Pricing, Promotion, and Postings - A Guide for Developers

[gnomeontherun]

This is a quick guide about a few topics which I find are common questions or mistakes when attempting to do work in the web design and development field.

Pricing

1. Prices should include time spent on communication. For example, if a client sends me 10 emails a day about their project and I respond to each, that time should be part of the cost. This is especially true if the client continually changes their requirements.
2. Set a minimum rate. There are very few, if any, projects that should be for $10. Just the email communication can take 30 mins or more.
3. Set an hourly rate. If a project says $500, then you can use that hourly rate to estimate your hours and total cost.
4. Track your time so you know how long it takes to do a project, which will improve your ability to accurately quote a project.

Promotion

1. You might be new or experienced, but your confidence is what makes others believe in your work, so write confidently.
2. Be careful what you post, and how you post it, sometimes posters will look at your other posts on the forum and online elsewhere.
3. Avoid using the word 'cheap'. People might think its a cheap price, but also cheap work.
4. Have some kind of portfolio available online. If you are a developer or designer, you have to have something to show! Make it look good!

Postings

1. The best way to respond to a post is via PM or with a provided address. However it looks silly to post on the thread 'PM Sent' or something similar, just don't post anything, you'll look smarter.
2. Don't just accept the price of a project you can do because it was the offered price. If a price is too low, contact the poster privately.
3. Respond to posters in detail. Simply stating a price provides little help to the poster, give them a little information about yourself, about how you will do the project, and payment terms. A good rule of thumb is one should use around 300 words.
4. Watch for 'will pay when project is done to my liking' posts. Some posters are very picky about things, especially money, and when the payment amount is already low, be careful that they actually pay you for the work. Sometimes posters are never happy with the work, and if you give it to them they may not pay.