How to Ask for a Raise (and Get One!) from your #Freelancing Client

Image of a dollar sign

Good freelancers know their worth, but new freelancers are often uncomfortable asking for a raise, even if they know in their hearts that they deserve it.

Asking for a raise can be intimidating for a lot of people. (Heck, setting your own rates is tough, too!)

Today, I’m going to try to make things more comfortable for you.

By the end of this post, you’ll have the confidence to ask for the raise you deserve!

You’ll also gain a bit of insight into the negotiation process through a specific experience I had with one of my clients.

Give Valid Reasons for Your Request

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you’ll probably remember that I used to guest blog monthly on a site called Dear Blogger, owned by Greg Narayan.

I took Greg on as a client back in 2013, when I first began freelancing, and performed three different services for him: writing monthly blog posts of my own, editing some of his blog posts, and sharing Dear Blogger posts on Twitter on a regular basis.

I was paid for each of these services, too.

After six months of writing fabulous posts for him (which were, naturally, edited to perfection!), I decided that the rate of $50 USD simply wasn’t enough anymore, and so I wanted to up my rate to $75 USD.

(If you take a look at the post I wrote for Dear Blogger called Guest-Posting and Guest-Hosting: Best Practices, you’ll not only be witness to some stellar writing but you’ll see that this post is priceless! The tips offered in that post are evergreen, too, which further proves that I definitely was not charging enough!)

Anyway, about three weeks prior to this decision, I had also decided to increase my editing rates. I gave Greg one month’s notice regarding this change, and I also posted a notice of the upcoming increase on my Services page.

When I sent Greg my “bill” for May 2014, I wrote the following email to inform him of the change I was making: Read More

Become More Successful By Providing Others With a Personal Touch

 

 

Providing customers with a “personal touch” can go a long way. In fact, is often needed to make your business successful, whether you’re an entrepreneur, freelancer, business owner, coach, author, or blogger.

In this post, I’ll provide you with a personal case study of how one company won me over, and then I’ll list some key points about how you can provide a personal touch with people you work with or want to sell your products or services to. I’ll also indicate which of these I use when dealing with my own clients.

The one thing to remember is that word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the best types of marketing there is, and if you go out of your way for your customers, they’ll remember you, they’ll tell their friends, and you’ll gain new customers. Plus, your existing ones will become repeat customers. Win-win-win! Read More