This situation comes up more often than most freelancers expect, and it can be hard to know how to respond without seeming difficult. The promise of future work sounds good, but it is not guaranteed, and cutting your rate now based on something that may never happen can set a bad pattern. Some freelancers hold their rate and offer small added value instead. Others ask for a signed agreement before agreeing to anything. How do you usually respond when a client brings up this kind of offer?