The Art of Negotiating
If there was any class in my entire college career that stuck with me the most it would be Media Sales. Mainly because my professor knew what he was doing (not to say that most don't) but he also knew how to make us apply it to every day life and that was the most valuable lesson I could learn.
More importantly, he forced us to practice how to negotiate. That lesson pushed the boulder and it hasn't stopped rolling since. Most people are afraid of negotiating from what I remember him saying.
Negotiating is something you have to practice. It's like breaking the ice and forcing it to become something familiar to you. You deserve to get something out of your deal. If you don't, then that should be your client's loss, not yours!
Say your client approaches you with their offer (in other words, an anchor). You then offer yours (setting another anchor) and therefore create a range. Now you can compromise by choosing something that is within that range, meaning you can't compromise on something below their anchor and above yours.
For example, if they offer you $50 but your price is $100, you wouldn't offer $150. You have to choose a designated price between the two numbers. Now how do you decide that? Typically you would choose 10% from your anchor but after getting your momentum going, you can choose accordingly. In this case, I would suggest $75 so both parties can find a common ground.
I never thought I would negotiate as often as I do now with my blog, and I wish it was a skill I learned sooner. Don't underestimate the power of negotiation.
You never want to sell yourself short.
Photography by Justin Quebral