Thank you all for your birthday wishes. It was a lovely day punctuated by calls from family and time spent with family nearby. That and some peaceful moments -it’s all I wanted.
Despite my best intentions, I did not take yesterday off. I tried. Really. But I sat on the swing writing in my journal and my mind kept coming back to the computer and the work I needed to drum up. When that happens, I’ve learned not to fight it.
I did tweak a project in the morning, and I received high praise from a client on another project. While praise doesn’t pay the bills, it sure lifts the spirits and puts a spring in the step. Thank you, dear client. Happy to exceed your expectations!
I keep seeing talk across the blogosphere about writers presenting their fee schedules to their clients. One really good post shows up on All Freelance Writing, and is a common-sense primer.
Still, I’m not a fan of fee schedules. While there may be justification for it in some cases, I think in general it’s not a great idea.
But in the interest of fairness, let’s look at both sides of the issue.
Reasons why fee schedules work:
– You reduce the shock factor
– Clients can trust you a bit easier because you’ve spelled it out up front
– You eliminate tire kickers
– Your clients have a point from which to negotiate with you
Reasons why fee schedules don’t work:
– You lock yourself in to a set rate no matter how tough the job may turn out to be
– Clients see your minimum rate and negotiate downward from there
– You don’t allow for project incidentals
– You’re presenting blind estimates on all projects, even the unconventional ones that require more work
I don’t post fee schedules on my website. Projects are too varied for me to give a flat rate and be comfortable with it. Some projects are quick to finish. Others take a lot longer than expected.
So let’s discuss. Do you post fee schedules? If so, what reasons justify it for you? If you don’t, why not?
11 responses to “Fee Schedules: Pros and Cons”
I do post my fee schedules, for the reasons you listed. But I post a range, not one figure. It has worked quite well for me and works to prequalify my clients.
I do not. I need an overview of the individual project so I can figure out the time and needs of the project, and then I can give an estimate. And when they try to negotiate down, I say, "I'm sorry, I can't do it for that price."
Eileen, do you get people who want to negotiate down from your minimum range, or do you find that they accept it more readily? I've not had a good experience personally with ranges, but I'm willing to try if you have a magic formula that seems to work for you.
Devon, that's more in line with how I see it. Maybe because my projects are all over the place I find it hard to land on a range even. Perhaps it's different with each area – Eileen, you being in copywriting, perhaps that in itself has more structure around which to wrap a fee schedule.
Hi Lori.
Sorry I can't offer insight on this topic, but I sure did want to wish you a belated happy birthday!
Glad to hear it was what you wanted!
Lori – maybe just post a minimum range that's slightly higher than you're rock bottom bargain rate for simple projects.
Of course that's easy for me to say when 98% of my work is for periodicals who set the rates. (That said, I push the ones offering a price range to start me at the top, or darn near it.)
I don't make a habit of taking my birthday off – none of my family is in the same town, so it's not like we have get togethers for weekday birthdays anyway. But I like to think that perhaps a little birthday magic gives anything you're working on that special something extra.
Lori, my experience has been that if someone has downloaded the fee schedule from my website before we talk, they have pretty much pre-qualified themselves and don't haggle. Even if their project doesn't neatly fit into my categories, they have an idea of what to expect. That's despite the fact that my ranges are fairly wide for certain types of projects. If they have not bothered to do that, sometimes they have sticker shock and I don't hear from them again.
Happy Birthday, Lori!
The tough thing about setting fees (and part of the reason I don't post a fee schedule) is that even when doing similar projects for two different clients, the time differential can be significant depending on the client personalities and how they work. One client might be able to articulate himself in a 30 minutes phone chat and be happy with my first draft, while others might email mountains of information to sift through and require multiple revisions.
Although the number of revisions is spelled out in my statement of work, answering dozens of emails and explaining why an extra round of revisions will cost more takes extra time. I'm happy to work with clients who need a little extra hand-holding (assuming they're respectful and pleasant to work with) but that comes at a premium so I'd quote them a higher fee to account for that time. That is why a one-size-fits-all approach to fees (even very similar projects) doesn't work for me.
Thanks, Gabriella. 🙂
Paula, you don't take off for weekends. LOL I'd like to think there's some birthday magic – thank you for the image and the perspective. 🙂
Fair point, Eileen. If they had to physically download it, then they know your rates. I would hope that eliminates the tire kickers, but you never know.
Susan, I think that's why I've not posted them, either. Like today – I had a call from a client asking for some insight into what I'd charge to ghostwrite a book. I could give her ballparks, but until I talk to her boss about his needs (and hear how he communicates), I can't give an estimate. I've had book projects that sailed flawlessly and I've had ones that sank like stones. Depends on the person, their direction, their own sense of clarity of the project, and how easy they can communicate that to me.
Well, it's not like I work all day on weekends, but I usually work 4-6 hours per weekend, sometimes all in one day, sometimes I break it up. When facing tight deadlines, I might put in more time on a given weekend. Occasionally I don't work at all on weekends but really hate how hectic Mondays can be when the work week comes around.
Now here I thought you did. I'm glad you don't! That would be too much work even for the most dedicated writer.
I used to post a fee schedule for the same reasons Eileen mentioned – If a potential client contacted me he had a good idea of what I charged for a particular project. It did seem to eliminate "tire kickers." I don't post one now because as Devon mentioned I've concluded that for my business it's best for me to assess each project on a case by case basis. In the past one mistake I often repeated was not getting all of the details of a project and a clear understanding of what the client expected. Sometimes the fee I had listed just didn't fit the project in question.
I do have a general fee schedule for my own eyes that I refer to when coming up with quotes. If a client needs something in writing, I prepare a proposal outlining the deliverables and associated costs.