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These days I wet my finger and see which way the wind is blowing. That is,
I don't quote the same rate for everyone. Much depends on how interested I
am in taking on the prospects assignments. If there is too much reporting,
for example, those I tend to turn down.
I base it first on the PITA factor, if I sense there may be one (and I
generally try to avoid those relationships if at all possible).
Beyond that, I look at the prospect's website and try to gauge what I might
be able to command for my work. Those that don't question my rate are the
best clients, as they're more interested in 1) getting their assignment
completed in the most professional manner, and 2) getting it done in a
reasonably quick time frame. They're not trying to bargain hunt so long as
they sense they''re going to get their money's worth.
These are the type of clients I can usually delight to such an extent that
they give me additional work along with a glowing written recommendation.
Relationship-wise, I usually provide much more than what they had
originally envisioned.
On Wed, Sep 4, 2019 at 3:41 PM Mark Giffin <mgiffin -at- earthlink -dot- net> wrote:
> What Alan says is good advice, in my experience. But check with your tax
> people also!
>
> Mark
>
>
> On 9/4/2019 12:08 PM, Alan Houser wrote:
> > I would tend to disagree. Form an S-Corp or an LLC and pay yourself a
> > low but defensible salary. Profits are taxed at the more favorable
> > capital gains rate, and are not subject to social security/medicare tax.
> >
> > -Alan
> >
> > On 9/4/19 2:47 PM, Robert Lauriston wrote:
> >> Market. Ask freelancers who are doing similar work what they bill. Ask
> >> managers you know what they pay contractors.
> >>
> >> The "rule of thirds" makes no sense to me. If you're a self-employed
> >> freelancer, there's no difference between "salary" and "profit." You
> >> keep what you don't have to spend on expenses or taxes.
> >>
> >> There are some tax breaks that can boost your net, such as the IRS
> >> counting 58 cents a mile for work-related car travel expenses when you
> >> might actually spend less than that if you have a reliable old car.
> >>
> >> On Wed, Sep 4, 2019 at 5:08 AM Sion Lane <sion -dot- lane -at- unit4 -dot- com> wrote:
> >>> How does one go about figuring out your hourly or daily rate?
> >>> Obviously one can be derived from the other, but how do you come up
> >>> with a figure to start from?
> >
>
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