Why I stopped quoting per hour and started naming my price per piece

I used to bid every job by the hour. $50 an hour, 10 hours, $500 total. But I kept getting pushback from people saying my hours seemed too high. This one woodworker in Portland told me he just tells people the flat price for a custom table and moves on. So I tried it with logo work last fall. I quoted a flat $750 for a complete logo package instead of tracking time. The client said yes in 2 minutes. No back and forth about hours. Now I do flat fees for everything and I make more money per job. It also freed up my headspace because I stop stressing about the clock. Has anyone else dropped hourly pricing and seen better results?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_jones11d ago

The client said yes in 2 minutes" - must be nice, mine usually ghost me for 2 weeks first.

ward.diana11d ago

Oh I had one once who took three months to get back to me... then blamed ME for the delay saying I should have followed up. Like girl, I sent five emails and left two voicemails, what more do you want from me... Actually that reminds me of this other client who replied within an hour but then completely changed the entire project scope after I already started working. So maybe the short reply isn't always a blessing either...

webb.hannah10d ago

Three months is basically retirement age in client-land. At that point I assume they've moved to a different country and changed their name. Least yours gave you the decency of a ghost, mine just left me on read forever.