Freelance rates/help
No. I charge the same rate. For travel to the client&#x27;s location sometimes I will use a per trip rate instead of a per hour&#x2F;day rate for trips to the client&#x27;s site. I stopped discounting rates years ago because it does not help me and encourages the notion that it might be ok to not pay me or pay me less in a client&#x27;s mind.<p>Because my rate structure is simple. I can describe it easily: W per hour&#x2F;day. X markup on expenses. Y per mile travel. Z as retainer applied against final invoice based on my <i>non-binding</i> estimate of the time it will take to do the project based on the client&#x27;s description (often Z is from 25% to 50% of the initial non-binding estimate). Most projects take at least K hours&#x2F;days.<p>I don&#x27;t wait for a <i>potential</i> client to bring up rates. Once it is apparent that the person is soliciting services, I describe my rates. This avoids wasting both our time when there is a gap between a <i>potential</i> client&#x27;s economic expectations and my rates. It avoids wasting my time with <i>potential</i> client&#x27;s who balk at writing me a check to get started...willingness and ability to pay are features of a good <i>potential</i> client. Execution of payment is a better criterion than a signed contract for separating actual clients from <i>potential</i> clients. A reluctance to pay me is a good criterion for distinguishing bad clients.<p>To put it another way, the essence of consulting is the business of &quot;nickeling and dimeing&quot; clients. And in general, charging money is the essence of business. A reluctance to charge people money is not wrong but it is at odds with trying to run a business.<p>The flat rate up front replaced my previous system where I would tell the client that I would follow up with a proposal and then spend time researching and pondering and estimating and then putting together a document and then waiting for the client&#x27;s response or non-response.<p>Good luck.