Do you show your pricing upfront?
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I know everyone has their own ways of pricing projects, but do you let your potential clients know how much they could potentially pay for your services? I like what Vlad Georgescu has done here. Keeps the expectations normal and if people don't like paying by the hour maybe they can negotiate a per project fee. But at the very least they should understand that low-balling is not allowed.
I think what prevents many designers from doing this is fear. The fear of showing your price to everyone else because you aren't really sure what others are charging. The fear of chasing people away because they see your price, but what is the difference between chasing them away now vs. wasting your time and and quoting them only to have them complain and then leave? -
Usually, I discuss pricing when I meet with the client. If they aren’t comfortable going by my hourly rate, I can figure out a project-based fee that works with their budget (and the limitations of that budget—I will not do thousands of dollars of work for free).
When I started to think of pricing, I asked people on Twitter what they charged for their work. It is kind of revealing—and a little embarrassing—to publicly show what you charge in hopes you don’t get criticized for it. I came to the conclusion that I should charge what I feel is right for my work, regardless of what others are charging. If the client doesn’t want to pay that much, then they can try to find someone else to do the same quality work for cheaper.
I like what Vlad has done with his public pricing though! Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put my prices publicly too. -
I love how he handled that! I've thought about doing this myself, but have steered clear in the past due to the same fears. Now that I've got some more clients under my belt and feel more confident about what I charge, I might have to consider doing this. Who knows, maybe it will help me get work if potential clients have an idea of what they can expect to spend before they even talk to me?
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For me, I wait for a client to contact me regarding a project. Before even discussing money, I discuss the aim of their project (ask a few questions), figure out what exactly they want done, and try to get a rough idea of their budget for the project. From there, I try to work within their budget while keeping in mind how much time I'd be spending on what they're asking for. Also, being sure not to undervalue myself. Lots of things to consider.
I'm just starting out in design, though- so I'll openly admit that I'm a little scared to put pricing out in the open. I love what Vlad did there- "here are my services. Here is the pricing. Take it, or leave it." (along those lines)
This is my first post in this community. I'm liking it a lot! -
Hey guys. Just wanted to share a little background.
I was dealing with a fairly big amount of email every day, which means I was spending a lot of time replying to people who were interested in working with me instead of doing actual work :) Frustrating, right? Even more frustrating was the fact that some of those people were just testing the market, trying to see how much would a fictive project cost and all that jazz. Others would start to discuss real project specs, but would be put away (or even insulted!) by the cost estimates. I got tired of all the "I know a guy who is way cheaper than you, so thanks but no thanks" conversations so I decided it was time to do something about it.
Soon after I publisher my rates on my website, I started to notice something: less email. At first I was worried. What if I shouldn't have done that? But I pushed myself to overcome that fear and to continue my experiment at least for two months. I was already working on a couple of projects, so I didn't *need* more right away. About three weeks later (!), I got the first email from a potential client. It was short and to the point. A NY-based startup wanted to work with me. A short description of what they were doing followed by asking me when can I start and mentioning how glad they were for being able to calculate a rough estimate even before contacting me.
After more than a year and a half of having my pricing clearly shown on my website, here are some conclusions:
• My inbox is cleaner :)
• I spend less time discussing the costs with the client
• Fewer clients tried to negotiate my rates
• Clients know what to expect on their invoices and they can manage their budget better
• They seem to appreciate the fact that I'm being transparent with my rates
There aren't many freelancers willing to show their pricing upfront. There are a lot of reasons for that, and I'm definitely not saying they're doing it wrong. But being clear and transparent about my rates is definitely working for me, and maybe you should give it a shot, too.
Cheers,
Vlad -
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@Destiny:
Hourly Rate: $60
Day Rate: $500 for 8 hours of work
Why is your day rate higher than 8*60? I'd expect it to be 480 or cheaper. -
@RoyAhuis I decided to round up to make percentage deposits easier. Plus, 8 hours of work could mean anything from a simple website to a full-blown ecommerce integration depending what the client needs, so I felt the rounding would be appropriate. Also, this is for if anybody needs rush work done, something within a day or two. Anymore than that would be charged appropriately.
