Reply to: Agent asking to know rate

[ladymuck]

It's the age old problem with having the agency in the middle. If you were able to get in front of the client first, you'd have a better chance of having a frank talk about their project, their timelines, the reasons the project exists, etc. You could then have a value based discussion that describes what you can bring to the project. You would then also have the opportunity to offer a fixed price rather than daily rate deal, if that's appropriate to the work.

Unfortunately, most clients still see contractors as pseudo employees and are fixated on an hourly/daily rate idea. Never mind that if they went to one of the big 4 and asked for a project team to upgrade from super widget 5.x to super widget 6.x they'd be quoted a fixed price.

[mattfx]

When I get asked this question I aim for the rate I want and then add +50 to +75 depending on how interesting the role sounds. If it sounds like something I actually want to do then +50, ballache / tedious / in a tricky location +75.

As others have said, know what you're worth. It's ideal if you have some other chums in your area of expertise who are also contracting so you can gauge what other people with similar experience are earning, as opposed to what's being advertised on job boards.

[FrontEnder]

Before I was a contractor I worked in the web dept for a company. Part of the reason I left was that more and more of the work was being dealt with by agencies and it became my job to manage them, which I didn't want to do...

Anyway. By far the best work I got out of them was when I said "we're doing this campaign and need this and have a budget of £xxx. Here's the brief, what can you do". Even better if you let them know that you've approached another agency for the work.

Not really applicable to us though, the dynamic is a bit different.

[northernladuk]

Better?

Nope.

[Lance]

Hold on while I go and get my glasses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_accessibility

Had an interesting conversation with a pimp today. He asked me for my rate and I said, 'what does the role pay, ie whats the budget'? He said, he would s imply take my rate, add a markup % and offer it to the client and let them decide. He then asked (in good humour of course) that when I go to buy a car and ask for the price or ask for a home architecture quote, do I get asked 'Whats you budget'?. I politely declined to continue the conversation but that was because I am mid contract so not under pressure.

Set me thinking. We offer consulting services. If you were to ask Accenture to do some work, they would quote their rate card. I dont think they would ask 'Whats your f*****g budget?'.

Do you get asked to quote your rate? How do you get around it?

Better?

[Smartie]

Had an interesting conversation with a pimp today. He asked me for my rate and I said, 'what does the role pay, ie whats the budget'? He said, he would s imply take my rate, add a markup % and offer it to the client and let them decide. He then asked (in good humour of course) that when I go to buy a car and ask for the price or ask for a home architecture quote, do I get asked 'Whats you budget'?. I politely declined to continue the conversation but that was because I am mid contract so not under pressure.

Set me thinking. We offer consulting services. If you were to ask Accenture to do some work, they would quote their rate card. I dont think they would ask 'Whats your f*****g budget?'.

Do you get asked to quote your rate? How do you get around it?

Hold on while I go and get my glasses.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_accessibility

[TheFaQQer]

As a contractor you should know your rate, otherwise you'll get ripped off.

As a contractor, you should know your worth. Sadly your worth and your rate may differ.

[WTFH]

As a contractor you should know your rate, otherwise you'll get ripped off. you don’t know how much to put on your invoices each month

FTFY.

To the OP:

If an agent knows the market they are working in, then they know the going rates that contractors bill at.
If an agent knows the market they are working in, then they know the rates that clients pay.

The rate a contractor asks for should be based on their current rate, their experience, how desperate they are for work, the contract location, the contract duration, how much of an increase they could reasonably expect, how many others are in for the role (and their relative ability), etc.

Or, quick and dirty way (this only works if the agent is not the one you are currently working through) - tell the agent your rate is 1.2x what you’re currently on. They will come back with a rate that is somewhere between what you’re currently on and maybe 1.1x what you’re currently on.

[northernladyuk]

It's very useful to know the client's budget, because then I know how many days per week they can afford.

[BlasterBates]

As a contractor you should know your rate, otherwise you'll get ripped off.

[northernladuk]

This is asked very regularly so a whole host of threads already covering this.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ag...obile&ie=UTF-8

[meridian]

Agent asking to know rate

Yes, most definitely asked about rate, and definitely answer.

I provide the rate range that I am willing to work for, and let the agent know that the final figure will be dependent on client complexity and location.

Sometimes they agree that my range is within budget, and we carry on the conversation. Sometimes the agent tells me that their budget is nowhere near that, then I wish the agent good luck with their search (they often agree...) and we end the conversation politely.

Once or twice the agent has called back a month or so later to say that the client has figured out that they needed to up the budget and it's now within range.

[NotAllThere]

...when I go to buy a car and ask for the price or ask for a home architecture quote, do I get asked 'Whats you budget'?. ..

Yes.

Punter:How much is that car?
Salesman: £100K
Punter looks disappointed
Salesman: What's your budget?

Punter: I'm looking at doing a loft conversion
Architect: What's your budget?

My rate is the rate I want to be paid. Not the rate that I'm currently being paid. Perhaps I gave the client a discount this time, because he asked nicely?

[SlipTheJab]

Ask the pimp how much he/she earns.

[washed up contractor]

Had an interesting conversation with a pimp today. He asked me for my rate and I said, 'what does the role pay, ie whats the budget'? He said, he would s imply take my rate, add a markup % and offer it to the client and let them decide. He then asked (in good humour of course) that when I go to buy a car and ask for the price or ask for a home architecture quote, do I get asked 'Whats you budget'?. I politely declined to continue the conversation but that was because I am mid contract so not under pressure.

Set me thinking. We offer consulting services. If you were to ask Accenture to do some work, they would quote their rate card. I dont think they would ask 'Whats your f*****g budget?'.

Do you get asked to quote your rate? How do you get around it?

Ive been asked a few times. If Im in a playful mood I ask "why do you or the client need to know?" The answer given has been the client would be more "comfortable" paying £400 a day if they knew you'd been on that rate in your previous role. What bollocks, it is to try and prevent you asking for and getting a higher rate than your last job.

I usually tell them what rate I want and if they push it I just say it is commercially confidential, you know, what you presumably have in your contacts about disclosing rate to others.