Poll: Would you negotiate with clients differently if you had to do it in person? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Would you negotiate with clients differently if you had to do it in person?".
View the poll results »
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It would almost be cheating to unleash the full force of my sexual allure on them.
| | | | | | Ricki Farn
Germany
Local time: 22:00
English to German
| I would not negotiate in person | Mar 19, 2019 |
I have never been good at acoustic language, and for a bit over a year now I have almost lost my voice anyway. People who don't hear me every day have a hard time understanding me any more at all. I'm an e-lancer, I don't *have* to produce sound, for crying out loud (or rather not).
Chris S, you're so cute! May I keep you?
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| "Negotiate"? | Mar 19, 2019 |
I tell my clients my fees. I do converse with my clients, finding out about needs and concerns, and that often happens over the telephone which is sort of in person. But negotiation doesn't ever happen.
| | | | KHALDUN ALQAYSI
United Arab Emirates
Local time: 00:00
English to Arabic
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My rates are fixed but translation agencies tend to offer freelancers low rates so that they can get the lion part of the deal. I prefer negotiate directly with the client without any mediation.
| | | | Julio Madrid 
Mexico
Local time: 13:00
Member (2018)
English to Spanish
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| I don't negotiate | Mar 19, 2019 |
Clients tell me what they need and I tell them the price, they either accept or not. There's no negotiation. Plus, for what I've seen in job postings and mass emails, outsourcers/agencies don't seem to want to negotiate much, either. They set their conditions and that's it, no wiggle room, either you apply/submit your quote or you don't. There's not much space to use leverage and that's fine with me.
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It would take a lot longer and I'd be more likely to cave to requests that I normally refuse in writing. Unfortunately, I'm a pushover when it comes to negotiating.
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DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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As far as I mostly work as an interpreter with local direct clients, I find that unlike emailing with a virtual addressee, negotiating in private is much easier for me, making a hugely positive impact on parties--and results.
Of course, I prefer working with people and making real useful contacts, that's why I cannot get (1) How a person right before you could ask for pity $0.05/word while charging her client some $0.35+/word?; (2) How a clever businessperson... See more As far as I mostly work as an interpreter with local direct clients, I find that unlike emailing with a virtual addressee, negotiating in private is much easier for me, making a hugely positive impact on parties--and results.
Of course, I prefer working with people and making real useful contacts, that's why I cannot get (1) How a person right before you could ask for pity $0.05/word while charging her client some $0.35+/word?; (2) How a clever businessperson may blindly trust and deal with an impersonated party; or (3) How come a decent specialist with good biz skills can't manage the business properly? ...
Shortly, I neither can, nor I am willing to do biz without seeing (knowing; understanding) the partner or prospect first.
[Edited at 2019-03-19 15:45 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Probably not | Mar 19, 2019 |
Probably not but it may happen. Never done it in person anyway.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 17:00
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
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| I have done it many times, and no | Mar 20, 2019 |
I've had to negotiate personally with several clients, always offering the exact same terms and conditions as the negotiations by e-mail. That's why I dislike it so much when the client wants to schedule a useless meeting to discuss conditions that will not change whatsoever.
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