If you really want me and if you really think I'm good, and if you really understand the power of a developer, then you pay 5k plus. You need to be really assertive and really laid back. So they're just trying to lower your rate and honestly, these companies that are in the market, looking for the cheapest people, they won't do well. Because again, you are not buying shoes. You're not buying a pair of shoes, you're buying labor, you're buying an expert.
Any mistake that you do with with a code in production will cost them much more. So all this stuff is just negotiation tactics. You have to show there that you don't doubt your expertise, the most qualified people will always ask for money.