I need help. I was just asked to do technical training for a major corporation. It is my program that I developed and would require alot of traveling around the US. I am new to corporate america and don't know what the going rate is for an independant consultant. Can anyone give me a benchmark as to what I should charge for a 2 day seminar?

I also started my own Consulting company and I've been in the HR Management field 5 years providing training and would now like to specialize in Training only would you like an assistant to you with this project and I think I have someone would help you with the fee base I just need to get in contact with her.

How unique is this training? In other words, are you the only one that offers something like this? The price range could be very wide here, depending on whether you are the only one in the world who is an expert on this topic or whether this is generic training that I can get from 5000 other people.

Also, are you looking at pricing on a per student basis or just charging a flat hourly/daily rate? If it is a per student basis, how many are you expecting?

clueless,

Trust me....there are no benchmarks. It is still the wild west when it comes to fees for products and services (despite what some associations will offer in their annual summaries of the industry). And that's good news.

Customers are the only arbiters of value (cost to acquire a service or product versus the benefits received). Your task is to insure doing business with you is hassle-free, your product (workshop) is relevant and thoughtfully crafted to deliver on whatever performance you promote. The customer will be delighted to pay your fee.

About that fee. Think about what a day of your time is worth. Is it $750, $1,250, $2,500.....? Be realistic and fair. Idf you already know folks in the organization then find a kindred spirit and talk to them about the fee structure. If this is a long term relationship then you can afford to be flexible.

I have operated for over 20 years using a flat fee (plus expenses billed at actual cost) for in-house (single client) workshops. I also limit the number of participants based on the design. That way you don't agree to a fee only to have the client run in 50 folks for the session. If the client wants to add a few more then we negotiate on an add-on fee.

For public sessions (ugh)you get into the per person considerations.

Just try not to negotiate with yourself. Customers will help you figure out an arrangement that is mutually benificial. If they won't then you don't want them as a customer anyway.

I agree with Verite.

What I would add is that you should keep your expenses (flights etc.) very separate to your fees. Your value is not inclusive of how much it costs you to get anywhere and should be priced as a separate entity. If you start concerning yourself with how much they are paying for you to get places, then you are under-selling yourself.