This woman owned a creepy DM sex pest in the best way
For some reason, there’s a subset of the male internet community who think it’s okay to pester women, no matter how politely or impolitely they’ve been told to get lost – or something stronger. Cartoonist @imemi recently demonstrated a way of turning an unwanted and decidedly creepy message from a sex pest into a perfect teaching opportunity. This is how it unfolded.
Mr Anonymous made a really gross request.
Today's very special edition of Being A Woman On The Internet: pic.twitter.com/PrkhF0kpKY
— emi gennis (@imemi) November 22, 2018
Emi decided to make the most of the opportunity.
I'm gonna turn this into a teaching moment, and take this opportunity to outline a few basic client negotiation strategies for students & other early career artists who might be interested. These can be employed in any negotiation, not just transactions related to jars of spit. pic.twitter.com/5a6k8uCqM4
— emi gennis (@imemi) November 22, 2018
First, she allowed him to set the price.
First, because I'm not well informed on industry standard prices for this…uh, item…I want the client to set the anchor price (the initial price offer). I don't want to run the risk of naming a price that's too low and getting underpaid. pic.twitter.com/qHNcBHZjW0
— emi gennis (@imemi) November 22, 2018
Which doesn’t mean the producer has to accept that price.
The downside of letting the client anchor is that this number sets the stage for all other price offers in the negotiation. Not great when a client makes a lowball offer. In this case, I feel like $60 for a jar of spit doesn't seem like a very fair price (but what do I know???).
— emi gennis (@imemi) November 22, 2018
She then talked us through how to lay out your pricing structure.
Break down your prices so the client knows exactly what they're paying for, and doesn't feel like you're just setting the price at some arbitrary number. Make sure they understand the amount of work they're asking you to do and how much that costs. Transparency is key. pic.twitter.com/ot1Q70Smms
— emi gennis (@imemi) November 22, 2018
It’s important to offer some options.
Give the client multiple options. This has the dual benefit of allowing you to set the terms, but also allow the client to feel like they're in control. Everybody wins. In this case, I offered a flat rate or an hourly fee. pic.twitter.com/sZu1apV318
— emi gennis (@imemi) November 22, 2018
Consider all necessary expenses.
Remember to factor in any extraneous costs outside of labor. That could include materials costs, or shipping fees. Once you determine how much the client will agree to pay, stipulate how and when you will be paid. Getting some money upfront is good, in case things go south. pic.twitter.com/VCSdXEFlM5
— emi gennis (@imemi) November 22, 2018
What will the “goods” be used for?
Any agreement should outline the exact use for the work in question. This could include a license for usages for a specific time period/format/audience. Your price should increase for any usage of your work that could potentially generate profit for the client. pic.twitter.com/OhbnRlYqek
— emi gennis (@imemi) November 22, 2018