Designer Dan Mall ran his agency with two pricing options: full price, where the client sets terms and the agency is well compensated, or free, where the agency controls scope and schedule. He says this binary system kept him from taking the wrong projects and made decisions faster.
When I ran my agency, I had only 2 prices: full price or free. Nothing in the middle. With full price, your client gets to state their terms. You determine the price, and if you both agree, they drive. And you are happy to be of service and less opinionated because you're well compensated. Free is different though. They probably want it more, so the work gets done your way on your schedule. You decide how much you want to do, and they get what they get, and they don't get upset. If they don't like it, there's an easy solution. They can pay full price. This one pricing strategy has saved me from years of doing the wrong kind of work. So next time someone wants to work with you, you decide first. Should it be full price or free?
