Comments on: How to Succeed in Freelancing: Say No to Low Pay

By: 10 Freelancer Mistakes that Damage Your Success

10 Freelancer Mistakes that Damage Your Success — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 08:50:13 +0000

[...] Most clients want to pay less, not more. If you want to make it as a freelancer, avoid falling into the trap of low wages or letting them haggle you down – unless you only want to add to your experience and money [...]

By: The Pricing Mistake You Won’t Recover From | The Mogul Mom

The Pricing Mistake You Won’t Recover From | The Mogul Mom — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:00:23 +0000

[...] Yes, there is a way to compete without discounts. Yes, there is a way to say no to low pay. [...]

By: Lisa Kerr

Lisa Kerr — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:16:13 +0000

Thanks for the post! It seems like every freelance gig out there is either an “unpaid internship” or really below budget for me to take.

By: Man in Toronto

Man in Toronto — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:36:23 +0000

Overseas tricksters are hurting every market, including this one. I am sometimes amazed at how people will sacrifice quality for low prices, even when the quality is so low it hurts their business.
.-= Man in Toronto´s last blog ..Site Load Speed Effects Ranking it is Official! =-.

By: Simon Townley

Simon Townley — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:28:47 +0000

Charge more: people only value what they pay for.
.-= Simon Townley´s last blog ..Scribe – the SEO tool for writers =-.

By: Christa

Christa — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:15:04 +0000

If someone has a strong profile he can easily get the amount he asks for .But for a newbie like me who is going to offer me work if don’t lower down the price initially.Isn’t it wise to keep the price low initially and then raise it gradually with more experience.Thanks

By: Bothersome Words

Bothersome Words — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:25:40 +0000

Some great points here. I think when you freelance it is so easy to fall into the trap of taking low rates because you think you’re “just getting started” – even if you might have YEARS of in-house experience; or because low rates seem to be the norm. That point that your actual skills have value is something everyone should remember. But I think it is very important to know your market as well.

In my industry, in my country, everyone knows the rates are low. There is a push to get those rates sorted and part of that involves freelancers, including me, not accepting low rates. While I do have a mental cut-off point, rate-wise, I need to know when to pick my battles. If I went to certain parts of my industry and declared I was worth $x, however true it may be, they wouldn’t laugh, they might even agree, but they wouldn’t hire me. Such rates aren’t figured into their budgets.
I happen to LOVE working in that sector and them’s the breaks (for now) so I’ll take it. Over time, though, I have worked out which sectors DO allow me to charge what I am worth so I can balance out my income that way.

By: pamela wilson

pamela wilson — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:15:01 +0000

Fair point James. My comment was aimed more at the situation of comparing apples with apples. Naturally, there will always be variances in rates depending on country, experience, skill, etc. But, if we isolate it to just our own local jurisdiction (i.e. Australia for me) and we consider that if we are skilled and experienced enough to be dictating reasonable rates, then at this point I feel that it is important not only for ourselves as individuals to charge the appropriate fee, but important to send a message to industry publishers that that is what we – as individuals and a collective group – are worth.
.-= pamela wilson´s last blog ..Going for the kill on fees =-.

By: James

James — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:12:43 +0000

@Pamela – I believe there’ll always be varying rates and a wide range between different freelancers/skill levels/locations. I’ll never “grrr” about someone in Russia charging much less than I do, if that person is charging what he feels is a fair wage for his location and it does well for him. Who am I to say that my Canadian rates are better/more important/should be followed?

So, I do think it’s more up to us to get used to the fact that there *are* no industry standards until the world shares one single economy and dollar value across the board.

@Shane – I’d personally be against doing that, because it essentially doesn’t justify the rate you charge to clients based on skill level, abilities and results you can get them. It only justifies a rate as far as your financial need. Make sense?

I do sit down and say, “I’d like X a month to live comfortably.” Then I say, “What do I need to do to make that happen?” And I go after it

@Adam – Hoy! You came! That’s so cool

I agree. The more experience you have, the more skills you have, the more results you can get, the more reputation for quality you have, the more you should charge in accordance.

@Stacy – Duly noted, and I shall indeed remind you

By: pamela wilson

pamela wilson — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:48:40 +0000

This has even bigger implications in that it helps set industry standards. Freelancing is unregulated and we are all alone as solo operators. The only way to ensure the publishers pay appropriate prices is if they come to expect that that is the industry standard. If they know they can get someone else to do the work for half the price, they will.
.-= pamela wilson´s last blog ..Going for the kill on fees =-.