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If I could give you one piece of advice it would be this: Charge a small but reasonable fee for speccing a project. (My fee is $500 based in NYC). There is not

If I could give you one piece of advice it would be this: Charge a small but reasonable fee for speccing a project. (My fee is $500 based in NYC). There is nothing more demoralizing then spending a bunch of time and effort speccing out a complicated tech project and then getting ghosted by the potential client once you deliver the estimate. Once I started charging for speccing, this never happened again. And, once I started charging for this process, my conversion rate on proposals delivered went up a tremendous amount. I think a couple things are at play. 1. Many clients leads aren't actually serious but it can be difficult to figure that out, especially when you're new to the game. If somebody is willing to pay for this process, they're clearly serious about the project. 2. People respect you when you charge for your time like this. My agency got taken much more seriously by prospective clients as soon as we mentioned that we charge for this process. 3. By charging for it, it forced me to create a clear process and clear set of deliverables for that fee. Clients LOVE clear processes and clear sets of deliverables. It makes it much easier for them to say yes. They are like a warm security blanket for the decision maker. 4. I believe it was HN's Patio who taught me that as long as your offering is below $1000, it usually falls under the discretionary spending threshold for most departments, meaning it doesn't require boss/committee approval. If a prospective client was surprised by this fee, I took them through my process of all the things I'd help them figure out along the way that they clearly didn't have figured out yet, and make it clear they were free to go with a different agency after this process was complete. No strings attached. I believe that clients who understand the business value of that work are much better clients than the ones who do not. Shoutout to Brennan Dunn for the idea to charge for scoping.

bdavisx 7y ago
Would you be willing to share your speccing process?
- lprubin 7y ago
  It's all about getting to a point where I can write a proposal that will blow away the competition. I believe a great proposal includes: 1. A deep understanding of why the client is doing this project and how it delivers value to the client. Stating specific estimates of dollars this project can create/save or time/hassle it can save is a great thing to try and figure out and include. But be sure to state these are estimates and use large ranges. The goal isn't to be specific, just to illustrate the scope of the problem/opportunity. Most proposals DON'T have this. This alone will let you stand out from the crowd. 2. Understanding key stakeholders. Who will be involved in the project on the clients end and how will you bring them into the process in a way they'll be comfortable with. 3. Outline processes to get to success. What will the project look like from the day to day. How will you project manage? How will you communicate. What meetings will be needed? Will there be user testing? Who will do what - on your team and theirs? 4. Break up the project into larger chunks/variations. What is the smallest chunk that can deliver value ASAP. How can additional chunks be added in a modular, step by step approach that can bring value? Monolothic Yes/No proposals having a lower conversion rate than a "Menu of Options" the client can mix and match to their liking. Get creative! 5. What support options will you offer after the project ends? Will you disappear on them and leave them to fend for themselves? Will you train their team? Will you help them hire/transition to internal tech teams? 6. Include case studies for clients you've done something similar for before. This de-risks the project from the clients end and a big part of vendor decision making is de-risking. So my speccing process is asking a bunch of really specific and pointed questions so I can make a great proposal. Sometimes I send them an online survey to fill out before our first speccing meeting. Sometimes it's just a meeting. But I've honed a long set of questions over time that get me the answers I need to write a great proposal. Then really listen to answers to those questions. Somebody in this thread asked if I make wireframes in my speccing process. I prefer a collaborative whiteboarding session in the speccing meeting if it will help flesh out what the project is. It's much more fun and allows you to demonstrate your ability to work with them and incorporate their feedback on the fly. But your proposal should be more about the problem you're solving and how you're going to solve it than about the lines of code/screens you're going to create. Don't be a craftsperson. Be a problem solver!
  - amelius 7y ago
    How many hours does this whole process take, on average?
    - lprubin 7y ago
      Anywhere from 2 to 20 hours. Average is probably 4-5. But I have a ton of other proposals now that I copy and paste from and just fill in relevant details. Used to take me longer.
simonebrunozzi 7y ago
I love this approach. Well done. And patio11 wrote a ton of stuff on the subject, e.g. [0]. [0]: https://training.kalzumeus.com/newsletters/archive/consulting_1 https://training.kalzumeus.com/newsletters/archive/consultin...
- jdironman 7y ago
  Fantastic read, thank you for sharing. I assume this may have a lot of carry over into things besides programming as well.
ralala 7y ago
Do you also charge this for new projects from existing clients?
- lprubin 7y ago
  Depends on the the size of the new project. If the project is small, I usually don't. If the project is large, I tend towards a new speccing project.
cldellow 7y ago
+1 on charging for specs. We had some landscaping done and interviewed a few contractors. Only one charged for the upfront design work, but theirs was the most detailed proposal. We ended up going with them. I think they rebated most of the design fee, too.
- stingraycharles 7y ago
  Also, if you feel uncomfortable for charging for specs, you can always agree that the fee will be waived if the client decides to commit to the project.
- vijaybritto 7y ago
  Sorry but what is meant by this "specs"? Estimation?
  - cldellow 7y ago
    Specs here means specifications. It could include things like requirements documents, acceptance criteria, wireframes--anything to create a shared understanding of the precise shape of the work product to be delivered.
    - vijaybritto 7y ago
      Thanks
servercobra 7y ago
What all goes into a spec for $500? I've been chatting with a few other freelancers who's spec process gets all the way to wireframes and is something like 40 hours * their hourly rate. $500 seems like a perfect middle ground.
- chasd00 7y ago
  It should show you know what you're talking about, communicate a path forward, and wet the client's appetite for more. For the project at hand if that means wireframes then so be it. However, for $500 i wouldn't spend more than a couple hours start to finish.
RosanaAnaDana 7y ago
On the other side of point 3, as a person whose role is building analyses and products (often on spec or as part of a pilot project), a clear process for the pilot or spec-work, as well as a clearly defined set of deliverables (the product(s), a report, and a methodology workflow, a demo, whatever), is just as (if not more) important for your success as it is going to increase the likely hood of you getting the contract. The more structured my pilots have been, the higher the success rate has been in terms of turning them into contracts. This also is a time where you can set and measure client expectations (so that sales/ account managers), don't get out of control with their promises.
wastedhours 7y ago
Somewhat related - I'll charge for analysis and a briefing doc as well before speccing the actual project. Sometimes in marketing clients don't know what the outcome they want is (other than, "make moar £££s"), so reviewing what they're doing is also another good funnel into a larger gig. Again, this helps clarify the intent and scope when you launch into a larger engagement.

