24
Tried that "just raise your rates" advice everyone gives and lost my biggest regular gig
After reading it nonstop on here, I bumped my hourly from $50 to $65 for a video editing client I'd worked with for 2 years. I sent a polite email explaining my costs went up, and he just said "okay, we'll go with someone else" without even countering. That's $1,200 a month gone, just like that. Guess I learned that blanket advice doesn't apply when you're in a niche with tons of competition. Anybody else have that advice backfire on them?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
vera_green6921d ago
Oof, been there. I once raised my cat-sitting rates by $5 and a client told me they could literally just get a neighbor kid for free. Like cool, good luck with that when Mittens needs insulin shots. It's almost like generic advice doesn't account for the fact that some of us work in markets where undercutters are lurking behind every bush. Hope you land something better soon!
6
morganl7120d ago
People really love to act like experience and reliability mean nothing until their pet has an emergency and the neighbor kid is Googling what to do. The "free neighbor kid" argument is the oldest trick in the book, like cool, enjoy your discount childcare for your cat I guess. Hope that person realizes they're paying for peace of mind, not just a warm body.
2
margaretc4220d ago
Not sure it's always that serious though, @morganl71. A neighbor kid can handle a basic cat visit just fine. Not everybody has a pet that needs needles or special care, you know? Sometimes people just want someone to scoop litter and fill a bowl, and a kid can do that. It's like getting upset that someone buys store brand soda instead of the fancy craft stuff.
2