Yesterday I had my kickoff call with a new client from Germany. Analyzing the sale, which is always a good idea, I was thinking about why he didn’t even blink an eye at my hourly rate. It truly is a bit higher than many can get away with charging for web development work, and I often have to defend the rate. I’m worth it, of course, but that isn’t really the point.
The point is that he didn’t even flinch at the rate. I thought about it. Maybe my blogging at CodersEye is so great and such a credibility enhancer that he was primed for me. Possibly my work with the Satchmo open-source Shopping Cart Engine was the selling point. Those help of course, but they also help me with my U.S. customers.
Then I realized the key difference. He’s German. To him, with an incredibly strong Euro, my rate was normal, or even a bit cheap. Haha! I’m the cheap outsourced labor now.
So how do I feel, being exploited
I feel wonderful. I can charge my preferred hourly rate, so I win. He can pay me at a reasonable-to-him rate so he wins. If this is exploitation, I’m all for it. Please, exploit me.
Hey all you Europeans! Outsource to the newly cheap American programmers!
Technorati Tags: outsourcing
4 responses so far ↓
1 Stuart // Sep 14, 2007 at 7:50 am
Being a European who does outsource some web work, I have noticed how suddenly competitive Americans have become over the last few months. Good luck to you.
Like the site BTW.
Best wishes, Stuart
2 nice // Dec 21, 2007 at 11:55 am
now you seen how the Chinese, africans, indians feel about outsourcing, it sure as hell beats farming rice all day
3 Bruce // Jan 11, 2008 at 11:08 am
It also beats driving a frickin’ hour each way to work. Seriously, every day I watch the news while making breakfast and I often find myself shaking my head thinking of the wasted of life that commuting truly is.
I did that? Really? Ouch.
4 キャッシング // Jul 1, 2008 at 4:09 am
Knowledge work must be cheaper wage countries is to move ATARIMAE occupation.
But if it is not only a study.
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