Search Engine Copywriting

In this Special Report you?ll learn how to negotiate more effectively so you can add hundreds of dollars ? or even thousands ? to your income this year.

Most freelancers hate to negotiate. Some are even so bad at the money end that they don?t invoice, leaving the paper trail up to the client. (My favorite Webmaster is one; he won?t invoice me, so I have to do it for him!)

Because dealing with money is such an important part of freelancing, this Report focuses on the art of successful negotiation. Believe it or not, most clients don?t want to get a ?great deal? at your expense; they simply want an agreement that?s fair to both parties. Because when both parties feel there?s a fair exchange, it opens the door to a continued and mutually profitable relationship.

So if you?ve kicked yourself in the past for coming in way too low on price…if you?ve hated a job you?d have enjoyed if only you were paid more…then print this article and keep it handy for your next negotiation. By understanding how the freelance negotiation process is supposed to work, and by effectively playing the part you?re supposed to play, you can literally add hundreds of dollars each month to your bottom line.

THE FIRST RULE OF FREELANCE NEGOTIATION

I?m convinced that the foundation of a good business relationship rests on fairness and integrity. By starting from a place of honesty and fairness, you can spend your energy on arriving at an agreement rather than trying to be the winner, as some misguided ?old school? negotiators do.

That said, let?s get to the details of how you can become a good (or even better than you already are) negotiator.

ESTABLISHING YOUR ?BASELINE?

Have you ever felt bewildered in the initial phase of a negotiation because you didn?t know where to start? The problem may be that you don?t really know how much time it takes you to complete a particular type of job…and that makes you unsure about what to charge.

In an advertising agency, filling out your timesheet is an every day occurrence, so getting adept at estimating jobs is a fairly quick process.

When I left the agency and went freelance, however, I wanted to get estimating down to a science. My friend, master designer Steve Colich, told me about StopWatch, an inexpensive timesheet software. So I bought it.

Using StopWatch helped me keep track of my time and gave me a huge advantage (and loads of confidence) when it came time to submit a bid. Knowing how much time it will take you to do a job is the strongest negotiating ?tool? you can have in your freelancer?s bargaining kit.

PHASE 1 OF YOUR NEGOTIATION:
PREPARATION

Assuming you have a pretty good idea of how much time a particular project should take, your next job is to size up your potential client, and consider your current situation as well.

Factors that will determine what you ultimately ask for include:

? Is the client a mid-size or large company that?s used to paying professional rates? Or is it a small, local Mom