(4/5) What should I be charging for speaking engagements

(4/5) What should I be charging for speaking engagements and charging non-profits for my online marketing services at this stage in my career?

You set a standard fee and you stick to it. Your fee is about you, not about your client.

You may have a small range of fees that looks like this:

Item	Rate
On-site visit	$1,000 per day or part thereof; travel time included.
Hourly work on-site	$110 per hour or part thereof; travel time billed at one hour each way.
Hourly work off-site	$55 per hour or part thereof.
Training	$1,000 per day regardless of class size.

Set your rates and stick to them.

Winnow out the clients who can’t afford you – you want only well-heeled clients.

I follow a similar principal with my calendar, which is a $9 eight-inch by five-inch spiral bound item from the store. I open it up to reveal one week per page.

When I make an appointment, I write it in my diary and it is fixed for all time, regardless of what else comes up. If I am meeting my buddy Fred for lunch on Wednesday, the time from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. is blocked out with “FRED” written in it. If a client wishes to meet with me, I tell them ‘I’m sorry I am booked from 11 until 2 that day”. I don’t have to explain that it’s my canoeing buddy. I’m not available.

And as much as I love Fred, when he suggested lunch on Thursday, I told him I was meeting a complete stranger that day, sorry.

I have no favorites in my diary; it is first-come, first-served, and it lifts the stress of relationships off my shoulders.

I run the same deal with clients; no favorites. These are my rates, my terms. Fifty percent up front if you want me to start work on the project. And as much as I like the project, I don’t lift a finger until the cheque arrives. (And if the cheque doesn’t arrive within two weeks, the hanging folder goes into the cabinet and makes its way to the rear of the set ).

So add one row to your table:

Item	Rate
On-site visit	$1,000 per day or part thereof; travel time included.
Hourly work on-site	$110 per hour or part thereof; travel time billed at one hour each way.
Hourly work off-site	$55 per hour or part thereof.
Training	$1,000 per day regardless of class size.
Speaking	$110 per one-hour speaking engagement; travel time included.

You recognize that to some extent this is a sales call, so you give the client a break – you don’t charge for travel time.

And regardless of who asks you to speak, it’s $110 per hour.

The Royal Bank? It’s $110 per hour. They have money, we know that.

Amnesty International? It’s $110 per hour. They have a donation scheme, we know that.

Toronto Cat Rescue? It’s $110 per hour. They pay rent, we know that.

Association of Independent Consultants? It’s $110 per hour. They have membership fees, we know that.

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