Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber: I have a number of copywriting colleagues who, when I tell them I have a fairly full writing schedule, tell me: "Raise your fees!" But I don't. Or if I do, it's infrequent and by a modest amount only. "You are not charging nearly enough," other copywriters often tell me. Here's what they don't get.... I don't want to squeeze businesses for every last shekel I can get out of them. I prefer to charge for my services a fair and reasonable fee -- not an exorbitant fee. GD, an expert in pricing services, told me, "Your price should fall into the middle of the top third in your field." Why? When you price in the middle of the top third, you are well compensated. But if you charge at the top of the scale, you have 2 problems. First, many otherwise good potential clients will hesitate to hire you, because they think you are just trying to get as much money out of them as possible -- putting yourself first, and them second. Second, as the late copywriter DM told me, "If you charge an enormous fee and your promotion bombs, that client will never hire you again." Also, the golden rule says you should do unto others as you want others to do unto you. Do you like it when a contractor, repair service, or salesman charges you outrageously high prices? No. So you shouldn't do it either. Charge fairly, so you get what you are worth without breaking the bank. Works out better for your clients and for you. If you think I am stupid for not bleeding clients for every last dime, that's your prerogative. But I simply do not agree with you -- and I'm going to continue to make my prices fair and affordable. Sincerely, Bob Bly Copywriter / Consultant 31 Cheyenne Dr. Montville, NJ 07045 Phone 973-263-0562 Fax 973-263-0613 www.bly.com Follow Bob:        I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: rwbly@bly.com As always, please feel free to forward this e-mail to a friend! If you liked this essay, and want to read 75 more just like it, get my book "Don't Wear a Cowboy Hat Unless You are a Cowboy -- and Other Grumblings from a Cranky Curmudgeon," which you can order here: www.bly.com/KindleCowboy Disclaimer: The Direct Response Letter only recommends products that we've either personally checked out ourselves, or that come from people we know and trust. For doing so, we sometimes receive a sales commission.