One of the things I've learned the hard way doing contracting is even if it's true, you cannot operate from the mindset of "I need money" and "some money is better than no money", because this is what the person you're negotiating with is betting on.
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One of the things I've learned the hard way doing contracting is even if it's true, you cannot operate from the mindset of "I need money" and "some money is better than no money", because this is what the person you're negotiating with is betting on.
They're not only going to lowball you, they're going to make it sound like that's the absolute highest they can go, and some will even legit walk away if you refuse their offer, then come back later and offer you more. I've had ones where they say half my minimum fee is the highest they can go, I restate my minimum fee, they walk away, come back a month later and offer me 4x what I was asking for.
After like a month of being genuinely so burned out I didn't want to work, I got a way better idea of what the actual fair value of my skills was because I just kept unconditionally declining every offer, which resulted in most companies walking away but some going 10x, 20x, and even 50x their initial offer. Taking only 2 of the high offers I received made me more than taking every "highest we can go" offer back to back and just working all day every day.
The crazy part is, you expect that they higher they're paying the higher their expectations, but in my experience the more they're paying the more reasonable and realistic they tend to be, because they've usually done this before, whereas the genuine low offers how no idea the value of your skills, work, or how long what they're asking for should take.
My mid 5 figure contracts usually contact me 8 months before their deadline, we'll have an agreement within 6 months of their deadline, they'll set clear expectations, assign me a point of contact to check in with along the way, and always be available to help should I have any question.
On the flip side, 80% of the 4 figure contract I've taken, I've immediately regretted. For the same amount of work, one literally asked me upon signing the contract if I could submit my the project by the next day, and when I clarified that they want me to do the entire project in the space of 1 night, working over night, they said they could give me an extra day "if I really needed it".
