I recently followed a thread on one of the forums I frequent that told the story of a virtual assistant contacted by a potential client who was actually shopping around for the lowest price during their consultation call.

While I think it’s rather rude to be doing price negotiations with several professionals while on a consultation call with another, it’s human nature to search for a bargain. Add to that the fact that many popular books promote finding the cheapest virtual assistant possible and it can add a layer of frustration to the consultation process. And I’m sure that it happens to other service providers as well.

So what do you do when you find yourself dealing with a potential client who wants to negotiate?

The first instinct is to lower your rate or give them a special rate, especially if they happen to mention that your rates are higher than one of your competitors. We’ve been conditioned to believe that we must offer ‘lower prices’ to prove to our clients that we care about them. After all, don’t all of those commercials imply that?

What we fail to understand is that many of these lower price marketing pitches are for goods, not services. And as a service provider, we need to make this difference clear in our own minds before we can...Click here to read the rest of this post at the Clerical Advantage Blog.

The Clerical Advantage Blog is authored by VAF member Tina of Clerical Advantage.


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This is an excellent post Tina. I agree that there should never be any 'negotiation' - does anyone negotiate rates with their drycleaner, their doctor, their grocer? Imagine if you went to the spa and tried to get them to 'come down a little' in their rates for a massage?? They'd think you were nuts....

Respect your rates and the clients that are worth working with will as well.

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