Pitched a client on a $500 video package and they came back with a $50 counteroffer

I do freelance video work for local businesses around here. Last month a coffee shop owner asked me to make a 60 second promo reel. I quoted $500 for shooting and editing. She laughed and said she could get her nephew to do it for $50. Instead of getting mad I asked to see her nephew's work. Turns out he had some solid stuff on YouTube. I learned that smaller clients aren't always trying to lowball you, sometimes they just don't know what pros cost. Has anyone else turned a low offer into a learning moment about pricing?

4 comments

4 Comments

kelly.hannah1mo ago

I had almost the exact same thing happen with a bakery owner back in 2022. She wanted a 30 second Instagram ad and offered me $75 after I quoted $400. I ended up asking if I could just see what she was thinking, and she showed me a messy cell phone clip that honestly had good timing and energy, just bad lighting and audio. So I offered to do a stripped down version for $150 where I'd just fix the sound and color grade her footage, and she jumped on it. Came out looking way better than her nephew could have done, and now she refers me to other shops for full rate jobs. Sometimes meeting people halfway on price is really just meeting them in the middle of understanding what they actually need.

vera_robinson361mo ago

That's such a smart way to handle it, honestly. Love that you found a middle ground that actually worked for both of you instead of just walking away.

kelly.charlie29d ago

Yeah, the whole "meeting them halfway on price is really just meeting them in the middle of understanding what they actually need" thing you said, that's spot on. I had this one guy who wanted a whole product video shoot for like $200 and I told him no way, but then he sent me a clip he took on his phone that was just him explaining the thing clearly. So I told him I'd charge $100 to just clean up the audio and add some basic text overlays, and he was thrilled. He ended up sending me three more jobs after that at my normal rates because he saw what a little polish could do.

wesley_jones1mo ago

Did it change your mind about negotiating too?