SubscribeLee and Allan discuss the sensitive subject ‘Pricing’. Do you charge different clients different amounts for the same work? Should you charge by the hour, by the project or by the value of the project? Do you think charging a client $50,000 for one hour’s work, as one copywriter did, ethical or greedy?
Lee expresses his discomfort at charging higher than he normally would for a recent quote, but, as Alan Weiss says, consultants, not clients, are the main cause of low consulting fees — because they fail to have the courage and belief system that supports the high value delivered to the client, thereby reducing fees to levels commensurate with the consultant’s own low self-esteem.
Lee reads several ‘value-setting’ questions that help define a project’s value, and Allan recognises that the questions are more valuable than they first appear, because they help the client realise the value of the project (and thus allow the consultant to charge appropriately).
Allan points out the necessity of knowing what your own internal costs are before you try and negotiate your services. Lee and Allan ask buyers of consultants, “is it bad economics to beat a consultant down to the lowest price?”
And Fred Zelders and Tricia weigh in over the ‘internet/Internet’ nomenclature debate.
We welcome your comments! Agree with us? Disagree? Drop your comments on this post, or send a Waxmail to ‘comments at commscafe dot com’.
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Technorati Tags: lee hopkins, allan jenkins, alan weiss
p.s. apols for the dull show note — Lee wrote these. Allan usually writes them, which proves that Allan is 15 times funnier than Lee.
To answer your question of the week - I charge by the minute - no - just joking - I am now a regular listener to your podcast - took me a while to grab your feed, but I like the Cafe, and…. one time a week, I should be able to manage that, even though I have to listen to FIR and a stack of other podcasts
Lee, now that you no longer charge by the hour, does this change your business plans? Still looking for a job in the city?