This is a group of responses based on one of the most popular posts I've written in the three years since Creative Streak began. How To Make A Creative Director Cry outlines the ten most common responses I've heard as a creative director, with links to each subsequent post giving more thoughts and suggestions to address each statement. This is statement #10: "Great idea. Can I have it for half the cost?"
Experience has taught me to respond to this question in two ways.
1. Is the client asking the question because they simply want to negotiate?
2. Is the client asking the question because we didn’t explain the idea properly?
Negotiating or Haggling
It’s almost human nature to want something of value for less. If it ever went out of style, a recent article in the Washington Post suggests there’s a resurgence in haggling because of the recent recession.
For some people, negotiating is a game (me included, especially if it's an antique). It’s actually invigorating to bargain, especially when you get a concession, however small. For other people, a price or an estimate is nothing more than a suggestion, a perceived indication of an item’s value. Negotiating is a way to find the balance between want and need. For others, negotiating is a fundamental part of their philosophy or values. My first assignment at my first job was to get estimates from vendors. Before I began, the managing director sat me down and gave me her two cardinal rules: 1. Negotiating is good business. Therefore, never accept the first quote. 2. Because it’s business, don’t make it personal.
