💷 Money & NegotiationMedium💬 Over text

How to hold your rate when a client offers half

The situation

A client has come in at half your rate over email. You want the work but not at that price, and you don't want to sound precious. What do you send?

They open with: “Love the portfolio! Our budget for this is about half your day rate though — could you do it for exposure plus a smaller fee?”

Why it's hard: You want the work but not at that price, and defending your rate over email risks sounding precious and losing the client entirely.

Two things you could say

“Thanks — love the project. My rate reflects what it actually buys you. If the budget's fixed, I'd rather do a tighter scope at the full rate than the full scope at half — happy to suggest what that looks like.”
Never defending the number but explaining what it buys, then offering less scope rather than a lower rate, keeps your price intact and gives them a real way to say yes.
“I can work to that budget — it just changes what's realistic. For half, here's the version I'd genuinely be proud of: [narrower deliverable]. That way you get my actual work, not a rushed version of the big one.”
Trading scope for price protects both your rate and your quality, and it reframes you as a professional making a sensible trade rather than someone haggling.

What to avoid

"Sorry, that's way below my rate, I can't do that." — a flat refusal with no alternative ends the conversation and the relationship; you've defended your number and lost the client, when a scope offer would have kept both alive.

The principle

Never defend your rate — explain what it buys, then offer a smaller SCOPE at the full rate rather than the full scope at a smaller rate. That keeps the price real and gives them a way to say yes.

The skill underneath it

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