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How Do You Deal With "Budget" Clients When Writing?

by Corey Geer
17 replies
One thing I have never learned in all these years, is how to convince someone that paying a decent price for writing is worth it.

I'm currently writing topics on a game I'm very familiar with for $5 per article. *sigh* I know... but work is slow and my main clients who pay the bills are on vacation. I would be writing for Textbroker right now but they bumped me down to a Level 3 because their editors are very strict with commas. Strict enough that one misplaced one can bump you down a tier.

I can't stand content mill websites because of two things. Client acceptance rates and payout schedules. On Textbroker, you have to write all of your content by Sunday if you want to be guaranteed to make the payout. Clients have 96 hours to accept your article, request a revision or flat out reject it. In my experience so far, almost every single article went straight to auto accept. I wrote 5 articles on Monday because I failed at Math and thought I would make payout time. Sure enough on Saturday morning, they were accepted.

The client wants to cut the budget down to $3. The reason? "You can write quickly and the topic is easy."

I also have to upload the content via Wordpress and find a relevant image as well. No one ever believes me when I tell them I've been on the hiring end of writers for the $1 per 100 word price and got incoherent crap from multiple writers.

Whether you're in web development, graphic design, writing, seo or whatever your profession may be, how do you deal with those clients?

The problem is, if you don't agree to their rate and you need the work, they'll just go to a place like DP or oDesk. Sure, they might not find writers who ever deliver their work or write quality content, but at least they'll find people who can outbid you! -_-

I keep telling people this story: When I was younger, my Mom would always go to one particular mechanic because he was dirt cheap. Every single time this guy would break something or he would just get drunk, pass out and forget that my vehicle was even there. He would work for a pack of smokes or a 40z bottle of booze but people liked him because he worked for cheap.

He never really fixed anything or did the work he was supposed to, but people kept coming to him because he was just that cheap.
#budget #clients #deal #writing
  • Profile picture of the author UnkwnUsr
    Tell them you have someone else who is willing to pay more (even if you don't). Then let them know that if they can match that rate that you'll stay with them because your a loyal, nice person. If you've been writing for them for awhile then you should have some leverage.
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    • Profile picture of the author Content Commando
      Originally Posted by UnkwnUsr View Post

      Tell them you have someone else who is willing to pay more (even if you don't). Then let them know that if they can match that rate that you'll stay with them because your a loyal, nice person. If you've been writing for them for awhile then you should have some leverage.
      That would be lying.

      Just be honest with your client. They won't find anyone that can write in english for that rate.
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  • Profile picture of the author erinwrites
    I've been having this problem lately too. I have a couple of GREAT steady clients but they don't always have work and trying to fill the gaps is getting tougher because Google's system is steadily getting harder to game. I went on a few of the content mill/bidding sites this week for the first time in years and can see that nothing has changed. *Sigh*

    I wish I had advice for you but I need it myself!
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  • Profile picture of the author Content Commando
    $3? tell them to find someone else. Even content mills pay more. If someone isn't willing to shell out reasonable money it's for one of a few reasons

    - They don't understand the value of content (in which case you find someone else)
    - They are trying to nickel and dime you (in which case you find someone else)
    - They don't have the money to support the venture that they want (in which case you find someone else)
    - Your writing is actually terrible (in which case you should work on that and then find someone else)

    In every possible scenario, you should know the value of your work and find someone that understands the value of your work and is willing to pay what you're worth.
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  • Profile picture of the author erinwrites
    For me, (not to bogart your thread Corey) it isn't that I don't know the value of my work. I do--and when the work from the good clients is flowing, I have no trouble telling bargain hunters "this is my rate and it is because of this, this, this and that. If you're happy with the quality work you get from someone else for $3, hire them" no muss no fuss. When the bills are due and my bank account is low, though--it's hard to turn away that $3 (well, typically it's $15 because they want 5 articles) RIGHT NOW that will beef up my bank account a little (verrrrrrrrry little) in favor of the POSSIBILITY of much more soon but likely not by when I need it.

    Of course the problem is if you write for cheap for someone even once, they'll expect you to write for cheap always. Catch-22 is not just a book.

    Unfortunately my landlord does not accept smiles or knitted things or even silly haikus as payment for my apartment. Too bad, or I'd be all set!
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Don't tell them anything at all except your prices aren't negotiable. End of story.
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  • Profile picture of the author Superior Content Creation
    Don't bother trying to talk "budget" clients into paying more for your services. Just politely tell them you don't write for those rates and then go focus your attention on marketing your services elsewhere.

