particular breed of enquiry that troubles most freelancers: the short, blunt email asking for your rates. If you simply respond with your rates, you’re unlikely to get the job, or ever hear from the client again.
What are you doing wrong? Why do some people back off when they learn your rates?
How to win more clients
Your potential client, let’s call him Stuart, is looking for a freelancer to do a job, so Stuart asks a few freelancers for their rates. He compares rates and chooses the freelancer who is cheap, but not the cheapest.
If you’re a solid, reliable freelancer with an awesome portfolio, your rates are probably not the cheapest. So you are unlikely to win jobs on price alone*.
To win jobs, you need to remind clients that you are better than average, and that your additional cost brings additional benefits too.
Here’s how:
1. Get talking!
When you get an email from someone who just wants your rates, pick up the phone and ask them what they need, how you can help and what their budget is.
Get the client talking so you can find out what they’re trying to achieve. It’s easier to discuss rates on the phone, because you can respond to their reactions. So if they think your rates are high, you can ask what they expect to pay, and then you can decide if their budget is feasible for you.
You may have flexible rates that depend on the client (e.g. discounts for charities), or you might offer to reduce your rates for an interesting project, or to fill a gap in your schedule. Until you know more about the client and the work, you can’t decide to offer concessions.
2. Educate and inform
Help your clients understand that choosing a freelancer is about more than money. Your client might not hire freelancers often, so you can help them learn the ropes, and make a better choice. Help them understand that your rates are proportionate to your skills, experience and ability. By paying a little more, your clients can get a better service.
*This statement assumes that the client does not hire many freelancers, and does not understand that freelance rates usually reflect the freelancer’s skills, experience, quality and reputation. Conversely, some clients actively ignore freelancers with low rates, on the assumption that they must be inexperienced or less able than more expensive individuals.
Leif Kendall is a freelance copywriter, author of Brilliant Freelancer, organiser of WriteClub and curator of Drivvel.com
Photo by Julie Rybarczyk – CC
