Freelance writing is a tough business.  There are a million people out there doing it, and it’s very difficult to determine the value of your experience, your style, your voice–and especially hard to get someone else to agree with you.

I had the experience of dealing with a client that every single assignment was a negotiation.  He seemed determined to undercut my payment on a daily basis, asking for a 500 wd article (and paying the rate we agreed on) and then asking for edits until it was a 1200 wd article, and refusing to pay more.

I’ve had great clients, too, clients that wanted to work with me to create a solid, creative and fun project.  But every few months you get a slightly rotten apple.  At the end of the day, we work with them for the time being at least, because we need the money and we made a deal.

However, as a freelancer, you shouldn’t be toiling away like an employee, under a boss-figure that you can’t stand and a wage that is less than thrilling.  You’re in this business to work for yourself first and foremost.

• Ask for specifics.The clients I’ve been happiest with have given me a pdf guide at the beginning, making it obvious what they wanted, and where there was room for my creativity.   This covers tone (authoratative, or more conversational? Most clients will have strong opinions on this), content (word count, keywords, links,etc), frequency of work/posting, and payment.  If this isn’t offered to you, ask them to write it out; it’s good to have in writing, as a reference guide, and for a starting point for articles.
• Understand their perspective.  They are a company faced with overwhelming choice in freelancers, and trying to make it in a tough economic climate; yes, they’re going to want to pay you less, but they also want an excellent product and a workable freelancer.  You’re a business owner (you are your own small business) and you should understand exactly where they’re coming from.
• Know what you offer. If you have a lot of experience, engaging articles, and really have a vision for their website that sets you apart from other freelancers, tell them.  Show them you’re the best person for the job.  If you don’t, realize that you have less to bargain with.
• Know what you need. Know how much money is going to be worth the time you spend on it; this varies from person to person, so that’s not a figure I can set for you.  Know your time restrictions, and how much time this will realistically take.
• Set boundaries.  Be upfront about your needs; if they can’t meet them, move on.  Once set, they become boundaries of time, involvement and money that shouldn’t be exceeded.
• Stay calm.  Be businesslike and calmly explain that you understand their position, but you have a business to run as well.  Calm discussion is the basis for productive negotiation.

There are some business relationships that just won’t work out on mutual agreement, but most clients are happy to work with you; these parameters will enable you to stand up for yourself and your work for a productive working day!