How do you decide what to charge? I have one company in particular that I know needs a service that I can offer. It is something that they do not have and requires a certain type of experience that not many people have. This is a new position for me as well. I am clueless about how to figure out how much to charge. Any ideas???
Can't really help you without knowing what it is... but our business development department within our company sleuths their way into finding out such things... they will call companies 'disguised' as a party who is interested in their services to find out what they charge. You could try that? Or google it? I don't know how to help much without knowing what service you offer.
Try Salary.com to estimate an hourly rate. It gives you rates per title in your area.
How unique is this line of work? If it's not downright obscure, you can check the Bureau of Labor Statistics (online) or Salary.com for what this position usually pays. These sites get their data from people in this field, they have low, high and median salary info. Salary.com is a pay site, but if you just type in enough data, they'll email you 'teaser' info to get you to sign up. When, I did that I got the salary range data. That's how people usually check if their salary is in the 'competitive range' for that industry. The federal site is free, of course.
It's hard to help you without more information but Nikki G has a good idea; it's the only thing I can think of without knowing more.
If you had a full time job doing your consulting work for a company what would the hourly rate be? Gross that up by both sides of taxes, insurance, etc.
What is the going rate for your type of consultant work in your area? The rate for my area (rural-ish) will be different than a more urban area 100 miles away.
Are the other consultants that do what you do? Ask them :)
Do a google search for your line of work - they are a lot of websites that track salary trends.
When you do figure your hourly rate don't forget to figure in taxes - you will be paying both the employer and employee side, and covering your own benefits. The plus side of consultancy is the tax deductions that you can take - mileage, supplies, a % of home expenses if you work out of your home.
I do grant writing and non-profit management consulting on the side - I charge a basic hourly rate based on my prior salaries but grossed up for things I mentioned above. In some cases, depending on the finances of the organizations that I work for I will lower my hourly rate...I know what my flexibility is - they think they are getting a discount :) I am a little lower, rate wise, than some other consultants in my area but I am still trying to build my side work - so the lower rates are worth the exposure for me.
Here is an interesting article - http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/41384
Good Luck !!!!
I was lucky to have hired freelancers before I went out on my own, so I just aimed for the middle ground of what we were paying at my company.
Rates for consultants are all over the place. Around $50/hour for freelance writing/marketing/graphic design, more than $100/hour for computer consulting, etc. You may have luck just through a Google search online. Many consultants post their rates online, so you may luck out. Also, staffing firms placing similar consultants may post pay rates online as they attract people to fill certain roles.
Good luck!
