28
votes
Accepted
How to respond to "Are your rates negotiable?"
I simply state, "Sorry. Pricing is set and rates are non-negotiable."
I haven't run into an instance where that offended anyone. I may not get the work but, if they won't pay my rates, I don't see ...
- 17.3k
24
votes
Accepted
How to know when you are a competent enough programmer to charge clients
The question really boils down to: when can I consider myself "competent" enough in a skill that I can take money for it.
And the answer is really simple: You can take money for it when someone is ...
- 3,815
11
votes
How to know when you are a competent enough programmer to charge clients
TL;DR: Fake it until you make it. Position yourself as a consultant who can solve business problems with technology. Don't just say that you are willing to learn new skills, but also prove it by ...
- 817
10
votes
Quotation not favorable (against me) to write software features
When a client asks you for fixed-price, in essence the client is asking you to absorb the risk. Unless your specs are done in mind boggling detail, the client is going to assume that anything caused ...
- 5,304
10
votes
Accepted
How do I tell a client that I'm working fewer hours because they pay me much worse than my other clients?
Simple, either raise their pricing or drop the client. It's business. There's little point in working even a few hours for less money than you could earn with another client. Businesses typically do ...
- 17.3k
9
votes
How do I estimate the cost of building an mobile app?
There is no formula for magically determining the number of hours a task will take based on complexity. Rather than agreeing to a fixed price, you might want to break your project into milestones and ...
- 5,304
8
votes
How do I estimate the cost of building an mobile app?
I'm freelancing with mobile apps now. Estimating prices has been far more difficult than the coding itself!
Time estimation
It is possible to estimate time required. Break it into a to do list. ...
- 321
8
votes
How to respond to "Are your rates negotiable?"
Any combination of:
A) We can certainly set this up as a [fixed bid/hourly contract] instead if that makes it easier for you.
B) Projects with unique requirements will, of course, entail negotiation....
- 81
7
votes
Quotation not favorable (against me) to write software features
Go hourly whenever you can. It will solve all these issues.
Then clients do want fixed-price projects and in such cases do a few things:
Add MAX number of changes you will undertake for free in ...
- 14.2k
7
votes
Should I charge the same amount while in skype call?
You should definitely charge for Skype time. You're not only being paid to write code, but help your client accomplish their goals. You are a consultant as much as you are a laborer, and the time ...
- 71
7
votes
Accepted
Should I charge the same amount while in skype call?
Short answer: depending on what role you are acting during the communication.
In the case when calls and meetings naturally belong to receiving your tasks, reporting your results (including weekly/...
- 2,004
7
votes
Accepted
How much do I charge?
First off, charge by the hour. Without knowing a great many details about your expectations for payment, level of skill, customer expectations, graphics, whatever, it's impossible to come up with an ...
- 164
6
votes
Should I charge the same amount while in skype call?
As a long-time IT consultant, I generally like to charge the same amount regardless of whether the work is done face-to-face or over Skype/video conferencing.
However, there is one situation in which ...
- 91
6
votes
New client, hourly rate negotiating-- should client still state first?
Peter MV's got some good points. State your rate. But bump it up a little higher than what you're really looking for. If the client doesn't complain, GREAT! If the client does complain, knock your ...
- 5,304
6
votes
Quotation not favorable (against me) to write software features
As Entrepreneur I cannot see the value to pay per hour.
It is exactly the opposite metric - I am interested in the work done with minimum hours spent. And freelancer paid by hours is incentivised ...
- 241
6
votes
Accepted
Time spent on requirement discussion with client
If you are spending more than an hour on the requirements, then absolutely! Remember, you are the professional, and if you are giving away free advice, they aren't going to pay!
Walk into the ...
- 6,793
6
votes
How do I tell a client that I'm working fewer hours because they pay me much worse than my other clients?
In 5 years of working with this client, your skill level has probably increased: you definitely do the same job faster than 5 years (and even a year) ago and most likely you do your job better. This (...
- 301
5
votes
New client, hourly rate negotiating-- should client still state first?
Never ever bill by the hour. It's inherently unethical, and you're leaving money on the table. I've written extensively on the rationale, which I won't post here, but you can read it here.
Summary:
...
- 306
5
votes
Accepted
How much can a specialized software engineer really make as a consultant/independent contractor?
Only answer you can get to this question is it depends what you can offer and how much this is worth to someone:
There was an engineer who had an exceptional gift for fixing all things mechanical. ...
- 66
5
votes
Accepted
How do you negotiate your fee in equity?
It all boils down to one thing, do you believe in the project?
Accepting equity is always a bet, because so many things can go wrong at every step of the startup way. The moment you accept, you are ...
- 421
5
votes
What is correct time for freelancer to increase hourly rate?
First, there is certainly no universal answer to this. There are many factors, and a fair amount of them have little to do with your work itself, and more to do with your goals, tolerance to risk, etc....
- 2,030
4
votes
What should I look at to determine whether or not I should charge by the hour or by fixed price?
Here is my Entrepreneur/Employer's perspective:
If you don't know well your client, your first goal is to build relationship of trust. In my view, the best way is to fix price a small job first, that ...
- 241
4
votes
Fixed price or per hour for a web developer?
If you don't know well your client, your first goal is to build relationship of trust. In my view, the best way is to fix price a small job first, that is easy to estimate and deliver on time.
This ...
- 241
4
votes
Accepted
What are the best practices that ensure the pay-per-hour freelancers are only paid for hours that they have actually worked?
There are monitoring software options out there.
But...
Before you go down that route, I suggest you consider two things:
If a freelancer provides a fixed bid and you agree that it is a fair price,...
- 3,815
4
votes
Quotation not favorable (against me) to write software features
My own policy is to do fixed price offers based on sufficiently detailed specifications, and announce an hourly rate for extras. When I feel the need, I also explicitly state what is not included in ...
- 1,032
4
votes
How can I get paid more despite disclosing my hourly rate?
So you'd rather lose a job than tell the client your hourly rate is higher now? You see how this looks silly when you read it.
Well, if only 1 year had passed since your last work, you could then ...
- 14.2k
4
votes
Accepted
What is correct time for freelancer to increase hourly rate?
It's up to you and there is no concrete answer to this question. Yes, you may be working for cheap money for months, but it could also be that $10 per hour is the top for your quality/expertise. You ...
- 14.2k
3
votes
How to respond to "Are your rates negotiable?"
Saying "No" is completely acceptable, and you shouldn't worry about offending the client.
There are two points not brought up in the current answers that are worth mentioning:
I remember that ...
- 131
3
votes
Accepted
Increase hourly rate in ongoing projects
If you give them prior notice of the increase (e.g. by sending them an email/letter stating something like 'Please note that from 1st June the hourly rate for maintenance will be £xx/hour') then they ...
- 146
3
votes
What are the best practices that ensure the pay-per-hour freelancers are only paid for hours that they have actually worked?
I would start with a small project to see what it's like to work with the freelancer. I have even hired multiple people to do the initial small project so I could compare them and meet multiple ...
- 1,366
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible