Managing Client Expectations, Part 4
Now let’s take a look at “hard” costs of a webdev project. These are the most easily controlled and understood pricing concepts.
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Web Design Costs. These are dependent on how many hours are spent working on a design, and how many times the client asks for changes to it. Take the time up front to explain to the best of your ability all the things that can affect this.
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Show the client your portfolio. These are the types of sites you build. Do they like them?
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What do they want? Has the client supplied examples of the sort of site they are looking for?
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GIGO – Ensure the client knows you can quote for a job only on the information you have available to you at the time.
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Estimate a cost for the project, based on reviewed client requirements.
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Valued, but appropriately. Ensure the client knows you are costing the job by hours worked, and remind them that you do have other clients.
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Keep that “paper trail.” Ask the client to send you an email notifying his acceptance of the project scope and cost. Make sure all your costs are approved before starting a job (remember VAT for overseas clients).
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Half & Half – Get 50% of total job costs before project start, and the balance on completion.