To tell the client it’s not my job to subsidise his business ?

[RunningSME]

I had somebody approach me today about providing him with a service so we started to discuss what I could do for him and they really like the sound of it until we got to the stage where we were negotiating fees.

I told him what I would charge everybody else and that is the truth I have 60 clients who will pay the same amount, some pay in advance upfront, mostly they pay on completion of the deal.
he’s replied that they work on tight margins despite having previously told me that one employee generates £6000 a week in profit.

Apparently my competitors charge 25% less.

I won’t say this of course but I really want to reply I’m a bloody single mum from Warrington why is it my job to subsidise your business ?

you wouldn’t walk into Marks And Spencers and ask them to supply you with a sandwich and then tell them that you want to pay 25% less because you can’t afford it they’d laugh in your face.

"Offer him a modest discount for payment up front as he has already shown himself to be a tightwad and you need to let him not feel completely defeated. Although of course he is…"

What the fuck? Why should OP offer a discount, when she doesn't need to, because his feelings might be hurt? He tried to negotiate and the answer is no, he doesn't need soothing or petting or his ego rescuing by OP or anyone else.

Jesus Christ on a rusty bicycle... hopefully I'm just tired and you'll come back in a minute and tell me it was actually sarcasm and I just missed it.

There is a time and a place to be meek and nice and accede to demands to avoid the poor little fragile man feeling sorry for himself when someone says no to him - oh no, wait, no there bloody isn't, this is business and the OP does not have to discount her services.

@mellicauli forgot to tag you - please tell me that suggestion wasn't serious!

YABU. He is trying to get the best price. It is up to you to say yes or no.

I remember a client once said there were other cheaper people. I said "feel free to use them". I've had clients also try and bargain when I've given them a price (email/text) I ignore them.

I hate negotiating rates. I have to do it all the time. You’re perfectly entitled to say yours aren’t negotiable, though. Or maybe offer 5 or 10% off as a final offer if the work would be particularly handy and you have scope to do that. Men negotiate differently to women. They are far more likely to chance their arm than we are. He probably fully expects a counter offer or a refusal to drop your rate. Don’t lose sleep over it.

I bet he brings your ideas to some other cheaper fucker. Make sure you document everything you told him and keep an eye on the business. He and whoever takes this job could be legally liable.

Also regarding the fee hike thing, I found it worked for me. I am a singer and I charge 3-4 times the going fee where I live. I am having to turn away work and refer to other singers because I don't have enough time. I am also booked up to 2.5 years ahead.

Another thing I would recommend is requesting a non-refundable deposit before sharing ideas with clients. They are committed from the outset then, and you are not entirely "wasting" your time setting up meetings that go nowhere.

I said very clearly in the OP that I won’t say that however it’s interesting isn’t it that it’s embarrassing for me to be a single mum but it’s not embarrassing for him to be working on tight margins. He should be embarrassed he’s lying.

But reference to his margins is directly relevant when procuring services for his business, whereas your status as a single parent has nothing whatsoever to do with anything. Do you really not see the difference?

no there isn’t a difference because both are absolutely irrelevant to the other persons circumstances if you like, the difference being I didn’t state oh no I’m so poor I can’t afford it due to the fact that I’m a single mum where is he felt quite free to lie about the margins he makes on his profit as a justification for the oh no I’m so poor I can’t afford it card that he was trying to play.

This isn’t a personal attack. Just reply and tell him your prices are fixed.

I don’t see what is wrong with somebody trying to negotiate a rate, in fact it is quite a normal thing to do in business and it is odd that you find this so offensive. Embarrassing even that you purport to be in business but have never heard of negotiation apparently.

Please don’t say “ it’s no my job to subsidise your business” just because he tries to negotiate, that sounds like something a stroppy teenager would say. Stick to your prices and if they don’t want to proceed, think nothing further of it.

We get this all the time at work. There’s a sizeable minority of people who seem to think you are desperate to work for them whereas the reality for us is that we have so much work that we don’t really need anymore. we don’t turn work down but we certainly don’t pick up any that is below what we charge others. From past experience we’ve also found this type of client can be a nightmare to work with due to their attitude so can be very demanding, and you end up inadvertently doing stuff for them at the expense of other clients as they shout the loudest, it’s just not worth going there.

He’s trying to negotiate on price it’s pretty standard
don’t understand why you are so outraged it’s all part and parcel of doing business

DP was working to get business from a client and as part of it he did some trial work for them on their request - something that you would quite understandably expect to lead to being taken on. He did that and then they said they didn’t want to use him, so he charged them for the trial work (it was a full day, and a fair rate to charge!) and they went crazy! Went really snotty emails, said that he’d affected the relationship between them (? There wasn’t one?) etc. Anyway thank god he didn’t get that client as they were clearly freeloading nightmares! Nobody else has ever acted like this.

Well you being a single mum isn't relevant to a potential client trying to haggle prices. He hasn't actually done anything wrong. If you are a business owner and understand business, you will know that people can try to negotiate. Of course you don't have to agree to a reduced price, but why on earth would you be offended by someone trying to negotiate.

Yes, yes, yes! lol I had one of those just this week. I'm a writer and I've noticed that too. I think you get a feeling which ones are going to be like that after a while.

Naturally he has replied with a little rant about how this time next year I will be unemployed and begging him for business 🤦‍♀️🙄

Wow sounds like you dodged a bullet there OP, imagine working with someone so unprofessional. Well done for standing your ground

If he has then that is wholly unprofessional.

I thought he was trying to negotiate too but now he just sounds like an entitled knob.

I'm a single mum/lone parent too, don't let him get to you. You take the higher ground and now ignore him.

You really don't want to work with someone like that anyway op. You really have dodged a billet. He's trying to grind you down.

I'd happily ignore him now.....

After that update from him today I wouldn’t entertain going into business with him as he sounds quite nasty.
Simply reply and say that your rates are fair for the work offered and other customers are happy so you are not prepared to reduce them at this time.

I’ve been running a trade businesses for nearly 20 years and lots of people, generally other trades, try to negotiate a cheaper deal. Sometimes I will bring it down a bit or offer discount if they are having all the work done at the same time, but other times I think it’s a good price so won’t change it. It is just business and not personal, even though it feels it!

However he sounds like an arse and I can imagine he’d be a difficult client so best to avoid…

You have been lucky if this is the first someone has tried to get a discount. I run a childs play area and charge well below local competitors but still get asked for discounts most weeks.

So now is the time to ignore him! You just know he’d be THAT client don’t you?

And while I perhaps wouldn’t have said it quite so bluntly, I wouldn’t play the single parent card either. No man ever would. Like no man would ever undercharge. Or feel shy about asking for what they are worth. I try and remember this phrase “oh for the confidence of a mediocre man!” 😬

Lucky escape will be a nightmare to work for

I don't understand why you were so affronted - he simply asked for a better deal. He's entitled to ask, you're entitled to say no. You being a single mum is completely irrelevant, I'm baffled as to why you can't see it.

His response to your refusal is highly inappropriate however. I would respond

"What an inappropriate (and in fact nasty) remark. As I stated above - these are my prices. They are fair and I won't be revising them. However given your latest message I no longer wish to do business with you so please do not attempt to contact me again."

Then block.