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"Well, I think you are. How long do you think it will take to do this project? A month or two? I think a really good programmer like you could get it done in le

by rodh257 16y ago

"Well, I think you are. How long do you think it will take to do this project? A month or two? I think a really good programmer like you could get it done in less than two months." In my limited experience negotiating on fees for programming or selling software I've heard this line a few times. "You seem like a really good programmer, that program probably would have only taken you say 2 days, times that by an average hourly rate and thats the rate I'm willing to pay for the program and all source code". Always a sign for me that things aren't going to go well.

anamax 16y ago
> In my limited experience negotiating on fees for programming or selling software I've heard this line a few times. "You seem like a really good programmer, that program probably would have only taken you say 2 days, times that by an average hourly rate and thats the rate I'm willing to pay for the program and all source code". Bzzt - "really good programmers" aren't paid an "average hourly rate" - they're paid an absurdly high hourly rate. You've got to be willing to walk away, to call their bluff to find another programmer to do what you did for less. And when they come back, the price is higher because you both know that they don't have as many options as they thought that they had before. (Alternatively, they've admitted that the options that they were using to beat you down don't exist.)
dedward 16y ago
Yeah.... the guy who made that rediculous statement failed miserably.... no idea how to run a software company at all. I could tell when he came out of this superyacht moored out in the ocean and camped out next to us reading a book in the shade while we were grabbing some sun on a nice little tropical island. (Didn't bother to bother him - as tempting as it was - I figured he should be able to enjoy the peace and quiet and beautify of the place just like everyone else without being hassled)

by rodh257 16y ago

anamax 16y ago

> In my limited experience negotiating on fees for programming or selling software I've heard this line a few times. "You seem like a really good programmer, that program probably would have only taken you say 2 days, times that by an average hourly rate and thats the rate I'm willing to pay for the program and all source code". Bzzt - "really good programmers" aren't paid an "average hourly rate" - they're paid an absurdly high hourly rate. You've got to be willing to walk away, to call their bluff to find another programmer to do what you did for less. And when they come back, the price is higher because you both know that they don't have as many options as they thought that they had before. (Alternatively, they've admitted that the options that they were using to beat you down don't exist.)

dedward 16y ago

Yeah.... the guy who made that rediculous statement failed miserably.... no idea how to run a software company at all. I could tell when he came out of this superyacht moored out in the ocean and camped out next to us reading a book in the shade while we were grabbing some sun on a nice little tropical island. (Didn't bother to bother him - as tempting as it was - I figured he should be able to enjoy the peace and quiet and beautify of the place just like everyone else without being hassled)