The perceived value – this is what it boils down to.
I also have first hand experience from the biotech industry where a company didn’t get a bid for the sole reason that the quote was perceived as too inexpensive…

Best – cristoph
Christoph´s last blog ..Don’t Eat The Marshmallow Yet

And in regards to not doing things for free, you might find DoshDosh’s post interesting (www.doshdosh.com/why-are-you-giving-away-content-for-free)

take care…

It’s also true for help by phone. For example, I’ve built several PCs for friends, adding components in cases and installing softwares. When they have to use a software and don’t really know how it works, they just call or send an email. It’s like being a hotline, customer support, so you work more than once for them.

What I think also is that people view the things you do for them as something you like. Since you like to do it, it’s a passion or something, and you can do it for free. Like a rockstar : “I don’t do this for money, only for music”.

Long time. Sorry been super busy here at work and have hardly had to time to read your blog let alone comment.

Your article is so true, I have known this for years, and yet I still would offer my services for free. It definitely goes down to either, feeling sorry for them or trying to make an “impression”…

I learnt the hard way from that, as you may know, and I have now learnt to charge where charging is due.

As an example, I charged one of my clients to develop a Spam Blocking form, half the price that it would have cost them to design an entire website, with said form included. Whereas previously I would have done it for peanuts.

I learnt that there is no friends in business, and that the only emotion that one should “allow” into his/her business, is the PASSION to make more money and become a valuable asset to the market you chose.

This is how I work now: If my prices are too steep, then go somewhere else and pay half the price, you’ll get half the value!

Thanks Dean..
Have a great one!