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Sometimes consultants and other service providers are hesitant to charge a fair rate for their services.

Maybe they feel that the services they provide are so basic that you really can’t justify charging much or anything for them.

Perhaps they feel that they don’t have the knowledge or experience that other consultants have.

Thus, they hesitate to charge fair rates because of a lack of self-confidence. This is natural (especially for new consultants). However, what you know and do has real value.

By the way, I’m sure that most people find it more appealing to deal with someone who is humble enough to admit their limitations than someone who is arrogant and cocky and not as great as they think they are.

To stay in business, though, you need to charge a fair price for all of your services. Fair means fair to the client but also fair to you.

You can enjoy increased consulting fees by developing more self-confidence.

1. Don’t Take Your Skills for Granted

First of all, we tend to take our assets for granted. If you are an expert bookkeeper and good with numbers, you may feel it’s easy to do the work you do. Yes, it’s easy for you but not for others.

You may actually have an aptitude for what do. You may have a gift that others don’t have. Perhaps, through hard work and applying yourself, you have developed a marketable skill.

Second, even if someone were fairly good with numbers, it might not be a good use of time for that person to do the bookkeeping. By outsourcing this work, time can be more productively spent on other activities crucial to the business.

Bookkeeping may seem pretty basic but if you ask your accountant to do it for you, he’s going to charge you extra. Why? It takes his (or his staff’s) time.

Your services may also improve your client’s bottom line. That being the case, your client is profiting from your services.

Thus, by realistically evaluating the value of your skills and other assets, you can boost your self-confidence for increased consulting fees.

2. Increased Consulting Fees Despite Inexperience

Just because there are people more knowledgeable and experienced than you doesn’t mean that you can’t charge for what you can do.

The top tax lawyers in the country may be more expert than other lawyers but who can afford them? For most clients, hiring them would be overkill.

Sometimes you might feel inadequate because you know you are still learning. You realize that you don’t know everything there is to know about your field.

Who does? We’re all learning! Get paid for your on-the-job training.

If you know some things that your client doesn’t and you can help him improve his business, then you can offer a valuable service.

Don’t under-estimate the value of your services.

Again, self-confidence can lead you to enjoy increased consulting fees.

3. Increased Consulting Fees for Additional Services

Many feel that their clients wouldn’t pay extra for certain additional services offered.

How do they know? Have they asked their clients?

Make your case for the extra fees. How could the services offered help improve the profitability of your client’s business?

Replace unappreciative clients (who undermine your self-confidence) with appreciative ones.

Selling value-added services is one way to obtain an edge over your competitors. For example, a web designer who is knowledgeable about search engine optimization could help increase their client’s targeted web traffic which could result in increased sales and profits.

Premium services deserve premium rates.

In summary: Don’t take your skills for granted. Lack of experience doesn’t mean that you have nothing to offer. Charge for all your services. Yes, your self-confidence can result in increased consulting fees for you.

Copyright 2005 http://www.TastesofTheWorld.net

Gourmet coffee consumers rarely consider the cost of their daily coffee in terms of the expense to brew premium whole bean coffee at home (50 cents to 75 cents) with prices of a pound of gourmet coffee beans versus a two or three cup a day ($4.50 to $6.00) coffee drinking habit when purchased at premium coffee houses. A recent Washington Post article discussed Seattle law students spending money from their student loans for Starbucks coffee across the street from the Seattle University School of Law.

Erika Lim, director of career services at the law school has launched a campaign to reduce coffee consumption by students attending the university on student loan money. She points out that students are spending education loans on luxuries like latte instead of necessities like a loaf of bread. That borrowed money takes years to repay and many students don’t do the math to see that study time with 2-3 cups of coffee at Starbucks over 4 years can cost them significant sums - as much as $4500 in principle, interest and fees on their student loan - over the course of their education. An online calculator has been posted for those interested in calculating their caffeine expenses at:
http://www.hughchou.org/calc/coffee.cgi

Gourmet Coffee drinkers have become accustomed to paying $2 or more per cup for fresh brewed coffees at Premium coffee houses - and many sources are predicting those prices may increase to as much as $4 per cup soon due to expected increases in green coffee prices. But smart gourmet coffee consumers have long known that premium coffee brewed at home costs just 12 cents or so per cup, depending on preferences for coffee strength.

Many coffee producers recommend starting with 1 tablespoon of fresh ground gourmet coffee beans per standard 6 ounce cup of water. Starbucks recommends double that amount for stronger coffees at 2 tablespoons per 6 ounce cup. A pound of gourmet coffee (that is 16 Ounces or 1 Lb.) divided by 1 1/2 Ounces comes to roughly 10 pots of 10 cups (6 Ounce cups) equaling 100 cups for the cost of one pound of gourmet coffee beans. At the average of 1.5 tablespoons per 6 ounce cup and average size of 12 ounce coffee mug, you can expect 50 cups of home brewed coffee per pound of gourmet beans! Prices of premium gourmet coffee beans range between $10 and $18 per pound, making a cup of home-brewed gourmet coffee, made fresh to your liking, cost only between .10 cents and .25 cents per cup or between $1.00 and $2.00 per pot of coffee! Even the rarest and most expensive coffee sold, the exotic Kopi Luwak, at $175 per pound, is still less than $1.75 per 6 ounce cup when brewed at home! So if you have expensive tastes and want a 12 ounce mug of the rarest and most expensive coffee on the planet, you still need only pay what some premium coffee houses charge for a latte ($3.50) for that rare privilege.

When consumers learn that they can purchase gourmet whole bean coffee for between $10 to $18 per pound, then fresh grind and brew at home for significantly less than gourmet coffee companies charge, many see home brewing premium gourmet coffee as luxurious treat. Purchasing a thermos or a large travel mug to take coffee with them from home makes drinking rich, fresh roasted coffee a possibility for about one-seventh the cost of buying that coffee from expensive and crowded coffee shops.

Many so-called premium coffee houses keep their coffee heated on warmers after brewing, but this practice causes the flavor to turn bitter after less than an hour of warming. It is actually more likely you will get a rich flavorful cup of coffee from an insulated thermos or insulated type pump containers. Reheating
coffee can destroy the flavor of good gourmet coffee - just as quickly as extensive warming.

Coffee purists prefer to make individual cups with a coffee press, fresh grinding beans for each cup and drinking the entire amount brewed before it turns cold to get the maximum enjoyment from their beans. Microwave a good cup of coffee that has gone cold and you’ll see how much better it is freshly brewed. Using good clean, fresh water is essential since coffee is 99% water and bad tasting tap water can quickly ruin even the best fresh ground beans.

You can enjoy great gourmet coffee more and pay less for the privilege by starting with whole beans and grinding them yourself with a $20 coffee grinder. Make only what you can drink or carry with you in a nice thermos or travel mug instead of reheating coffee later. Use good tasting water and keep your brewing equipment clean to prevent the rancid bitterness that can come from previous grounds in crevices.

You can brew at home with fine gourmet coffee beans, fresh ground and brewed in a French press coffee maker, carry a fancy thermos of great coffee to work or school and enjoy the best coffee available for far less money than you would spend at crowded and expensive premium coffee house.