We see this effect all the time, even with long-term clients. Our goal
these days it to get as quickly as possible to the check-in-hand deposit
stage (until then we don't consider the project real). We also find that
potential clients almost always seriously underestimate the amount of work
that goes into doing something (perhaps because "real" employees don't have
to account for their time on an hourly basis?), so as soon as possible
during the sales process we try to give them a ballpark estimate (which
often scares the less serious clients away). Spending lots of free sales
time on a project that was never meant to be in the first place is very
frustrating (not to mention hard on the revenue stream).
--bruce
>Another reason I've found it's worthwhile to get money up front is that
>sometimes prospective clients will talk and talk and talk about projects
>they want you to do, then when you ask them for a deposit, they suddenly
>decide not to do it after all. I've suffered several instances where I
>mistakenly started work on a project without a deposit, then tried to bill
>it later, only to discover that the client never really intended to
>undertake the project anyway. I've learned from experience that putting
>money on a project makes it "real" and gives the client more incentive to
>see it through to the end.
>
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Hart Consulting http://www.hartcons.com/
Web Design & Engineering Studio Silicon Valley, California
650-967-6162 1-800-749-8032 (fax)
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