3 ms·

as a freelancer on the side, myself, i'd say that you should consider asking him if he would be willing to scale back his hourly rate the more hours he works on

by noodle 18y ago

as a freelancer on the side, myself, i'd say that you should consider asking him if he would be willing to scale back his hourly rate the more hours he works on your project or the more hours you can guarantee him contractually. i do this, as if i have a longer-term, solid project to work on, i know i'll have that committed income stream, so i can afford to charge less since i know i won't be having a dry spell.

witten 18y ago
Out of curiosity, what's the number of hours at which this discount kicks in?
- bjclark 18y ago
  For me, it was usually something like, guaranteed 40hr/week for 4 weeks or just paying for 80 hours up front. So, instead of working for someone for 2 weeks, and then getting paid, I was already paid and thus knew I had a 2 week bubble should something end the project. Sort of like, first, last, and a deposit when it comes to rent, but for a freelancer.
- noodle 18y ago
  it really depends on the situation and the individual contractor. in general, though, if you can offer at least 20 hours/wk for a period of more than just one week, try making a deal. the more hours you can offer, the better deal can be negotiated. also, especially in situations like this, be nice/good to them. if you're easy to work for, that'll be a good influence in your favor.
bjclark 18y ago
This is spot on. If you know he's your guy, offer him $$ up front or guaranteed billable hours per week for a lower rate. As a former freelancer for 10 years, I'd often dropped my rate if I was guaranteed $$ or hours.
iamdave 18y ago
So far I'm liking this option the best, thanks for all the feedback. I'll be talking with the co-owner this week and we'll come to an agreement or compromise.
mdakin 18y ago
I think there is a generalization here worth mentioning-- you need to understand what your contractor actually wants and figure out the best incentive for him. For example I value being able to work multiple jobs at the same time and/or on my own stuff. This implies when I give people a deal on a rate I give them a LOWER rate for the FIRST X hours and then the rate goes up after X. The client is happy because he knows he's getting a deal for the first X hours but more hours are always available if needed albeit at a higher rate. I try to make the average rate over 40 hours a slight deal for the client. This strategy seems to make clients happy as they wind up with a real deal on the first X hours. And I get diversity/freedom. Everyone wins.
Tichy 18y ago
That seems common, but somehow I always feel exactly the opposite way: the longer the project, the more money I would like to get. After all, I am giving away lots of options for better opportunities that might come up. Sort of like if you invest your money, you can expect a higher interest if you "freeze" it for a longer timespan. What I personally would be willing to lower my rate for would be the chance to learn something new or do something especially interesting. So far this has never happened in my consulting life, though.

by noodle 18y ago

witten 18y ago

Out of curiosity, what's the number of hours at which this discount kicks in?

bjclark 18y ago
For me, it was usually something like, guaranteed 40hr/week for 4 weeks or just paying for 80 hours up front. So, instead of working for someone for 2 weeks, and then getting paid, I was already paid and thus knew I had a 2 week bubble should something end the project. Sort of like, first, last, and a deposit when it comes to rent, but for a freelancer.
noodle 18y ago
it really depends on the situation and the individual contractor. in general, though, if you can offer at least 20 hours/wk for a period of more than just one week, try making a deal. the more hours you can offer, the better deal can be negotiated. also, especially in situations like this, be nice/good to them. if you're easy to work for, that'll be a good influence in your favor.

bjclark 18y ago

This is spot on. If you know he's your guy, offer him $$ up front or guaranteed billable hours per week for a lower rate. As a former freelancer for 10 years, I'd often dropped my rate if I was guaranteed $$ or hours.

iamdave 18y ago

So far I'm liking this option the best, thanks for all the feedback. I'll be talking with the co-owner this week and we'll come to an agreement or compromise.

mdakin 18y ago

I think there is a generalization here worth mentioning-- you need to understand what your contractor actually wants and figure out the best incentive for him. For example I value being able to work multiple jobs at the same time and/or on my own stuff. This implies when I give people a deal on a rate I give them a LOWER rate for the FIRST X hours and then the rate goes up after X. The client is happy because he knows he's getting a deal for the first X hours but more hours are always available if needed albeit at a higher rate. I try to make the average rate over 40 hours a slight deal for the client. This strategy seems to make clients happy as they wind up with a real deal on the first X hours. And I get diversity/freedom. Everyone wins.

Tichy 18y ago

That seems common, but somehow I always feel exactly the opposite way: the longer the project, the more money I would like to get. After all, I am giving away lots of options for better opportunities that might come up. Sort of like if you invest your money, you can expect a higher interest if you "freeze" it for a longer timespan. What I personally would be willing to lower my rate for would be the chance to learn something new or do something especially interesting. So far this has never happened in my consulting life, though.