When beginning designers ask me for advice, I always recommend: “Charge more for your work!” This advice will bring clients of higher quality your way, which will not only give you the chance to work on high-quality projects, but also protects you from bad clients that are trying to rip you off.
You can reduce the rip off quote but not get it to zero
Some clients will rip you off, this is just part of the game. But the more I charge for my work, the more I attract clients that are of high quality. These clients are less likely to steal money from me, as they value my work and want to establish long lasting business relationships with me.
In the beginning, I worked for a couple of bucks to get my feet wet in the freelancing industry. And, thanks to low rates, I attracted low-quality clients. Around fifty percent of them tried to get a discount, bully me into accepting deadlines I wasn’t comfortable with, or deliver extras for free on top.
If that wasn’t enough, around ten percent of my clients didn’t pay on time, tried to renegotiate rates after the job was done, or completely rejected to pay and answer my messages at all. I learned to live with that quote.
There is no full protection from rip-off clients
You can try to protect yourself. You can use freelance platforms that function as a third party offering you payment security. You can only work after written agreements have been established. And you can hire a lawyer to give you legal protection.
But in the end, there is no chance to get 100 percent security, as some clients always find loopholes in contracts, disappear overnight from the internet, create fake accounts on freelance platforms, or simply never reply to your messages.
As bad as it is, we as designers need to live with it. I calculate around two percent of my income getting lost because of rip-off clients. And, no matter, how high-quality your clients become, this quote seems to come close to reality.
Charge more for your work
Higher rates will not only bring clients of higher quality your way, it also creates a safety net for paying the bills.
Let’s say, you just started out, designing logos for twenty-five bucks each. You need at least 100 clients each month to make a living. Now assume that ten percent of these clients are of low-quality. This means that $250 of your income is in question monthly. This can be half your rent, the car loan rate, or the invoice of your weekly shopping tour. In general, you must lower your lifestyle with only $2,250 compared to $2,500 somehow.
Now let us assume, you’ve reached a higher level in the industry and you charge $250 per logo design. You don’t get 100 clients a month anymore, but twenty-five clients are still the monthly average. That is $6,250 of income. Even if you still have ten percent of your income in question, you can basically live the same lifestyle with $5,625 compared to $6,250.
Charge more, is a always good advice. Try it out for yourself.