Do you quote individual projects at an hourly rate?
Individual campaigns, special projects, or work that is outside the scope of our retainers are available and quoted on an individual basis. These projects are not quoted based on an hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours worked but rather reflects the value of the outcome of the project to our client.
To be frank, we don’t believe in selling hours. After all, our clients aren’t paying us for our hours worked, they are paying us for the outcomes and results that we deliver to them. It rarely matters whether the outcome requires 5 hours or 25 hours as long as the desired outcome and result is achieved.
Using the billable hour's system creates a conflict of interest. If we are selling hours, it is more beneficial for us to use more hours to complete work. As we get better at delivering results, we spend less time on any given project, increase our efficiency but decrease our billable hours. That means that we are actually receiving less money for doing the same work quicker.
We prefer to think long-term and look at the deliverables over the course of an entire retainer or project life-span and measure the value of our work overtime. It’s the same approach companies take when hiring their staff on a salary rather than on an hourly basis. Salaries are paid not because of the time put in by an individual but by the outcome and deliverables they provide the company over the course of a year.