Negotiate and run your activity

Definition

Pricing and defending the value of your work, conducting a negotiation from offer to agreement, and holding the legal, tax and financial fundamentals of an independent or hybrid creative activity. Knowing how to say your price is a learnable competency — and one that protects against self-exploitation.

Components

• Setting a price: real costs, value produced, market references
• Saying your price: presenting it, arguing it, not apologising for it
• Negotiation: preparation, planned concessions, closing an agreement
• The documents of an activity: quote, invoice, contract — roles and essential particulars
• Legal status and obligations: forms of practice, declarations, thresholds, social protection
• Cash flow: managing irregular income, setting money aside, chasing unpaid invoices

The four levels

1. N1 Discovery Lower secondary · complete beginner

   Is able to explain what a creation really costs — time, equipment, know-how — and why free has a price.

   Evidence of assessment

   Fully cost one of their creations in time spent and expenses.

2. N2 Application Upper secondary · advanced beginner

   Is able to draw up a simple quote and to present the value of their work.

   Evidence of assessment

   Draw up a realistic quote for a piece of work, real or fictional, with a value argument.

3. N3 Adaptation Tertiary · junior professional

   Is able to conduct a complete negotiation, from offer to agreement.

   Evidence of assessment

   Conduct a negotiation end to end — from offer to signature — in a real situation or simulated with a professional.

4. N4 Orchestration Experienced professional

   Is able to run a complex activity — subcontracting, accounting, planning — and long-term partnerships.

   Evidence of assessment

   Present the documented management of their activity over three months and a structured long-term agreement with a partner.