What is your budget, sir? (I HATE IT)

Cabhal said:

It's been a couple of years now I've been using Fiverr to outsource some boring tasks.

In the past years, after discussing the tasks, I've always been asked, "What is your budget, sir?" and I HATE IT.

Why are you asking for my budget? My budget could be 100K up, but this is not the point. WHAT IS YOUR PRICE? Show some pride in what you do.

This sentence makes me so nervous I immediately close the door to work with those people.

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I think in the SEO realm it's 100% necessary to discuss the client's budget. Many have unreal expectations, and even if they do have a budget of $X,XXX expectations still need to be set.

I've honestly never had an issue with clients that pay at least $2500 a month and what they expect. It's the clients I do work for $750/mo that expect miracles. And want to be #1 by the end of month 1.

BUT, when it comes to little services that are going to cost under $500, like a logo design for example, I hate being asked what my budget is. Like dude, whats the best price you can give me for a logo design? Thats all I need to know. THen we can go from there.

I just got a logo designed for a new agency I'm launching. The guy never once asked me what my budget was. Only what the details of the logo was so he could give me a quote. He quoted me $40.

After receiving the logo I tipped $100, because $150 is what I expected to pay and the dude designed a bad ass logo. Had he asked what my budget was i would've ghosted him.

Mostly coming with dear sir and budget ones are from the pakistan and 3rd world countries , so they does not value their work and goes for the best budget work , and does not think about long-term projects over

Zbigniew said:

If you say your budget is $10, then they will make an offer for $15.

If you say your budget is $350, then they will make an offer for $400.

The only time someone should ask this question is when it's big/serious businesses that tailor their services for their client's budget. If even then..

If they ask this question, and also say "dear" or "sir" - then I just don't do business with them.

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That's exactly the point. I feel like in a sea full of sharks. Each one should have a price and sell his service for that price once you know the task and how much/long it is taking to you to accomplish this task.

MisterF said:

There are far too many idiots out there wanting SEO and have zero idea.
This was a message from a CBD brand who 18 months ago asked me to rank his site with a $500 budget

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Knowing less than you do does not make someone an idiot, they just know less than you do, that's it.

It is your job as a service provider to understand where they are coming from and let them know about your service and offering details. If something turns you off about the client walk away in the first place.

Cabhal said:

It's been a couple of years now I've been using Fiverr to outsource some boring tasks.

In the past years, after discussing the tasks, I've always been asked, "What is your budget, sir?" and I HATE IT.

Why are you asking for my budget? My budget could be 100K up, but this is not the point. WHAT IS YOUR PRICE? Show some pride in what you do.

This sentence makes me so nervous I immediately close the door to work with those people.

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This is normal depending on the type of service.

If someone is selling SET specific products, then they shouldn't ask what your budget is since it doesn't matter. If it's a service, then they need to know your budget. It's an absolute must with new clients to figure out if you're on the same page and what level of service you can offer them.

I always ask this question. I'm not going to waste my time going deep with someone that has a budget of $100/mo.

It's also important to know so that you can tailor your actual advice to them.

Although, I don't usually say "What's your budget" unless it's someone who's just asking me to pick products for them so I need to know what they want to spend. I would generally ask "How much are you wanting to initially allocate for this project?" Which is a far better way to word it. You aren't asking their max total budget which is asking someone to put ALL cards on the table. You're just asking them what they are comfortable with as an initial spend.

Rollfic said:

Sir is unprofessional ? How do you address a potential client?

Do you say like: Hey fool / no knowledge person, what are the work details?

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"Sir" is awful. Just awful.

Anyone who says "sir" to me I picture them as a beggar who's absolutely desperate for my business.

Soucha said:

I am from the USA and say "sir" in real life.

It's not that uncommon and is often symbolic of respect.

Not sure why some people here don't like it.

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Fuck respect.

Respect has to be EARNED. You don't just give it out to someone who you're trying to please.

What should be on your mind is them respecting you, not you respecting them.

People don't hand over big sums of money to people calling them "Sir". They point them to their luggage to have it carried up to their room.

People hand over money to someone that has very high self-respect and self-confidence, and calling a stranger "Sir" implies you are supplicant to them.

The only people you should be calling "Sir" are those you *really* feel humble towards. Someone who has gone out of their way to help you with something is a good example. Someone who has achieved something significant in your field.

It should be GENUINE. A genuine feeling of humbleness and respect from you. Doing that towards a stranger, or someone you want to buy from you is very weak/needy.

