Seeing the material before accepting an offer.

[kat303]

I would like your opinion on a situation that has come up 3 times so far. 

Is it wrong to see the material or files you'll be working on before accepting an offer?

I write a proposal, the client messages me, Everything is going fine and when I ask to see the material they get all upset. One client said he didn't trust sending the material before a freelancer accepts his offer because when they see it, they jack up their prices. And because I asked, without mentioning anything about any higher proposal amount, he hired someone else.

Just recently, a client asked when I can start working. All indications pointed that I would be hired.  The conversations, after asking me when can I start (and this happened very very late at night. ---

I can start tomorrow afternoon. But before I start I would like to actually see the Excel spreadsheet that you have.

The reply that I got back was ---

I did not hire you because of your demand to see my mailing list before you would consider an offer. It's a simple mailing list as I had fully described each column to you. Because your tone was implying my mailing list might some how be offensive to you I hired someone else.

Am I doing something wrong without realizing it when I ask to see the material? Am I not asking to see the material correctly? 

[petra_r]

---

@Kathy T wrote:

I would like your opinion on a situation that has come up 3 times so far. 

Is it wrong to see the material or files you'll be working on before accepting an offer?

I write a proposal, the client messages me, Everything is going fine and when I ask to see the material they get all upset. One client said he didn't trust sending the material before a freelancer accepts his offer because when they see it, they jack up their prices.

---

 Haha, I wonder why lol

For what it's worth, I ALWAYS ask to see what needs doing as that is the only way I can say for certain that it is something I want to do, can do, and what it will take (time / money.)

It's not totally vital on an hourly contract but for fixed price it is.

---

@Kathy T wrote:

I can start tomorrow afternoon. But before I start I would like to actually see the Excel spreadsheet that you have.

 Am I not asking to see the material correctly? 

---

 Hm, I would have phrased it differently, without the "but" and "actually."

I also ask for the material right at the start (in my response to the invite) and not in the last part of the process, but ultimately I think you just got someone overly sensitive / easily offended and may have had a lucky escape as such people don't tend to be a bundle of laughs when they actually DO hire you.

[wendy_writes · Accepted solution]

Kathy, "my bid is contingent upon review of the material" - include that in ALL your proposals.

[datasciencewonk]

That's an excellent response, Wendy.

I always request to see the materials prior to agreeing to a contract.

That was a lesson I learned the hard way 😉

[renata101]

Thanks, Wendy. I'm adding that one to my arsenal. 

I tend to tell people that it's like having your kitchen renovated. There's no sane (and solvent) contractor on the face of the planet who's going to give you a bid without looking at it first. Sometimes even if you do check it out, there's no way of knowing what's lurking under the floorboards. 

[alice_m_uk]

I don't generally ask, because I've been pretty lucky most of the time with it being described well, but there are some clients who will just say 'I have a document to proofread' with no indication of what it is, its length or basically any detail of...anything. 

That second client sounds so sensitive, though, I don't know how they'd handle dealing with someone in real life. 

[calvo_juan]

Someone that gets upset about sending the material is probably looking for naive freelancers to exploit.

[wendy_writes]

Juan, at best any buyer concerned about sending materials needed to properly bid on a job is a lousy communicator and a micro-manager ... and at worst, as you indicated, a scammer not worth our time.

[martina_plaschka]

---

@Kathy T wrote:

I would like your opinion on a situation that has come up 3 times so far. 

Is it wrong to see the material or files you'll be working on before accepting an offer?

I write a proposal, the client messages me, Everything is going fine and when I ask to see the material they get all upset. One client said he didn't trust sending the material before a freelancer accepts his offer because when they see it, they jack up their prices. And because I asked, without mentioning anything about any higher proposal amount, he hired someone else.

Just recently, a client asked when I can start working. All indications pointed that I would be hired.  The conversations, after asking me when can I start (and this happened very very late at night. ---

I can start tomorrow afternoon. But before I start I would like to actually see the Excel spreadsheet that you have.

The reply that I got back was ---

I did not hire you because of your demand to see my mailing list before you would consider an offer. It's a simple mailing list as I had fully described each column to you. Because your tone was implying my mailing list might some how be offensive to you I hired someone else.

Am I doing something wrong without realizing it when I ask to see the material? Am I not asking to see the material correctly? 

---

 I never accept an offer when I have not seen the text. (Translation) Maybe the more sensitive clients are more comfortable when you ask for just a sample of the text. 

[sergio-soria]

Kathy, you definitely didn't do anything wrong. I agree with everyone here that asking for the material is the way to go. If you don't ask the client has the right to complain later about you being slow, or being wrong with the tasks, or whatever

Clients require perfect job, so you need perfect outlook about what to do first. Besides, many clients vanish after hiring so it's necessary to ask the most as possible beforehand to avoid guess games afterwards.

I always explain to them that I ask in order to fulfill their expectations. They understand because it's for the sake of their business after all. If they get upset for something that is actually beneficial for them... I'd rather them hire someone else. It could be a scammer, a farmer or a paranoid. Who knows! 

[yitwail]

Kathy, as a web developer, I insist on looking at the site I will be working on before accepting an offer. If you think about it, having access to material protects both the client and the freelancer by preventing a mismatch between client expectations and freelancer capability and availability.

[283e62a0]

1. Professional Communication: When requesting to see the material, always maintain a professional and courteous tone. Avoid sounding demanding or suspicious. Frame your request in a way that shows your genuine interest in the project and your willingness to provide the best possible service.

2. Explain the Reason: Clearly communicate to the client that you need to review the material to assess the project's requirements properly and provide an accurate proposal. Assure them that this is a standard practice in the freelancing industry.