[thelist] A Beginner Freelance Question

[Michael Pemberton]

Webmaster wrote:

> So, yes, once again -- with these details in mind, would anybody be so 
> kind as to at least project rough prices for both the redesign and then 
> the monthly updates? Last time I looked into prices was back in the days 
> when HTML 4 sites would cost around $100/hr or about $100/page.
> 
> Any help would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> D

I was in a meeting today with a recruitment agency.  They asked me what 
my rate was.  I actively avoid answering the question.

The reason for this was that I never want to be in a position where 
someone else decides if I want a job.  There are two many situation 
where the non-tangable advantages of taking a job need to be taken into 
account.  This may be in the form of experience or desperation.

There are also a number of ways to approach a job.  It can be a bit like 
some of the mobile phone plans.  A high up-front fee can avoid the need 
for ongoing payments, but you leave the client open to walk away to a 
competing offer.  A low upfront fee will be attractive, but you may need 
to increase your ongoing rate to compensate.

I am an IT contractor by day, and only fiddle with websites in my spare 
time.  This means that if one of my clients is looking for a simple 
website to put onto a domain they just purchased, I'm more than willing 
to throw something together for them.  I only charge a small fee because 
it is not my specialty.  I also encourage them to look at a more 
specialised service if their needs exceed the initial knock up.

In my case, the web work keeps a client on my books and helps build a 
business relationship.  I would suggest thinking about what you get out 
of a job just as much as you do what you put in.

Hopefully this gives some food for thought.

-- 
Michael Pemberton
evolt at mpember.net.au