MetaChat - Metachat, hope me raise my rates!

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18 December 2006

Metachat, hope me raise my rates! So the freelancing is going really well, and I've been very busy. Hope me Metachat!→[More:] So busy, in fact, that I'm in danger of burnout and don't have much time to spend with my beautiful new house and boyfriend (not necessarily in that order). I want my social life back.

I've been told by a couple of people whose opinion I trust that I am too cheap - plus, if I make myself more expensive I will lose some of my peskier penny-pinching clients. So it's time to raise my rates. Thing is, I'm too scared. I know why I want to do it, and I'd be granting myself a real-terms rate cut if I didn't do it (my baseline rate has been the same for the past two years), but the thought of actually composing the emails to my clients is scaring me.

Help?!!!11!!!?

post by: altolinguistic at: 05:59 | 6 comments

Maybe you could cushion it with some bland sales-speak as: ‘a new, clarified pricing structure for 2007.’

posted by misteraitch 18 December | 08:28

Could you let current customers lock in at current rates (for a limited period of time), while raising the rates for new customers? Perhaps only offer this if they whine (I know, squeaky wheel gets the grease). And if you are too busy, what's so bad about losing a few clients if the ones you keep will be paying more?

posted by Rock Steady 18 December | 09:19

no no, I know losing clients isn't necessarily a bad thing - just need a bit of a motivational push to write the damn emails.

posted by altolinguistic 18 December | 11:19

Do it! (helping with the push).

posted by safetyfork 18 December | 11:33

You should write the emails now! And then have someone proof them, to make sure you don't come off odd.

But now is the perfect time to raise rates; lots of companies make rate increases effective Jan. 1, so you'd be right in line by making yours effective then, too.

posted by me3dia 18 December | 11:36

You need to fire your least-profitable clients.

posted by Five Fresh Fish 18 December | 13:24

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