How to quote a project without undercharging: the three-tier method

A single-price quote forces a yes-or-no decision, and 'no' is always the safer answer. Worse, the number is usually anchored to whatever you charged last time — not to what the work is worth to this client.

Build the ladder: floor, target, dream

Before you quote anything, work out your profit floor — the number below which the project costs you money once you count revisions, admin and the work you turned down to take it. Then build three tiers around it: a lean version at the floor, the version you actually want to deliver, and a premium version with the extras that cost you little but matter to the client.

Most clients pick the middle. The point of the top tier is not to be chosen — it is to make the middle look sensible.

Let the discovery call price the project for you

Six questions — outcome, deadline, audience, budget range, decision process, and what happens if this fails — tell you which tier the client belongs in before you write a word of the proposal. A one-page proposal with the three tiers and a clear 'reply to accept' close beats a ten-page PDF every time.

The full system — floor calculator, tier worksheet, call script and proposal template — is in The Pricing & Proposal System in the shop.