You’re working long hours and delivering excellent work promptly. Best of all, your clients are happy with you. But, at the end of the day, you still feel like you’re barely making anything after all that effort.

So, when last did you increase your rates as a freelancer? Last year, last month, last week, or never?

Increasing your prices could be difficult, especially when you’re not sure how to navigate that conversation with your clients.

But, as a freelancer, you have to realize that you’re a solution provider, and you need to be able to get enough value for your service.

I remember, after working three months with my first client on Upwork, I suggested increasing my hourly from $8- $12. Although he pushed back on my proposed hourly, we eventually got to a compromise with it and landed on $10, which was a win for me at that time.

So raising your prices doesn’t have to be scary. On the flip side, it can prove your credibility and professionalism to a client.

Here are six quick tips to help you navigate those awkward conversations and ease you into highering your rates like a PRO!

1. Let your clients know ahead of time

Before you increase your rates, let your clients know weeks or months in advance.

As a matter of fact, this is a fantastic approach for loyal clients. That way, they can better prepare their budget and expect the increase.

2. Time it right

The best time to raise prices is when you’re sure your client has been continuously satisfied with your service.

It would speak poorly of you to pass on a price increase when their satisfaction with you is low.

3. Offer them options to choose from

If a client finds it difficult to afford you, but you still want to work with them, try giving a solution that will appease both you and the client.

Instead of taking a lower rate, offer pricing tiers based on value. For instance, if your client usually gets the premium package of your service, they can opt for a lower package that best suits their budget.

4. Consider adding some extras

Clients are usually more likely to accept higher prices if they believe they’re getting something extra in the bargain.

Think about what you could add to your current service that would cost you little or nothing but would have higher perceived value to your customer—for example, creating mockup images from your designs.

5. Properly communicate and explain the reason for your change in rate

If you simply raise your prices without any explanation, your clients may get angry and suspect you’re getting greedy or taking advantage of them.

But, if you take the time to explain to them whatever the reason (added skills, cost of software, etc.), the client will accept the change more easily.

6. Introduce the higher prices client by client

If you’re worried about losing customers, try raising prices for a particular service to a smaller set of clients first to notice how they respond.

If most of them accept it, you can then expand the increase to the rest of your clients.

Conclusion

Raising your rate is unavoidable throughout your freelance journey. However, try not to increase your prices too often. Instead, set long-term revenue goals, keep upskilling, and raise it over time.

It usually takes a leap of faith to raise your rates. The most important thing is to value your services and do great work.