bdavisx 7y ago

Would you be willing to share your speccing process?

lprubin 7y ago
It's all about getting to a point where I can write a proposal that will blow away the competition. I believe a great proposal includes: 1. A deep understanding of why the client is doing this project and how it delivers value to the client. Stating specific estimates of dollars this project can create/save or time/hassle it can save is a great thing to try and figure out and include. But be sure to state these are estimates and use large ranges. The goal isn't to be specific, just to illustrate the scope of the problem/opportunity. Most proposals DON'T have this. This alone will let you stand out from the crowd. 2. Understanding key stakeholders. Who will be involved in the project on the clients end and how will you bring them into the process in a way they'll be comfortable with. 3. Outline processes to get to success. What will the project look like from the day to day. How will you project manage? How will you communicate. What meetings will be needed? Will there be user testing? Who will do what - on your team and theirs? 4. Break up the project into larger chunks/variations. What is the smallest chunk that can deliver value ASAP. How can additional chunks be added in a modular, step by step approach that can bring value? Monolothic Yes/No proposals having a lower conversion rate than a "Menu of Options" the client can mix and match to their liking. Get creative! 5. What support options will you offer after the project ends? Will you disappear on them and leave them to fend for themselves? Will you train their team? Will you help them hire/transition to internal tech teams? 6. Include case studies for clients you've done something similar for before. This de-risks the project from the clients end and a big part of vendor decision making is de-risking. So my speccing process is asking a bunch of really specific and pointed questions so I can make a great proposal. Sometimes I send them an online survey to fill out before our first speccing meeting. Sometimes it's just a meeting. But I've honed a long set of questions over time that get me the answers I need to write a great proposal. Then really listen to answers to those questions. Somebody in this thread asked if I make wireframes in my speccing process. I prefer a collaborative whiteboarding session in the speccing meeting if it will help flesh out what the project is. It's much more fun and allows you to demonstrate your ability to work with them and incorporate their feedback on the fly. But your proposal should be more about the problem you're solving and how you're going to solve it than about the lines of code/screens you're going to create. Don't be a craftsperson. Be a problem solver!
- amelius 7y ago
  How many hours does this whole process take, on average?
  - lprubin 7y ago
    Anywhere from 2 to 20 hours. Average is probably 4-5. But I have a ton of other proposals now that I copy and paste from and just fill in relevant details. Used to take me longer.

simonebrunozzi 7y ago

I love this approach. Well done. And patio11 wrote a ton of stuff on the subject, e.g. [0]. [0]: https://training.kalzumeus.com/newsletters/archive/consulting_1 https://training.kalzumeus.com/newsletters/archive/consultin...

jdironman 7y ago
Fantastic read, thank you for sharing. I assume this may have a lot of carry over into things besides programming as well.

ralala 7y ago

Do you also charge this for new projects from existing clients?

lprubin 7y ago
Depends on the the size of the new project. If the project is small, I usually don't. If the project is large, I tend towards a new speccing project.

cldellow 7y ago

+1 on charging for specs. We had some landscaping done and interviewed a few contractors. Only one charged for the upfront design work, but theirs was the most detailed proposal. We ended up going with them. I think they rebated most of the design fee, too.

stingraycharles 7y ago
Also, if you feel uncomfortable for charging for specs, you can always agree that the fee will be waived if the client decides to commit to the project.
vijaybritto 7y ago
Sorry but what is meant by this "specs"? Estimation?
- cldellow 7y ago
  Specs here means specifications. It could include things like requirements documents, acceptance criteria, wireframes--anything to create a shared understanding of the precise shape of the work product to be delivered.
  - vijaybritto 7y ago
    Thanks

servercobra 7y ago

What all goes into a spec for $500? I've been chatting with a few other freelancers who's spec process gets all the way to wireframes and is something like 40 hours * their hourly rate. $500 seems like a perfect middle ground.

chasd00 7y ago
It should show you know what you're talking about, communicate a path forward, and wet the client's appetite for more. For the project at hand if that means wireframes then so be it. However, for $500 i wouldn't spend more than a couple hours start to finish.

RosanaAnaDana 7y ago

On the other side of point 3, as a person whose role is building analyses and products (often on spec or as part of a pilot project), a clear process for the pilot or spec-work, as well as a clearly defined set of deliverables (the product(s), a report, and a methodology workflow, a demo, whatever), is just as (if not more) important for your success as it is going to increase the likely hood of you getting the contract. The more structured my pilots have been, the higher the success rate has been in terms of turning them into contracts. This also is a time where you can set and measure client expectations (so that sales/ account managers), don't get out of control with their promises.

wastedhours 7y ago

Somewhat related - I'll charge for analysis and a briefing doc as well before speccing the actual project. Sometimes in marketing clients don't know what the outcome they want is (other than, "make moar £££s"), so reviewing what they're doing is also another good funnel into a larger gig. Again, this helps clarify the intent and scope when you launch into a larger engagement.