The weird mind trick that makes negotiations easier

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If I told you negotiating freelance rates can eventually feel fun, would you believe me?

Or, would you think I was a little “off?”

Rate negotiation can often feel “ick” for creatives but when you’re running a freelance business, you’ll need to practice flexing this muscle.

When I was a beginner freelancer, I accepted every offer tossed my way and eventually learned that pausing — before sharing a rate or accepting a rate — pays off in dividends.

I incorporate a few factors in any rate I’m going to do client work for (and I can help you get to your best rate in this self-directed course) but one thing that’s helped me recently when I feel awkward about asking for more: I mentally assign the extra amount to a specific bill.

That means if I’m asking for $50 more on an article rate, and it’s an ongoing relationship, in my mind, I might tell myself that I’m paying for part of a cell phone bill. Or for my car’s gas that week, or a subscription I have to pay for in order to run my business.

It reframes the “ask.” The worst they can say is no. But the outcome of a simple request could make a real difference in my

That $50 raise I asked for with a monthly article fee could (in theory, of course) grow to $14,633 over 15 years if invested monthly and it received a 6% return. (Thanks for the calculations, NerdWallet.)

It’s normal to feel strange asking for more money, but I promise you, the editor or manager won’t be mad.

They might even expect it. They might even hope you don’t take the initial rate they tossed out because they know the brand has more money to spend, and they only need a manager’s approval to dish out more.

(Seriously, this happened when I was an assigning editor. My editor would say “See if they’ll take $X for the article.” And the writer might come back and say, “Can you do it for $Y?” And either we’d meet in the middle or my editor would say yes. Hooray!)

If you’re struggling with the money part of freelancing — like sending invoices, asking for more money, trying to work on a project rate, and running a business better — get in touch (reply here). I might have some resources to help or we can set up a time to chat.

Read this article👇 the next time you think you need to work those negotiation muscles. (I promise it gets easier with time!)

Diana

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