How much do you charge?

When it was all said and done yesterday, my high score in loop was 2300 points. At one point in the evening,perhaps around 11:30 p.m. my daughter Berit yelled down the hall and said, " go to sleep already."

It was during one of my "breaks" yesterday from loop---that would be when I was actually doing my work---that I overheard a one-sided conversation Berit was having on her cell phone."

"Well, I babysit for one family with three children and they pay $10 an hour and then I just babysat for a family with twin babies who paid $6.50."

After she hung up, I asked her what fee her new "client" settled on. "We didn't," said Berit, "She said I'm sure we can figure out something in that range."

"You really did a great job handling that question," I said. "It's one that stumps many consultants."

"I hate the money question, " said Berit.

Don't we all. But what I really liked about her approach is that she threw out an acceptable range and opened it up to negotiation.

Prior to 2001, I was fairly confident and firm about my fees. 9/11 changed all that. In fact, during lunch yesterday with an OD consultant, we talked about how our work came to a virtual standstill. As my lunch partner said, "not just for a short time...like two years. It's just now coming back," she said.

In those post 9/11 days I put in a stint at a children's toy store. I earned $7.50 an hour.I loved that paycheck ( at the time it was about the only one I was getting).

So the next time someone asks me what I charge, I'll  tell them ,"my range is $7.50 to $200."