Re: Guesstimate THIS! (was RE: Contracting Experiences

[Robert Barlow-Busch <bob -at- SONYCOM -dot- COM>]

I'll add a vote for fixed-price jobs; they've worked wonderfully for me. I'm
currently in a permanent job, but just for the chance to see Europe (!) -- when
contracting before this, I provided mostly fixed-price proposals. Some very good
comments have been made already, which I won't repeat, but I'd like to add:

With fixed-price work, you're able easily to modify your rate to compensate for
rush jobs. If you did this with an hourly rate, your client's hair would
probably stand on end. Of course, you can do this for almost any reason. You
hoped to take those weeks off? You're not too interested in the subject matter?
Whatever: give them a quote that makes it worth your while. If they accept, it's
clearly worth their while, too.

I've found that most clients like to think in terms of "what's this project
worth to me?" instead of "what's this person worth per hour?" And it gets them
in the mindset to think about the project as a whole, which is something you
very much want potential clients to do at this stage, regardless of how you
charge. If you discover that they *don't* have a good idea of the project as a
whole, you can decide to try an hourly rate, or simply decline the work. It
could be a scary project.

You can usually charge more for fixed-price work. You're "going out on a limb"
to nail down a price, and it's okay if that price is higher. Fixed-price quotes
will almost certainly be higher than hourly job estimates -- but people seem
willing to pay for a more stable quote. For one client, my fixed-price bid was
the final factor in their decision, even though the fee was nearly twice the
nearest hourly-rate estimate (they were a fabulous client in other ways, too!
<g>).

Of course, fixed-price bids take some practice. I would say to Kevin, who
started this thread, that he's right on with his statement, "one of the most
valuable skills a writer need[s] to develop, before leaving employeedom behind,
[is] the skill of sizing up a job and ACCURATELY estimating the necessary tools
and man-hours to get it done." Practise at work, where your mistakes don't take
money from your own pocket!

- Bob

--
Robert Barlow-Busch                Some unwritten rules:  1.
bob -at- sonycom -dot- com                                           2.
Sony Suprastructure Center - Europe                       3.
Brussels, Belgium                                         4.

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