Tip of the iceberg

[gilbert-phyllis]

a few friendly thoughts for new FLs...

You have a marketable skill set and you've set up shop -- an Upwork profile, maybe a LinkedIn account and a Facebook page. You've mastered the art of pitching your services and are landing projects. The outlook is promising and you're feeling pretty confident and, let's face it, proud of yourself.

Go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. OK, that's enough. Now take a good, long look at what you've got going on beneath the surface. What? You didn't realize your freelance business is like an iceberg? It is. About ten percent is above the surface: your skills, your branding, all the client-facing stuff you've worked hard to develop and refine -- glistening in the sunlight, assuring you the future is so bright you have to wear shades.

How's your other 90 percent? That's where your center of gravity lies. Attracting clients is only half the battle. Each one has to be managed, and their project has to be managed. You have to see around corners. Recognize early warning signs that a project or a relationship is in peril of slipping sideways. Always be the grown-up in the room, regardless of how the client behaves or misbehaves. Be prepared to make the call --  dig in or walk away -- and live with it. Find the path to a win/win outcome when you can, and a nobody-loses-completely resolution when you can't. Deploy a coherent business model and adapt it as conditions change (because they always do). Know your own business ethics and professional standards, and stick to them. Keep your sense of humor and cultivate a thick skin.

By the way, clients are icebergs, too. You can't see what you can't see, but you can learn to spot the signs. Sometimes a really beautiful one is not as big as it loooks or is starting to crack apart or is about to roll over and swamp everything in sight. Always be prepared.

[lysis10]

and omg if they say "but I have so much work for youuuuu" just say  "that's so awesome then I'm gonna make soo much money, bro!" and then when they say "you come down on your rate?" you say "haha u so  cute and precious and funny."

[bizwriterjohn]

This was obviously written in jest and most surely, the Coffee Break room exists for humor. I enjoyed the irony.

Do you have any professional tactics to offer, to counter the circumstance many will face.  The circumstance of a prospective client asking a freelancer to come down on their rates.

Two of the common tactics are the review the value delivered and equate it to client benefit. This is called "cost justification" in classic sales training.  The second tactic is to agree to come down on the billing rate when the second project is offered.   This is called "deferred benefit" in class sales training.

Do you have any specific tactics that you have engaged in, and that worked. 

The humor was enjoyed.

[versailles · Accepted solution]

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Phyllis G wrote:

By the way, clients are icebergs, too.

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And Titanics happen.

[a_lipsey]

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Rene K wrote:

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Phyllis G wrote:

By the way, clients are icebergs, too.

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And Titanics happen.

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I jump, you jump, right?