Hit $5,000 from one single project this month for the first time ever | Rate Shaming and Venting - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Hit $5,000 from one single project this month for the first time ever
I had a client push back on my $200 hourly rate twice before they finally agreed, and when that invoice cleared for the full $5,000 I realized their haggling was just a test to see if I'd fold.
Yeah, "just a test to see if I'd fold" feels a little dramatic to me. I mean, maybe they were just working within their own budget constraints and making sure they weren't getting ripped off. It's probably not that deep, most people are just trying to get their job done without overthinking it.
Hey, I'm glad it worked out for you but I gotta push back on this one. A lot of clients just genuinely can't afford that rate right away or have strict budget approvals to go through, not some weird test of your confidence. If they were really testing you, they wouldn't have come back twice after you said no. They needed you and they proved it by paying what you asked. Don't turn every negotiation into a power move, sometimes people are just trying to figure out if they can make the numbers work.
Yeah but what if they lowball you just to see if you know your worth? I had a guy try to haggle me down on a used sofa once and I walked away, then he called me back a week later and paid full price, so sometimes it really is a test.