The Freelancer’s Guide to Pricing and How Much to Charge

It’s the one question that most people new to the exciting world of freelance will ask themselves again and again: “How much should I charge clients for my services?”

When you first decide to take up a new career as a freelancer, undoubtedly the trickiest thing to settle on is the price you will charge for your services. After all, you do not want to price yourself out of the market by going too high. On the other hand, if you charge too little there is a very real danger that you may be perceived by potential clients as being cheap and unreliable. It is a dilemma faced by all freelancers, but fortunately there are a number of things you can do to help you decide on the perfect price, both for yourself and your customers.

Do Your Research

One of the first things to do when working on pricing structures is to take a look at what other freelancers in your field are charging. You don’t want to charge a lot more or a lot less than them. If you are a member of a professional organisation related to your field of expertise, you could ask them for advice on what to charge for your services.

Alternatively, you could simply scan through the pages of online forums for freelancers such as http://forums.freelanceuk.com just to give yourself an idea of what others are charging. While you would think most people would not want to reveal their freelance prices on a public forum, it is actually quite surprising what information some do reveal. Of course, by going straight to a competitor’s own website, you could easily obtain a price list anyway.

Think Like A Business Person

It is not an easy thing to change your mind-set as it relates to work and business when you first become a freelancer, particularly if you have always previously been an employee. The mistake which many people make is not taking into account the actual costs involved in producing work for clients. Materials, man-hours and even costs such as electricity all mount up. If you are not going to be making a profit after all these things are taken into consideration, then you need to revise your pricing. Successful business people only think about profits and it would serve you well as a freelancer to think along the same lines.

One thing that can save you money in the long run is investing in some freelance insurance to cover you in the event that things go wrong. There are many different options available for this but one of the most reputable on the market is insurance for freelancers from Aon.

By projecting an image of ultimate reliability and professionalism and always delivering on your promises, word of mouth will soon spread about your abilities as a freelancer in your chosen field. Ultimately, this will lead to your prices almost setting themselves as satisfied clients keep coming back for more.