> What sucks is if I pull this one out of a hat, there will be no > understanding how difficult the task was and there will be no > lesson to learn, such as utilizing the full 3 weeks that you're > given to do a good job.
Invoice for the Use Value of your time. It would kind of be like an automobile technician billing you on "flat rate" time. A particular job, say a spark plug replacement, will pay 1.8 hour in a Flat Rate manual (there are several publishers of these kinds of manuals). Yet the technician has some specialty tools that allow him to replace the spark plugs in a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach I with a 428 Cobra Jet engine without having to remove the engine mount bolts and jack the engine up just to reach some tightly placed spark plugs. He invested $75.00 for this special tool. Using this special tool allows him to do the job in 1.2 hours. He still bills 1.8 Flat Rate hours even though he only consumed 1.2 hours of time to do the job. Is this fair? Well, he did not have to purchase the special tools, and his skill level may have allowed him to learn some other little short-cuts along the way, so the time differential for billing purposes is to his advantage. In even though every once in a while some Attorney General in any one of several states seeks to make a name for him/herself by shooting down the practice of Flat Rate billing, it has stood the test of time. It cuts both ways, however. If a tech runs into a problem, say rusty bolts that take time to get freed up, and the job takes 2.2 hours, he/she is only supposed to bill the 1.8 hours allocated to the job. Of course if there are additional problems, like a spark plug that is seated into an aluminum head that is seized up, there will be additional time to remove the spark plug, then heli-coil the threads that got destroyed when removing the stripped spark plug(s). So, anyway, back to my point. I do practice "Use Value" billing for my clients, but usually it ends up being a discount given. If I take 4 hours to do a job, but I realize that 0.5 hours was used to research a situation that helped me with the job, but can be used elsewhere, I do not charge my client for that time. I do list the time for the entire job, but then enter a line showing a discount for the research time, unless it can never be used for any other purpose in the future. On the other hand let's say I create a utility application (or license a 3rd party utility) that I can use to complete a particular job, regardless if I anticipate being able to use it elsewhere at a later time. I add the cost of creating or acquiring the utility software on my invoice, and on future jobs I resell the value of the utilizing the software. I would have no problem increasing a billing to adjust for Use Value benefit I invested in programming or licensing the utility code to speed up the result. The benefit should flow to me, but not as an increase in Labor billing. I would enshroud the Use Value billing using a term like "specialty application utilization fee for record De-Duplication" on the invoice. But one way or another I am going to recoup the investment into the utility software I created/licensed previously if I implement it for a particular job. As I see it that is no different than me charging a client for an ODBC driver for a Clarion Top Speed driver ($400.00 for a minimum 5 pack a few years ago) that is proprietary and I had to purchase to get a job done. Whether I build my own ODBC driver (ain't gonna happen) or license it from a 3rd party (Pervasive software), I am going pass that cost on to a client through a utilization fee. And if I get a job later on I will pass it on again, although perhaps at a less than full pop price. Notice it is not me charging them a license fee for the tool I created or licensed. I am charging for utilizing it. There is a difference. If I did not already have it via an investment I made previously, whether it by my time or cash, I would need to do so for a future job - therefore I am going to recoup my investment time and again. So, if you spend time creating a script to speed up the processing, the benefit ought to flow to you as a reward for your creativity. In this case the client is up against a Drop Dead Timeline, and will be interested in you getting the job done so he is a hero. If not a Use Value billing leveraging a "proprietary application utilization fee", you ought to at least bill for a "PITA Factor". Guess which one looks more plausible on an invoice? And if you are handed a similar job later on, where you can utilize the scripting you created, charge again as the value is embodied in the time savings and it ought not disbenefit you for having such skills with your years of experience. My two cents. Gil > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Michael Madigan > Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 8:03 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [NF] need a targeted email list with universities, dean's > name,dean's email > > > What sucks is if I pull this one out of a hat, there will be no > understanding how difficult the task was and there will be no > lesson to learn, such as utilizing the full 3 weeks that you're > given to do a good job. > > As it is, it will be half-assed and probably loaded with mistakes. > > Anybody know any rich old women who want to be my sugar momma? LOL > > > > --- On Fri, 6/27/08, Gil Hale <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > From: Gil Hale <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: RE: [NF] need a targeted email list with universities, > dean's name, dean's email > > To: [email protected] > > Date: Friday, June 27, 2008, 5:28 PM > > Geez, I really wish I could help you on this one, just to > > help you gain a > > dual victory. Victory one, you got an apology before > > resigning. Two, you > > pull a rabbit out of the hat. I am sorry your weekend is > > about to get > > ruined. I wish you well in this undertaking. I won't > > even tease you about > > letting you use my "day stretcher", where a > > minutes becomes 20 minutes. > > > > Gil > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of > > Michael Madigan > > > Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 4:58 PM > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Subject: [NF] need a targeted email list with > > universities, dean's > > > name,dean's email > > > > > > > > > > > > What a nightmare this is. I can't believe I > > can't find this anywere. > > > > > > I need an email list with college, dean, dean's > > email, dean's > > > phone, dean's fax. > > > > > > I've been googling for on every time of search. I > > can go to each > > > individual college website, but I need at least 400 > > records by > > > monday evening to send out a survey. > > > > > > None of the email list sellers that I've contacted > > so far have > > > college deans as part of their lists. Of course I can > > buy a list > > > for sending by regular mail and put "Dean" > > in the address field, > > > but they want email addresses. > > > > > > This assignment was given to me yesterday at noon. I > > told him > > > that 400 records of colleges, deans, dean's email, > > dean's fax, > > > dean's phone, state would take at least 30-40 man > > hours to locate > > > the website, locate the dean, and cut and paste or > > type into a > > > database. I didn't expect the screaming and had a > > resignation > > > letter ready to send before I got a return call with > > an apology. > > > IT seems he's had this assignment for nearly a > > month and now it's > > > due Monday and he expects it in 12 man-hours. > > > > > > So, if anyone knows of a good email-list company where > > I can buy > > > this info, let me know. It will be sent from a > > federal agency, > > > so it won't be breaking any SPAM laws, as far as I > > can see. > > > > > > Otherwise I guess I can get him maybe a 100 or 200 by > > Monday by > > > hand typing them. > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > Mike > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
