I agree mostly with these points, except on negotiating. I think it’s okay to go back and forth a bit on a price to find something that works well for both. If a price is too high for the client, you can reduce the scope of a project so you’re making it more doable for them, but still making it worth your time. Ilise Benun has a really great video on this on YouTube called “The Worst Negotiating Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them.”) Really changed my mindset on the power of negotiating!
I also like to think about whether I want to add a section asking for a single (or primary) point of contact. I’ve been in in-house situations where there were way too many cooks in the kitchen and any freelancer coming in would be totally overwhelmed and waste a lot of time juggling feedback from different people. So it’s worth thinking about if you want to ask to work with just one person to make it more streamlined.
And, a little point that might sound obvious but can make a big difference – I include my logo too. Then I save and send the whole thing as a PDF document as opposed to a word document to make it look more professional.
Good point on negotiating, which I should have covered in more detail. I agree you should always be prepared to negotiate. But I won’t negotiate on the price for that particular scope. If the price is too high, I send a revised scope, reflecting the reduced price and corresponding scope.
The primary point of contact is a great one, thanks! I too have been in a situation where multiple people want to be involved. It’s confusing and so inefficient.
And definitely, yes… include your logo and header, then send as a PDF.
2 Responses
Nice, Andrew!
I agree mostly with these points, except on negotiating. I think it’s okay to go back and forth a bit on a price to find something that works well for both. If a price is too high for the client, you can reduce the scope of a project so you’re making it more doable for them, but still making it worth your time. Ilise Benun has a really great video on this on YouTube called “The Worst Negotiating Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them.”) Really changed my mindset on the power of negotiating!
I also like to think about whether I want to add a section asking for a single (or primary) point of contact. I’ve been in in-house situations where there were way too many cooks in the kitchen and any freelancer coming in would be totally overwhelmed and waste a lot of time juggling feedback from different people. So it’s worth thinking about if you want to ask to work with just one person to make it more streamlined.
And, a little point that might sound obvious but can make a big difference – I include my logo too. Then I save and send the whole thing as a PDF document as opposed to a word document to make it look more professional.
Hi Rebekah,
Good point on negotiating, which I should have covered in more detail. I agree you should always be prepared to negotiate. But I won’t negotiate on the price for that particular scope. If the price is too high, I send a revised scope, reflecting the reduced price and corresponding scope.
The primary point of contact is a great one, thanks! I too have been in a situation where multiple people want to be involved. It’s confusing and so inefficient.
And definitely, yes… include your logo and header, then send as a PDF.
Thanks for the feedback!