I may be getting ahead of myself, but I want to be prepared. I've thrown my hat in the ring for a copywriting job for which I am extremely qualified. I have a somewhat unusual combination of random skill sets and affiliations, all of which they happen to be looking for. And their response to my inquiry email, in which I included my qualifications, was quite enthusiastic. So I think I have a great shot.
The pay range is quite large, at $0.X - $0.2X per word. Clearly, I'd like to make as much as possible, but even that low end is more than any of my other freelance gigs, though to be fair this will require slightly more research and thus slightly more time per word.
Like so many people, I'm terrible at negotiation. Appallingly bad. As in, it's the source of jokes in my friend group. I know I can't expect myself to suddenly become some badass, hardened negotiator, but I want to push at least a little. When I'm anxious (and negotiating makes me extremely anxious), I do best with having basic scripts from which I can at least start. I'd love any suggestions you might have for specific approaches to the conversation about pay.
I will likely take the job, if offered, even if it's only $.25, so that's something to keep in mind.
All I have so far is something along the lines of, "I'd feel really great about accepting this if we could agree on [whatever they are offering, plus ~~5-10cents more]."
Should I try to justify a higher amount rather than just throwing out a specific #? If so, how do I do that (especially because all my other gigs pay less)?
Any other tips, tricks, or scripts will be much appreciated.