ASLU 023: Negotiation Tips For Working Creatives
Sometimes going old school is just the ticket to getting the world out - illustration by @mhchipmunk
In Episode 23 of the podcast, Heather Travis and I tackle a topic a lot of women and a lot of working creatives really don't like to face: negotiation. Negotiation makes a lot of us feel really uncomfortable and yes, icky. But negotiation is a critical part of life and business and without learning some simple negotiation techniques, we often wind up settling for things we're not really happy about.
We're flipping negotiation on its head today and getting rid of the stress that goes with it. First of all, it doesn’t have to be about money! How many times a day do you negotiate with your kids or your partner and money never even enters into the picture?
How often do you negotiate with yourself? How often do you tell yourself that if you do your bookkeeping this morning, you can spend the afternoon in the studio? Or if you answer all those emails next, you can go for a run afterwards?
The truth is we’re constantly negotiating all the time without even realizing it - just to get through the day! Learning some very basic negotiation tips and tricks can not only improve your financial situation, it can also improve your whole work-life balance situations.
Listen the episode or read through the show notes for some practical tips and see how a few simple changes in perception can make negotiation be... dare we say it... a fun and satisfying experience for all creatives, artists and makers!
Listen To the Episode
Here’s a direct link to Episode 23 - or you can listen via the players below:
You’re Not Winning… or Losing.
Negotiation isn’t about winning or losing. A successful negotiation means both parties walk away feeling like the got what they wanted. You don’t want to “win” a negotiation because that implies your client/collaborator/customer feels like they lost. And you don’t want that. That’s the first mindset you have to change!
Even when you negotiate with yourself, you don’t want to “lose”. You need to get the books done to keep your accountant and the government happy and get that task off your plate. So by getting that horrible chore done, you’re happy. And then you get an afternoon in the studio - which also makes you happy! Both sides of your brain are happy!
You’re Solving Problems
Successful negotiation start long before you sit down to talk. It involves listening and research. Ask yourself these questions
Have you taken the time to understand where they’re coming from?
Have you identified problems they need help with whether or not you’re the person to help them?
How can you be the person who helps them? Can you connect them with people who can help them?
All of that research and listening should happen before you sit down to negotiate.
Know Your Boundaries & Non-Negotiables
Boundaries are important and we all need them. You need to know yours before you sit down to negotiate. Listing your no-gos can be a lot quicker and easier than listing off what you will accept. Boundaries could include:
money - ie: you won’t work for less than this much
time and availability - ie: you won’t work weekends because that’s family time or you won’t travel more than one hour in either direction
exposure - ie: your work needs to be publicly acknowledged or exposure is not an acceptable payment
ethics - ie: will doing this project allow you to look yourself in the mirror every morning?
not responding to pressure tactics - if somebody is pushing you to make a decision immediately when you’re not ready, is that a red flag?
Know your boundaries and be confident in them. It’s better to go into a negotiation and being able to ponder the benefits of a proposal than to have to ponder whether or not you’re willing to do something that makes you uncomfortable.
Nobody wants to be caught off guard in a negotiation situation - this is where things can go off the rails quickly and where you can wind up agreeing to something you really don’t want to do. If you know what you’re not willing to do before sitting down, you’re one step ahead because now you can focus the conversation on the things that you are willing to do.
You’re Allowed To Ask For Time to Think About The Situation
You are always allowed to ask for time to think about a proposal. You don’t need to say yes or no right away. Remind yourself of this over and over again.
This is not a sign of weakness or failure. It’s a sign that you are taking the situation seriously and you want the time to consider it thoughtfully. If you’re feeling pressured there are some statements you can use to ask for more time in a positive way:
This has been a really great conversation with lots of things to think about. I need to take some time to go over everything on my own before I can give you an answer.
I’ve really enjoyed our chat today. There’s lots of great potential here. I need to take this back to my team/business partner and discuss it further with them
If the boundaries you’ve already established in your head are being infringed upon you can say no right away. It’s respecting everyone’s time and energy. But otherwise, don’t be afraid to ask for a few more hours or days and offer up a time when you think you’ll be ready to talk. You do NOT want to put yourself in a situation where you say Yes before you’re ready and then have to back out at a later date. That’s not a good situation.
And remember - you don’t have to say yes to all the components of the proposal. If everything is good except for one or two things, come back to the table and let them know that these particular items aren’t sitting well with you and see how both sides can solve the problem.
Be Transparent & honest
Be honest in your negotiations. If you’re being asked to do something you’ve never done before don’t try to hide that. Be upfront about the fact that this piece of the proposal is something you haven’t done before but that you are very excited to give it a try.
If you’re uncomfortable with your ability to deliver - be it hitting a deadline, being able to handle a payment size, being able to deliver something in a style that’s not yours - be upfront about that. Those items can all be negotiated.
By the same token, if your gut is sending you red flags, be honest with yourself. Don’t do yourself the disservice of ignoring something your mind and body are trying to tell you. We have all ignored red flags at some point either because we needed the money or we thought the client would look great in our portfolio or we desperately wanted to collaborate with somebody who’s work we love. We tell ourselves we’ll figure it out later but, it never ends well when you ignore those flags and you wind up going down a road full of pain!
Can You Mitigate Red Flags?
Yes, you can. Perhaps you’re worried about a client’s ability to pay. You can change your terms to require a 50% deposit before work starts with additional milestone payments. You might even require that client to pay the full amount in advance.
