Wait, WHAT? Budget is
not a curse word! It’s a term that we
should all become comfortable with using frequently. All clients have budgets to work with and we should
get used to getting them to talk about it.
Remember, this is not a hobby that we are doing for free – this is our
business! Since money is a necessity
that all people in business have to deal with on a daily basis, it should not
be an uncomfortable topic that we try to avoid when speaking with our clients. Based on responses that have been gathered
from conversations held with other voice talents, we all get a little reluctant sometimes when it comes to asking a
client about their budget and even more so when it comes time to discuss our
rates with them! How can this hurdle on
the track towards closing a deal be effectively overcome?
First, when it comes to a project, you never want to over
sell or under sell your client. The
only way that this can be accomplished is if they have informed you of their
budget beforehand. This is why it is
imperative that you always want to get them to the point of discussing their
budget with you. Otherwise, you more
than likely will not get the results that you are looking for. For example, if your client sends you a
10-page script and you immediately give them a rate off the top of your
head, you are taking a huge risk that
could only be of benefit to the client.
How so? They would either be
joyful because you have made their selection process a lot easier by removing
yourself from their list or because you just gave them the deal of a lifetime
that would end up costing you more than what you’ll make from doing the job!
Just the other day, a client sent me a 3-page script for a
narration. Since I wanted to ensure that
I gave her a fair and friendly rate, I politely asked her about the budget set
for the voiceover. To my surprise, it
turned out that her budget was about $500 MORE than I was originally going to
quote her. Of course, you don’t want to come back and
say, “Sure that sounds about right!” However, you can certainly come close.
Unfortunately, it does not always work out this way. Sometimes, the client’s budget is far lower
than what you were going to quote them.
At that point, it is up to you whether or not you want to work within
that budget. Many blogs have been
created (including some of my own) that have been focused on lowball
rates. If you haven’t done so already,
it is recommended for you to read over those articles and educate yourself on
this so that you can be further prepared whenever these types of situations
arise.
We all need to work, but it is also important for us to try
to set and maintain the standards for fair and reasonable rates in this
industry. Therefore, please be careful
when agreeing to do a 5-page script for only $50.
“Budget” is not a dirty word. Get
used to the word and implement it into your daily vocabulary! Our clients are comfortable with talking
about money for their business, so we need to be just as comfortable (if not
more) with talking about money for our own.
4 comments:
Very true, Terry. Knowing if the potential client's budget is realistic before you get too far into things, is good for both of you. For one, you'll know if it's a job you should take. This kind of negotiation can really demonstrate how this person will be to work with in the long term.
And if you're still convinced it IS a job worth taking, maybe that's an opportunity to offer some helpful education to the client (in a tactful way, of course) on what is an acceptable rate and why. Sometimes clients genuinely just don't know. And sometimes a little bit of compromise leads to a wonderful, long term client.
Definitely respect yourself enough to ask for a rate that's worthy of the work you do. But try and be flexible to a certain degree too - or some fantastic jobs - and clients - might just pass you by.
Hi terry-
What a great, novel idea! By asking what the budget is for voiceover right up front! So simple and yet I am sure many do NOT ask! thansk for posting and for the reminder that "budget" shouldn't be a dirty word!
Judy
I recently asked if there was a budget for the massive retakes a client wanted (essentially a complete re-read). To my surprise - like your experience - it was more than what I was expecting. It never hurts to ask... =]
Fantastic article. once again.
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