An agency asks for a discount, an advertiser finds the quote high, a client wants three videos for the price of two. Here is what to answer, and what protects your price.
The counter-proposal must be in the same message
That is the rule deciding everything else.
A discount request left unanswered for a day becomes a negotiation. A discount request answered within the hour, with a costed counter-proposal, becomes a decision.
The format that works fits in three lines: what you are keeping, what you propose instead, and the date the offer expires.
What makes a negotiation short
Three elements, prepared once and for all.
A quote separating the items: production, rights, duration, exclusivity, extra formats. A single global price invites negotiating the global; a line-by-line price invites removing a line.
Written conditions: deposit, payment term, number of revisions included, what triggers a supplement.
And a reminder of what has already been agreed in writing. On this market a precise document is worth more than a long exchange, and the person opposite will genuinely read it.
What can be negotiated without losing money
Five trade-offs, in the order to offer them.
The delivery deadline: extend it, and the work costs you less to produce.
Volume: a sliding rate from three videos ordered together, not retroactively.
Rights: reduce the usage duration or the number of channels rather than the price.
The calendar: a job in a quiet period is worth less than an urgent one.
And commitment: three jobs booked over the quarter justify a rate the isolated job does not.
What is not negotiable
Four points, and it is better to lose the contract than to concede them.
The deposit. The number of revisions included. The right to refuse a use that was not planned. And the use of your face beyond what is written.
On that last point, know that consent to the use of your image is governed by protective rules, and that the applicable conditions are checked with a lawyer before signature.
When to refuse
Three signals, and they are reliable.
The client refuses any deposit while demanding a firm delivery date.
The brief changes after the agreement without the price moving.
And the discount request comes back a second time after an accepted counter-proposal: that announces how the rest of the job will go.
What is negotiated other than price
| Lever | What you ask for | What the brand gains |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | Three videos rather than one | A lower unit price |
| Deadline | Two extra days | No cost |
| The licence | Six months rather than unlimited | A reduced rate |
What is prepared before the exchange
A firm quote, itemised line by line, with what is included and what is not. Here a vague price worries more than a high one.
What is never conceded
Unlimited revisions and a licence with no duration. Both later cost exactly what they seemed to save at the time.
After the agreement
Two moves that make the difference afterwards.
Confirm in writing what has been decided, as a short list, the same day. That document protects you three months later.
And note what made the negotiation give way or hold. After five jobs you will know which of your arguments actually works there, and you will be able to raise your rates on facts rather than on an impression.
Sources
Checked on 4 September 2026. Thresholds and rates change: where this guide and the official source disagree, the official source is right.
