When you make your pitch to a potential client, you want to be very careful not to undervalue your expertise. If you are just establishing your freelance business and don’t have a whole lot of clients, it might be very tempting to offer “rock bottom” prices just to get folks in the doors. While some sort of enticing offer may help build your client portfolios, you want to be sure that your efforts don’t undermine your skills and experience.

Make a list of everything you have ever done that can be applied as experience in the field. Often times, valuable experience is overlooked and freelancers cut themselves short when it comes to calculating their income generating features.

You must do some research before coming up with your guidelines for pricing. Find out what others in the field in your area are charging. A great way to get a basis to begin calculating your own value and worth is to check out some income/rate surveys. The government bureau of labor statistics is another way to get a feel for averages. Take the averages, compare them to what you bring to the table, and go from there.

Remain assertive and confident when you calculate your own rates. As a freelancer, you do have the luxury of having the final say with what you charge, but remember not to accommodate clients at the expense of your actual value and worth.

Marketing is one of the most powerful tools needed when it comes to engineering your incoming funds.

You need to promote yourself in a light that makes clients feel that YOU are the perfect solution to their needs. YOU have the skill. YOU have the experience. YOU are the absolute only choice.

Once you have given the impression that their best option is YOU, it will be easy for you to monetize on the features that persuaded them to choose you. Ahh, the power of marketing yourself.

In order to maximize the value of what you have to offer, the client needs to understand exactly what the project will require. Break down every aspect of a project with assigned time frames and costs. This shows your involvement and validates your worth. If you are going to have to do some specific research or tasks to customize their needs, be sure to include it in your figures. That’s time on your clock and you should be paid for it. Communication between you and the client will keep them knowing they made the right choice and you are worth every penny they are spending.

Bottom line:

• Know the numbers for your field.
• Highlight your expertise and experience.
• Market yourself to its full potential and earn every dollar you’re worth.

photo credit: photomequickbooth