Get the price you want for your project

It's feels good to have a nice juicy day rate - but how often do you end up discounting it, or working more hours than you billed for? Step this way for Fee Freebie Not Me...

Ask for what you want

Put in a fair price for the project - not the price you think they'll accept, or the price you think you should start at to end up with an acceptable fee. Price according to the value of the work to the client and the profit you need to make to ensure the project makes great financial sense for your business.

Don't budge

Reducing the price on 'push back' is almost never the answer. The message it sends is that the project was overpriced in the first place. If you know you have put in a fair price in the first place, you should have no qualms about asking which part of the project they would like to leave out, in order to reduce the overall cost.

If you receive feedback that the price is Just Too High, ask: "Have I misunderstood the brief? Can I just double check that you need us to achieve A, B and C." Spell out the work involved and the value it generates. If you and the client have a genuinely different opinion of the value of the project, there's little point in continuing - it will never be a fruitful relationship.

The only exception to this rule is trading concessions that have genuine value to your business....

Be creative

We all know about trading concessions. But how many of us have a list of what those concessions might be, ready at hand for the purposes of negotation? Here are some ideas for things you can trade against price, if pushed.

barter - do they have something you need that could be exchanged?
case studies - ask them to agree to co-create a case study and take this to the press
offset a cash sum against their next project
if you have written a book, offer to give a copy to everyone in their business
ask them to find you more business - explain that you will do a £10k project for £5k if they will refer you to £25k of new business
hold firm on the price, but add in extra services e.g. project management, tracking/evaluation or facilitation of their internal meetings about the project.

Have the confidence to walk away

Sometimes you just won't win a project and it will go to a lower cost supplier. Often this relationship will fail to work out and you may well receive a knock on your door in six months time. If the relationship succeeds, this is important feedback about your own services, value and pricing. Go back and find out - use this feedback wisely.