Don’t Be Afraid to Price High: March Wrap-Up

It’s been a little while since I’ve written a monthly wrap-up, but March has been an eventful month for me!

This month was all about forcing myself out of my comfort zone, and as scary as that is, I think it’s really starting to pay off.

I’ve learned a lot about myself as a business owner and a writer, and some of those lessons are just begging to be shared.

 

Lessons Learned – Pricing Your Services

Earlier this month, I read a great article on Carol Tice’s Make a Living Writing about pricing your services – something that is always scary for every freelancer! One of the points the writer made was that pricing high can actually be a good strategy because:

1. Clients will try to haggle you down, and if you can lower your price while still getting your expected rate, both you and the client will be happy; and
2. Dirt-cheap prices don’t make you look desirable.

 I was approached by a new client this month to write a fair amount of content for their new website. I said yes and, because I was feeling brave from all my reading, quoted them a rate that was almost 30% higher than what I normally charge. I expected them to haggle me down to something more like my standard fee, which would have been fine.

To my surprise, the client emailed me back accepting the rate immediately! “It’s slightly higher than we expected,” the email confirming the contract said. “But your portfolio is so impressive that we know it will be worth it.”

Talk about a confidence boost!

Now all I have to do is overdeliver (I’m expecting to get the whole project to the client a week earlier than promised) and I have a potential long-term relationship at a 30% higher rate than any other!

So the next time you’re asked your prices, don’t be afraid to quote high – you might be surprised how well it works out.

Being Bold – Blogging My Writing Process

Now that I’ve started my new novel, I’ve decided to keep myself on track by posting my progress here. It’s absolutely scary to put myself out there like that, but the accountability is already working. If you need some motivation to move forward on your own projects (or just want to see how that crazy process works) you can follow along!

Recommended Resources

I’ve been doing a lot of reading on marketing and business management, and I recently registered for Seth Godin’s Modern Marketing Workshop. It’s fascinating so far, and has given me a lot to think about. I highly recommend it to anyone with a business!

Around the Web

1. Congrats to Cat from Budget Blonde who recently gave birth to twins! I can’t wait until she starts sharing some pictures.
2. Joanna from The Creative Penn has a great article on the benefits of using Scrivener, which I am myself beginning to love very deeply.
3. Need some new ideas for where to find jobs? Jennifer at All Indie Writers has recently added several new high-paying markets to her database.
4. I recently got active on Google+, and I’ve already found some wonderful, helpful connections. Come say hi!

All Auditions, All the Time

Late winter is when most theatres cast for the following season, which means I’ve been on an adrenaline roller coaster for weeks as I run from audition to audition. Like any other kind of freelancing, acting is a numbers game; I generally think of it as 1 job for every 15 auditions. And like any other kind of freelancing, you are never not looking for work, because each gig only lasts so long.

I’ve got my fingers crossed for good news soon, but in the meantime, I’m probably at another audition while you’re reading this.

That’s it for me — how did March go for you? Any ups, downs, or surprises?

I’d love for you to share in the comments!