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Time, Part 06: “What’s Your Budget?”
Check it out… If you want to be seen as a businessperson and not a HOBO (read: bum, derelict, vagrant), stop contacting people about projects without including budget information.
Here’s how the process works… When someone with 1,200 Facebook Friends and 400 Linkedin Contacts and another 1,200 MySpace Friends and 2,300 Twitter Followers clicks on your email, that email is going to be scanned for a number. If there’s no number, that email is going to be IGNORED.
There will be no action AT ALL on your email, because there are too many requests coming through every single day to sit around brainstorming about your budgetless project. The thought process is a) “How much are they trying to spend?” and then b) “How much work do I feel I’ll have to do on their project for that amount of money?”. If there’s no indication of “A”, then “B” can not be calculated. It’s like asking a soldier how long he can hold a position and not telling him how many bullets you’re giving him. It’s not worth thinking about for even a split second.
If you HAVE no budget, say so. That means that your project will be dealt with during favor-time, which is NEVER.
Even if favor-time isn’t exactly NEVER, it’s your best bet to assume that the other 5,100 people in Social Media contact with that person asked for a handout just like YOU DID and y’all are all in the same soup kitchen line, so take a number.
On top of that… If you HAVE a budget, it’s in your best interest to say what your limit is. If you don’t, you’re asking the person you want to work for you to waste their time calculating what they could do IF you had more money than you actually have… Because it’s ALWAYS more money than you actually have. So save yourself from getting ignored and if $500 is all you have, say so. You will receive an estimate, outlining what can be done (if anything) for your current budget. You might also receive estimates of what can be done if you somehow procure more money than you have right now.
‘Matter of fact… Even if your budget is $0, it’s in your best interest to say so. You might receive credit on the Government Cheese Line for being up front about the fact that you can’t pay but you’re still looking to have your project dealt with by a professional.
Either way, understand that you look CORNY asking people to discuss doing work for you if you have NO budget information in your correspondence. If you want to be taken seriously, figure out the parameters ahead of time and come to the table as if you’re trying to do business instead of with your head bowed and on bended knee with your hand out.
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12 Responses to “Time, Part 06: “What’s Your Budget?””
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I love this.
Keep preaching the good word.
haha Thanks, Jonny. Sometimes, I’m completely amazed… :/
And here I was feeling a little brash/rude when I hop on IM and say “Bill, can you do X for me for Y dollars?” without the professionally worded email to go along with it. Glad to know I’m at least hitting the two most important points for you when I do that. :)
hahaha No way. :) I get a lot of spur-of-the-moment work. “X for Y” is perfect, because I can assess the time it’ll take me to finish your project and what my benefit is going to be for giving up my Time. Your style is very much appreciated. :D
The problem occurs when people expect me to waste my time figuring out what their project MIGHT need so they can decide IF they want me to do the work, when I already have things to do which require my mental processing time.
People don’t go shopping without their credit cards or checkbooks, so they need to be similarly prepared BEFORE contacting people to work on their projects.
Brother Bill! Not only did you preach but I heard the I Have a Dream speech — The Remix. “I have a dream that one day I will be able to feed my small children, pay my bills, keep the roof over my head and eat while supporting a client’s fully funded, budgeted, and paid in full dream…” No more hook-ups! Thank you!
lolol Can. I. Get. A. WITNESS??? :D *waving hand in the air*
haha Thanks, Robin!
[...] and life. He is sometimes brutally honest and can be poignant yet always smart. In his blog post Time, Part 06: “What’s Your Budget?” is humorous but it is also incredibly insightful about the time spent trying to negotiate fees, [...]
Bill, you’re the bomb! It’s my privilege RT. lol
Brotha Bill! Right On!!!!!!!!!!! Preach! Preach! Preach that Word! Let’s have church! LOL
[...] example, I just typed http://billcammack.com/2009/04/10/time-part-06-whats-your-budget/ into Twitter.com and also into TweetDeck and they both resulted in a tinyurl of [...]
Oh my, how you have hit the nail on the head! Great work!
@Tonita: Thanks! Cheers! :D
@Pam: … We are gathered here today… To get through this thing called… Life! :D