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Subject: FLASH: Contracts (formerly Hyper-ride)
From: Gahlord Dewald
Date: Fri, 12 May 2000 21:08:12 +0100

I pitch in one of several ways. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages.

1. My favored method of work is by the hour. A client tells me what services
they're looking for. We handle consulting/strategy development (which we got
into because we got tired of people having exceptionally poor strategies or
being unequipped to "get" the web; we were doing strategy anyway), creative,
development/programming/coding/whatever, and a little post launch stuff. When a
client isn't sure what they want we start with consulting. Sometimes they really
want to skip this phase and go straight to creative. Usually their idea of a
strategy is, at best, short sighted. Not that I'm a genius or anything (I'm
getting set_var "arrogance" = 100 right now I can feel it). Just that a lot of
people I work with don't have a clear path for dealing with the web in a way
which acknowledges and takes into account their entire business operation and
the actual mission/goals of the company. Without a document of this sort we can
develop good work, but it will be thrown out next week when someone comes up
with another vision etc. Eventually someone is going to say "we invest a lot of
money in the web for not very good returns." This happens because approaches to
web development are not often seen as branding/identity/educational investments.
Strategy helps to remedy this situation. This phase can be long and costly or
brief depending on how they want it. Even when working by the hour I give "gut
feeling" estimates because whoever is trying to get me in on the job has to tell
their boss something. I make it verrrrrry clear that it's just a gut feeling
though. The gut feeling this is pretty dangerous if not played right, don't try
this at home and feel free to chastise me for doing it at all.

2. If a client absolutely can't handle an hourly rate, I read the RFP, call and
ask as many follow up questions as I need to get a handle on the issues that the
RFP inevitably leaves out (like the deadline of next week and the fact that I
will be doing the photography and that the CFO is a lunatic). Then I develop a
plan for achieving objectives (I've done a few of these now so it doesn't take
long; often a bit of cut and paste helps and even doing a unique case from
scratch might only take me a couple of hours). The full detailed plan doesn't
leave my office until the deposit is paid. The response to the RFP contains an
outlining of phases including purposes and overview of methods to be used. But
it isn't the whole store. The estimate I give, when pressed into a solid budget,
is double what I actually think it will take. In addition, it is carefully
worded so that should a client take more than 24 hours on an approval or to hand
over requested materials, that the cost _will_ be increased and the deadline
_will_ be moved back. I'm not really in the business of taking risks on another
companies internal operations. Oddly enough, some of these proposals actually
come through. I much prefer the hourly gig and when properly explained, most
clients do to. Often they are looking for a solid number because they don't feel
comfortable with web development or technology or whatever and the only thing
they know they can control is a budget. Alleviate this fear and you will build
the trust necessary to move into an hourly zone.

I would not do any strategy/analysis work without a deposit or on spec.
Development of a useable strategy is the most important and contains the most
long-term value. Don't let a company force you into making a free strategy.
Better to spend your efforts locating clients who will value you and the work
you do.

Take care,
g

Gahlord Dewald
Weeds Media Consortium

gahlordatweedsmedia [dot] com
http://www.weedsmedia.com



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