Re: UKNM: Search Engines digression

[Leigh Blue Caldwell]

> >We all know that people were once payed a fortune for HTML coding,

> >once everyone realised you didn't need a computer science degree to 

> >knock up

> >a HTML page the price dropped, or at least the requirements for a 

> >good HTML

> >coder extended beyond the ability to use a few <TABLE> & <P> tags !

> 

> At the end of the day, price is not about cost, it's about 

> combination: we charge huge fees for a combination of graphic design 

> (generally represented by a natural talent), html (as you say, a 

> doddle) and marketing (which, imo, is mostly common sense), but then 

> our clients are liable to get millions of pounds of business out of 

> it (well, one of them does).

> 

> How should we charge, by individual discipline, or the combination? 

> My feeling is that if we were under pressure financially, we would 

> not be relaxed enough to be able to come up with our solutions.


While it's perfectly fine to charge high fees, especially for

specialist expertise and demonstrable good results, this is a

downright silly justification for it.  I hope (well, actually I know)

that Felix has sufficient confidence in the value of his company's

skills not to use reasoning like that!


> If I had my druthers, I'd be getting a commission on every sale my 

> client makes, on top of payment for the basic cost of each individual 

> discipline. But not many clients are set up that way, and the 

> majority of those that are don't understand the principle of an 

> equitable arrangement based on shared risk, or are interested only in 

> joint ventures, which we aren't interested in (we already specialise).


I like this kind of venture too, but it isn't always necessary to

insist on a payment for the costs of the disciplines.  Did you mean

that you like to be paid for the entire cost of the individual items

as well as take a commission?  That sounds like you're skewing the

risk too much in the other direction - after all, why should the

client pay you a commission if they're taking all the risk of the

up front investment too?


Unless you meant that the client would pay for the cost of

subcontracting the technical aspects, and you would be rewarded for

your strategic and marketing input on a commission basis.  That would

be reasonable.


> Just my 2cents worth - unless it's measured in bandwidth, in which 

> case it's around .0000002cents, or in chargeable time, in which case 


> it's around a tenner - your choice.


Did it _really_ take you a whole hour to compose this email?


[ sorry, couldn't resist ]



Regards,

	Leigh.


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