[Sigia-l] Freelance IA consulting: Discovering the cost of do ing business

[Ziya Oz]

"David R. Austen" wrote:

> Or, offer a rebate at the end of the year if they actually engage you
> for the length of time that was originally promised.

Yes, that's the idea. Charge them full rate, then give away, donate, offer a
rebate, get a retainer, etc., as a bonus. The whole point of this exercise
is to establish your rate for the *next* project. That's why clients should
be encouraged to associate you with a single rate (your worth) and not
multiple (and lower) rates. You should accommodate their situation with
offerings *other than* your rate. And in all such instances the client
should give something back to you: flexible hours/deadlines, promotional
rights, more work, re-use of code, etc., if their argument for asking lower
rates is that they don't have the budget at the moment. At the end of the
day, all these peripheral stuff will be forgotten, except for your rate!

Best,

Ziya