For God's Sake, Ask for More Money!

Anchors aren't the only ones sweating.  Creatives always agonize over their spots while we worry about what to charge for our talents, which we usually undervalue. 

Anxious anchors placed  in precarious positions

Recently, I was talking to my barber about charging too much and the fear of being overpaid.

"You get paid not for the work you do, but for what you know, she said."

No greater truth was ever spoken.  This is why we pay plumbers $100 for five minutes of work--because they can see things I can't see.  If you had worked for years to be a licensed electrician or plumber, you would get to charge this much for your skills only to do a few minutes of work.

But you HAVE done this.  Are you getting paid for what you know or what you do?

Perhaps neither, but that's another story and another column.

You've learned how to be a great writer, producer, director, lighting director, videographer or editor
but why do you have such a hard time asking for what's yours?  This is a problem faced by so many creatives.

You're asked to write a script, which you bang out in 20 minutes.  Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.
Bill the client for 30 minutes? Stop in the name of love!  Bill them by the page.  If it's so easy, let THEM do it.

My fellow Promo Codeian, Ed Roth, wrote a blog a while back condemning the idea of writing or producing against the clock, and I agree.  But even if you are not writing and charging by the hour, now might be the time to up the ante for what you know how to do.

With July 4th safely behind us and the sounds of low-rent neighbors shooting off illegal fireworks outside your window at 2 am, now is the time to declare your independence from being poor.

As I've written in the past, I have incredible faith in creatives and our unique talents, but really don't know why we lack faith in our own talents.

The economy is coming back and so should we.  Your competition is not necessarily other writers or producers, it's ourselves.    It's our inability to price ourselves to make a decent living, simply because the creative stream comes easy to us.

If you're working for a company as a writer, producer or director, remember that your boss will not want to lose you (and have to go through the hassle of replacing you) should you ask for some extra money on your next raise date.

Why are you so afraid of asking for more money?

Every supervisor or anyone hiring a free-lancer has a range.  Make sure you're at the top end of that, because it then sets the pace for any future negotiations.

Anyone hiring you or supervising you will ALWAYS pay you the bare minimum they can get away with.
I've been a copywriter and producer since the beginning of time, but have also been a supervisor of creatives for more than 30 years, and very few people I've managed or hired have asked for more money.  The fact is that I always had more to give, but was not giving it to you unless you ASKED.

If I offer you a salary of $50,000...chances are my range is $50-60.  You may not get the $60,000, but if you ask for $60, you might get $55.  Wow!  A $5,000 raise for just asking.

If I'm hiring you as a free-lancer and I tell you I'll pay you $250 a day, ask for $350.  We'll settle at $300 and you got $50 a day for doing...nothing but asking.

If you value your own worth, I like that.

I like to work with people who think they're worth more. 

A few years back, I hired a senior producer here in Portland away from a competitor.  I wanted him and he wanted to work for us, and after a week or so, I  finally made him an offer.  He said he wanted 24 hours to think about it, and I appreciated that.  This is what you should always do.

As much as he wanted to work for me, he asked for an additional $5K.  I didn't even hesitate and agreed.
He made $5K just for asking. 

I was NOT going to walk away from him because he asked.  I WAS going to respect him even more.
If I was already at the top of my scale, I would gently say "I'm sorry, but I can't do that," and the ball then is in the creative's court.  At this point, you know what you need and what your options are.

The final thing is that, as a manager, if I low-ball you and you come into the job with resentment that you're being underpaid, you become a real liability from the start, and you'll be using me as a stepping stone to someone who WILL pay you more.

Now, this may happen anyway, but why speed up the process?

I interviewed with a station in Chicago years ago for the position of assistant promotion director, and when I went silent over his offer, the manager asked if I wanted more money.  When I said "yes" he immediately gave me $5,000.  I was too timid.  I ended up turning the job down anyway, but for other reasons and eight years later, joined WMAQ as director of broadcasting--his job.

The point is to understand your value, ask for more and stand your ground.  Nobody will ever fire you because you ask for money.  They will respect you more.

If I can't afford you, I'll tell you.  I won't hate you.

--Rich Brase
rich@richideas.net

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