Very true. Almost every client over the years has not blinked at a retainer fee to start the work. We go the route of designers: 33 down, 33 acceptance of mock, 33 upon delivery to server...or it doesn't go live. The only ones we have had complain were the ones who would try to take us for a ride.
Regards, Eric J. Hoffman Director of Internet Development DataStream Connexion, LLC (formerly Small Dog Design) -----Original Message----- From: laszlo [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Saturday, March 16, 2002 1:39 PM To: CF-Talk Subject: Re: OT: Advice and opinion on client who has a problem paying bills Very well said, Mark. In addition: - Many times these kind of things are what I call the "mismatch of expectations" and is not necessarily implies that any of the parties is a 'bad guy'. Therefore, a 'contract' is always a must. I like writing the scope of work together with the client: He knows what he wants, I know what can be done. We (developers) hate to do this kind of work, but if you are an independent consultant, it's a must. I usually charge hourly rate for writing up specs, even if I go for a fixed bid. The reason is, that I cannot give a fix price, before the spec is cast in stone, but I know, that a detailed spec is going to take time, otherwise it's useless. - I also strongly advocate to maintain a 'retainer' fee. And while some clients are not crazy about it, you can explain them why it is necessary. If a client plainly rejects the retainer idea, it's my experience, that they may not plan to keep the balance up-to-date. So I usually don't deal with them. Sorry, if some of this was OT, but felt like I can share some of the things I learned during the 25+ years of consulting. Regards, laszlo ______________________________________________________________________ Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com FAQ: http://www.thenetprofits.co.uk/coldfusion/faq Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
