Back in the day when I was an independant contractor in Houston, I'd often get static for my hourly rate. Usually to the tune of "I can find people who'll do this for $10.00/hour!!!!one!".

To which I'd reply, "Yes, you can - and in 6 months you'll be calling me to come fix the POS that isn't worth the $10/hr you paid for it, and you'll be paying me MUCH more than I just quoted, if I'm willing to do it"

Amazingly enough, I'd get hired

>>>Our society has come to equate price with quality
>>
>>Unfortunately I can't remember the details (when, company, model, etc) but I strong recall reading an article about a major car manufacturer which introduced a new low priced model. It did not sell at all well. Their solution was to take the same car, put on some extra chrome, rename it, and bump the price up 30-40%. Sales increased markedly.
>
>When I was first trying to get traction as a consultant, a friend of mine who made a bundle in the nightclub business in San Francisco gave me two words: "velvet rope"
>
>He said the first thing you needed when you opened a new club was a velvet rope blocking the entrance and a guy with a clipboard to keep people out.
>
>As to setting the price : you say a number, if they don't blink and you don't giggle, that's the number.
>
>As I tell my clients, I can find somebody to do it for you for $100 an hour less. I can also find somebody who'll do a heart transplant for $50 and a six pack. You want to be defended in a capital murder case by a kid from Legal Aid?