My old mentor said 'never take a client who asks for a discount upfront' and he was 100% right

I had a lead back in March who seemed great at first, nice portfolio request, clear vision. But right in the first email she asked if I could knock 20% off my rate because she was 'working with a limited budget' for a non-profit. I remembered what my mentor told me years ago in Portland about those being the worst clients. I almost said yes because I felt bad, but I stuck to my rate. She pushed back hard and eventually ghosted me when I wouldn't budge. Two months later I heard from another designer she hired for half price, and then she demanded three full brand revisions in two weeks without paying extra. That designer quit halfway through the project. Has anyone else found that asking for a discount at the very start is always a sign of way more trouble down the road?

2 comments

2 Comments

val_taylor20h ago

Gotta gently push back a little here. That non-profit part is key but you kind of glossed over it. Non-profits are a different beast. They honestly often have tiny budgets and every dollar has to stretch. I've worked with a few non-profits that were great clients, paid on time, and didn't ask for anything extra because they respected the work. So the discount request itself isn't always the red flag. It's more about how they react when you say no. If they get pushy or guilt trippy, then yeah, that's the real warning sign. Did she seem respectful about your rate when she first asked, or did she come off entitled right away?

jamesblack8h ago

Whoa hold on, I think you might be mixing up two different things here. Non-profits aren't the same as just having a small budget. They can be huge organizations with plenty of money. The real issue is that some of them use the "non-profit" label as a way to guilt you into a discount, even when they have the cash. I've had a non-profit client that paid my full rate without blinking because they knew the work was worth it. So the label itself doesn't tell you much. It's how they treat you when you stand firm on your price that really matters.