assumptions will f@%k you riiiight up [idgaf 012]

Wassup Reader,

I made SO MANY mistakes when I first started in web design. Like holy shit, SOOO many.

And looking back, it kinda made sense that I would. All my experience up until that point was in sales and business services.

I had no idea how the creative industry worked, so I'd make assumptions based on the limited info I could get from other people. But sometimes those assumptions didn't go so well for me.

ps. I'm trying to see if I can do a "concise" email, so I've forced myself to keep this one short and punchy. Kinda like my 4 year old when she's angry.

There was this guy Dan (name not changed cause idgaf), who everyone said was "the man" for websites in my area. A biz friend who knew him said his minimum fee was $6k, so if I made sure my minimum fee was less than that, I'd win plenty of work.

I assumed this guy was coding his sites (which takes ages), while I was "cheating" by using a page builder, so I had to be less, right?

So... I priced my basic sites at an easy $2k a pop, even though it didn't feel like anywhere near enough. But if Dan was $6k and doing so much more, I couldn't be too close to that amount. I'd have to just get more efficient and make it work.

And of course, as predicted by my friend, I won loads of work.

And then I met Dan (a really nice guy actually). We had a big chat about our respective processes, and you'll never guess....

Turns out, he was NOT coding at all. Nope! He was following a very similar process to mine. And realistically, the end result was pretty similar.

😑

So I was out there, quoting people a THIRD of what he was, working super hard, for barely any money, purely cause I assumed he was doing way more work than I was. ARGH.

Not saying I would have charged $6k, but I could have doubled my fee and it still would have been an amazing deal.

Ouch.

Guess how much I quoted the very next project I got? Hahaha yeah $6k, just out of spite (didn't get it, but landed the one after that).

Look, don't try match what you think the market is. You don't know for certain how other people do things, what processes they follow, or what their fees cover.

And even if you do: who gives a fuck?

If you're focusing on competing on price, you're going to be a commodity, and price is all anyone will care about. You don't wanna win a race to the bottom.

Focus on doing your thing, finding your strengths, unpacking your value. The shit your clients will love you for. And price the way that feels right for you.

I've tried most methods of pricing (except hourly, cause no way am I ever keeping track of my time).

The method I use now is what I call the "give a shit" price. How it works is I ask myself: how much money do I need to give enough of a shit to do the job. As long as I get more than that, I'm sweet.

Some people will do it for less. Some will do it for more. I don't care. As long as I get my "give a shit" amount, I'm good.

The trick is, making sure people see value in your service, and that they have a reason to choose you. If you can get that right, you'll win without drama (even if you're the more expensive option).

✌️

I also built myself a new site. It's taken ages, I've definitely missed out on some sleep, but it's live and I'm feeling pretty good about it. If you're interested, you can check it out at https://creativeclick.com.au/​

Cowabunga,Nick Gulic