Clients evaluate freelancers on three dimensions, but most freelancers only optimize for one (the work itself). The two overlooked dimensions -- experiential and economic -- are what justify premium rates and generate referrals. ## Core Framework Brennan Dunn's "Price As A Mirror" (from *Double Your Freelancing Rate*, 2012) identifies three value components: 1. **Tangible Deliverables** — The actual work produced. What most freelancers focus on exclusively. 2. **Experiential Factor** — The project experience from first contact through completion. Responsiveness (replying within an hour creates shock), principled approach, clear plan of action. Source of referrals, repeat business, and internal satisfaction. 3. **Economic Factor** — The financial impact on the client's business. Quantifying how projects increase/decrease revenue. Highlighting financial losses from not implementing suggestions. **Key insight**: Price reflects perceived value, not cost of work. Professional respect directly correlates to earning potential. ## Cross-Domain Applications ### Freelance Consulting The experiential factor is the most actionable lever for new freelancers. You can't immediately improve your technical output, but you can respond within an hour, set clear expectations, and deliver on time. This is where [[Follow-Through Reliability Principle]] becomes the concrete mechanism — clients remember who didn't need chasing. ### Hiring and Team Building The same framework applies when evaluating team members. The person who communicates proactively and frames their work in business terms (economic factor) gets trusted with bigger projects, regardless of raw technical skill. ### Pricing Strategy Rate justification shifts from "my time costs X" to "this project saves/earns you Y." The economic factor provides the language for value-based pricing: frame work around business outcomes, not hours spent. ## References - Brennan Dunn, "Price As A Mirror" chapter, *Double Your Freelancing Rate* (2012) - Originally posted on Planscope blog, August 21, 2012