> Instead you should tell the customer that it would normally take 5, but you are able to do it in 1, so you are charging 5x (or 3x or whatever) the going rate.

> Instead you should tell the customer that it would normally take 5, but you are able to do it in 1, so you are charging 5x (or 3x or whatever) the going rate. but the problem shows up when the customer doesn't believe you when you say you're 5x faster. They compare you against another consultant, who might be cheaper, and say that you're just over charging. Therefore, you should be charging the going rate, but do it 5x faster, and have free time to take on more projects. You could also deliver earlier, and then have a charge for change requests (which invariably come).