What are you willing to settle for? I had a friend complain to me about not getting paid enough at his job. I asked him, "Did you accept the job at that rate?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Then you were willing to sell your time for that amount of money per hour. Why are you complaining?"
I hear agents complaining all the time about the low price of BPOs today.
BPOs have fallen, and they are falling even more as the economy struggles. The addition of more and more agents jumping into that arena drive the prices even lower, but guess what, BPOs are still negotiable. I haven't liked the trend that BPO pricing has been taking in the past three years so I started declining offers that were unreasonable with the caveat that the price is too low for the amount of work.
What I've discovered is that 9 out of 10 companies will increase the price. I think it's way to much to ask an agent to travel 10-15 miles each way, spend $5-$10 in gas, invest another 30-60 minutes doing research and filling out forms and then receiving $45 for his/her time. It equates to minimum wage or less.
So, when a company emails or calls with a BPO opportunity, take a good look at the offer, and don't be afraid to ask for more money. I have 25-30 companies that I work with. Nearly all of them will negotiate. On Friday, one emailed and offered an exterior assignment for $45, and I declined because of the fee and the distance. They immediately called to find out what it would take to get me to do the work. I said, "Eighty-five." They instantly said, "OK." It's that simple. Even great companies like this one have starting points in their assignment offers, but they will negotiate.
So, what's your time worth? If you settle for $45, they will pay you $45. If it's $85, they will pay $85. The exterior BPO before this one was 10 miles further. This time the
fee was $50. I declined because of the fee and distance. Within an hour they called. How much? I said, "One-twenty-five." They instantly said, "OK."
The bottom line is that people will pay you what you say you're worth. You've got to let them know. I don't mind giving an hour of my time to a company for $85 or $125. If I'm not busy with a deal it's a good time to get to know the market better and make a few bucks in the process. Don't sell yourself short. You and your work have value. Make sure you get paid for that value.
Comments(41)