Have you been worrying about how much to charge clients for the creative service you offer them? This fear comes because you are standing in the spot where you want to charge the actual value for your work and also do not want to push this client away with an over-the-budget price. Dont worry, always remember that

You cannot pay for creativity, you can only compensate. And no amount of money is too much for compensation.

1. Charge the value of the work to the client

In July 2023, a school contacted me that they needed to rebrand their logo and automate their school processes. My team and I went through the design brief and considered all the deliverables and we told them our price. The client said, “This is too expensive why should we pay that?” I went ahead and itemized the cost of not rebranding and automating the school process. Then I explained what to expect at the end of the project, the impact it will have on the school, and how it will cover the cost of the work we will do in no time. They approved it.

Clients know to a reasonable extent what they want. You have to remind them how much they need it to get them to pay for it.

If the job is an urgent one, it means you own the bargaining chip. Take a look at the following illustration. No client can have both Cheap Design, Fast design and Excellent Design at the same time. they can choose on their own.

2. Charge the value of the client

The value of the client should be proportionate to how much you are to charge. No one will expect you to charge Microsoft the same price you will charge a startup in Kenya for the same service. There is no such thing as a Flat Rate in creative services. Find out what the value of the client is and charge them according to their value. 

But then… how do you know the value of the client?

That is why you need to engage them in a conversation. Ask them questions like

What do you intend to achieve with this project?

What is your expectation from us?

Customers always have a tendency to overshare. That is your weapon!

NB: Never ask a customer what their budget is. Figure it out. Do some research. If you are ambushed, always remember you can use the words

“My team will come up with a budget for the services you want and we will get back to you”

In February 2023, a friend recommended a client dissatisfied with a previous service, urging me to deliver my best work. Pressing for the client’s background, my friend reluctantly shared a few details. Aware of the client’s uncertainty, I delved into thorough research and found the client on LinkedIn. Nevertheless, assessing the client’s true value remained ambiguous because we are not in the same country. I sought my friend’s knowledge on the value of the client, and he suggested I just go ahead and charge a fee within a reasonable budget. 

But a reasonable fee is relative. So I introduced my company’s 10% referral program to my friend and emphasized its benefits. Recognizing the potential, my friend gave out the proper value of the client, and I was able to charge the client right.

Never ask your client what their budget is. Figure it out on your own! 

Final Thoughts.

After carefully evaluating the above points, set a price and never break it. Your prices are your values. Breaking them says “I can break my values”. If you must make a compromise, cut the services they will get for the price they are asking for. You have to be confident with your price for the value you are giving.

“Never lower your price to win a client? It devalues your best client who pays in full, and rewards your bad clients who will leave for someone cheaper.”