The Consultants Guide to Setting Profitable Consulting Rates

It sends all the wrong signals to the client about the value you can add to their business. 50% of consultants do not offer productized consulting but are interested in doing so. If you want to build a predictable, profitable, scalable consulting business with premium pricing, then our new Consulting Fees Multiplier mini-course is for you. 15.40% of consultants have done a performance deal and it worked out well for both parties. 60.46% of consultants have not done a performance deal, but are open to the idea. As a consultant, there are many different ways to price your services.

Feel free to look at consulting rates by industry, but don’t use them as your bible to pricing—use them as another data point to reference. If you don’t have much experience, find an initial client and offer to do work for a discounted price or free. Focus on delivering the best results possible, which means don’t try and get additional clients.

How concentrated is the Management Consulting market in the United States?

For example, a consultant who specializes in short-term projects and offers a fixed fee for services may be more successful than one who charges by the hour. On the other hand, a consultant who provides ongoing monthly services may want to bill on a monthly retainer. The report provides a detailed regional analysis of the global Cost Transformation Consulting Services market, covering the business growth of various sectors at the regional and country levels. It includes country-wise volume analysis and region-wise market size analysis for the historical and forecast periods from 2018 to 2031. Strategy consulting services accounted for 14% of the global consulting market in 2019. This serves as a reminder of the immense potential for growth and success that the industry holds.

If your rates vary from industry benchmarks, be prepared to back it up. Before you set a price, ensure you understand everything that the project entails. If you’re offering a 1-hour consulting session, consider the amount of prep work necessary and if your client will be able to send any post-consultation follow-up questions.

U.S. market

Instead of altogether rejecting the client (or the client rejecting you), steer the client towards negotiation. Understanding what the client needs (and how well they understand it themselves) play a major role in how you price or whether you want to move forward at all. Toss out a number too early, and it might be hard to change it later if the project evolves.

• Eventually, you’ll get to the point where charging by the hour is no longer the best method for you or your clients.
• It’s one of the best ways consultants get leverage and increase their earnings without spending more time working.
• If you don’t believe that you have the qualifications, skills, and talents to live up to the promises you’re making, clients will smell your insecurity a mile away.
• The consulting industry is made up of many firms of various sizes.
• Consultants work with established companies that have more than five years of operation under their belts, mid-way enterprises that are several years into their trajectory and startups at the beginning of the journey.

However, remember that this kind of pricing still excludes the true value of your work. If you’re performing business-altering work, that has a financial price tag to it, as well. Don’t discount your ambitions as a consultant and business owner. You have a right to live comfortably and thrive financially, too. What rate do you need to set to cover your costs, make a profit, and live the life you want to live? This answer varies for everyone, so you’re not going to find a golden number anywhere.

Market rate

The intangible value is the project’s emotional and subjective factors that influence the buyer’s decision. The value conversation is where you ask questions to your client to uncover where they want to be — and agree on the value of a successful project. But there is no better method for raising your rates and creating more value. You’ll have to improve your sales skills, accounting skills, project management skills, and more.

You also have no control or insight into the ROI, meaning an untrustworthy client could downplay their return to pay you less than you deserve. It’s always best to be overly cautious than to not charge enough and end up having to pay taxes out of pocket. We’d recommend factoring an additional 40% to cover your taxes. The Consulting Rate Calculator should automatically pull your total monthly expense cost from the “Expenses” page to the “Hourly Rate Calculator” page. Our editorial content is intended for informational purposes only and is not written by a licensed insurance agent. Terms and conditions for rate and coverage may vary by class of business and state.

What are some challenges facing the consulting industry?

That higher rate fills in the gaps of a true consulting schedule (it may feel like you’re working 60 hours with administrative tasks, hustling, and networking, but you won’t be billing a solid 40 anymore). You’ll also need to account for additional expenses your employer previously covered, like healthcare, vacation days, sick time, and a 401k plan. Of course, sticking to your rates is a lot easier when you set them based on solid research. Among the factors you’ll need to consider are your own personal skillset and the going market rates within your industry.

However, despite the gender pay gap being a norm in most of the world, the percentage of hourly pay women earn seems to vary significantly. Education can be an important factor for clients who are looking to hire a freelance, but the most recent Payoneer report shows that clients actually value experience and competence more than education. For example, entry level developers earn $29/hour on average, while graphic designers just starting out earn about $15/hour on average. The least profitable industry is Customer & Administrative support, with all 4 of its listed jobs being the bottom paying freelance jobs.

Report on the topic

Clients may perceive you as the high-end of the consulting or freelance market, and they may decide to settle for a less experienced but more affordable alternative. For example, if you’re a data science consultant who’s helping clients understand their data better, there are several ways your services consulting rates by industry can improve their bottom line. They may save on employee hours, make more profitable decisions, and more. As an IT consultant, you shouldn’t charge less than $85 to $125 per hour. These rates can easily go higher if you have an in-demand niche like cloud computing, business VOIP services, or AI.

44.11% of consultants we polled do not have any employees or contractors. Here are the demographic data from our list of 30K+ of independent consultants and small consulting firm owners. As you might expect, the majority of consultants (80.23%) want to increase their fees. 3.80% of consultants do not have specialist expertise and are not looking to specialize. 6.65% of consultants do not have specialist expertise but are looking to specialize.

Size of the consulting market worldwide 2011-2020

This will give you an idea of where your rate range should fall. Keep in mind that not everyone will be willing to share their rate details with you––and that’s okay. While some consultants still view the money conversation as taboo, many others will be happy to help you better understand what an “acceptable” asking fee is. As you work with more clients, keep track of how long it really does take you to perform these various tasks, so you can get better at setting these rates moving forward.