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10:59 am
June 25, 2013
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ayoungpro
| | Lehi, UT | |
| Member | posts 184 | 
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Hello everyone,
I am working on starting some freelancing services on my blog (writing, job search consulting, etc). I have a few logistical questions as I have never attempted anything like this before. If anyone is willing to answer the questions either here or by emailing me (ayoungproblog@gmail) it would be much appreciated. Here are the questions:
- How do you determine pricing?
- How do you accept payment?
- How do you ensure that you collect payment?
- How do you ensure client satisfaction? (do you offer revisions or things of that nature)
- How do you protect both yourself and your client?
- Any other suggestions that you may have for someone just starting out freelancing.
Thanks!
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6:02 am
June 26, 2013
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Edward Antrobus
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Pricing is always something I've struggled with. There are two schools of thought. The first is to charge what you would be willing to pay (note, if you are cheap, like I am, this isn't a very good idea). The second is to find out what others doing the same thing are charging and charge a similar amount.
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2:30 pm
June 26, 2013
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ConsumerFu
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Nick, pricing can be the hardest part of being a freelancer. First, if you want to charge a professional rate you need to have a body of work that backs up your rate. Be willing to start small until you have a portfolio that shows you deserve the higher rate. You can use your blog posts and the piece from Yahoo to start. Yours was one of the first blogs I stumbled across in this genre and I've always enjoyed your voice, so I am certain you have some solid pieces you can use to start off.
Decide what type of writing. If you feel you have the research skills and proper voice include articles on the list, but honestly you can make decent money writing blog posts and those are so much more fun because you get to show a little personality.
I think most people who hire freelancers will pay you through Paypal. I get some of my clients through a service called Elance. I've done very well there, but then I have been a professional writer for a while and have a professional portfolio. That makes a difference. They get a small cut of my pay, but I always get paid on time for the work I do and can transfer to my bank account for no fee.
Yes, you offer revisions. There will be rare times when a client will take advantage of that, but it is rare.
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1:26 am
June 27, 2013
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The College Investor
| | San Diego, CA | |
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My theory, and it worked in practice, but you have to decide for yourself.
Price low to start, build a client base, develop solid relationships, prove yourself.
Once you start to get a steady stream of business, raise your rates for new customers (even try to go silly high and see what happens). If the business still increases, you'll eventually have to reach out to existing customers and raise rates, but if they're happy with the services, they'll stick around and pay more.
Just keep repeating the cycle over time until you find the sweet spot.
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7:32 am
June 27, 2013
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ayoungpro
| | Lehi, UT | |
| Member | posts 184 |
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Thank you all for your advice. I don't know about you, but to me starting a freelancing business is very nerve-wracking!
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12:26 pm
June 27, 2013
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AverageJoe
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I love The Well-Fed Writer. It's a great book for freelancers.
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4:37 pm
June 27, 2013
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Barbara Friedberg
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I've freelanced a bit. As long as you get a link back to your site, you can adjust your pricing.
As the others have said, build up your authority and portfolio. Your price will go up as well. Negotiate and see what you can get. It's not unusual for some sites to pay as low as $10 to $15 and others to go up a lot.
You need a reputation to command large pay.
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6:16 pm
June 27, 2013
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sooverthis
| | Kentucky | |
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Here's a really great free ebook about pricing… It has changed the way I run my business. (link)
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8:09 am
June 29, 2013
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ayoungpro
| | Lehi, UT | |
| Member | posts 184 |
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Thanks guys, I will definitely check those books out.
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7:12 am
July 17, 2013
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awealthofcommonsense
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If you are willing to spend some money to get your side projects going, I would recommend checking out the Earn1k program at iwillteachyoutoberich.com. Ramit covers all of these topics and he is super smart with tactics as well as getting into your customer's head.
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8:11 am
July 17, 2013
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This That And The MBA
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andrea that is a great ebook. Thank you for showing me that!!!
Have a great day
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