Do you offer recurring client discounts?

[Shortie]

As someone who has been freelancing since 2012 and has been freelancing full-time for around 21 months now, I have started giving recurring clients discounts and I have found that has helped greatly with keeping consistent work with the same clients which has helped me earn an income that I can live on.

As a freelancer yourself, do you tend to offer recurring client discounts? How have you found that has worked out for you?

 

[Cedric]

I'm going to link an article here:

https://agoraforo.com/articles/dealing-with-clients-asking-for-discounts-on-the-promise-of-future-work.2/

I feel like discounts to regular clients are not a bad thing, but remember your value. Don't give out nearly free services just because they're regular clients.

 

[Kennysplash]

The secret of making continuous sales is by making your clients keep coming back, not seeking new clients. So it can work well for you if you offer them discounts. But don’t overdo it that it becomes obvious.

 

[Nomad]

Yes, I do. I offer recurring discounts to my clients. This is my favorite way to retain clients. When I offer discounts, it is very likely that the client will continue to hire me. However, the client also needs to be satisfied with my service for him to hire me again.

 

[Uptrendfinancialsignal]

I'm so intrigued by your approach @Shortie. Offering discounts to loyal clients is indeed a good way to encourage long-term collaborations.

 

[Teegold]

Discounts generally is a way of telling your customers 'we hope to see you again'. So yes, discounts can help you get customers while recurring discounts can help you keep them.

 

[eLdavis]

It's always a joy to have recurring customers. I believe that's the wish of every freelancer or even business owner, but this doesn't give them a free pass to a discount; I only give out discounts when I feel there is a need for one or during promo. The moment you make discounts a common thing, they will start feeling entitled, and whenever you refuse, you automatically become the bad guy.

 

[afia]

yes. why not?

 

[freelancermaria]

When I was still new to freelancing, I eagerly implemented recurring discounts to facilitate client retention and attract repeat business. At the time, I found that offering discounts was an effective means of sustaining a steady income stream over several years. However, my client base experienced a shift. Some of them discontinued requiring my writing services due to changing plans. Consequently, my income has decreased. It prompted me to reconsider my strategy to offer discounts. I advocated for a raise with my current client, but regrettably, he failed to fulfill his promise. Perhaps, in the future, I may reconsider offering discounts, particularly if it proves to be a viable strategy for client retention and acquisition. Notably, contented clients may also serve as a source of referrals, potentially leading to the acquirement of new clients.

 

[Heatman]

When it comes to offering discounts to my clients, it's not something I do all the time. Maybe in a year, I'll offer discounts twice to all of them just to boost sales which have always worked. Although, there are still some of them who wouldn't order even if you offer good discounts.