A client wanted to pay me $100 to design a single landing page. Here’s what happened…
How much would you pay for a landing page design? The truth is, charging for design services isn’t black and white.
We’d like to think of rates based on something measurable and specific:
- Number of pages. Maybe pay per page?
- The number of hours it takes to complete it. But how much per hour?
- The energy needed to finish it (or how “easy” it is). My 14-year-old son can do it.
But here’s what most clients don’t understand: Money is energy. A business transaction is basically an exchange of energy. We exchange value.
- Nobody pays for a course based on the number of modules there is, or how many hours it takes to finish each lesson.
- There’s no standard “per minute” rate for coaching calls for all business coaches.
You get the idea. Paying for your web designer shouldn’t be approached in the same way either.
Let me tell you how we came up with $100:
Because I charged $150 for the previous project. The client thought that since it’s both a one-pager, the price should be about the same.
Yet, the first project was a simple one with 3 to 4 sections and a contact form. I also thought it was a good idea to make someone happy that day. Besides, it was a low-project month for me and I was looking for something challenging to do.
The second project needs custom programming in an interactive form that spits out a “personalized catering menu” based on the visitor’s choices.
It’s a project that I can easily charge for $400 — $500. Others will charge more depending on the technologies required.
No, it’s not just about the complexity. Complexity and the number of hours it will take are definitely factors but…
This is valuable work.
A completely bespoke solution that can take a business to greater heights and differentiate your company from the competition.
What value does this form get from its uniqueness? A good first impression. A loyal customer. Recurring revenues.
Once your developer knows the value of the work to be done, he or she will create it with that end goal in mind. Your application is designed to give users the best experience because he understands your goal and wants you to get there.
You don’t want to hire someone just to “get the job done” or just to get themselves a quick buck. Mediocre mindset leads to mediocre work. And in things like web development, mediocre work leads to disaster.
You see, there’s no one-size-fits-all rate for design work.
Knowing the value that you get will give you an educated guess if what you’re paying for is worth it or not.
You also have to see what sets one developer apart from another. Usually there’s value already included in hiring them, not just the projects they have delivered. Do they accept unlimited revisions? Do they provide customer support? Do they provide documentation?
Heck, even being friendly and patient with non-coders is already a big thing. It’s worth the price to have a bit of peace of mind!
After a bit of explaining, I decided to decline the $100 offer.
It’s not worth my time and enthusiasm in building something that was supposed to be exciting.
The client told me that if he had to pay at the hourly rate I asked, he could just charge someone from his country. He’s free to do so, to be honest. By turning him down, I’m actually saving us both time.
If he believes the value of what I deliver isn’t worth my rate, then I don’t think I’ll have to work on it. Besides, I’m done working on projects that don’t make a difference.
And lastly, don’t base your offer rate based on where your developer is from.
It’s tempting to pay too low. Besides, $100 can get your developer a 3-night stay in a 3-star beachfront hotel somewhere in the Philippines. Or a full week’s rent.
Sounds like Slavery 2.0 to me.
Smart freelancers don’t work for the bills, or for a month’s worth of groceries. The best ones work in order to scale — so they can invest in advancing in their career, learning more and growing their business.
I’ve met people from India who do social media marketing work for $300 a month but I also met others from the same country charging $1000 — $2000. Sometimes more.
The difference lies in the value.
Some companies charge people just to fill their Facebook with daily shared posts and maybe an occasional custom post — just for the sake of being seen as “active”. Others use these low-price services to create several groups they can potentially monetize from. Neither of these brings in much return.
Other companies take content marketing seriously and hire someone who understands the “Marketing Journey” and create content that really speaks to their audience. They hire people to plan and implement social media strategies that ultimately lead people to purchase their product.
Both jobs deliver the same number of posts per day, per month. Yet the other is being paid more than double.
That’s value in action.
Key Takeaways:
- A transaction is an exchange of value.
- Knowing the value that you get from the finished product will give you an educated guess if what you’re paying for is worth the price
- A freelancer who understands the value of what he’s delivering will work on the project with that end goal in mind — as long as he’s paid fairly
- It’s only fine to pay cheap if the work isn’t transformational in any way. It might be best to just do it yourself. It’s a waste of their profession to hire a professional.
- Pricing your rate based on where the freelancer lives is pure bullshit and racist. Sure, outsourcing from overseas can be cheaper, but you shouldn’t base it on their cost of living
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