Entrepreneurs know there are “normal costs of doing business” and many times those are passed along to the client, but other times I urge business owners don’t charge these fees — certain fees that might show up as a line item that could lead to a discussion with your client that won’t leave a good taste in either of your mouths.
Keep in mind, clients don’t mind paying fees as part of doing business with you, but there are some fees that will rock the boat and could cause your relationship to capsize.
Business Owners Don’t Charge These Fees
Perceived value. There are times you will invest in a higher quality suit because you know the quality makes the higher price tag worth it, right? But if you buy the suit and find out you need to pay extra for the buttons — the perceived value is dimished. Sure, there are aditional costs that need to be added to the production or delivery of services but you’re better off adding them into the overall price rather than tacking them on as an add-on cost.
Your normal cost of doing business. If you have to pay a parking fee to pick up a delivery from the printer for your client, you don’t want to bill your client for the parking fee. This is your cost of doing business, not their cost.
Don’t inflate your prices to cover your expenses. When you have your records transferred from one doctor to another and yoru doctor is charging you .25 a copy when you know copies can be sent electronically or printed for only .10 a page, you will come to question every cost they have ever charged you.
Fees that have to be explained. If you need to have an explanation or disclaimer with your fees, you need to get rid of them. If a client doesn’t understand the fee, he will question it and then just might start questioning all of your fees.
What kind of fees can you charge?
- Legitimate fees
- Added products or services
- Variable costs as long as your client is aware there could be a range of fees from X to Y.
Are your fees in line with your industry? Do you struggle with add on fees?