Unsure if I made the right business decision

[shunyata]

You’re not actually negotiating if you’re not willing to walk away from the deal. It’s not a mistake to ask for market value for the work you’re providing. If they can find someone else to do it for less, then you’re out of luck. Otherwise, they’ll come back offering you more money, but tell them to make an official offer in writing this time, that last minute attempt to reduce their rate by 30% reduced the value of their word to nothing.

This plus the fact that big businesses got big in the first place by fucking over contractors left and right.


If they don't want to match your quotes let them know you could always pick up some jobs from their competitors.

 

[Damien Karras]

Gonna have to be vague with some details here but basically:

* Used to work for Big Business Company (BBC)

* Quit, traveled world for a year, settled in Thailand and started freelancing (programmer)

* The work I did with BBC was highly specialized, I'm one of the only 10-15 people in the world with the requisite level of experience in the area they work in

* Given a year of world travel, let me funds get pretty low

* BBC offers me a freelance project, but they haggle me down massively on price. Down to $50 per hour, where I would (should) really charge $140+ per hour.

* They give me a sob story about margins and I say whatever, I needed the cash so did it at $50ph. That project didn't massively intersect my niche anyway.

* They come through with another project, really overlaps my niche, super complex.

* I give them quote at $140ph. After haggling with one of the two BBC guys involved we settle on $70ph with me kicking myself that I've come down so far.

* Several days go by and then I get email from main BBC guy basically saying "I only budgeted $45ph for your time, but I'm a great guy so I'll come up to $47ph"

Now here is where I'm not sure I made the right move, as I'm just really stepping out into business as my own entity (I have a registered company for certain interactions).

What I did was call the bluff and say no, I can't go below my quote of $70ph, take it or leave it.

Now I don't know if these guys actually have the money to accept my quote, BBC is a big (thicc) company so I assume so, but they always play poor and I don't know if it's just their annoying way of trying to make margins.

I'm banking on my worth with this play, I do believe my skills are needed and they won't find them elsewhere easily, let alone at my level and with my internal knowledge of their business.

At the same time I really hope it comes through because I'm low on funds at the moment and it doesn't feel like the right time to have made such a big dick play. Awoke with anxiety about it this morning.

Advice please sherdizzle

*edit* oh yeah - I have bits and pieces of other lower paying work, but it's not reliable just yet. This is the first big chunk in quite some time. A month or so of work at $70ph (hopefully).

This guy haggling you down on price is hoping you take the bait so he can massively high five his manager on the retarded savings he made BBC thanks to "superior negotiating skills". Basically he's turning you into a sucker.

You shouldn't have accepted 50 in the first place from your usual 140 because that showed you were desperate. You put yourself there. Good luck getting out.

 

[plataoplombo]

Sounds like they are practicing their negotiating skills. Don't take it cause they could turn into great clients in the future but will have you locked in at low rates. The art of the deal is being able to walk away of some shit like that.

 

[facePuncher7]

This plus the fact that big businesses got big in the first place by fucking over contractors left and right.


If they don't want to match your quotes let them know you could always pick up some jobs from their competitors.

I'm legitimately sitting outside their most direct competitors office atm waiting to give a presentation.

 

[facePuncher7]

Also if there truly are only a handful of guys with your niche skill/knowledge/experience I would track them all down and make sure we were all communicating and sharing data. It benefits us all to know what one another gets paid per job, per region, contact or salary.

I only know one other personally, and he charges out at $200ph minimum, often more.

 

[facePuncher7]

Maybe there is only a handful of guys doing that because there is only so many of that kind of work to do. Does not look like TS is swimming in offers anyways.

The future is looking good, I've only been putting myself out there for a few weeks and as I said earlier I've already been asked to quote on over 100k of work.

 

[facePuncher7]

Yeah well, lesson learned.

Even if you realized that mistake, you should've stood firm at $70, because trying to negotiate back up without stating any additional value made your position look weak. They smelled blood, and tried to push you below your previous walk-away point.

