One of the hot questions that always inspires a debate is on the topic of pricing for freelancers: Should you post prices on your web site?
Writer, Alison Harrison, sent me her CFC notes and in it she kept track of how the various speakers from this year's conference answered the question:
- Shane Pearlman of Modern Tribe posts a minimum project size but not the full range
- Big Duck (Sarah Durham) uses pricing on the website as a filtering tool – so if you have insufficient work and therefore don’t need to filter, you may not need it
- Mark O’Brien – Newfangled.com has sample project sizes – this is the kind of website you get for $25000, $50,000 etc.
But what about freelancers? I agree with Sarah Durham, when it comes to pricing for freelancers:
- If you need work and can't afford to turn people away without talking to them in real time, don't post prices.
- If you are wasting time on prospects who can't afford you and need your web site to weed them out so you can pursue the ones you really want, then you definitely should post prices.
Do you agree?
Here's a related blog post on what to say when a prospect just wants a price or to know your hourly rate.
And if you're not sure if you're pricing right in the first place, get tips from the experts and worksheets to figure out your actual numbers in the Marketing Mentor Pricing Bundle.
Agreed! On my current site, I don't post pricing, but when the new one is unveiled (this month - fingers crossed), there will be some case studies. This will hopefully curb some shoppers and let them organize themselves before contacting me.
I do not post prices on the internet, but I do present prices to prospective clients when I meet them. I try to be upfront with my pricing yet inform the client that prices are negotiable. I have found that this is an easier sell.