[Hidden-tech] What to charge...

[B. Kimo Lee]

Hi Anne,

 From your post it doesn't sound like you were friends or even  
acquaintances with this client before. It also sounds like you spent a  
considerable amount of time corresponding with her in the hopes of  
landing the project. Sounds to me like you are doing the right thing in  
trusting your instinct that she is wasting your time.

When I meet a prospective client, one of the first things I try to do  
is to qualify them by asking them for a price range of what they are  
willing and able to spend. Then I can make some realistic  
recommendations. Beer-budget and champagne-taste clients are the worst   
consumers of your time and resources. They need to be brought back to  
reality as early in the process as possible by spending a little time  
educating them about how $/hour = what can be achieved.

If I get to the point where you are at the moment, I like to be totally  
upfront and just explain that "I've spent a lot of time with you  
discussing your project, time I need to spend on work that generates  
income for me, and that I'd be happy to sit down with them when they're  
really ready to go."

Short of that, I might tactfully redirect the focus of any  
correspondence back toward the status of the web project, in terms of  
the financial reality. Asking questions like, "What's your timeline for  
beginning this project? Let's talk again near that time." or "We can  
get started next week if you like. Just sign my proposal and mail it  
back to me with your deposit check." It will make the business nature  
of the relationship clearer. Seriously, this is reasonable and is a  
sound time management practice, imho. If you want to develop a  
friendship, I would make the mental shift from work to non-work related  
and redefine your boundaries accordingly. I hope this doesn't paint a  
picture of me as all-business and no play. I see it more as an exercise  
in mindfulness.

Good luck,

Kimo Lee


On Wednesday, May 4, 2005, at 10:41 AM, Anne Campbell wrote:

>    ** Be a Good Dobee and help the group
>    ** Fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>    ** Remember you must be counted to post .
>
> Along the lines of the "what to charge" discussions, I have a question  
> for more
> seasoned consultants.
>
> I have a potential Web design client. She first contacted me a couple  
> of months
> ago for a price quote. We spent about 45 minutes on the phone and  
> exchanged
> many e-mails, including her sending me a lot of specifications and  
> images to
> look over, lists of Web sites she'd like to emulate, etc. A few weeks  
> after my
> initial price quote (which was quite low), she told me that she  
> doesn't have
> the budget for a site right now...but someday, definitely. Still, she  
> continues
> to send me links to sites she likes, ideas she wants to use, and even  
> mass
> e-mails related to the charitable cause she espouses.
>
> I haven't responded to the last few messages. I don't want to blow her  
> off
> entirely, but I'm not interested in spending lots of time  
> corresponding with
> someone who has no current intention to pay me.
>
> Is this unreasonable? Where do you draw the line with someone who's  
> very nice,
> but seems to think you're so fascinated by her line of work that you  
> want to
> devote your time for free?
>
> -Anne
>
>
> Anne Campbell, annebcampbell at yahoo.com
> http://www.annecampbelldesign.com/
> http://www.annecampbelldoula.com/
>
>


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