I read this too a few years back. Great read. It teaches you a lot about perceived value and that by charging a higher price, your prospect actually perceives that they will be getting a better service from you and go for your services. I studied this in college as well... all about perceived value. I think it's the most important thing here. Oh, I lost my business kit folder ages ago. All I have left is my copy of the cd-rom on harddrive (I still use the docs as a basis... there quite good). Any chance I can get a lend of yours??? It'll be an excuse to meet up and talk business too!!!

I'd actually estimated about 6 actual man days and at my daily rate, that puts me in the 3k-5k bracket. TBH... I can and have done sites for <2k but to do so, you have to cut back on certain things to make it worth your while. When I'm doing a site, I like to put the extra effort in and put nice features, and actually get time to think about the site and not do it like a robot, etc. You get what you pay for at the end of the day and if a client only wanted to pay 1-2k (I normally point them elsewhere but occasionally they are done)... you can't give them the full all round service. You're right redfly... they want a 10k+ website for less than 5k (or 5k+ for less than 2k). There are people out there that say they do them but they are not always up to scratch and the quality of the work shows it. A couple of years ago, a client said to me that they could get a site done for half the price (or less) from someone else. I replied with (very gracefully and with no offence) - "get it done by them, i don't mind but I'm looking forward to meeting with you again when you are asking me to fix your site and at that point my prices will be higher" and they like you for it and give you the job (to my surprise at the time). It was something to that effect and I use a similar approach in similar circumstances (i reword it of course so I don't offend the client and get thrown out of the office on my ear but you get my meaning).

In my quotes, I provide a price with the essentials and include optional extras for the clients to consider. I must talk to you about the copywriting/seo options for future clients.

Not necessarily... sometimes it is just as easy to use a cms for a website as it is to do it static. I would not be charging too much extra for a standard cms but if it is for a complicated cms with uploads, image optimisation, xml feeds, newsletter management, subscriber management, etc. - well then, you are talking more!!!

That's amended. redfly is right... it should be included as standard. It's only been this year since I have really been practising higher standards of coding. I dropped kicked FP out about 6/7 years ago and I only use DW for the colour coded code view and design preview split. Everything I code these days is handwritten and IMO... when you get to this stage, it is much easier and quicker to do then use the ready made functions of those programs.

Yes, agreed, and the sooner you find out what category they fall into, the better. I've been reading a nice little chapter from The Business Bathroom Bible called Death Valley and it basically says at the end of your meeting, arrange the next meeting to discuss your proposal and bring the proposal with you. The response will tell you if the client really wants to move ahead, this is a pricing exercise, the time isn't right, there is a major budget constraint, etc.

Don't worry... I'm here to help you!!

I think this is a nice little discussion so far. Thank you for the replies. In final closing in this post, let me just say that there is a number of different levels of service quality that can be provided to a client. This is not what you say is the quality... it is what your clients perceive to be the quality. However, we know that there are a few different levels and for example now: there are 3 levels of quality - ok, good and great - the problem is if I was selling the great quality and only providing the ok quality but still charging for at great quality rates. This is where are industry has gotten it's bad name in the past but it seems to have healed from it. Another problem is not realising you should be in the great bracket price wise when you are actually providing that level of service but not charging for it. That's another matter altogether I suppose... or it could be regarded as value for money!!!

It's all economics at the end of the day too... I'd rather be doing a less projects at higher standards and getting paid better, than actually doing more projects at lower standards and probably getting the same (or less) for it. I don't want to work myself into an early grave!!!

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David Behan
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