????拉扎勒斯還會加入一張項目承接表，確保與客戶理解一致。如果客戶在最后一分鐘反悔，她要收取消費?！叭绻阋呀洺兄Z了，我們也按期限要求付出了努力，就得有取消費，”她說?！拔乙呀涱A定了這些時間，回絕了其他收入?！?/p>

????與此同時，自由職業者通常無法控制客戶預算和它們給出的價格。因此，有必要靈活協商項目費率。

????“我總是事先與客戶協商，”馬里蘭州波托馬克的市場調研顧問杰尼?羅星說。“他們有一些通常價格，但不一定就是標準?！?/p>

????新澤西州薩米特的品牌管理顧問海蒂?布洛克最近按周收費接了一項工作，如果按每周40個小時工作制，按周收費的單價低于按小時收費。但是，由于她的名氣和經驗，這個客戶同意將每周工作時間縮短至30小時，周費率不變。布洛克說：“在我工作的時間里，我完成了很多工作……”

????如果客戶的出價低于期望，你可以建議一個更大的項目，比方說6個月合同，而不是3個月合同，也可以擴展項目范圍。因為顧問在每位客戶身上都有一定的固定成本——開發票、簽合同和客戶管理，這能讓項目更劃算。

????“每個月只給3、4個客戶而不是20個客戶開賬單會更有效率，”本?格蘭說。“建議一些你可以提供的其他服務?！备裉m有一個客戶，最初他是給客戶寫小冊子，后來拓展至校對、寫白皮書，甚至寫技術性文章。

????拉扎勒斯在每項提案中都會包含一個非常詳細的成本列表，方便客戶根據預算調整項目規模。比方說，如果她提議用多少錢采訪10位購物者，客戶可能更傾向于她只是采訪5位女性以降低成本。她說：“我給客戶提供一個菜單：如果你想做A、B和C，成本各是多少?！?/p>

????最終，如果客戶愿意支付的數額與你希望賺取的費用相差太遠，你必須舍得退出。在你接受一個項目之前或之后，你可能必須作出這樣的決定。

????“不要害怕開掉客戶，”格蘭說?！耙^續培養那些最適合自己的客戶，淘汰那些榨干你能量的客戶?！?/p>

????Lazarus also includes a project acceptance form to make sure she and the client are on the same page, and charges a cancellation fee if the client backs out at the last minute. "If you've committed and we've started working on an aggressive path to a deadline, there has to be a cancellation fee," she says. "I've booked the time and said no to other revenue."

????At the same time, freelancers often have little control over the client's budget or the rate they are offered. So it makes sense to take a flexible approach to negotiating project rates.

????"I always negotiate with clients up front," says Janine Lossing, a market research consultant based in Potomac, Md. "They have some set fees but it's never standard."

????Heidi Block, a brand management consultant based in Summit, N.J., was recently offered a weekly rate that worked out to less than her usual hourly fee for 40 hours a week. However, because of her reputation and experience, the client agreed to a 30-hour workweek for the same rate. "I deliver a lot of work … for the number of hours I work," says Block.

????If a client's rates are lower than you like, you could suggest a larger project, such as a six-month commitment instead of a three-month contract, or a bigger project scope. Because consultants have a certain amount of fixed costs per client -- invoicing, contracts, and account management -- it can make the project worthwhile.

????"There are some efficiencies when you're only billing three or four clients per month rather than 20," says Ben Gran. "Suggest other offerings you can provide." For one client, he began by writing brochures but expanded into proofreading, writing white papers, and even technical writing.

????Lazarus includes a very detailed listing of costs in every proposal so the client can adjust the scope of the project based on the budget. For instance, if she's proposed interviewing 10 shoppers for a certain dollar amount, the client might prefer that she interview only five women to cut costs. "I give clients a menu: if you want to do A, B and C, it costs this," she says.

????In the end, you have to be willing to walk away if the gap between what the client wants to pay and what you need to earn is too large. You may have to make that call before you take a project -- or afterward.

????"Don't be afraid to fire clients," Gran says. "You keep nurturing the clients who are best for you and weed out the clients who are draining your energy."