The guy who can walk away always wins.
I had a REALLY interesting Zoom call last night. I was asking for a raise from one of my regular direct clients. I took a risk… no word yet, but I’ll be happy however it turns out.
The outfit is in Turkey, and I signed a contract with them just over a year ago to do a dozen spots or so at a ridiculously low price. Hey, I was starry-eyed over the outfit (I knew their work) and had a lot of spare time – and being a Fiverr seller, one has a bias towards low prices anyway. Please: no judgement – I’m getting off the porch to run with the big dogs and will be asking for GVAA prices when my new medical narration demo is delivered next month.
So I did the dozen gigs, then kept on working for them: they would send scripts and I would crank them out. Been doing that for a year now, with maybe an order every week, perhaps. Recently, I decided that it would be good to seek higher pay.
I sent a respectful email to their CEO (I realize now that I should have taken it up the chain of command, but he was the guy who signed the contract and it has never been clear who I reported to – scripts arrived from a variety of people). I got a message in a day or two from my supervisor’s boss, asking for a Zoom meeting.
We met last night. He was a very nice fellow, and it a very cordial and pleasant atmosphere. But as he was starting to address the issues, I stopped him and said (in longer form and more smoothly, but you get the idea):
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1: I am a Christian. I’m not preaching here – that would be inappropriate. But I want you to see inside my head.
2: I honestly believe that God is sovereign, and that He guides you and He guides me. And He provides for me.
3: I cannot see what you can see: you know the pressures on the company and you may have a gun in your ear that I cannot see.
4: I see you as a man of integrity, and an honorable man, who will make a good decision.
5: I have been making a tenth of the industry standard rate for this work, for over a year now. I am not asking for industry standard price. I am asking for just under half of that.
6: I trust that God will direct you and that you will make a proper decision, so, please: YOU decide what price to pay me for my work. Hopefully more than I am making now, and presumably less than I am asking for. I will be happy with what you decide.
7: At some point in the future, we may return to this discussion or we may salute each other and part ways. But for the foreseeable future, let’s just go with your decision.
8: The quality of my work and my attitude is in fact part of what I see as my worship. You cannot see Christ from where you stand, perhaps. But you can see me and my work. I believe that the quality of my work and how I work with you is my presentation to you of who Christ is.
So – who knows where this will go? What’s wild – I DON’T CARE. I am confident that he’ll choose the number God wants me to have (or fire me, which would also be God’s decision). I can live with that!
But it cracked me up to comfortably and unapologetically claim Christ in front of a couple of (presumably) Muslim Turks who outrank me, ask for a huge raise, and toss it into their lap to make the decision. They understand money – and for me to trust God – and them – to decide rather than pushing for it myself? I hope it shocked them. May the Lord use this! (And… as this comes to mind, please pray for these guys – thanks!)
