Took me 10 years to realize I was pricing myself wrong on repeat projects

I used to just give the same quote every time a past client came back with work. Figured it was easier and they'd appreciate the consistency. Then last October, a guy I'd done three websites for since 2018 asked about a simple landing page. I quoted my usual $600 and he said 'that seems low, are you sure?' That's when it hit me like a brick. I had been keeping my prices flat for years while everything around me went up. Now I bump my rates at least 5% every six months and nobody has complained once. Has anyone else had that moment where a client basically told you to charge more?

3 comments

3 Comments

brooke4484d ago

The same thing happens everywhere once you start looking for it. I swear the whole economy runs on people being too scared to ask for what things are actually worth. My buddy owns a small bakery and for years he charged the same for his cakes even as flour and eggs doubled in price. He was basically paying people to eat his stuff and didn't even realize it. Once he finally bumped his prices up nobody blinked and now he actually makes money. It's like we all have this built in fear that if we ask for more people will leave but really they just respect you more when you value your own work. Even at the grocery store now I notice how they sneak things up a few cents every trip and nobody storms out over it, it's just normal.

angela7284d ago

Totally get what you're saying. It's wild how we get stuck in these habits thinking consistency is loyalty when really it's just fear of rocking the boat. That client basically handed you a permission slip to raise your rates and you took it, smart move. I had a similar thing happen when a repeat client asked for a rush job and I threw out a number that felt high, they just said "okay" without blinking. Made me realize I'd been undervaluing my time for way too long. The 5% every six months thing is smart too, it's small enough that nobody notices but it adds up fast over a few years. Once you break that mental barrier of thinking you'll lose clients by charging more, it's like a weight lifts off your shoulders.

wadejenkins4d ago

Ha, that reminds me of my buddy who runs a small handyman service. He'd been charging the same rate for like five years and was always stressing about bills. Kept saying he didn't want to lose his regulars. Then one day a guy called for a quote on a big deck repair and my buddy just blurted out a number that was almost double his usual rate. The guy said "sounds fair, when can you start?" and my buddy was just standing there with his phone in his hand like wait what. @brooke448 you're exactly right about that fear being baked into us, we just assume people will walk but mostly they don't even flinch.