Yes, I love the idea of throwing in Z (whatever Z is.) Offering clients things that don’t take me much time/effort to pull together – but are huge value-adds to the client – work well as the add-on. Plus, it shows that you are trying to work with the client’s situation. That’s perfect!

Great feedback! Thank you!

Especially this part – “Offer to eliminate a deliverable from the agreement.”

I have found that you can actually turn a potentially awkward/negative situation like that into an awesome-now-the-client-loves-you-forever situation simply by phrasing it like:

“I totally understand. While I can’t offer you the same package we discussed earlier at that price, I can do X and Y and I would be happy to throw in Z as well.”

Takes the focus off your service reduction and puts it back into a scenario of you over-delivering to your client.

P.S. I love your blog.

@Igor – I like your yearly/every 3 month pricing options. They’re easy to understand, and offer an incentive for paying up-front. Plus, your upsell idea is brilliant! Well done!

@Kate – Yeah, I’ve never heard of a “we’ll give you more work later” promise ever panning out for the copywriter. I’m sure someone has made it work…but no one I know….

@Susan…Actually, I have asked service folks for a discount (but that’s just me!) Having said that, I happily paid full price if I was told no – and I didn’t make any promises about “more work later.” A healthy negotiation is one thing. Basing your hiring decision on whether or not someone discounts their rates is another…

I found that when people want to save, it’s usually just a bargaining hunger they want to fulfill, so I have an extra something I can add to the pile. Eg. “If you pay the full annual fee I’ll throw in 3 extra texts”.
Getting money-discounts is actually not as good cause you end up doing the work and getting less money. Instead, it’s better to hold your ground on pricing and add an extra service. The point is that you try to maximize the dollar value of each client, not to reduce work done per client. I’ve found this is a good way to keep people happy and keep asking for more. With the “I’ll throw in an extra XYZ” you can always open a door to sell a new service. That’s what I did just a month ago, offered a free month of Social Marketing and I now have an open door to pitch for monthly Social pack.

Hope this helps.

I agree with all your suggestions. I very much believe in sticking to your guns, and ‘you get what you pay for’. I’ve often had clients move on as I’m too expensive only to later come back.

Another option is to split the cost up, allow them to pay it over more time.

Or offer them a little discount for a back link to your site.

One thing I would add is don’t be fooled by ‘this is the first of many projects’ – as after you’ve given in and dropped your rate in the hope of more work, it often never materialises.

Thanks Heather!

It was VERY smart of you to keep an email trail, too. Well done!

Thanks for your comment!

You meet a few in tbis business !!!

A small discount for paying the contract up front – sure.

50% – no way. I totally agree!

Thanks for your comment!

I do like the idea of being paid up front for a small discount, however. Not sure it would be worth a 50% hit though!