What to do when they say it’s too expensive

Spoiler: It’s not drop your rates.

“Sorry, Lizzie. We’d love to work with you, but that fee is out of our scope at this stage. Is there any way we could revise it?”

My heart sank as I read the email. This was a client I really wanted to work with, but I knew they didn’t have a huge budget.

I’d already lowered my rates slightly in my first proposal to them, and dropping the quote again meant I’d hardly turn a profit for my time - especially if it meant turning down higher-paying work to complete it. 

This isn’t an uncommon conundrum for creative service providers. And unfortunately, the answer often isn’t clean cut. I don’t recommend discounting your services on request… but in very few instances (if you’re just getting started or wanting to break into a new niche, and the client in question would open many more, well-paid doors) it might be worthwhile. 

In general though, my philosophy is this: If clients can’t afford the rates you’ve set, they’re not right for you at this stage. With the caveat that it doesn’t mean they w…