The Girl in Gucci Glasses

You are a badass.

You have skills that are out of this world.

You are creative, efficient, and worked hard to get where you are.

Repeat the above, three times please. 

Now let’s get into it, shall we?

This post goes out to all of my creators. If you have ever done freelance work, you need to read this: Stop cutting yourself short.

People love a deal, and not everyone is kind in their attempt to receive one. This means that you are going to come in contact with at least one business or individual that strives to talk you down from your prices and convince you that you lack experience and “overcharge.”

Ironically enough, these same entities would never talk to you again if you reciprocated that same behavior.

But let’s talk about costs.

When you support a freelancer, you are supporting a small business. On top of this, you are working with someone who has the time to focus on helping you build your brand and develop your brand’s voice. You get hands-on personal input and assistance, often at all hours of the day. 

Freelancers tend to have more flexibility to help you and work with you in emergencies – like when you need to cancel the currently planned content and create all-new material because of a sale, staffing change, or so on.

To this day, I still have people say I charge too much or that I lack skill. I don’t even argue it anymore. 

Why? 

Because I know my worth:

I have a MA degree in my field and years of experience on large global and local accounts. I have worked in strategy, design, copy-writing, and media buying. There truly is nothing I cannot do.

And that includes lower my standards to try and appease someone who will more than likely be a difficult client. 

In my experience, when you do have those moments of weakness and take on someone troublesome out the gate, it only gets worse. 

Everything comes down to strategy: the time you post, the type of content you post and which platform you post it to, the verbiage you use – and so on.

Unfortunately, you will have clients that don’t understand it, and think posting 3x daily is the way to go – and then they will be upset when they have a sea of unfollowers.

But we aren’t here to discuss strategy. 

If you have someone that wants you to undercharge, politely tell them that your costs are non-negotiable. Or if they can be negotiated, explain the acceptable range. Otherwise, simply say you appreciate the opportunity, but have a full plate already, and you don’t believe you could give their account the attention it deserves.