…the moment one commits oneself,
then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one
that would otherwise have never occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
of unforeseen incidents and meetings,
and material assistance
which no man could have dreamt would have come his way

Same thing.

PB

What is it with this? I am not one prone to “woo woo” metaphysical philosophy; I’m about as pragmatic and down to earth as they come … and yet I have seen this proven out in my own career, and in all my copywriter friends’ careers as well. It’s as if your fist is clenched so tightly holding on to those low paying gigs (because you fear not having enough income) that your hand is not open to receive something better.

Peter, I think in your first book you talk about the phenomenon of getting active and marketing yourself when the flow of incoming work is looking a little thin … and poof! Immediately, the starts ringing with gigs – and yet, those gigs don’t necessarily come from the avenues you were reaching out to in your marketing.

Hey, I can’t figure out why it works that way. But for some reason, it does. Positive action brings positive results, even if those results come from an entirely different quarter.

As I look back at my career (sales, management, and now copywriting & consulting) I can’t think of ONE instance where staying within my comfort zone was the best option. In fact, I don’t recall making bold move after bold move, taking one calculated risk after another.

Instead I think, “If I knew then what I know now…I would have taken more chances. I would have spoken out more. I would have tried harder.”

Don’t get me wrong. I have taken risks and I have made bold moves. Many of them. In fact, the success Peter mentioned in his blog post above came to me as a result of thinking big and taking chances. But these aren’t the first things that come to mind as I look back at my career. What comes to mind are all the safe bets I made — how much I short-changed myself.

To me, is a constant reminder that I need to step out of my comfort zone even more. And when it comes to pricing, I think we can all be a bit bolder from time to time. I know it’s hard, especially it feels like you have a lot riding on the project. But try it on the next project. You might just surprise yourself.

I do offer a “non-profit/educational” rate — but even that is about $10-15/hour higher than what I thought one organization was going to be able to pay me. It’s steady, interesting work, and I really like the people I work with. Plus, there’s never any quibbling about my invoices and they always get paid on time.

One thing I find hard is that my regional market seems to pay lower than average. So my hourly rate (which is only $65/hour) seems to make a lot of people balk. I much prefer quoting flat rates, with specific parameters for a project and the caveat that I bill hourly at $65/hour for anything outside of the clearly defined project scope or for ongoing work.

On the other hand, not every client thinks $65/hour is too high and the ones that I enjoy working with most, don’t seem to mind it at all.

And Alan, you are TOO kind. Just doing what I do, but I’ll take the compliment… And YOU go get more money…

PB

Bingo, Mike! We gather ’round Peter’s e-salons because he’s the Philosopher King of FLCW, the Zen Master of living well by working well.

Seriously, so many of the mantras he and we share do apply beyond the keyboard:
* Be prepared.
* Have confidence.
* Build alliances.
* Set and meet high standards.
* Insist on fair, ethical behavior.

Back on topic now, I also apply Eileen’s first approach point in Comment 1:

When the plate is full and the sked stuffed, rates rise . . .
. . . which typically means evenings or weekends fill with more-rewarding production that boosts the bottom line along with respect (mine AND the client’s, as others have noted).

So yeah, might be time to heed Peter’s inner whispers and notch up the figures during regular hours, too . . .

My very first client is one who got a ridiculously low rate on editing. (I was new and had no idea what to charge, so I played it too safe.) He was great about passing my name around, but it ended up being passed to other people who expected the same low rate.

On the one hand, you’re flattered to be getting referrals. On the other hand, you’re trapping yourself into a cycle of low-paying jobs.

By contrast, I once got a referral from a colleague who charged a healthy amount for her services. So the person getting the referral and calling me was used to more realistic prices. When _that_ person referred me to someone else, he also expected to pay a higher fee.

When I considered those two experiences, it struck me how important it was to associate myself with clients who are willing to pay a fair and healthy price for my services because they will talk to other people. And the people they talk to tend to be in similar positions in terms of what they expect to pay freelancers.

It’s probably not too unlike life in general… we’re most comfortable hanging around people who are like us or share certain values. I believe a lot of people in business operate the same way.

James, I know it can feel that way sometimes. But I’m telling you, and many would agree with me, the day you stop working for $35 an hour because you’ve decided to upgrade the quality of your clients, is the day that you’ll start getting better clients who truly value what you bring to the table – and will pay you well. AND the quicker you’ll get yourself out of that job you love so much… You’ve already proven that you CAN earn $75, which by definition, means that there are other clients who will pay you those rates.

Graham, I think there’s a lot of truth to what you say. Clients DO want to work with the best. But, obviously, many clients DO have to be budget-conscious. By the same token, in my experience, if the client has money, their desire to get the job done competently and expeditiously the first time will always trump cost. They KNOW that you get what you pay for, and you don’t get what you don’t pay for, and they don’t have the time to screw around. The clients that focus on price are, frankly, the ones you don’t want to deal with.

And thanks for the plug, Anne!

PB

btw, the link isn’t working in firefox…