#TransTip: No Negotiable Rates for First Time Clients
Translators, please stop giving first time clients your rates and then stating that they are negotiable! This is the most unprofessional thing to do and it sets things totally on the wrong foot. This is not the way to establish a healthy business relationship.
If a client only does business with you based on the fact that you gave them a discount, it means they won’t appreciate your hard work. It will be harder in the future to raise your rates or to actually charge your normal rate once the client gets used to the lower, discounted rate you offered them the first time around. It will be so hard to shake off this thinking!