FLASH: Contracts (formerly Hyper-ride)

[Gahlord Dewald]

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

gahlordweedsmedia [dot] com

http://www.weedsmedia.com




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