The penny-pinching, wheel-and-dealing, bargain-hunting prospect. As a freelancer, dealing with this type of person is part of the territory. Unfortunately, this is a delicate situation: if you come off as defensive you risk losing a sale or a later referral. If you give in and offer a bargain price to nab the prospect, you give up a bit of your professional integrity and stumble into an ethical gray area (what about all those clients who never got a deal?).

Because I’ve run across this type of person more often than I’d like to admit, I’ve developed some standard lines to deliver when my pricing is challenged.

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Photo by Sister72.

Do you wait three days to call after a great meeting? A day? A week?

Establishing a client relationship is a lot like dating. You don’t want to seem too eager for the job, but you don’t want to be overly relaxed either.

As a freelancer, it’s essential we come across as professional and confident. If we look needy or over-eager, we’ll scare business away (and who needs that?). Following-up with prospects is an important tool we must utilize to our advantage, but it must be used in a wise and measured way. Here are a few tips for great client follow-up:

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