Freelancing advice

[stoymigo]

I've started communicating with a potential client, the first hurdle was getting the dev environment setup on my side
so I could actually work on the program and that's fine.

I told the client I'd offer to do a few requests at first for free, just to see if I can do the job and so far so good.
My question is, say there are 10 features they'd like, and I plan to bill on each feature, should I do say 3 features at first and then ask them for payment of those 3 features before proceeding with the rest?

Reason I ask is, just to be sure I get some payment, or if I don't get paid then I didn't invest a lot of time.

 

[MeroD]

Probably best to collect some portion of the payment up front. This shows that the client is serious and much less likely to bail out mid-project on you.

Additionally, you should clearly stipulate your required payment schedule (for the work you have completed), and be professional about your billing method, else your client will probably hold off on payment for as long as they can...

 

[stricken]

use freshbooks.com for invoicing. have a regular (at least once monthly) payment schedule... and be sure to stipulate costs involved in case of scope creep.

never appear too desperate for the job, and start looking for more business elsewhere while you are busy with this client.

 

[Dean]

use freshbooks.com for invoicing. have a regular (at least once monthly) payment schedule... and be sure to stipulate costs involved in case of scope creep.

never appear too desperate for the job, and start looking for more business elsewhere while you are busy with this client.

some very good advice there.

There are two good alternatives to Freshbooks which I prefer: Harvest (www.getharvest.com) and FreeAgent (which seems to be the most comprehensive of the lot in terms of the accounting aspect @ www.freeagentcentral.com).

But yea, a deposit upfront is key and then the best way to structure it would be monthly/periodic deliverables (either part of or a fully fuctional 'feature') that you could bill for as you progress and then an amount on completion.

Be sure to quote for support (if they will need it after they implement the system) and as mentioned above; lay out very clearly your rate/potential charges for scope creep. Besides for the fact that it happens every day in the industry, there was a thread here yesterday about this exact problem - only from the clients side, who clearly hadn't been well-informed about the extras and wasn't happy at all about it. Scope creep is almost inevitable and you don't want to find yourself doing double the amount of work you originally quoted for, at the same price.

 

[stoymigo]

Wow, thanks for that advice, those invoicing tools are handy for managing support/troubleshooting and extra work.

What rate should I look at charging, the project is made in VB.NET and uses reporting, and I'm a junior developer (2-3yrs experience)
Bear in mind I don't want to overcharge as money is not a priority, the project seems exciting, the client co operates very well(testing and feedback) .

 

[koeks]

use freshbooks.com for invoicing. have a regular (at least once monthly) payment schedule... and be sure to stipulate costs involved in case of scope creep.

never appear too desperate for the job, and start looking for more business elsewhere while you are busy with this client.

+1 on the above, i also use freshbooks and its very handy

Wow, thanks for that advice, those invoicing tools are handy for managing support/troubleshooting and extra work.

What rate should I look at charging, the project is made in VB.NET and uses reporting, and I'm a junior developer (2-3yrs experience)
Bear in mind I don't want to overcharge as money is not a priority, the project seems exciting, the client co operates very well(testing and feedback) .

Money is a priority, you are running a business not a charity, cash flow is very important when you are in business, Make sure you have a good laptop, desk, chair, these items will make sure your clients know that you are serious about what you do and they will take you seriously, also the a good and comfortable chair and desk will make you productive. But make sure you charge what you think is fair, also try to buffer in time on your projects as with software\web development things tend to take longer than expected... I always ask for a 50% deposit of what I quoted before the jobs starts, this way you get the client’s commitment as you are also committing your time. You will need to learn to manage your time efficiently. I also think going forward you must never say you will do some stuff for free it makes them think you don’t value your time. make sure before you start you signed off the client’s requirements so that you control any scope creep and anything not quoted for will be changed separately

 

[stoymigo]

Probably best to collect some portion of the payment up front. This shows that the client is serious and much less likely to bail out mid-project on you.

Additionally, you should clearly stipulate your required payment schedule (for the work you have completed), and be professional about your billing method, else your client will probably hold off on payment for as long as they can...

Jesus, where I work there are many or have-been clients that delay payment, companies/ppl probably have been burned this way.

 

[koeks]

http://mashable.com/2012/03/04/freelancing-infographic/

this will help a lot