[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by recordinghopkins

Why the obsession with rates?

I will say it again, too. Competing with free is easy.

Tier up and go the extra mile for your clients. Educate them as you go. Help them to understand the great deal of knowledge and experience required for superior results. Be flexible. Be on time. Reply to emails quickly. Return phone calls promptly. Give them extras here and there. Compliment their work. Be honest. Don't give them a hard time about cancellations. If short term finances cause problems for your loyal client, bill them over the next 6 months. Devote yourself to the job and your clients. All of this builds value in your brand. Put your time and effort into cultivating these relationships with your clients and the free guy (or your lack of experience) will not stand in the way of paying gigs.

I have been doing remote recording for 43 years. You are telling me to do things I have been doing well for all of that time. It is not as easy as you make it out to be. FREE always wins because basically we here in the USA live in a WalMart world where the cheaper (not necessarily the better) always wins.

Some people live in a different society where people value good service and excellent results - here in the states people seem to want to get things done as cheaply as possible PERIOD and if they can get something done for FREE they will go for it.