Charging for meetings

[EdenWeb]

Do you guys charge for meetings and travel? Do you only charge if the client has requested the meeting. Do you charge for mileage?

I haven't for several years but I'm spending so much time now on the road and in meetings with clients that I need to reconsider and would like to hear how others are doing this.

Example:

Meeting in Louth tomorrow will take 1.5 hours travel, 1 hour + meeting new client, 1.5 hours back here.

Meeting in London last week ate up the whole day (and evening before) but client pays for flights anyway.

Any thoughts?

 

[davidbehan]

It depends on the client and the project. For me:

- If it's a sales meeting, I don't charge.
- If it's a project spec/consultancy meeting, I've usually covered this cost under project management in my contract.
- If it's an adhoc meeting outside a project, I charge a half/full day rate, and travel if applicable.

I don't do many client meetings between sales and handover - it makes more sense to upload and discuss over the phone unless there are progress meetings required (and i'd bill these under project management).

If I found I was falling into a number of meetings that were outside what is normally needed, I'd refer back to my contract that has the option to bill for time and travel for these meetings. I'd let the client know that I'd be charging for future meetings and travel costs - that would probably curtail the extra meetings or you get paid. Haven't had to enforce that though but I do have that backup just in case.

HTH,

Rgds,

Dave

 

[Forbairt]

Hmm... you can't really charge for a sales meeting as such in my mind its part and parcel of doing business and you've got to chalk it down to as a marketing expense incurred

That said I've not done that many of them .. I am losing a LOT of time doing up proposals / talking to customers about their projects and I feel I need to change this. I'm not a free consultancy service which in some cases I feel like I'm being used as so they can gather their spec together and go with someone else.

I don't actually do that many client face to face meetings thank god but in those cases I have they've been more than forth coming with expenses. It still doesn't pay for 2 days lost work time but its better than nothing.

 

[EdenWeb]

Thanks guys.
Dave - sound thinking and practice as usual. Must get myself one of those contracts. How many steak sandwiches in the Old Boro would it take to ply a copy of that from your hands?

 

[davidbehan]

You can send me a voucher if you're not going to be in Dublin soon! LOL

No worries, mate... I'll email one over to you this evening. Doing up one for a client shortly so I'll send you a blank one.

Rgds, Dave

 

[MiaDeRoca]

He guys,

I do charge meetings, I don't chare sales meetings.
The meetings are most of the time part of the contrac, or if they are "supplemental", I usually give them another contract for this specific meeting (or the series of meetings, extra-efforts,as required).

I do sales meeting for free -if it is still in a decent time spectrum - meaning if the clients is seeking for a lot of information, I either offer coachings (usually via telephone) or I do suggest them, to book a "workshop" (usually used to make a concept), depending on the client, project.

I am in the internet business for 5 years - and the "useless" meetings are hardly there anymore. First of alle, making contacts, learning about new business, is never"useless", and second I know better to distinguish who really wants to get into business and who ain't.
And of course, we do already have a lot of customers, so the need for new projects, is usually not that big.

Cheers,
Regina

 

[TheMenace]

Pretty much what Dave said. You have to incur the cost of sales meetings as it's part and parcel of being in business. However, you shouldn't scope anything in detail or give away any free consultancy, or even write proposals, without being paid for it. There are a lot of assholes and time wasters out there who just want to tap you for free consultancy. Be sure to play hardball with them.

 

[EdenWeb]

Dave, that sounds great. Thanks for the offer.
I was in Ashbourne, Navan, Tara and Meath in general all weekend but was babysitting. Otherwise I'd have given you a bell and hooked up.
Plenty of Raymond Potterton signs around that neck of the woods.