As a web designer in my other life I love negotiating for jobs.
You need it if you need to survive in the web design business. I see it as a mental strength or weakness. Here are some tips on how to negotiate for web design jobs.
One of the biggest problems that web designers come across is a client who wants to negotiate their prices. It can be hard to know what outcome is going to make both yourself and the client happy, and, even after years of practice, it is still possible for web designers to make financially devastating mistakes when it comes to negotiating.
Find out your potential client’s budget
The best way to find this out is by asking – but many web designers find it is best to steer away from the ‘b’ word, as this can occasionally cause clients to become a bit vague. Ask something along the lines of ‘how much do you plan to spend on this project?’ and you are likely to get a better response. Be sure to ask about your client’s web design budget early in the negotiation process, as this will ensure that you don’t waste time and effort on a project that ultimately falls through.
It is also important to remember that not all clients will have an understanding of how much each of the web design elements will cost – it is your job, as their designer, to educate them as to why some things seem to cost a lot and others are a little cheaper. You may find that going through this encourages the client to spend a little bit more on their project, allowing you to give them an even better web design than before.
What to do if asked whether your quote is negotiable
Depending on how you run your web design business and how you want it to work, there is nothing wrong with negotiating a price that makes both you and your client happy. However, be sure to make it clear to the client that, in order to lower the cost of your services, they will have to drop a part of the project. There are many areas that this can be done, such as by reducing the number of options that they can choose from (from 3 to 1 or 2) or by reducing the amount of revisions a client is entitled to before they have to pay extra.
What to do if asked whether you can do the same work for less
Occasionally, you will be faced with a client who wants all of the work you originally quoted them for done for a cheaper price. Offer to negotiate by dropping parts of the project, as mentioned above, but if they still refuse it is always best to stick to your guns and not reduce your prices. Explain to the client what the project will entail, why those are your prices, and that you simply cannot change them for any reason. You may lose the client, but you will be better off in the long run by not having to deal with difficult people.
It is important to remember that there is nothing wrong with negotiating your prices for your clients – just keep in mind that you are running a business and that you need to make some sort of profit for your services.