    At the end of the day, so-called budget clients are not your market, so it pays little to attempt converting them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sitestomp
    I do design and web development (not content per se) but I completely understand the freelance lifestyle. Been doing it for many years. Don't be afraid to politely decline a potential customer if you don't feel the offer is worth your time.

    However, always be willing to work within a customer's budget if their offer is reasonable. For example, if I quote something at $500 and they counter offer with $400, I will normally accept it under certain conditions. But, if I quote $500 and they come back with $250, I will politely pass.

    If you're already writing $5 articles, that's already pretty affordable. I wouldn't let people talk you any lower than that. Stick to your guns.

    And yes, there will ALWAYS be competition in anything. People who can do it faster and cheaper. Just the nature of the beast. However, there is one other factor you can't forget about: quality.

    Provide quality both in your product and your customer service, and you won't give them a reason to look elsewhere. There are plenty of people out there willing to pay a bit more for higher quality and top-notch communication, even if you're a tad bit pricier and take a bit longer to turnaround projects.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      The moment you allow yourself to argue your prices...you give control to the buyer and you lose. If you are telling stories and rationalizing - you are on the defensive and a buyer will hear that . There's nothing wrong with a buyer asking for a lower price - and nothing wrong with saying no.

      YOU have to believe what you are worth before others will believe it. Once you do that you'll find buyers willing to pay your prices (as long as your work justifies the prices you set).
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  • Profile picture of the author alexals1
    do not waste your time with them, you will not make any money
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  • Profile picture of the author dtul
    While I understand it can be hard to turn them down while the workload is slowing, you should turn them down. If you accept that they'll never go back to paying $5 an article. Let them try and find someone to pay $3 an article to. I'm sure they will, but then they will see how terrible the quality is and hopefully come back to you eventually. You have to pay for good content, people that aren't willing to accept that will not be in business long enough to be a reliable client in the future, anyways.
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  • Profile picture of the author archy22
    Corey, you just have two options - either accept their rates or look for another content milling site for higher paying jobs. I have been working for many such clients in few of the content milling sites and have been experiencing similar situations.
    I don't mind accepting low paying jobs when I don't have any job in hand. On the other hand, when I have higher paying jobs, then I would try to negotiate with the client who is trying to lower their budget.
    Always remember, if you reject and the client won't get back to you doesn't mean you will never get a good job in future. It might however take sometime to establish yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author EconomicalDomains
    Don't sell yourself short! Or outsource the "budget" articles so you are still profitable enough to keep going. If your losing money you have to turn it down, but if there is a lot of work and still some profit then go for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Delos
    Just tell them no, you're confidant your work is worth more than what you're already charging and if it's outside of their current budget, they need to find someone else.

    I get this sometimes and when I use the "outside of your current budget" phrase, they almost always reconsider, I don't know why but it works... You have to actually be willing to drop these clients of course and they have to know that.

    Honestly, if you know your worth more than you're charging and your clients don't agree, these are clients you don't want. Think if it as a business and not just a service. You'll want to focus on getting repeat clients though it can take some time to build up these contacts. If you get people asking to pay much less than the value of the work and they clearly don't appreciate the work you are doing, send them off to get lower budget gibberish because that's actually what they want.
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  • Profile picture of the author vedremo
    Banned
    $3 per article and you need to upload the articles in WordPress and look for appropriate pictures or videos is just a sad reality. There will always be employers who will take advantage of people's desperation to earn a living. It really boils down to the employer's budget.

    I guess it depends on your situation. If you really need to earn due to scarcity of work then you really have no choice but to give in to the employer's budget. This is permissible for writers who are still new to online writing jobs. You need more experience and need to increase your portfolio so that you can demand a reasonable rate for your writing services.

    In life, sometimes you just have to make a stand. This is why it's very essential that an individual knows his or her skills. His or her value in the workforce. It's a matter of believing that you're worth this much money for a certain kind of service. If you're confident with your writing skills then the more you have control when it comes to bargaining/negotiating your rate per article.

    You must learn the art of assertiveness. You just can't be bullied by slave drivers. You must also be patient and be more creative in convincing potential clients that your rate is very reasonable and proportionate to good writing quality. When you start believing in your self, then that's the start of honoring your true self worth.

    Good luck. More power and Keep the Faith
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Trujillo
    You shouldn't be in the business of convincing people and twisting peoples arms in order to squeeze a dime out of them. What you should be in business for is to provide service to people interested in what YOU have to offer. You set the rules, they pay what you think you're work is worth, not the other way around! If they don't like your prices they can go find someone else, that's all their is to it. You shouldn't never play in defense.
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