Poll: When you increase your rates, how do you handle existing clients?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Feb 2, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "When you increase your rates, how do you handle existing clients?".

This poll was originally submitted by Ramona Ali. View the poll results »



 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 15:13
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
I find new clients or negotiate Feb 2, 2018

Clients come and go, but if they come back after a long pause, I may renegotiate rates with them.
I have also raised my rate with regular, long-term clients, but I have lost one or two in the effort.

In many cases, however, I have simply found clients who paid better (or they have found me), and I have told the ones who pay less that I do not have time for them.

I make more effort to negotiate deadlines or fit clients in if they pay well. Most of the jobs I do are
... See more
Clients come and go, but if they come back after a long pause, I may renegotiate rates with them.
I have also raised my rate with regular, long-term clients, but I have lost one or two in the effort.

In many cases, however, I have simply found clients who paid better (or they have found me), and I have told the ones who pay less that I do not have time for them.

I make more effort to negotiate deadlines or fit clients in if they pay well. Most of the jobs I do are small, so if someone offers me a 500-word letter at a low rate, I may prefer to get some fresh air and exercise instead of negotiating! But if it is a good client, I will try and squeeze it in. I am offered more work than I can take on, so of course, I choose the most interesting and the best paid.
Collapse


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:13
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Feb 2, 2018

I don't raise my rates all at the same time. I do it client-by-client as the circumstances arise.
Most of my existing clients have pre-set rates. I may ask for an increase when I see that they are behind the general trend, but that doesn't always work. In fact, some of them have asked me to drop my rates.


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 14:13
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Feb 2, 2018

For starters, I don't charge the same across the board. That’s one of the reasons why when I raise my rates I do it client-by-client. With some of them I’m bound by contract and I’ll have to wait until it ends to try to negotiate a new rate...

[Edited at 2018-02-02 19:03 GMT]


 
Edwige Thomas
Edwige Thomas
France
Local time: 15:13
Member (2014)
English to French
+ ...
How could I? Feb 2, 2018

I'd love/need to increase my rates, but how could I? When I see that almost all my clients want me to decrease my rates...

 
Oytun Buyrukcu
Oytun Buyrukcu
Türkiye
Local time: 17:13
English to Turkish
+ ...
Parameters? Feb 2, 2018

I believe we cannot discuss the same approaches for pricing under conditions such as economic crisis, inflation, etc.

 
Diana Obermeyer
Diana Obermeyer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:13
Member (2013)
German to English
+ ...
Other factors Feb 2, 2018

I don't raise rates in the order of the rates currently agreed with existing clients, but in the order I can afford to lose them.

New clients and clients returning after a long break (more than a year) first, then slow payers and clients that try to haggle repeatedly, then disorganised clients and client that always seem to have very tight deadlines.

I may go through 2 or 3 increases with all of the above before even mentioning rates to my favourite clients.
Thes
... See more
I don't raise rates in the order of the rates currently agreed with existing clients, but in the order I can afford to lose them.

New clients and clients returning after a long break (more than a year) first, then slow payers and clients that try to haggle repeatedly, then disorganised clients and client that always seem to have very tight deadlines.

I may go through 2 or 3 increases with all of the above before even mentioning rates to my favourite clients.
These favourites typically contribute something else - e.g. they save me time through organised project assignment and good project preparation, effective TM management, continuous flow of projects and/or projects consistently of a similar nature or for the same end client, constructive feedback and support, or they offer reliable fast payment. Thus, I'm not that worried if other clients' rates overtake theirs. When the difference becomes more noticeable, I renegotiate, rather than dictate rates to them.
Collapse


 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 11:13
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Raise? Feb 2, 2018

I haven't raised my rates in USD and EUR in a long time.
The local rates in BRL should be renegotiated on a yearly basis, but it's really hard to do with existing clients. I've actually lost some clients because of that.
For some reason, agencies all over the world believe inflation is a virus they are immune against. And there is no plausible convicing argument against that belief.


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 14:13
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
It's a sequential process Feb 3, 2018

1. Set a higher rate for new clients.
2. As work starts coming in from new, higher paying clients, raise rates for poor payers etc. Lose some; keep a few.
3. Finally, when lots of work is coming in at good rates, raise the rate for your least-best good client, and repeat for others as time goes on.


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: When you increase your rates, how do you handle existing clients?






Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »
Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »