A client says yes quickly.
You got the deal!
And instead of feeling smart or relieved or excited to get started, you feel…
Surprisingly a little bummed.
Because somewhere underneath that yes is the feeling that you said the wrong number.
And you kinda knew it too…
But you needed the yes.
So you made a very common freelancing mistake and priced for the yes, and not for the project.
You defaulted to whatever number felt least likely to scare someone off.
Which is almost always too low.
Ultimately, the client suffers for it.
Because when you low-ball an offer, you skimp a little on the effort.
The money stopped feeling worth the time, and the client gets maybe 80% of what you're actually capable of.
The result is fine but not remarkable.
And the costs of this continue to compound →
Maybe you don't get the referral you would've gotten if you'd had margin to do your best work.
What could have been a great case study is just an OK one.
The testimonial they give you is generic and just says “Great to work with!”
Underpricing has a way of showing up in every aspect of your freelance career, which is why it’s so important to fix it sooner rather than later…
That’s why I’m hosting a live, hands-on workshop all about how to price for sales (and still make bank even in this economy) on June 8th →
We’re covering all things pricing, like:
How to stop discounting your rates when a client says: “We don’t have that in the budget.” or “We've done this in the past for less."
Steps to replacing your hourly billing with fixed-price, value-based offers
What it takes to start quoting 3x your previous rates & still land deals without negotiating
The best time and conditions for raising your rates with current clients
How to calculate the exact number (down to the dollar) to put on each proposal + a cool tool to help you
Bad pricing compounds.
But so does good pricing…
Fix it once, and every yes from here pays what the work is actually worth.
Best,
Jamie
