Essays on creative leadership,
culture, and the human side of work.
Published weekly, with an original illustration. Two series: Becoming and Advisory Notes.
It’s a great business, respected in its category and suddenly your best client announces that all projects over $100k will go through an RFP process requiring six bidders. Now you’re facing serious competitors, and a shortage of work. Worse, projects you do win are far less profitable.
“Lowering my price for you wouldn’t be fair to my other clients who do pay my fees in full.” Knowing what to say and when to say it is key to negotiating success. Join Jessica Knapp and I in our workshop on Negotiations for Creatives in the Age of Covid next week. All the sessions…
You’re desperate to win the gig but the contract terms threaten your revenue. How you say no to some clauses will determine whether you still get the job.
Elliot’s biggest client, Monstrous, was rapidly expanding into the U.K. and Europe. Elliot had noticed accounting issues with them lately. Nothing huge, just some sloppiness — they’d misplaced a couple of invoices, and once they’d paid a single invoice twice. So he was glad to hear they were hiring a chief financial officer. He’d enjoyed…
Negotiation doesn’t have to mean confrontation. Even sensitive, creative people can learn to be tough as nails at the negotiating table.
You’ve started the project but now the client wants to change the budget. Here’s how to proceed when you can’t back out or change the project direction.
You’ve worked with a client to define the project scope, but now there’s pressure to cut your price. Here’s how to keep the contract on your terms.