If you want to come out on top in a negotiation, you have to know the person you're negotiating with better than you think. Why? Knowing them helps you meet their needs faster and more effectively. I once had a client who opened up to me one day saying how hard it was to find a designer he could trust and really rely on. Guess what: when that customer calls me, I know he's really hoping he doesn't have to call anyone else. And he'll probably pay a bit more than someone working with 500+ designers on a crowdsourcing platform.
So I always quote him fairly but loudly. And I never have to pay. He pays for my work, but he also pays me to avoid having to find another designer. It's a win-win. Here's another story from Joseph Malleck in a post he wrote here at Millo : The other day, one of my very good email list clients emailed me for a little job. It was a small ad for a shipper. I knew a lady in their office had expressed interest in a blog for the company, so I asked if it was time to start the blog. He agreed that it would be a good idea to put this in place. Now that little job has turned into a bigger job just with a little suggestion. I was not arrogant or rude. I didn't try to make them feel guilty and feel that if they didn't use a personalized blog they would lose business.
I just suggested it, and mentioned a few benefits. That's all. Read the rest of this story here: How to Be a Top Seller, Grow Your Design Business, and Stay Likeable You can also read more negotiation tips here: How to Negotiate with Clients (or Anyone) Like a Pro3. Master the art of upselling If you haven't figured out how to fully master the art of upselling, you're missing out on tons of potential revenue for your business. Joseph's example (at #2 above) centers around a great upsell. They called him for a small project (some kind of web banner) and he sold them the design of their entire corporate blog.
