yourself, there are hundreds of others hungrier than you hoping for the same job. If you won't take their lowball offer, the next guy will. Everyone wins in a good negotiation. Good negotiation is learning what the other side really wants. Negotiation isn't about one side wining and the other losing. It's not a competition. It's a constructive collaboration. If you can't differentiate yourself you'll only be able to negotiate pricing and payments. If you're only negotiating pricing, you'll always lose to someone newer and hungrier. The best way to learn to negotiate is to read Herb Cohen's You Can Negotiate Anything . Back when I was a senior manager at a multi-billion dollar company we took many courses on negotiation. Nothing ever taught us anything that wasn't already covered in this book. People who buy photographs know how to wrap photographers around their fingers. The standard line used against photographers for probably over 100 years is "We only budgeted this much for the job today, but if we like your work we have another project coming soon for which we can pay you much more." If you fall for this one you deserve bottom dollar. When people try that line on me (they do all the time) I either ignore it and keep on with the discussion, or say "sure" with an intonation that lets them know I'm calling their bluff. Also I'd realize that they intend to get someone at bottom dollar. I'd either walk away, or apologize