Almost Everything in Life is Negotiable--Even for Freelance Writers.

It's hard to realize when you first start out freelance writing, but almost everything from pay rates to deadlines is negotiable on some level. New writers often take whatever rate per word or project any publication will give them, and immediately agree to whatever deadline is proposed--even if the pay is well below what they should truly get and the deadlines are so compressed that their life becomes unnecessarily chaotic.

Certainly, if you're just starting out and building a portfolio and a client list, you should be willing to accept lower-paying projects and short deadlines; your main goal is to establish your credentials at this point. Don't take on assignments for $3 articles, though.

However, I bet many writers who do have significant experience still generally accept the conditions set forth by their clients, with little to no negotiation for better pay rates or flexible deadlines. Now, don't be so hardcore in your negotiations that you constantly lose clients, but certainly recognize that, as James Chartrand of Web Content Writer Tips says, "everything is negotiable and...the first price is never the final price."

In a post on why he chose a particular person to contract with, entitled 11 Tricks Brian Gardner Can Teach You to Attract New Clients, Chartrand's fifth trick is on negotiation. He says, "I worked five years in a corporate Purchasing department. I know that everything is negotiable and that the first price is never the final price. (Bonus tip: If your first price is your final price, you need to rethink your pricing strategy.) I also know that if you never ask, you never receive. Brian quoted a rate and we bargained a bit to something that suited us both."

Once you've established a track record of quality writing and meeting deadlines for your clients, you've earned the right to negotiate for better pay, and perhaps more reasonable deadlines. Be smart; don't just decide it's time to up your rates and then simply declare that you need a raise; despite your successful track record, going about negotiating the wrong way could cost you regular clients.

Tom Chandler of The Copywriter Underground has some pointers to help you negotiate wisely. Chandler's post, How to Negotiate Copywriting Fees Without Turning Into an A**hole: A Nine Step Short Course, begins:

"Most clients accept a copywriter’s proposals without problem, but a few clients want to negotiate.

When I was starting out, some clients - knowing I was new - negotiated hard, and got me cheap. Others negotiated more work than they paid for.

Most distressing was the fact that I didn’t know what was happening.

I was losing the negotiation battle.

Finally, I picked the brains of a top salesperson. What he taught me was invaluable."

Of Chandler's nine negotiating tips, I especially like #1 "Confidence is Critical" and #5 "Never Give Up Anything Without Getting Something." You must believe your skills truly merit the market rate (or above) and ensure that there's a true give and take--if you give something, make sure that you get something equal in return.

Being able to successfully negotiate in any area of life is an extremely valuable skill, and the fact is that most things in life are negotiable to a point. You could revolutionize your finances by learning to negotiate.

Debt-slayer Dave Ramsey says in a recent post for quick & simple, "You must learn to negotiate everything. For people who want to take control of their financial lives, the days of impulse buying are over, and the days of negotiation are here for good. If one store has an item you want for one price, but you'd rather buy it at another store, take proof of the cheaper store's price to your preferred store and ask if they'll sell it to you for the better price. Make sure they know that while you'd rather buy from them, you are prepared to buy at the other store. Unless they want to lose your business, they'll deal." Check out the whole post.

If you commit yourself to learning how to negotiate wisely and commit yourself to regularly doing it, you can not only improve your personal finances, but you can land better-paying and more flexible projects in your writing career.

You will probably feel uncomfortable when you first begin negotiating, but remember that most everything in life can be negotiated and probably ought to be.

HT to Michael Stelzner of Writing White Papers for pointing out the posts by Chartrand and Chandler in his Top 10 Blog Posts for Writers (The Best From The Best in 2007!).

Update
I found a great post on negotiation by Daiko at Get Rich Slowly. In the post, Asking for a Better Financial Future, he lists 10 financial situations in which you can negotiate, such as getting your bank fees waived, credit card rates reduced, a department store discount, and netting a pay raise at work.

Again, so much in life is negotiable; so many of us neglect to take advantage of it, though much of the rest of the world does. This topic of negotiation is really piquing my interest and I'm planning on doing more in-depth posts on how to negotiate, what you can negotiate, as well as gathering other top resources on the subject. Learning to negotiate and actually doing it can revolutionize your life; I plan on developing the skill for 2008 and look forward to saving money on purchases and increasing my work pay.