I address my clients however I feel. I view them as equals. Other business people. I call them mate, bro, buddy or their name depending on the vibe I get and their country. AU/UK I say mate. US/CA/some other countries, buddy. And people who use bro, I use bro back. Or, I use bro if I really like the person.

MasonF said:

Actually, a lot of people still use these expressions and it's totally normal, calling someone SIR is a sign of respect.
EDIT:
as for asking clients what their budget is, personally, I do that with the ones that have +$10k projects otherwise I'd provide a quote for the work.

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"a lot of people" and "normal" is not really what you want as your compass.

Again, this "respect" thing turns my stomach.

Are you a fucking boss, or are you a valet?

Save your "Sir" and when you do use it, it'll have a LOT of power.

It's like dating a girl and constantly telling her how beautiful she looks. It's fucking lame. She will think you are needy.

Be self-confident, have self-respect. Respect her, or your client as an equal, and when you DO drop a "Sir" or a "you look beautiful" it will have power.

Also, I would never use "sir" online, ever under any circumstances because it has such negative connotations. As soon as someone calls me "Sir" I know they are a $5 seller. If used, it should be sparingly for impact and when earned, and with the right tonality.

So, what's your budget sir?

Common red flags: "Sir, Dear, Bro"

Soucha said:

I am from the USA and say "sir" in real life.

It's not that uncommon and is often symbolic of respect.

Not sure why some people here don't like it.

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It is frequently associated with scammers from India and Pakistan. That is why.

Same with freelancer. You describe your project, you tell if you pay fixed price or by hour they bid for it with a price and they still ask you “What’s your budget sir?”

This question makes me sick.

Product must has a fix price.
but service price can change..
and how would you like them to call you? haha

people do blackhat on fiverr and I will never buy backlinks from anywhere in my life. I unlocked competitor backlinks with semrush.

When they ask this question, usually they really want your job. So I tell them a bit less than what my budget really is and usually they agree.

HustleTong said:

So, what's your budget sir?

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I was about to say the same, but you got me there. Cheers!!

Op fuck fiverr, that's one sick place to get anything done, on top of that you gotta pay commission for every transaction I don't even remember how much. Check bhw marketplace but you already know that.

Cabhal said:

It's been a couple of years now I've been using Fiverr to outsource some boring tasks.

In the past years, after discussing the tasks, I've always been asked, "What is your budget, sir?" and I HATE IT.

Why are you asking for my budget? My budget could be 100K up, but this is not the point. WHAT IS YOUR PRICE? Show some pride in what you do.

This sentence makes me so nervous I immediately close the door to work with those people.

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I got pissed cause my assitant called me by my name and not "sir" or "dear" smh

Well sir its world used worldwide and its a sign of respect i dont know why it ofense you

splishsplash said:

Fuck respect.

Respect has to be EARNED. You don't just give it out to someone who you're trying to please.

What should be on your mind is them respecting you, not you respecting them.

People don't hand over big sums of money to people calling them "Sir". They point them to their luggage to have it carried up to their room.

People hand over money to someone that has very high self-respect and self-confidence, and calling a stranger "Sir" implies you are supplicant to them.

The only people you should be calling "Sir" are those you *really* feel humble towards. Someone who has gone out of their way to help you with something is a good example. Someone who has achieved something significant in your field.

It should be GENUINE. A genuine feeling of humbleness and respect from you. Doing that towards a stranger, or someone you want to buy from you is very weak/needy.

I address my clients however I feel. I view them as equals. Other business people. I call them mate, bro, buddy or their name depending on the vibe I get and their country. AU/UK I say mate. US/CA/some other countries, buddy. And people who use bro, I use bro back. Or, I use bro if I really like the person.

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You're welcome to do what you want, sir.

But just because you have some crazy view on something, well, it doesn't mean everybody shares that same view.

I personally find your comments to me here pretty weird and egotistical, but uh, you do you.

UK guys are very mad at it because "Sir" is a formal title in the UK, and not everyone can have it lol

edit: forgot to tagg @splishsplash, @MisterF and some other UK guys to know their opinion about this

I always ask for my client's budget.

When someone messages me to have a promo/shoutout from a prominent influencer... the first thing I asked is "What's your budget".

Because you cannot want to get a promo from Neymar Jr for $100.

Very surprising to see that some found it offensive or something.

aristocratic said:

Common red flags: "Sir, Dear, Bro"

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Don't ask me why, but I always start my formal letters with "Dear sir/madam". when I don't know who I'm referring to.

But I've never sold my services formally.
If I cannot build a good informal relationship with my customers, it feels too much of a hassle having to keep it up all the way through