Did I Miss Something Here?
Published by Matt Glover February 26th, 2007 in MarketsHere’s the essence of an email conversation I’ve been having with a client who has come into some money problems and wants to renegotiate a price for some ongoing work:
Client: How much do you want for these cartoons?
Matt: The US$150 we negotiated is fine.
Client: Would you take $100?
Matt: Ok.
Client: Great. Let’s make it $75 then. Please send me an invoice.
Huh?! I’m sure I just agreed to $100…I replied and said I would send an invoice for $100 per cartoon but have yet to hear anything back. Could be another client down the toilet!
It’s been a bad year for that so far…
I have been doing cartoon for a while just for myself, but I think your point about taking a break now and then might be a good thing for me to remember.
I think the above comment is in the wrong place. Or I’m missing something too!
Speaking of the ridiculous minds of clients, here’s a jewel that happened to me today (paraphrased):
Me: I’ll quote you at $XXX.
Client: I have spoken with other artists, and they say they will do it for $XX. (A much smaller amount than my quote) So why do you charge so much, and can we lower it?
Me: I quoted you at $XXX because I value my time at $XX, and I estimate this as 7 hours of work. I’ll send you a timetable so you know when to expect everything.
Client: OK.
*The next day (today)*
Me: Here’s the timetable. As you can see, you’ll have the finished product by Friday.
Client: But last time we spoke, you said it will only take 7 hours!
Apparently, he thought that I’m going to forget about school work, personal time, other clients, my sleep, and instead, I’ll sit for 7 hours straight to finish his work. Sorry buddy, I’m not a slave and I have other things to deal with. If you want a next-day turn-around, double the price!
Erg! I feel your pain!
It’s at that point that I usually start to wonder if I really want such a shifty dealer as a client…
Fortunately, mine seems to have worked out ok this time. PLus I don’t have to work seven hours straight!