Update: I was totally wrong about charging by the hour

My friend Sarah who runs an agency in Phoenix told me she switched all her clients to flat project fees last quarter. She said 'Hourly billing makes clients watch the clock instead of the results.' I always thought hourly was safer, but her agency's revenue went up 20% because clients trust her more now. Anyone else made this switch and seen better client relationships?

3 comments

3 Comments

ben4862mo agoMost Upvoted

Remember my old plumber who charged by the hour. He'd take forever on small jobs, and I'd get so stressed watching him. Switched to a guy who gives one price for the whole fix. Now I just let him work and I'm way happier with the service. It's the same idea, you stop worrying about the time and just want the thing done right. Makes total sense for client work too.

robinson.leo2mo ago

My mechanic does flat rates too. Honestly, it's way better because you don't feel like you're paying for him to figure it out.

uma_baker882mo ago

But what if the flat rate is way too high? You're stuck paying a huge bill even if the fix was simple. Hourly at least feels fair for the actual work done. A good honest worker won't drag things out. Flat rates just let them hide a big profit for easy jobs. I'd rather know what I'm paying for every minute.