Negotiating a Freelance Project

When I first started as a freelancer, I was happy to take any terms I could get. However, that has changed as I have found more work, developed some expertise and been able to find a measure of success. Now I can negotiate different terms. And it is a pleasure to work with people who ask me what my rates are — instead of telling me.

Laura Spencer offers some great advice on negotiating a freelance project on FreelanceFolder. She points out that there are 3 things that you can negotiate when settling on terms for a freelance project:

1. Timeframe: You can ask for more time if you feel that the original deadline is likely to be too short. But this is something you should probably suggest after reading what the client wants you to do, and not part way through the project.

2. Payment: Not only can you negotiate how much you will be paid, but you can also negotiate when (and how) you will be paid. For large projects, I like to be paid in increments. So that I get a portion of it at various stages during the project. That way, if the client tries to pull a fast one, I am not completely out.

3. Scope: You can actually negotiate the amount of work that you do for a project. This usually is not necessary unless the client won’t budge on payment or timeframe.

Of course, your negotiating position is strengthened if you can actually walk away if your terms aren’t met, or a reasonable compromise is not offered (after all, you may need to budge a little, too). Also, in order for successful negotiations, you also need to have a realistic idea of what you are worth, what you can accomplish and what the market rate for the kind of work you are doing is.