Got told my rates were too low and it actually helped me get better clients

A few months ago I was quoting a small website build for a local bakery here in Austin. I gave them my usual price around $800. The owner said flat out, "That seems too cheap. Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I was honestly stunned. But it made me think. I realized low prices actually scared off good clients because they thought I'd do bad work or disappear. So I raised my rates to $1,500 for similar projects. Now I get fewer inquiries but the people who hire me actually respect my time and pay on time. Has anyone else had a client basically tell you to charge more?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb_bell527d ago

Did raising the price change how you talked about your work too, or did you keep the same pitch just with a bigger number?

thomas.river27d ago

Yeah, @caleb_bell5 that's a really good question. I actually had to switch up my whole pitch once I bumped the price because the old one felt dishonest with a bigger number. You can't just slap a higher price on something and act like nothing changed you know? Instead of focusing on what it does I started talking more about the experience and what it actually means for people. It forced me to get clearer on what made it worth more in the first place.

craig.parker27d ago

you can't just slap a higher price on something and act like nothing changed" - wait, that's what people actually do?? I never thought about it that way but holy crap that makes so much sense. It's wild how obvious that feels now that you say it.