Should You—EVER—Work For Free?
- June 10, 2014
- Posted by: Rochelle
- Category: Fees + Revenue, RochelleTV
We’ve all had them.
Those pesky requests to work for free or discount your fees.
How do you say no? And is there ever a time when “yes” is the right answer?
If you’re grappling with this right now, you might also want to check out “Should I Work For Free” and try out their (hilarious) decision tree.
If you’re not on my email list, head on up to that orange bar and sign up pronto. I’ll make sure each episode gets delivered directly to your in-box.
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Thanks for starting this discussion!
As a filmmaker, I’ve put in enough ‘pro bono’ hours to buy a house, and still get weekly emails: “Dude, can you do VFX for our project? It’s a no-budget, but there’s great exposure!” I continue to struggle with this issue. Since networking is the most valuable tool in this business, working with people is a good way to discover who can walk the walk (and prove it yourself) – but working for free turns out to be problematic.
The reason I’ve stopped freebies (and asking others for them) is exactly the mentioned valuation problem: It seems that you get what you pay for, more often than not, and you devalue your own brand.
I’ve come up with a strategy that slows things down, but feels right: Begin the relationship by offering and giving value. When trust has been built, I’ll be happy to help people get where they’re going.
I hear you Ross–it seems film especially attracts these requests. I like your approach–because it truly is all about relationships…