Re:How to Work Out What to Charge Clients
by sjclemmy on Tuesday January 30, 2018 @05:42PM
(#16269777)
> If you don't get sick with fear inside when you name your rate then it isn't high enough
Absolutely spot on. I sat in a meeting with a client and another consultant who named a price for some work. The client’s immediate response was “when can you start?”. My immediate thought was “You could get twice that”. When it came around to my turn to name a price I went in high, and spent the next half hour arguing my value.
So I would put it another way; if the client doesn’t balk at your rate and try and negotiate it down, it’s too low.
Re:How to Work Out What to Charge Clients
by Toast_25 on Tuesday January 30, 2018 @05:19PM
(#16269622)
Do you work in a niche? How do you get the word out that you're good/looking for work?
Re:How to Work Out What to Charge Clients
by ryanmarsh on Tuesday January 30, 2018 @05:32PM
(#16269705)
I do. People come looking for me, usually through recruiters or firms specializing in what I do.
You absolutely have to specialize if you want to charge higher rates, if you’re not in a niche then what are you? A commodity.
I made ~$400k last year. I'm a consultant and I don't have a college education, any meaningful certifications or pedigrees and I don't even have a website.
The fact is, the money is out there. In my experience there is always a client out there willing to pay whatever you think is exorbitant, and most clients are terrible at judging which vendors are worth their rates.
If you don't get sick with fear inside when you name your rate then it isn't high enough. Keep asking for more money and I promise you will make more. It isn't unfair dealing if your client is happy to pay it, instead it's foolish if your client would have happily paid more and you didn't find out.
From an economics perspective it's an impure market. Nobody knows what the price should be for your services, including you. What makes you think the client is any better a judge of value than you?