Fee negotiations. Fun stuff, eh?

You finally connect with a manager that seems to need your help. You think you've done a good job "not" sounding like an idiot. Though the position was a little outside of your comfort zone you held on nicely. Your questions seemed to spark quite a dialogue: What projects will this person work on? How big is the team? Tell me about your company.........why do you LOVE working there? What are the types of companies that seem to have the best candidates? You know - all the questions you think will help you establish your credibility BEFORE you let them know your fee is...........(drum roll please........)

30%. Or maybe you start at 25%. Either way - you think you've executed your work flawlessly and hope they'll say "OK".

But that doesn't usually happen, does it? Not from what I see and hear.

"We have a policy of 18%". Or "All our vendors have agreed to a cap of 15%"

Damn. And you were so close!

So what do you do? How do you reply to this one? This is one of the 60 second periods of your day or week that GREATLY impact your income for the year.

Rather than suggest a canned reply (there are hundreds - and I've heard them - and tried them - all) let me ask you something: What makes you believe you should charge more than the others who have come before you? You might think "Well - must be the other agencies aren't providing the right candidates. They NEED me!"

But guess what? No they don't. The other agencies ARE getting it done. Turns out - you're just asking if you can play too! So now what? You better change your thinking on this one. You aren't the best. You don't have the greatest candidates. You have no "secret stash" of top talent. The guy in your inbox is also on your competitors desk. Know it. Live it. Deal with it.

What service do you provide which you think commands a higher fee? Have you spent much time thinking about this? If so - have you DONE anything about it? If you haven't - I've got news for you - you don't deserve a higher fee........