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Poll: How do you generally respond to requests for your "best" rate?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Dec 1, 2019

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How do you generally respond to requests for your "best" rate?".

This poll was originally submitted by James A. Walsh. View the poll results »



Sara . Alsubaie
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 16:03
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Dec 1, 2019

Three possibilities: 1. I quote my regular rate, if I’m interested in working with that specific client and the email is addressed to me personally; 2. I quote my higher rate, if I’m just annoyed by the question (though I admit that sometimes the client doesn’t realize that it could be ill-received); 3. I just ignore the request!

Julio Madrid
Liena Vijupe
Thaiane Assumpção
Trevino Translations (X)
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 09:03
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Dec 1, 2019

I almost always ignore the request. I know the ballpark they are hoping for. I already have plenty of work at my own rates, so I would lose out on work from my good clients if I accepted work at a lower rate and then found myself too busy when my regulars called on me.

Siaoning Jhang
Kaisa I
writeaway
Steffen Walter
Fiona Grace Peterson
Jenni Tuhkanen (X)
Trevino Translations (X)
 
writeaway
writeaway  Identity Verified
French to English
+ ...
Other: I don't reply - i.e. I ignore the job posting or delete the email Dec 1, 2019

If 'best rate' is mentioned, it means the outsourcer is on a fishing expedition for cheap, cheaper, cheapest.

Alexandra Speirs
Muriel Vasconcellos
Kuochoe Nikoi-Kotei
Steffen Walter
Fiona Grace Peterson
Josephine Cassar
Stephanie Mitchel
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 17:03
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Discussed to death Dec 1, 2019

James A. Walsh wrote:
How do you generally respond to requests for your "best" rate?


Also check out the earliest post on this topic (February 2004) and the most recent one (November 2019). Oh, and don't forget this poll and this poll.


Zibow Retailleau
Robert Rietvelt
Christine Andersen
Kaisa I
Angus Stewart
Philip Lees
Michael Harris
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 17:03
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
My usual rate - it depends... Dec 1, 2019

It depends on the rest of the mail how I reply - or indeed whether I reply.

If it is a short mass mail, or there is no indication of subject area or other important details, then I just delete it.
´Your best rate for 1 page of Danish to English ASAP´ and the like.

I deliver my best quality, sometimes fast, but I am not cheap.
If there is some attempt at politeness, and an indication of what the text is about, then I just accept that all clients want the lo
... See more
It depends on the rest of the mail how I reply - or indeed whether I reply.

If it is a short mass mail, or there is no indication of subject area or other important details, then I just delete it.
´Your best rate for 1 page of Danish to English ASAP´ and the like.

I deliver my best quality, sometimes fast, but I am not cheap.
If there is some attempt at politeness, and an indication of what the text is about, then I just accept that all clients want the lowest rate you will go along with, and they are just honest enough to say so! I send a guesstimate of when I can deliver, with my standard rate, or I say sorry, I do not take on finance/engineering/whatever the subject area is.

I try to educate clients about what a reasonable rate would be. I usually never hear from them again, but I think it certainly does no harm to let them know what other clients pay me.

[Edited at 2019-12-02 00:23 GMT]
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Michele Fauble
 
Dušan Ján Hlísta
Dušan Ján Hlísta  Identity Verified
Slovakia
Local time: 17:03
English to Slovak
+ ...
best rate Dec 1, 2019

On the contrary I asked them about their best rate - until now it has come only the deep silence 😜

Philip Lees
Hauke Christian
Thaiane Assumpção
writeaway
Nina Khmielnitzky
Ventnai
Stephanie Mitchel
 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:03
German to English
+ ...
It's a meaningless request so... Dec 1, 2019

I quote my fee for the job at hand. It's sort of like 'good morning' or 'how are you'. It doesn't mean anything.

Thomas Pfann
Vera Schoen
Milena Cosby
 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 13:03
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Standard rate Dec 2, 2019

No matter what the client asks for, I always offer my standard rate. I actually have a reply ready to copy and paste in all emails.

Joerg Sannwald
Nina Khmielnitzky
Gibril Koroma
 
Edith van der Have
Edith van der Have
Netherlands
Local time: 17:03
Member (2016)
English to Dutch
+ ...
I usually ignore such requests Dec 2, 2019

I don't compete on price, and such clients usually do not appreciate the value and quality I deliver, so I choose not to spend any time on it. Sometimes I do (quoting my regular rate), but hardly ever anything comes out of it.

[Edited at 2019-12-02 07:55 GMT]


Liena Vijupe
Joerg Sannwald
Jenni Tuhkanen (X)
 
Gulfam Haider
Gulfam Haider
Pakistan
Local time: 21:03
English to Urdu
+ ...
Best rates Dec 2, 2019

I usually mention my standard rates and then, I get no response.

 
Nina Khmielnitzky
Nina Khmielnitzky  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 12:03
Member (2004)
English to French
The best rate... for me Dec 2, 2019

I know agencies are cheap for the most part, especially the ones in poor countries. And then, they want to work with a certified translator with 20+ years of experience for peanuts. So I quote my highest rate to weed them out or delete their email. One agency wrote to me repeatedly even after I told them no politely. I got fed up and told them their rates were close to slavery and not to bother me again.

 
Jocelin Meunier
Jocelin Meunier  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 17:03
English to French
+ ...
Standard rate Dec 2, 2019

Generally, just my standard rate and it'll be enough to not hear from them ever again. I've never lectured them because I know it's futile, but it's true that the formulation does tick me off.

 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 17:03
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
My best rate is... Dec 2, 2019

my standard rate, because it works best for me. A potential customer might disagree, but that's their prerogative, too.

 
Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 17:03
Member (2006)
Swedish to English
+ ...
The perennial problem Dec 2, 2019

Yes, this question comes up now and then. Personally, I don't take the request literally, but rather as a litmus test of whether I would really want to deal with such a company.

I suppose I could be sarcastic and be perfectly literal and honest and tell them, "The best rate I ever got was one euro per word. I would be happy to work for you at that rate". Of course, I understand that is not what is meant.

I notice that "best rate" requests come from people with whom I ha
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Yes, this question comes up now and then. Personally, I don't take the request literally, but rather as a litmus test of whether I would really want to deal with such a company.

I suppose I could be sarcastic and be perfectly literal and honest and tell them, "The best rate I ever got was one euro per word. I would be happy to work for you at that rate". Of course, I understand that is not what is meant.

I notice that "best rate" requests come from people with whom I have never worked before. I don't know what entitles them to a "best rate" just for the asking. At my local pub where I am a regular, the barman often offers me a free drink, but I am always prepared to pay full price going inside - and I have known the entire staff for years!

Special favours are our prerogative, not the client's. If a client with whom I have worked for more than 10 years comes by with a short 200-word document he needs on the fly, I might do it for free as a favour. However, I am the one to offer that. No decent client comes to me asking for free work, or even a "best rate".
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Bernhard Sulzer
Gibril Koroma
Robert Rietvelt
Daryo
 
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Poll: How do you generally respond to requests for your "best" rate?






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