Working for Free?
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- story
Backstory: I got a new client that I recently created a brochure for and yesterday he emailed me about about a change on a Business card file that someone made for him.
It is a very minor change (making the logo larger and tagline a different font). So I made the change and told him that I will hook it up for just $35 since it took me less than 1hour.
He then sent me an email saying... "this is such a minor effort. Do you really want to invoice me such an effort?"
My response will be:
"What make you think that I would work for free? You emailed me this on Saturday and expecting it the NEXT day.If it is such a minor effort, then you could have done this in-house. Do you not invoice YOUR clients? This is a business and I charge accordingly for each transactions, and so should you.
I believe in the services that I provide for my clients and I believe that it should be rewarded monetary. I’ve been doing this for over 10 years and not once have I ever worked for FREE and I am not starting now. There is a certain level of integrity that I hold for myself and this industry."
So before I send this email, anything else I should add?
- sherm0
tell him u will come over and break his fucking legs for that 35 bucks and ur not playin
- MSTRPLN0
Tell him that you had to buy the font and invoice him $500
- +1akrokdesign
- +1PIZZA
- +1tedvandell
- x2jimzy
- x$500 bitches :Psofakingbanned
- Amicus0
First - do you think this client will be a long term client making you bags of money? If so, you could suck it up and add it to the next bill. You still get your money, and they walk away thinking they've had a win.
However, many clients are like kids - they'll test the boundaries and see what they can get away with without being pulled up. If you let these types of clients get away with too much they'll eat you alive.
In the long run the best way to treat clients is calmly, professionally, politely and most importantly firmly. Let your clients know that you have minimum charges for work up front.
- prophet0
doesn't sound like much of a client. my tip would be to keep the speech short and questionless (and not personal) because those tend to come back to bite you in the ass. just my opinion.
- story0
@Amicus: He is in the marketing business that does SEO and branding for the hi-tech industry. He just started out, but talks a lot of game about getting me a lot of work. But if he doesn't expect to pay for something this small, there is something wrong with his business ethics.
- d_rek0
Yeah I deal with a couple of pretty large accounts where I work and our relationship has been really good - always pay on time, have good budgets, allow designers to do their job with little interference. But when a request comes in for some minor work - something like you describe where it takes less than an hour it's more of a courtesy to a client who has given us so much work to just sort of do it for them. We still track our hours and whatnot but unless it's a significant amount of time we will do it pro-bono. Not that we practice that with every client, just the ones who we want to keep a good working relationship with.
On the other hand... we have a really large shit-ass client who will constantly nickel and dime us for minute things. They always pay on time and agree to some of the ridiculous budgets we set for their work (part in due because we know they suck to work with) but they're the type of client who you will have a review with will email/call every hour for the next few days with minor edits/revisions. Naturally we charge them for every minute we put into their projects.
- This guy is a one man shop, and my relationship with his business just started.story
- sothere0
lose the battle. win the war.
say sure now. add 100 to next large bill.
show him some goodwill this way too.- < Bingo.luckyorphan
- NO WAY NEVER DO ANYTHING FOR FREE THEY"LL EXPECT IT NEXT TIMEtedvandell
- < I'd go with thismonoboy
- prophet0
@story: if he's a brand new, smaller client it might be hard to know what to do. just don't let him feed you the classic "look, treat me right and you'll be loaded with clients because i run in high circles" speech...
- story0
I'm a lot calmer now. So here is my email response:
"Please call me Monday morning to discuss."- I will try to be as professional as possible.story
- Still sounds like you're going to bollock him.mydo
- Charge him for the phone call!omahadesigns
- akrokdesign0
tell him, the printer can do it. but they charge 80 bucks. lol.
- prophet0
reacting or responding when your calm and your head is screwed back on is always the best idea.
- luckyorphan0
I have to agree with sothere.
While you may have been technically in the right by charging your client for your work, you may have affected the relationship negatively in a way that may cause the client to look around for another vendor...which hey may use for years in the future.
At this point, you have to ask yourself which costs you more. I've often taken the long view with clients. It does result in a lot of lost hours, but those hours are well overcome by the good will and future business that has been earned.
It's a tricky balance, certainly.
- what relationship? he sounds like a ass.akrokdesign
- true though.akrokdesign
- :-)akrokdesign
- It's the push/pull of client vs. vendor. You can be orthodox and say all time should be paid...luckyorphan
- ...or you can be flexible and say that a few freebies tossed to a client is a sound investment in my future.luckyorphan
- mydo0
When reading this I was hoping you didn't send that email!
I've sent emails like that in the past and all that happens is I end up really stressed and one less client. Or a continuing client that doesn't trust you any more.
The issue was really that you made the change and then told him the cost, he doesn't have the option to turn you down, or negotiate. Which means if he does or doesn't pay you, he now feels wrong.
Ask him if he had a good weekend, Anything good happen? Tell him you were pretty busy, but not to worry about the money, then ask if there is anything else you can help him with.
Then he'll feel like he got the good deal, you care, and he owes you a favour of passing some more business your way.
Then double your quote a few months down the line.
- raf0
- ckentish0
yep let this one go and definately don't send that email... sometimes its easier to just let things go for the sake of an ongoing relationship that may be worth a lot - you said yourself it took less than an hour.
- PIZZA0
"marketing business that does SEO"
SEO means guy is a cunt and a ripoff artist, DEFINITELY charge or he'll just continue trying to fuck you over more and more.
- Projectile0
Personally, if it was only a minor change I'd whip it out for free and just overcharge next time round. That way he'll like you and send more wqork your way. If you're a complete nazi about every minute you're at your machine they'll get sick of it and find someone else.
So basically if you're so shit hot that you've beating clients away with a stick, go ahead. Otherwise, be a little human from time to time. inho
- whereRI0
the mail is a little aggressive