Thursday, December 29, 2011

Give Yourself a Raise in 2012

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pI really liked a href="http://mashable.com/2011/12/19/freelance-raise-rates/"this article on Mashable.com?s business page/a about giving yourself a raise in 2012. With the economy being what it is (and has been), the thought of raising your freelancing rates might make your heart rate increase and sweat collect on your forehead. Before you go ballistic, ask yourself this question: when was the last time you a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/money/setting-rate-experience-based/"adjusted your rates/a? If it was a decade ago?it?s time to give yourself a raise./p
pWhether you are a writer, photographer, or graphic designer, you need to make sure your current freelancing rates match your abilities./p
blockquotepWith the rise of the Freelance or Gig Economy, more professionals are shifting from full-time positions to self-employed, freelance or contract roles. And often, for company employees accustomed to regular raises and pre-determined fee hikes, the notion of being in charge of one?s own prices is challenging. em?Nellie Akalp for Mashable /em/p/blockquote
pHow long have you been in business? If you are still charging the a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/freelance-writing/beginning-freelance-writer/#more-20311"same low rates you started out with/a to get your foot in the door, you are a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/freelancing-essentials/failing-freelance-career/#more-20999"shooting yourself in that same foot/a./p
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pTake a look at your client list. How long have you been working with them at your current rate? What have you learned and what skills have you acquired since you first started working with them? You are providing more value today than you were five years ago, so raising your rates?even a little?makes perfect sense./p
h3How do you do it without freaking your clients out?/h3
pStart with a small increase?this Mashable article suggests an increase of 10-15%. Let your current clients know that you are already using this rate with new clients and be sure to give them enough time to digest your new pricing before hitting them with a higher invoice. Don?t be open to a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/the-25-challenge-become-a-negotiation-ninja/"negotiations/a?you?ll just get yourself into a pickle. Be firm./p
pDon?t feel like raising the rates of your existing clients? Raise the rates for each new client until you get used to charging more. Then, when you?re ready, you can talk to your existing clients about raising their rates to match your new client rates./p
pIf you lose clients over your rate increase, don?t take it personally. If you choose the rate increase wisely, your clients will take your increase in stride./p
blockquotepIn the majority of cases, clients will accept reasonable increases with relative ease. However, be prepared for a client or two to walk away rather than accept your new rates. If you?re confident with the value you deliver, don?t worry about the clients who walked. Most likely, those clients weren?t the best fit anyway. It?s best to move on to bigger and better things. em?Mashable/em/p/blockquote
pThe main thing to remember is to be confident about your new rate. Do your homework and find out what other freelancers are charging for their services. Find out what the going rate for your work is in the areas where your clients are located. A client based in New York City might be more comfortable with your rate increases than someone in, say, rural Nebraska./p
pAbove all, a href="http://freelanceswitch.com/blog/explore/pricing-your-services/"make your rates fair/a. Charge what you are worth, even if it makes you uncomfortable. As a freelancer, you don?t have a boss to give you a raise, and your clients aren?t going to offer to pay you more ?just because?, I assure you! There is no time like the beginning of a new year to implement changes?so what are you waiting for?/p
pHave you recently raised your rates? How did you handle the situation?/p
pemPhoto credit: a title="Attribution License" href="http://photodune.net/wiki/support/legal-terms/licensing-terms/"Some rights reserved/a by a href="http://photodune.net/item/money-bar/1107720"xilius/a/em./p
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