Practical Tips for negotiating good pay as a freelancer

This article aims to give freelancers best and practical tips on how to negotiate a good pay for their gigs.

Freelancing is one of the most trending means of earning a living from any part of the world. It practically does not require a certificate before you do well in the business. Plus, the opportunity it affords you not to be in any long-term commitment to employment.

Meanwhile, as interesting as the freelancing business venture is, there is an invisible benchmark that a freelancer can attain in terms of earning. More like you shouldn’t charge more than other people in the freelance business.

And sadly, many freelancers are trapped in this invisible fence… And those who try to seek a break this fence often end up not getting any job at all. Consequently, they practically drop the idea on other similar contracts. Well, as a seasoned freelancer, I relate to this.

Like what is the point in bidding high for a job when you can’t even secure one?

In fact, research says less than 20% of freelancers get jobs after they seek extra payment. However, the good news is 65% who retain the job often end up to the previous charge.

Tips for negotiating good pay as a freelancer

Know your worth

You need to know your worth to decide the price you should charge. If you are new to the business or you aren’t sure you are charging as much as you should, feel free to do fast research on a platform like Fiverr or Upwork. Also, ensure to consider the time and effort you need to put on paper to get the job done.

Define your work value

No one is willing to pay for something they don’t know their value. You need to define the value of your services and why you are a good fit. The good thing about this is even if the client didn’t pay right away, they will still come back even when they see people with a higher price. So far you make your value known. And we appreciate we will pay whatsoever the price is.

Charge per hour

Based on my experience as a freelancer, I have discovered freelancers spend more time on a project than they actually thought. Charging your client per hour helps you to get the best of the project. For example, it is normal for a client to contact you to write a 2,500 words article for $50 or $1,00.

Meanwhile, you can’t spend less than 5 hours to complete this project. Including research and proofreading and revision. Say you charge $20 or $25 per hour. That means you will be getting either $120 or $150 for the project.

Ask the clients for their budget

Most freelancers have a standard price they charge for each project. And by default, you can’t work for anything below that standard. However, there are times you meet clients who know the real value of that thing and are willing to pay well. Before throwing your standard price to him, can you consider asking for his budget for the project? If he says a good price, deal. If not, just revert him to your standard price. Save move.

Define your value

It is normal to feel unsafe when negotiating with a client. While you want good pay on the project, you are also conscious of losing the gig. But relax, you should allow the gig slide than selling for a number you will be unhappy with. In fact, your client won’t appreciate you if your just jump that any price if throw at you. He would feel like you were trying to cheat him at first. Instead, let him understand you can’t settle for that pay. The good news is, if you can horn your price negotiation game, you will most likely arrive at a middle price which will be cool for both of you.

Conclusion

Learning how to charge well is very important in the freelancing industry. Any freelancer that refuses to master the process of negotiating good pay in the freelancing industry is only cheating himself.

Taiwo Sotikare: Taiwo Sotikare is an outstanding freelance copywriter and blogger with 8 years of experience. He has written hundreds of articles on Freelancing, Entrepreneurship, Career and Personal Development, and Digital Trends.

Taiwo is an SEO content writer and consultant at DigitalPud and can be contacted via taiwo@digitalpud.com