What Would You Do If...

Is this "low fixed rate" EVEN LESS than the $77 sales letter price listed in your signature?

If so, then you're selling yourself too cheap. Way too cheap. Just based on time alone, never mind skill and knowledge, it's dirt cheap.

But if the rate was reasonable, then 25 similar letters from the same client, each paid in advance, would be good because that limits the amount of research that needs to be done. An NDA is not unreasonable, and apparently he's not asking for a non-compete clause.

But I'm guessing that the offered price is the issue here. The only advice I can offer you in that regard is to insist on what is already a dirt cheap price - based on what I saw, you're well worth at least that much. I'm sure the client must be able to see that. Frankly, I'd have to wonder about a client that is trying to undercut that price.

You could easily triple that $77 price and it would still be a bargain. Maybe you have reasons for keeping it so low, but that's leaving a lot of money on the table...

Homeless copywriters have no overhead...

*ba-dum-tshh*

(sorry).

Seriously though... Charge more. Joking aside, that's good advice. Homeless is no joking matter (if what your sig says is true). But if someone is low-balling you at $77 it's not going to improve your situation.

I never reduce my prices once set, but that is just me.

I always got the prices I asked because I never appeared needy and was always willing to walk away from a sale that didn't meet my criteria.

Signing the NDA would be no big deal though. They make people feel safe and are almost impossible to enforce.

I guess if you need the money and can actually make money at the price he is offering, then go for it.

Thanks for the reply, Kevin! I'm actually tweaking my ad as we speak, to include a price raise. I kept it that low since I never offered a service to the WF before and needed to build that lovely credibility

Now, the client does want to pay in advance for each letter, but doesn't want to pay more than $125 per letter because he feels he's offering me a great opportunity, which he is, but I don't want to get taken advantage of in the same scene.

And just this morning, he said he'd like me to lower the price below my introductory price because there's warriors offering copy for way less and he feels cheated.

To be honest, I think I'm going to pass him up. I need the money, but not the insult.

I think you're referring to price... But I want to be clear I was joking. It may have came off a little harsher than I intended.

Regardless, my advice is the same. Why compete at the ~$100 level? Life has a funny way of paying exactly what you ask for.

Someone who thinks $125 is expensive for copy either doesn't have a real business (each letter won't sell $125+ in product?) or they're predatory in nature. F- that noise.

You can do better.

-Scott

P.S. I wrote that before you posted. My comment was a little harsh. But I'm pretty sure you're right. You won't be for long. Now stick with clients who can help pull you out. Best of luck!

CabTenson, you're awesome, straight up!

Here's the thing about clients, Lina...

They can SMELL desperation.

Now, obviously you're desperate. I would be too if I was homeless.

HOWEVER... that's not something I would tell them.

The thing about this business is the less crap you take, the more you'll get paid.

Someone's acting like $125 a letter is an opportunity? Even adding a zero to that is NOT something I would advise any up-and-coming copywriter to do (believe me, if you're good you'll be making a lot more than that LONG before 25 letters).

Clients will constantly try to screw you over, all day long. It's why I insist on getting paid up front, and only do royalty deals with clients I've worked for before and trust.

You need confidence, Lina. You need to know what you're worth and charge accordingly. It might not be $10,000 a letter but it's a hell of a lot more than $77.

This game has a high mill rate. You see tons of copywriters come and go. The ones who stay and make a real business out of it (like Scott and myself) have learned those lessons the hard way, and don't take crap from any clients.

I get being homeless is probably a hell of a blow to morale, but you need to carry yourself with authority if you ever want to make enough cash to live comfortably (unless you fancy working 100 hour weeks dealing with crappy clients).

-Daniel

P.S. This is all meant in a spirit of being helpful... not a dick (though I'm told the two aren't always a long way apart in my case )

It's tough isn't it?

One the one hand if you need the money and won't be doing anything else with your time, then it might be best to take the money.

On the other hand if it's going to take you 2 weeks per letter and you're only getting $125 per letter, then the hourly rate will be terrible.

Plus if you're doing 25 letters at 2 weeks per letter, that's a year taken care of - and if you've signed a contract that you'll deliver them, how will that impact other jobs that will come along in between?

I think you should at least try to get him to increase what he's paying you - I'd work out how many hours each will take and ask for that number of hours x $x per hour.

Plus that he's getting you tied down for almost a year... for $3125 !

If he loves your sales letters so much he'd still be getting an absolute bargain at 3 times the price.

You should note your previous relationship with the customer, the amount of pending work you have, your enthusiasm for completing the project, your rates, etc.

If it were me, I'd go for it, as money is money. I'd get to the grinder. You could have been 3 letters in by now