Don't take this offer. Take some cheap paying jobs, eat street food if you must, and either wait for them to come correct or find another high paying job.

I don't know that you took in my message the way I intended it.

I quoted at 70, they replied with 47, I dug my feet in at 70.

 

[SaiWa]

Eeehhh you’ll be fine based on your last few posts. You live in Thailand. Do some little jobs and wait for the big score. Worse comes to worst just suck a few dicks to hold you over if you have to eat or pay the rent...

 

[Jake the Muss]

I don't know that you took in my message the way I intended it.

I quoted at 70, they replied with 47, I dug my feet in at 70.

No worries.

Anyways, it sucks that you are getting jerked around by these clowns. Some people only know how to measure assets at face value and dollar amounts, rather than long-term value and output quality. These types tend to step over a dollar to pick up a dime.

 

[Woldog]

Sounds like you work with COBOL for a bank.

 

[Fedorgasm]

The secret to any negotiation is to be willing to walk away and be fine with it.

You let your money get so low that you didn't feel comfortable walking away from half of what you're worth.

That gave them all the power.

If you have enough money or clients that you can afford to walk away from a bad deal and not even worry about it for one minute, then you have all the power.

So basically, take shit pay for now until you can get your power back. Once you have enough money to survive then you can negotiate better pay.

And then they'll say, "but you're raising your rate by 100 percent!" And you just say, "not true. You've just reached the end of my half price sale"

 

[MescalineDreams]

Gonna have to be vague with some details here but basically:

* Used to work for Big Business Company (BBC)

* Quit, traveled world for a year, settled in Thailand and started freelancing (programmer)

* The work I did with BBC was highly specialized, I'm one of the only 10-15 people in the world with the requisite level of experience in the area they work in

* Given a year of world travel, let me funds get pretty low

* BBC offers me a freelance project, but they haggle me down massively on price. Down to $50 per hour, where I would (should) really charge $140+ per hour.

* They give me a sob story about margins and I say whatever, I needed the cash so did it at $50ph. That project didn't massively intersect my niche anyway.

* They come through with another project, really overlaps my niche, super complex.

* I give them quote at $140ph. After haggling with one of the two BBC guys involved we settle on $70ph with me kicking myself that I've come down so far.

* Several days go by and then I get email from main BBC guy basically saying "I only budgeted $45ph for your time, but I'm a great guy so I'll come up to $47ph"

Now here is where I'm not sure I made the right move, as I'm just really stepping out into business as my own entity (I have a registered company for certain interactions).

What I did was call the bluff and say no, I can't go below my quote of $70ph, take it or leave it.

Now I don't know if these guys actually have the money to accept my quote, BBC is a big (thicc) company so I assume so, but they always play poor and I don't know if it's just their annoying way of trying to make margins.

I'm banking on my worth with this play, I do believe my skills are needed and they won't find them elsewhere easily, let alone at my level and with my internal knowledge of their business.

At the same time I really hope it comes through because I'm low on funds at the moment and it doesn't feel like the right time to have made such a big dick play. Awoke with anxiety about it this morning.

Advice please sherdizzle

*edit* oh yeah - I have bits and pieces of other lower paying work, but it's not reliable just yet. This is the first big chunk in quite some time. A month or so of work at $70ph (hopefully).

In the grand scheme I think recognizing your value and worth and expecting to be paid accordingly is the most important thing

Just because you're low on funds and need the money shouldn't mean you have to lower your value.

While I obviously dont understand the situation in depth and I know it's never that simple , I would say you did the right thing in the grand scheme.

Agreeing to less than you feel your work is worth only sets a bad precedent in the future.

 

[Iroh]

They are trying to fuck you because they know they can, because they have fucked you before. So don't let yourself be fucked by BBC is my advice. Unless you're into that kind of shit.

 

[JOE QUEEF]