[thelist] billing clients

[::kevination::]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Tom Dell'Aringa wrote:
> For those of you freelancers out there, got a question. Do you bill
> for liaison time? That is, phone conversations, slogging through
> email. If you do, do you charge the same rate or different? DO you
> line item it on your invoice?
>

If you bill by the hour and don't keep a detailed log of activity to
justify the billing then you are begging for trouble. Always log and
charge clients for ANY activity related to their project. If you want to
charge less than recorded time then just enter a discount/rebate with
justification on the final bill.

Some justifications I have used for issuing a discount:
- - Very good client and I want more of their business
- - Changes that were reasonably beyond the client's control
- - Very bad client and I just want them to pay and go away
- - My mistakes. I NEVER charge a client for work that could have been
avoided by me.
- - Part of a package deal

Always keep a complete log to justify the billing. If you discount the
final amount, always explain your justification for the discount. Never
let a client walk away with an understanding of the cost that is
different from your own.

- --
- ---
kevin D. white
email, simplecypher at bitshift.ws
im, simplecypher
- ---
- --
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.1.91-nr1 (Windows 2000)
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=aRe3
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----