Got told my flat rate for web design was too low and it hurt my pride at first

A client straight up said my $500 flat fee for a basic site felt "uncomfortably cheap" and it made me realize I was undervaluing my time. Switched to hourly after that, and my first $75/hour job took 12 hours but paid way better. Anyone else get a wake up call from a client's honest feedback on pricing?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_sage4d ago

My buddy runs a painting business and he used to charge $200 a room. One customer told him straight up "you're way too cheap, are you even using good paint?" That hit him hard. He doubled his rate. Started getting better clients who actually respected his work. Same thing happened to me with freelance audio mixing. Charged $50 a track. Client said it felt like I was a beginner. Bumped to $150. Had to learn to trust my skill level over my fear of losing customers. Your pride hurts now but that client did you a favor.

noraroberts4d agoMost Upvoted

The $50 to $150 jump on audio mixing was a solid move but I bet you could even go higher now. A lot of people mistake low prices for low quality and it sounds like you proved that to yourself twice now. Just gotta keep trusting your worth even when it feels weird at first.

hernandez.gavin3d ago

Noticed the same thing with my buddy's graphic design work, people equated price to talent right away.

laura_wilson3d ago

That thing the_sage said about people mistaking low prices for low quality really hits home. It's like how my friend stopped going to that cheap pizza place because he figured the ingredients must be bad, but he'll pay triple at a fancy spot and think it's amazing. We do it with everything, even haircuts and car repairs. That client did you a solid by being honest, it's wild how much we all tie price to trust without even realizing it.