[BC] Making engineering pay

[Kent Winrich]

Boy Mike!  Did you NAIL IT!!!

I am sorry but my time IS worth something.  And if someone does not 
want to pay my rate, then:

A) I didnt relay my value
B) They will never see the value

In the past I would have under cut myself on pricing, because I didnt 
see the value of my time.  BOY!  Did I make a mistake in that!!

I explain to a client that you may pay more for me now, but the job 
will be done RIGHT.  Some went away only to come back to me when the 
value part finally hit them (they went to someone else but the job 
never got done right, and ended up paying more and more to fix 
something that should have been done right the first time!).  They 
realize that the value I give them is worth it in the long 
run.  Guess it takes some people a little longer to get that concept.

Nice post Mike!!


On 7/24/06, Mike McCarthy <<mailto:Towers at mre.com>Towers at mre.com> wrote:
I've been watching this rant over the weekend.

My rates reflect/reflected what the market bears and takes into account all
the good customer stuff as well as extended projects and/or consistent
work.  I didn't/don't undercharge the market and there were/are guys which
made/make more than I did/do...which is fine with me.  We were/are all busy
and I see no need to try and undercut them. I was making a decent living at
my then hourly rate before going back to the corporate world.  I still
do...on the side. (FWIW, my rates are going up at the end of the year for
the itinerant client.)

The biggest issue of all which everyone seems to have missed here is really
simple.  What is YOUR time worth after all the expenses are paid? If you
set your prices at the rate of the other cheaper guy(s), there is a clear
impression your quality of service and value is at the same level of the
other cheaper guy(s).  Regardless of  what the the other guys charge, YOUR
time/rate has value which while impacted by the others should not precisely
determine your hourly rate, nor your quality of work provided.