dragonlady7 - 12:45 pm on Dec 16, 2003 (gmt 0)

First, I had a look around and saw what my competitors were charging. So I had an idea of what potential clients were going to hear from others, so I could put my quote in their context.
Then when I give the quote, I break it down and explain what I'm charging for what.
I've also taken to quoting a range-- "if you want to spend a little, I can just do this and this and this, but if you want a really dynamite [thing I do], I can do this and this and this as well for five times the price." Because that's the kind of option I'd want if I were working on something like that.
I haven't been doing this that long, though, so I couldn't guarantee to you what's the most effective thing to do.
I do know that it's really important not to underprice yourself, even if the quote seems steep. If you've arrived at it through your usual math, then you probably do deserve every dollar of it, and chopping off 10% because it seems like too much isn't really going to do you any favors, and it's just going to give the client unrealistic expectations.