The 3-line email template that landed me a 15% rate hike

I was dreading asking my long-term client for a raise. Then I tried a tip from a freelance forum: just state the new rate, give 30 days notice, and add one sentence about why. No excuses or paragraphs. I sent it on a Tuesday morning and they said yes in 3 hours. Has anyone else tried a shorter ask and gotten a quicker yes?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliaa655d ago

Three hours? I'm over here waiting 72 hours for a "got it" reply on a routine invoice, so that's basically lightning speed in my book. Maybe I should try sending my requests at 2 AM on a Tuesday with a subject line that's just "plz update rate thx" (you know, to keep it casual). Honestly, your secret sauce is probably that you didn't overthink it with five paragraphs of guilt-tripping. I'm half-tempted to try this on my dentist next time I'm overdue for a cleaning.

ray6135d ago

Julia from the 72 hour waiting club over here @juliaa65 would probably get a faster yes if she tried sending it on a Tuesday at 4 AM with doge emoji as the subject line. Maybe the real secret is just catching them before their afternoon coffee crash.

matthewking5d ago

Ha! Ray's got a point though. @ray613 you're saying it's really just about hitting them at the right moment before they check out mentally? I've noticed that if I send anything past 2 PM on a Friday it just dies in their inbox forever. What time zone are you in that 4 AM Tuesday is the sweet spot?