What to charge?

[Logan]

Hi all,

This is my first post here and I'm going to get right down to biz.
I'm not sure what to charge for various services I'm offering to my market(local business/Realtors/etc.).
for example:
*yellow page ads
*space ads
*brochures
*lead gen direct mail

I live in one of the wealthiest areas of the country (an NYC subburb) and want to be sure I'm getting what I'm worth. Business owners here are fairly savvy, yet I see some pretty shoddy advertising.

If anyone has any insight into fee structure I'd love to read your thoughts.

Thanks,
Logan

[John Newtson]

Hey Logan,

The great resource to get you oriented on fee structures is Chris Marlow's Freelance Copywriter's Rates and Fee Survey

I'm sure you'll find it useful.

Hope that helps,
John

[jleister]

Logan,

You're not charging for services... You're charging for results.

No one wants yellow page ads, they don't want space ads...

They want sales... They want profits. They want a way to stop worrying about how they're going to pay the monthly bill for the car lease they're stuck in...

So you charge what the market will bear. You don't charge what everyone else is charging.

How much will the market bear?

That depends on how much value you deliver.

If you're asking what to charge, that's a sign you probably need to work on your self confidence more than your copywriting skills.

At least it was for me. And there's nothing wrong with that. Provided you do something about it.

Here's the deal...

If you want to be like everyone else, charge like everyone else.

If you want to be different. Do something different. Charge different.

People will either think you're crazy or ask you for more info. They'll ask you to explain why you charge more, double or triple more than anyone else.

And that's your opening to really deliver the goods. To explain to them... to show them you know what you're doing.

Why climb the ladder when you can just leapfrog right to where you want to be?

Trust me, it works.

And if you can deliver, it will keep on working.

Life is too short to play it safe.

Good luck!

[Logan]

Thanks John and Jason.
Helpful indeed.