Right now I’m writing two proposals for potential clients. I tend to hold on to them for a while before I send them out for review. Why? Because I’m always afraid of what the response might be. Once I do send them out, I cringe and cower (mentally) because I expect a certain amount of push-back due to “sticker shock.” I imagine the client getting to the part about my rates and shouting, “WHAT? How could she charge this much? She must be insane!”

I should get over this. Because, really, I know I’m worth what I charge. While I am self-taught, I bring with me an extensive fine arts and mass communication education as well as the experience of working on a wide range of projects, from large-scale Web sites to small print jobs for non-profits. I have been a vendor and I have been a client. I leverage my project management as well as my volunteer experience. Creatively, I am well-versed in a variety of techniques. And if I don’t know how to do something, I’m smart enough to find someone who can show me.

So why the fear of sticker shock? Because I assume that most people don’t know how much good design costs. Remember, dear client, ideally you are hiring a specialist, someone who does one thing and does it well because they are passionate about what they do.