Avoid Uncompensated Job Expansion
OK, that’s a just a fancy way to say, when a client is asking you to do something new, or something a little outside your normal job description, don’t miss the chance to bump up your salary or hourly rate.
I see this all the time, especially with freelancers. A good client comes to them with a new project that involves writing a lot of new content for their Website. This is a great chance to quote a slightly higher rate. If asked about it I just say something like this:
“That’s my rate for Web Content Development. Writing for the Web requires a somewhat different skill set, is aimed at an audience who is usually less technical in nature, and I find the review cycles to be much longer and more in depth, so I charge a slightly higher rate.”
It’s usually a quick negotiation, either that accpet the rate or not. It’s not worth losing a good client over it, but it never hurts to ask.
Something else I’ve done with great success is to use an old marketing trick of showing them a discounted price. In the quote I send, I’d show them a much higher hourly rate for “Web Content Development,” and then I’d apply a “Best Client Discount” that brings the price way down to just a little bit more than I was already making. This way they think they are getting a deal!
Whether you are a freelancer or on salary, you need to constantly be on the lookout for ways to increase your rate. There are only so many hours in the day, if you want to make more money, you need to find a way to increase your hourly rate.
