> I think he means that I link to some published rate metrics Depends, sometimes people mean "justify by referring to our shared project history, context, proc

> I think he means that I link to some published rate metrics Depends, sometimes people mean "justify by referring to our shared project history, context, process & logic" as opposed to business-world metrics. Which to a lot of people is more impactful for negotiating. So you could say, look. Here's what I've done on this project so far. I've made it possible to do this, that, and the other. I'm already up to speed, which took years, and I know it inside and out. I see the following benefits of working with me in the future (examples). My rate is $$$ but I'm aware that this is below industry right now, for people who can do what I do (recapped above). The last sentence would help you contextualize the impossibility or improbability of finding someone who can look at your work and tell you exactly what dollar amount you're worth on the hourly. Regardless this is really important for you from a relationship standpoint, often the unspeakable elephant in the room for business. Their response to even the sloppiest negotation you can produce will help you understand your next set of moves compared to what you thought they'd be, and that is really helpful to know. Good luck.