I was struck by a comment made yesterday where one of our readers said that they were “insulted” when a prospective client offered a rate that was lower than they were prepared to accept. While I understand that is how the offer may have come across, I’m pretty sure that the people who are trying to hire freelance writers are not deliberately trying to be offensive.
The name of the game here is “Let’s Make a Deal.” The client is offering a certain rate and the freelancer is free to accept it, decline, or come back with a counter offer. It’s not personal at all. If you feel that you deserve to be paid more than the rate offered, then explain that to the client. Either they will agree with you or not. If they don’t, then move on.
No need to get all pissy and insulted. You could take this as an opportunity to decline the offer on the table but invite the client to keep you in mind for future assignments that would be a better fit for your skills and asking rate. That way, you have said no gracefully but still kept the door open to pick up some work at another time. I think that’s the better way to handle the situation.
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