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> Can they afford us? If you think it is callous to put this as the first thing we look for, then you are probably not someone we want to work with. I wish you

by tieTYT 13y ago

> Can they afford us? If you think it is callous to put this as the first thing we look for, then you are probably not someone we want to work with. I wish you elaborated on this (I think it'd be worthy of its own article). How do you do this? Most articles I read on this topic seem discuss their fee with clients like a diplomat, a politician or a strategist or something. I've read in more than one article you're supposed to sell your price as "an investment, not a fee". But your article implies you cut right to the chase.

bcardarella 13y ago
I could but I'll try to answer this as best I can here to avoid writing a long post again. (my fingers hurt!) We do cut to the chase. Some people have seen this as aggressive. If we get the sense that this will turn them off and they seem like a company we want to work with we'll push off that conversation. But most times I am up front and tell them our rate ($6k/week/dev) and I tell them we are looking for contracts with a budget over $50k. I don't have all of the time in the world and I know the client is likely meeting with other agencies. If we are not a financial fit for them then it is better they know that earlier than later.
- jayroh 13y ago
  Anywhere up and down the services chain (from solo freelancer to large consultancy) should do this. There's a cost to vetting potential clients and service providers in the form of time. The sooner you can tell whether everyone is on the same page with regards to financial expectations, the better. I learned my lesson a long time ago when traveling for several hours to meet with a client looking for what amounted to $150k worth of work, and eventually telling me/us that they only had $5k.
majc2 13y ago
In the UK, I check clients out on duedil.com - that way I can get a sense of their financial strength.
- rahimnathwani 13y ago
  Shameless plug: you can also download their latest accounts for free from http://www.twilam.com/ http://www.twilam.com/ as long as they are among the 90% (and growing) of companies who file their accounts electronically.
tetha 13y ago
The interesting thing is: One fundamental concept in my head is: If you don't negotiate the price of your service early on, I'm growing suspicious. In a buisness context, people are either excited enough to be scary, or they have a material reason to do things. This tends to boil down to complicated reasons, or money. So if someone is upfront about just wanting money, I suppose he is fine, as long as I pay him well or he has little ability to backstab me. Thus, I like this attitude, I have to say. Get clear about what you give me and what I give you, so this roadblock is out of the way.

by tieTYT 13y ago

bcardarella 13y ago

I could but I'll try to answer this as best I can here to avoid writing a long post again. (my fingers hurt!) We do cut to the chase. Some people have seen this as aggressive. If we get the sense that this will turn them off and they seem like a company we want to work with we'll push off that conversation. But most times I am up front and tell them our rate ($6k/week/dev) and I tell them we are looking for contracts with a budget over $50k. I don't have all of the time in the world and I know the client is likely meeting with other agencies. If we are not a financial fit for them then it is better they know that earlier than later.

jayroh 13y ago
Anywhere up and down the services chain (from solo freelancer to large consultancy) should do this. There's a cost to vetting potential clients and service providers in the form of time. The sooner you can tell whether everyone is on the same page with regards to financial expectations, the better. I learned my lesson a long time ago when traveling for several hours to meet with a client looking for what amounted to $150k worth of work, and eventually telling me/us that they only had $5k.

majc2 13y ago

In the UK, I check clients out on duedil.com - that way I can get a sense of their financial strength.

rahimnathwani 13y ago
Shameless plug: you can also download their latest accounts for free from http://www.twilam.com/ http://www.twilam.com/ as long as they are among the 90% (and growing) of companies who file their accounts electronically.

tetha 13y ago

The interesting thing is: One fundamental concept in my head is: If you don't negotiate the price of your service early on, I'm growing suspicious. In a buisness context, people are either excited enough to be scary, or they have a material reason to do things. This tends to boil down to complicated reasons, or money. So if someone is upfront about just wanting money, I suppose he is fine, as long as I pay him well or he has little ability to backstab me. Thus, I like this attitude, I have to say. Get clear about what you give me and what I give you, so this roadblock is out of the way.