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How to Respond when asked for Current / Previous Rate

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    #21
    Originally posted by Elliegirl View Post
    I hear this. But how do you get around this when they 'put you forward' at a certain rate? who do you discuss the extra money with; am assuming its the agency? Recently I had an agency tell me that the client wasn't willing to pay more than X because it had another contractor doing the same role in another department at that rate. I thought the agent was trying it on a bit as I know what they've paid in the past and I was sure they would go to an extra £50 a day at the very least. I was called to interview but another role popped up and I took that instead. There's quite a bit of this 'rate lowering' on the part of agents going on recently so it would be good to be armed and dangerous for the next time.
    Rate negotiations are always with the agency since they are the ones that you form the contract with - they put your forward at a rate and then if you aren't happy with that rate once you know more about what's going on then negotiate around that. It's only worth involving the client when you need to get your side of the story in first, ie tell them that the agency is being silly over a minor issue rather than the agency telling the client that you're chasing more money and you're truly awful for doing so.
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      #22
      My view on this, is that it doesn't matter. Therefore you can simply give him whatever rate you're on. There is no "external force" that will suddenly make you accept a lower rate than the wish to accept, simply because you were on a rate lower in the previous contract. If he puts the phone down, great then ring the next agent. What I wouldn't do is lie, as some banks request this as part of their "on-boarding" and will simply cancel a contract if they found out you lied, regardless of how good you are.
      I'm alright Jack

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        #23
        The agents often try to avoid negotiations from you by saying that 'the client is offering £.....'. where the amount is just below your lower rate.
        I like to use my reply that normally throws them. "If the client is only paying £...., you are going to need to take your 'well earned' 30% commission out of that and there is virtually nothing left to pay me with and what do I do for tax? as I normally get paid by the agent"
        Only then do I get the reply "No, we pay you, the amount is after our commission " from the agent.
        With my suggestion that they have built in a ****30%**** commission, then I start to negotiate.....

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          #24
          Originally posted by Zylon View Post
          I'm quite new to contracting and would be interested in how people actually deal with the question (presumably more nuanced than just "No I won't tell you"!).
          You want to look smart? Answer their question with your own question and then answer that question.
          Taking a break from contracting

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            #25
            Not sure I've ever been asked what my last rate was.

            I often get "what rate would you be looking for", both when discussing a role I am interested in (normal negotiation starting point), and also when chatting to agents when they call up when I am NOT looking for a role and they are "updating their system" - I sometimes don't mind these chats, but that question gets a firm answer of "I only discuss rates when I am discussing a live role that you are going to put me forward for as it depends on the role"

            They usually follow up with their real question "ok, so what would be the minimum rate you would work for so I don't call you about low rate jobs that won;t suit you"

            I usually just say "i'd prefer to hear about any role that fits my skills/preferred locations and then I can decide whether I want to proceed or not".

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              #26
              I never discuss a rate without a detail job specifications.

              The current rate it's obsolete, only for statistics or to find something to be explored, for this reason, I always lie and honestly I'm sure that the agencies don't expect us the truth.

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                #27
                Originally posted by Bee View Post
                I never discuss a rate without a detail job specifications.

                The current rate it's obsolete, only for statistics or to find something to be explored, for this reason, I always lie and honestly I'm sure that the agencies don't expect us the truth.
                So that's a lie???
                'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

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                  #28
                  Interesting comments on this subject. I always ask for some insight into previous rates that the contractor has received as it gives me an idea if I'll be able to be competitive over the long term.

                  Im my experience (so an opinion, not fact...), when the market is slow, rates are more negotiable but this changes when the market picks up and all of a sudden I'm met with rate increase demands or contractors resigning mid contract.

                  With some understanding of previous rates, I'd be more confident that I'm offering a competitive long term rate (after all, the last thing I want to be doing is filling the same role twice withour making extra ££). At the end of the day, it's a confidence game, we can only lose a client once and it may cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. If there is doubt over a contractors commitment I wouldn't put them forward, it's not worth the risk.

                  If I know that you're taking a significant drop because work is slow right now then I can manage this from the client side and talk about building in a mid contract rate rise/review - if I'm already paying a comfortable level then this isn't always required (although it's nice to have, it's a ball ache so only done if essential to securing someone long term).

                  Overall, I don't see the issue with asking for previous rates. The only contractors that have objected in the past tend to be the assholes that waste my time and chancers that think by not saying their previous rate that they're suddently worth an extra £300 a day...

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                    #29
                    Originally posted by Agent View Post
                    Interesting comments on this subject. I always ask for some insight into previous rates that the contractor has received as it gives me an idea if I'll be able to be competitive over the long term.


                    Overall, I don't see the issue with asking for previous rates. The only contractors that have objected in the past tend to be the assholes that waste my time and chancers that think by not saying their previous rate that they're suddently worth an extra £300 a day...
                    Quite the little charmer, aren't you?
                    I don't generally reveal my current rate, particularly because on one occasion an agent assumed I'd be happy continuing on that rate when the client was paying £100 a day more. Instead I ask if they know anything about the rates in my particular field of play (generally they don't) and then I tell them about the range that I had been interviewed for/approached/accepted, which is anything between £350-£800 a day. The £800 was a one off, usually top is £600. And that's not even sector specific as my lower rates have been in the financial sector. So I usually turn the question back on them and ask for client ballpark. I also had an agent approach me on £200 a day recently and told them no one in their right minds would get out of bed for that and they had to add on £150 a day to get a sniff of interest. They came back to me the next day to say yes which was nice, but another role came up and I went for that instead.

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                      #30
                      Originally posted by Elliegirl View Post
                      Quite the little charmer, aren't you?
                      I don't generally reveal my current rate, particularly because on one occasion an agent assumed I'd be happy continuing on that rate when the client was paying £100 a day more. Instead I ask if they know anything about the rates in my particular field of play (generally they don't) and then I tell them about the range that I had been interviewed for/approached/accepted, which is anything between £350-£800 a day. The £800 was a one off, usually top is £600. And that's not even sector specific as my lower rates have been in the financial sector. So I usually turn the question back on them and ask for client ballpark. I also had an agent approach me on £200 a day recently and told them no one in their right minds would get out of bed for that and they had to add on £150 a day to get a sniff of interest. They came back to me the next day to say yes which was nice, but another role came up and I went for that instead.
                      Thank you

                      So you ask the agent what the going rate is for your field of play but then quote a huge range of £350 to £800 yourself and then say the agent generally don't know the going rate...

                      On the occassion you mentioned (the extra £100 per day), the client isn't paying you anything, the agency is. To say that the client is paying an extra £100 a day and that you'd miss out quoting a lower rate is something a chancer would say...

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