Unpopular opinion: I ditched the hourly rate for a project fee on my last contract

I had a client in Tampa who wanted a full website redesign, and I had to choose between my usual $75 an hour or a flat $3,500 project fee. I went with the flat fee because the scope was super clear, and it worked out great. I finished faster than I thought, so my effective hourly rate was way better, and the client loved knowing the exact cost upfront. Has anyone else had a good experience switching to project fees for certain jobs?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan27111d ago

How do you handle pricing when the project scope is really simple? I had a similar thing with a basic brochure site last month, went with a flat fee because the pages and features were all listed out. It made the whole process smoother since the client wasn't watching the clock, and I could just focus on getting it done. Finishing early felt like a nice bonus for being efficient. Locking down that scope before you start is definitely the key to making it work.

angelamurphy11d ago

Wait, you only charged $3,500 for a full website redesign? That seems crazy low to me, even for a flat fee. A proper redesign with good strategy and custom work takes so much time. I really hope the scope was locked down tight, because that price leaves almost no room for revisions or scope creep. You must have worked incredibly fast to make that hourly rate work out.

barbaradavis11d ago

Read a blog post about flat fees working best for projects with clear deliverables.