Maybe you feel there’s too many decision makers on the client’s team and you’re worried you’ll have too many people directing you or that balls will get dropped by the client. You can negotiate a contract that states you will have one point of contact and that all communication goes through them. You can also negotiate penalties for your client if they miss deadlines to get you important information. The penalties could be that you stop work on their project and they get put at the bottom of your production calendar. Or they pay an additional fee for each missed deadline.
This is exactly what negotiation is - you are adjusting your usual terms of work in order to mitigate issues, solve problems and ensure that both parties find the agreement workable. You’re figuring out what pieces of your usual process you can adjust to make it better for the person you’re working with but still making it acceptable, enjoyable and comfortable for you.
Get creative with your terms (but, if you encounter resistance and the red flags keep flying, it’s usually best to walk away. You can do this politely and professionally by letting them know that you don’t think you’re a good fit for their project).
It’s Not Always About the Money
Money is important. We all need it to get by in the world. But it’s not the only part of a negotiation.
If the financial compensation isn’t what you want and the client or customer can’t budge, change the deliverables. Offer fewer revisions on that logo design, do less social media promotion for that sponsored content, create a short video clip or suggest a less expensive material in those earrings.
When you do a house reno, you have a budget that you can’t go over. You know that means you may not be able to have that higher end appliance or maybe you need to go with a less expensive flooring option. This is the same scenario. Yes, you can still agree to the budget the client has available but it’s up to you to once again, tweak your offerings so that they still solve their problem (they get their reno done) and you’re being appropriately compensated for the work load (you’re guiding them to the less expensive flooring option).
You might also see if the client has some “in kind” ways they can compensate you. Perhaps they can make up the shortfall by giving you a feature in their magazine that’s distributed to people who are a perfect fit for your client base. Maybe you trade services. Perhaps they can give you product.
The key in these situations is making sure that what you’re being offered in kind is still something that’s useful to you. Doing a rebrand for a fitness instructor in exchange for personal training sessions may not float your boat if you hate going to the gym. On the other hand, if you’ve been wanting to make fitness a priority in your life, 10 free sessions with a personal trainer might be a great deal for you! It’s all about what fits for you and the other party. Bartering is always an option when you’re a small business working with another small business.
Don’t Compare Yourself To Others
It’s important to remember, it’s nobody’s business how you were compensated (except the government!). Don't compare your business or your situation to somebody else’s. Don’t worry what others will think of your agreement or contract. The only thing that matters is that you are happy and the other party is happy. How you got there is between the two of you.
If somebody else got paid more than you for working with the same client/customer/company you need to ask yourself some hard questions:
did they negotiate better than me? (maybe they asked for more money than you did! Or offered up more flexibility than you did on other things!)
do they do better work than me?
did they turn the job around in a shorter time frame?
did they simply ask for more money?
If you are made an offer that you don’t feel is fair and don’t come back with a counter offer and you accept it as is, that’s a failure on your part to negotiate. If a project can’t give you what you want after much back and forth and concessions on both sides, you are always free to say “no thank you, this isn’t a good fit for me right now”.
If You Don’t Ask, the Answer is Always No
Nobody is going to volunteer to give you more money or more time when they make you an offer. It’s your job to ask for it and if you don’t ask, the answer is always no. And it’s not as hard to ask as you may think. You can do it respectfully and politely:
“This is a really interesting project and I’d like to be involved. Unfortunately, the budget is not quite where I need it to be to work with my rates. Do you have any flexibility there?”
It’s really that simple. If the answer is no, you can counter again with “ok, are there any other ways we can tweak this to make it a better fit?” and offer suggestions that could make it work for both of you.
Getting A No Doesn’t Mean All is Lost
If you do ask and the answer is no, that doesn’t mean it’s the end. It simply means it’s no right now. Consider a “no” a way to grow the relationship. Now you understand the person or company better. You have a good sense of what their boundaries are right now and what their budgets are. If you’re unsure of why you got a no, don’t be afraid to ask more questions to understand if there’s something you can change that might make it a yes.
Leave the door open to talk again if situations or budgets change. Let them know what kind of financial investment it takes to work with you so that they can plan to work with you in the future. Tell them that you can appreciate their decision but that you do really hope to work with them one day and you look forward to talking to them again in the future.
How You Ask Is Important
Negotiation really is about your attitude. If you get an offer you don’t like, don’t take it personally and don’t get up in arms with the person who made it. If you want to ask for more, how you ask goes a long way.
If you’re polite, friendly, professional and show enthusiasm about the project and talk about finding ways to make it work for everyone, that sends a lot of positive signals and makes people want to find a way to work with you. Nobody wants to find a way to work with somebody who is abrasive, defensive or rude. They’ll just move on and find somebody else no matter how good your work is!
How you make somebody feel is never forgotten. And it will follow you around for a long time.
Everything Is Up For Negotiation
It really is. Money, time, deadlines, deliverables, non-monetary compensation. They can all be negotiated! Don’t be afraid to ask the questions and offer the suggestions (questions and suggestions always go together in negotiation).
Aim For Partnerships
A great way to reframe your negotiating is to think of the potential client or customer as a partner. When you do that, you become a team and the entire project is a joint collaboration that is only successful if it’s successful for the whole team. You want to learn from each other, understand each other better and you want the whole team to have a vested interest in the outcome. When that happens, negotiation is almost taken out of the picture!
