October 9, 2025
Let’s talk about the three ways consultants and agencies can charge for their services…
ranked from “ugh, why?”… to… “shut up and take my money.”
1. Hourly (a.k.a. modern-day digital slavery)
Example:
A web designer/agency charging $100/hour.
Here’s the problem: clients don’t care about your genius brain…
they care how many hours your butt was in the chair.
You hit a groove, finish in 2 hours instead of 10? Congrats, you just punished yourself.
They ask for “just a quick change”
Now you’re debating if 12 minutes is billable.
Hourly = a hamster wheel made of invoices.
2. Project-based (one-time, outcome-focused)
Example:
Charging $3k for a landing page that converts at 10%.
Not the best, but much better.
Instead of selling time, you sell results.
Client doesn’t care if it took you 8 hours or 8 minutes…
they just want the landing page that rains leads like a Vegas slot machine.
Project-based is:
→ easier to sell (“Here’s the outcome, not the clock”).
→ much more profitable
→ and allows you to delegate
But what’s even better?
3. Ongoing / Subscription
Example:
Charging $3k/mo for a landing page that converts at 10% in the first month, and you continue to a/b test and improve it by 3% each month.
This is where you stop chasing and start stacking.
Think of it like project-based… but with a “let’s keep this party going” button.
Now? You’re at $3k per month, and client revenue starts to compound.
You don’t wake up panicked about where the next sale is coming from.
Good News:
Only one thing stops agencies and consultants from switching to ongoing…
Their ability to communicate what happens in months 2, 3, and so on.
Think of the “project” just as the first step - the stuff that happens in month 1.
The best part? If the client only wants month 1 deliverables… that’s ok.
But most people will want your services as long as you can continue to help them (and I believe you can).
Growing a business is 100x easier when you don’t have to constantly play Where’s Waldo with your next client.
See you all next Thursday 👋
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