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Remind HN: Raise your rates

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Remind HN: Raise your rates

#1

Post by oscardelben »

With the new year coming, I think it's the right time for every freelancer to consider raising their rates.

I know this is something that most people hate to do, but we're in business and everyone of us know how hard it is to keep going at certain time.

I've found these templates very useful in my situation: http://freelancember.com/email-templates/

Don't forget that raising your rates means that you'll be able to stay in business for a longer time.

Even if your clients rejects your proposal, it's still worth trying.

What to do with the new money? Start a saving account and use it as your personal insurance for tough times, or invest them in your business to provide even more higher quality.

Re: Remind HN: Raise your rates

#3

Post by larrik »

gte910h wrote: post #2

I've found this is better to do at non-xmas times, especially when you're really busy and need fewer clients.

In my experience, customers generally expect new rates to start with your fiscal year, and Jan 1 is an obvious start to a fiscal year.

YMMV

Re: Remind HN: Raise your rates

#4

Post by mattmanser »

Those templates are awfully written and I'd do it face-to-face anyway.

I find people who drop bombshells in emails even though I see them all the time to be a particularly distasteful form of business associate.

Re: Remind HN: Raise your rates

#8

Post by gte910h »

larrik wrote: post #3
gte910h wrote: post #2

I've found this is better to do at non-xmas times, especially when you're really busy and need fewer clients.

In my experience, customers generally expect new rates to start with your fiscal year, and Jan 1 is an obvious start to a fiscal year. YMMV

Ours are set quarterly, usually to the prior quarter's prices, but more when the work load demands fewer hours. Usually contracts (which run for a <year) lock-in the rate for the quarter they're made.

Re: Remind HN: Raise your rates

#9

Post by corin_ »

larrik wrote: post #3
gte910h wrote: post #2

I've found this is better to do at non-xmas times, especially when you're really busy and need fewer clients.

In my experience, customers generally expect new rates to start with your fiscal year, and Jan 1 is an obvious start to a fiscal year. YMMV

January 1st is an obvious start to the calendar year, not the fiscal year.

In the UK the fiscal year begins in early April, and while different countries do have different starts to the fiscal year, few of them (not, for example, UK or USA) start on January 1st.

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