Pricing is one of the major issues that consultants struggle with initially after setting up their businesses. The best consulting businesses overcome this problem as they grow. However, many of them struggle. The good news is this problem is easier to overcome than you probably realize. A good consultant fee schedule template is everything you need to put your struggles in this area behind you. Use it well, and your freelancing business will benefit outright.
Below are the different ways your business can benefit from the template.
1. Sizing and Seizing Opportunities with your consultant fee schedule template
No two projects are ever the same on every single component. It’s good to look at the benefits each project is set to bring the client in the long-term. This way, you’re then able to price your services correctly. The fees charged are customized depending on what you offer the clients. In some cases, your consultancy may have to work with only the largest companies if the financial benefits run into millions of US dollars. The consultant fee schedule template shows you how to set consultant fees.
2. An consultant fee schedule template evaluates client’s ability to Pay
What you charge should not be set or cast in stone. It should be the result of the researching the clients with a view to collect as much information as you can from them regarding their ability to pay. It takes work – and plenty of it – to find clients who have no problem paying your rates. For example, it would be unwise to charge a start-up $1 million for the consultancy and expertize you bring onboard without evaluating their financial situation.
If your clients are unlikely to pay what you charge, your options would include:
- Saying no and passing on the work.
- Accepting the lower rates the clients are willing to pay.
- Negotiating future fees that will increase once they achieve their goals.
3. Base Your Rates on Existing Competition with your consultant fee schedule template.
It’s impossible to offer consultancy that is oblivious to what the competition is doing. The free market determines the cap for the fees you intend to charge. The consultant fee schedule template may not indicate what the current cap is. It may not offer you the information you need. Therefore, you have to be willing to think outside the box and look at other freelancers who offer similar services to yours. Work with what is already in the market.
Ask local and out-of-town consultants how they set their rates.
4. Be Cognizant of Your Financial Goals and Needs in your consultant fee schedule template
It’s impossible to overlook your financial goals and needs. What you need or want doesn’t have much effect on what the client is able or willing to pay. However, those wants and needs, as well as goals, should help you to know what to charge. A good template helps you to recognize the fact that it’s impossible to bill clients for the entire day you spend at work. After all, you don’t focus on their work the entire day. Your day would be spent attending to:
- Other administrative tasks
- Meetings
- Marketing tasks
- Personal issues
All consultancies have to know how to bill clients. You can learn to do this through the consultant fee schedule template. The advice that you offer has to be worth something. Early in the business, you would find yourself undercharging for all the services you offer. With time, however, you are likely to be better at this. Do not despair. These struggles are part of the territory. You will eventually overcome them and charge proper fees for your consultancy.
Use the consultant fee schedule or consultant contract template to grow your business and charge right rates.
