Thanks Jenn, that’s really useful info! I’ll let you know how it works out for me 🙂

That’s another good option when you want to maintain flexibility. I’d consider testing it against “up to” rates to see which works best for you. Depending on your market, either can work well. On one hand you might target clients who look at the “up to” rate and never get in touch because the highest price point is out of their budget, without paying attention to the fact that the quote could be lower. And on the other hand, in some markets you’ll find that clients see “starting at” rates, get that lower number stuck in their heads, and scoff at any higher quote that comes in. In my own case I found that it varied from project type to project type because each had its own pricing expectations. But for the sake of consistency, I go with “starting out” if I have to choose. I get around the sticker shock issue for higher quotes by including a brief qualifier next to some of my rates. For example, for a white paper or report I have a “starting at” rate qualified by “for up to 10 pages.” This way if they come to me wanting something longer, it won’t be a surprise when the quote comes in higher. In the end, you just have to experiment and figure out what works best to attract the kinds of prospects you want. 🙂

I know, I know, I do mean to get round to it – I promise! I’ll probably do ‘starting from’ rates and see what happens 🙂

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Ack! Don’t say that. 😉

That’s actually one of the (many) perks of posting your rates publicly. It’s great when you’re ready to do market testing because you see what kinds of prospects come to you at Rate A and whether or not that changes when you publish Rate B. It’s good to run tests like that when you’re ready to raise rates overall because it lets you see what your market is able and willing to bear. And the results are sometimes surprising, such as finding out that prospects are more attracted to your services when those advertised rates go up (because many associate higher rates with higher quality work). And remember, posting your rates doesn’t mean you can’t customize quotes. Advertised rates only serve as a starting point for base services, and you can always advertise a range. It’s as general or specific as you want it to be. 🙂

I’m glad it resonated with you Alicia. 🙂

I personally like working for smaller businesses, and I work for some “move up mills” that I really love. I really, really appreciate that you’ve said it’s not always worth it to raise your rates if it means you’ll end up in a market you don’t enjoy.

Thanks KeriLynn. 🙂

And yes. When I raise rates on new clients, I put those rates on my website. It’s much better to have an older client see higher rates there and feel like they’re getting a discount when I don’t raise theirs right away than to have a new prospect see lower rates and then be shocked when they get a higher quote. If you’re uncomfortable with that, another option is to post a rate range that includes both your old rates and new rates so every quote is technically covered by what you’re advertising.

Amen to that Angela! Relying on any particular client too heavily is always a dangerous move.

And you make a good point about subcontracting. I’ve had very different experiences working with clients through their marketing, SEO, or PR firms. It means someone else gets to deal with the company politics and (dis)organization and I can focus on the project. Plus, it gives you a bit of a buffer when bigger clients decide to get revision-happy because different people decide they want different things. Then if they insist on making more than two rounds of changes, my extra fee comes out of the middleman’s earnings on the project (who my contract would be with), and they can decide whether or not to fight with the end client to recover it. It’s much less stressful, and I see a much better return on the time put in.

Now I’m thinking about doing a pricing experiment myself. When you testing raising your rates for new clients, did you post the new rates on your website?

I know what you mean about higher rates sometimes not being worth it however. I did a big newsletter for several years. The project paid very well, but the stress was horrible. I learned a lesson from that: never allow one client to form such a major part of your business that you’d feel it if they left.

That convinced me that I really didn’t want to focus on custom publications, except as a sub-contractor.

Great point about experimenting with rates, too. 🙂

A good thing to consider for case-by-case quotes John. 🙂