If I like what they offer, great. If it is far too low, I move on quickly. If they come close, I let them know I could do the project for a bit more — or I could cut a requirement or two and stay within the budget they have to work with. I find this is a faster way to get jobs booked. The amount of time you need to spend in e-mail and on the phone with a client is less, and you don’t waste precious “writing” time preparing a plan or portfolio for a client who can’t afford you in the first place.

I don’t negotiate to get more money per job, I negotiate to get more work at a rate I am happy with. When a client looks promising for future work, I’ll negotiate lower rates to obtain long-term contracts. If I know a client has an ongoing need for a freelancer, or they currently uses multiple freelancers at the price my initial job was for, I will offer to do 2 or 3 articles at a lower, combined rate and pick up as much steady work as I can from that client. If it is ongoing without an end date in the near future, I’ll go even lower on the combined rate for a 6 or 12 month agreement.

It may seem strange to those who set rates, but this process has worked very well for me.

On the other hand, I admit I charge at the high end, so a low-baller isn’t going to bother with me. If someone is looking to pay $200 for a writing project, and I ask for $5,000, he really doesn’t have much room for negotiating.

On the other other hand, I see nothing intrinsically wrong with negotiation. The difference is that negotiating doesn’t mean simply caving in. It’s finding alternative solutions. Maybe I can charge less if they contract more work at once (not vague promises of future work, but 5 jobs now instead of 1.)

If the client wants *you* to do the work, he or she will have to decide whether they are willing to pay the rates you have set for yourself.

I think, for freelancers, that is the best way to approach their rates. It’s like the difference you’ll charge between writing a 400 word article and an 800 word article. The difference you’ll charge for a keyword article vs. an opinion piece. The difference you charge between white-paper and catalog descriptions. The expanse of the service, rather than the service itself is negotiable.

If someone wants you to write 20 keyword articles of 400 words on a topic that requires little research, you have a firm idea of exactly the aspects of service they want you to provide and you should be able to set a non-negotiable price. If you negotiate on that, what you’re really doing is saying, I didn’t estimate the work involved correctly or I don’t value my time as much as I thought.

But, as you said, it comes down to mindset. When I take on a commission, I consider it an opportunity to work WITH a business or individual. They are not my master, they have come to me asking me for aid because I do something they could not do as well as I can. Many freelancers are in the earlier stages of their career where they feel they need to beg and earn work. I think the “bid for jobs” style of job hunting sites are one of the culprits that keep people in that mindset.

Break out! Stop asking other people to put a value on you. Put the value on yourself. Whatever you believe you are worth is exactly how much you can ask for, and earn, from your clients.

What great points you make about why freelancers get into the negotiation dance with clients! For the past two years as a freelance writer, I’ve had success with clearly stating my prices and letting clients decide if they can afford me. While I do keep my rates low and offer specials and discounts so that the average start-up can take advantage of my services, I know what I need to earn to survive as a freelancer. It’s true that it does take time to get out of that employer-employee mindset as a new freelancer, but what it comes down to is earning what you are worth out there and not settling for less.