Coffee with a plumber friend made me rethink my pricing

Met up with Mike last Tuesday, he does residential plumbing. He was complaining about how he charges $150 just to show up and look at a pipe. I told him I charge $40 an hour for freelance writing and he about spit out his coffee. He said man you're selling yourself short, people pay for expertise not time. That stuck with me because I've been pricing like a beginner for 5 years now. Anyone else had a friend from a totally different trade make you realize you were undervaluing your work?

4 comments

4 Comments

sandragrant15d ago

Respectfully, charging by the hour works fine for a lot of writers. Plumbers have a different setup with parts and emergency calls mixed in. Writing is more predictable. I've raised my rates twice in five years but stayed hourly. Keeps clients happy and lets me plan my day.

juliaa6515d agoMost Upvoted

YES exactly! Hourly makes SO much sense for regular writing projects. I've been doing the same thing with my clients for years and it just works. No surprise bills for them, no panicking about how many hours I'll end up spending on a tricky section. I've had clients try to push me toward flat rates but then they get nervous about scope creep. With hourly they know exactly what they pay for and I can take the time to actually research without feeling like I'm losing money. Plus when you raise your rates gradually nobody even blinks, they just nod and say okay.

the_elizabeth15d ago

Has hourly billing ever caused a client to rush you through a project, or question the time you spent on research versus writing?

davidshah14d ago

Saw a piece that said plumbers actually do charge flat rates sometimes too.