MB Software Solutions General Account wrote: > Alan Bourke wrote: >> On Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:34:58 -0700 (PDT), "Michael Madigan" >> >>> What is the rule of thumb >> How much the customer is willing to pay for. > > > I asked a client recently on his budget, citing that in previous > proposals, he'd always tell me he wanted the cadillac but only had a > hyundai budget! So I told him I'd like to know ahead of time so I don't > waste time proposing things outside of his budget. Folks sometimes seem > to think that if they say how much their max is, the estimate will be > that regardless if it takes less to do the work. Any one else > experience that kind of client? This guy is pretty good, as he knows > I'm fair and don't cheat him, but nonetheless, I've seen some pretty > nervous prospects in the past when this approach is taken.
I hate writing up quotes for it only to not be accepted due to estimated price. So I sit for an hour with them, at lunch, on me, and get a general feel for the needs, and give it some internal categorizations such as "easy", "lots of tedium", "unknown requirements", "client ease of conversation", etc. I also find out, verbally or nonverbally, what I think they are thinking they should pay for such a thing. Usually I get them to spill the beans by asking leading questions like "have you looked at off-the-shelf software such as x or y that may do this for you?" or "have you researched or have experience with the pros and possible cons of contracting for custom software?" Then at the end of lunch, given what I've found out by talking with them, I'll know immediately if I want to spend time on the quote. If I don't want to spend more time, I'll give them a general estimate that covers my butt (like 6x what my gut tells me it'll take) and asks for a significant down payment, and even though I don't like treating people this way I'll kind of give the cold shoulder. For whatever the reasons, I either don't want to work with them or I think I'll be wasting time making a quote. I've learned to trust my intuitions. If I do think more time is likely to pan out with a good job, I'll spend like 2 full days making a detailed quote, explaining the processes involved and who I'll interface with, estimates of hours needed and this is only an estimate, etc. etc. I'll quote closer to reality and do everything I can to get the job, while still demanding a significant down payment before work commences of course. I'll have my wife proofread and play the customer, and I'll answer her questions and when both of us are satisfied, I'll ask for another meeting to deliver the quote. Back to your question: sure, large projects cost a lot of money. But, the client doesn't need to come up with it all at once, because large projects also take a long time for a single person to deliver. It's like taking on a mortgage payment or two while the software is being developed, but with huge return on investment over the medium to long term. They already suspect the return on investment, or they wouldn't be wanting the software in the first place. Right? Paul _______________________________________________ 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.
