Derleek Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 So I am just wondering how much you guys charge for your services? basically i'm wondering if I am undercharging for my services. Ex: fringe charged $950 for this. features include: -mass mailer (not added until we switch it to her own host) -apointment page (sends e-mails to their main e-mail acount w/ appointment info... once again not complete) -six pages of content -One flash animation -personalized pictures taken at their hair salon -SEO (google and what not... once again not complete) -custom design Did i not charge enough or is this pretty right on? Now keep in mind, I am new to the web-programming world. I do not have an extreme amount of experience, but i have a few clients under my belt. This being considered, i do not have a large portfolio to back up what Me and my partners can do. couple basic questions on pricing: 1)How do you charge? by the hour, or estimate a total for a project. 2)Do you charge on a per-page/feature basis? 3) Do you have a solid system/structure for pricing? (its always interesting when i go to a client and am like 'uhhh... a thousand bucks? durrr') All things being said, I am shooting for around $1000 for each estimate I do (i've personally just been coming up with estimates on a per-project basis... no hourly stuff) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zq29 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Estimate how long it will take you to complete the project from start to finish, multiply this number of hours by how much you believe your time is worth, add a percentage on for contingency/profit and there you have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardyandkari Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 ok...i will give you the numbers that i have seen here before: (M * X) + (25%(M * X)) M = hourly rate X = hours building site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcombs_31 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I don't believe in doing it that way. Say the first time you create the site you do everything from scratch and it takes 2 weeks, then you have a similar job where you get to re-use most of your code and it only takes 5 days. Do you charge the client for 5 days of time or the original 2 weeks it took to build the code? I think there are multiple factors in deciding price, and you may wish to get yourself a base for different tasks, but in the end after you do multiple jobs I think you'll get a feel for what you should be charging for each project. I don't believe the client should only be paying for your time but for your expertise. The better you are at what you do the more you should likely charge within reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zq29 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Say the first time you create the site you do everything from scratch and it takes 2 weeks, then you have a similar job where you get to re-use most of your code and it only takes 5 days. Do you charge the client for 5 days of time or the original 2 weeks it took to build the code? I'd charge them for the original 2 weeks. That's how long that functionality took to develop, they shouldn't get a discount because someone else has ordered it before them. The time you save by already having the code in stock contributes to your contingency/profit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcombs_31 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Say the first time you create the site you do everything from scratch and it takes 2 weeks, then you have a similar job where you get to re-use most of your code and it only takes 5 days. Do you charge the client for 5 days of time or the original 2 weeks it took to build the code? I'd charge them for the original 2 weeks. That's how long that functionality took to develop, they shouldn't get a discount because someone else has ordered it before them. The time you save by already having the code in stock contributes to your contingency/profit. Point being you may not be able to know exactly how long it took you to build various parts and pricing will not be based on the work you are doing for the current client so the hourly rate calculator is not always the best solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derleek Posted August 20, 2008 Author Share Posted August 20, 2008 I suppose the real question is. How much, as a medium level web-developer, can i get away with charging through an hourly rate? I mean I really have no clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revraz Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 How much does it cost for you to live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derleek Posted August 20, 2008 Author Share Posted August 20, 2008 well i go to school, which fortunately enough doesn't cost me anything. But beyond that, My rent is $600 a month and I probably have about $700 or $800 in monthly expenses. I also am about $2500 in debt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zq29 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Calculating an hourly rate that works is quite difficult in my opinion, it took me over a year to settle on a rate that I was happy with, and even then, we review it on yearly basis and generally increase it. There are a lot of factors that go into it, such as: Cost of business (Bills, employees, prospecting, etc.) Cost of living You generally have to be cheaper than the competition when you first start out as you have no track record or commercial experience What the current market in your area or country is willing to spend The size of client you are wanting to attract - Corporates will generally spend more than small start-ups ...and that is a basic list, there are a number of other factors that you'll discover over time when you're working as a developer, or business owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel0 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 ok...i will give you the numbers that i have seen here before: (M * X) + (25%(M * X)) M = hourly rate X = hours building site. How about just saying M*X*1.25? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardyandkari Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 ok...i will give you the numbers that i have seen here before: (M * X) + (25%(M * X)) M = hourly rate X = hours building site. How about just saying M*X*1.25? nope doesnt work... just kidding...that's how it came out in my head, so thats what i wrote... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akitchin Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 on top of finding an hourly rate, it's difficult to estimate the number of hours for a job without having a fair bit of experience in knowing how fast you work, how big a project it is, etc. much the same as SA, it took me a little over two years to settle on an hourly rate and have recently adjusted it. i started off by quoting a seemingly reasonable lump-sum, seeing how well it reflected the overall time it took me to complete, and swallowed the losses or celebrated the bonus. after a while, i started to get a feel for the amount of time projects take and how much my time is worth to me. until you've gone through a lot of different types of projects and dealt with the ups, the downs, and the flat-out sideways, you won't have a comfortable idea of what your time is worth to you. EDIT: to directly answer your question, what you can "get away with" is just gut instinct. the final question about whether you've charged correctly is, once the dust settles, are you and the client both happy with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teng84 Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 you cant charge hourly if you're new to programming.. this should answer your question are you and the client both happy with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teng84 Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 additional info? i have clients (freelance) and when they asked for my service i let them give their price each modules I'm bad when it comes to pricing hmm they calculate how long i can finish each task and pay me daily based on the salary i get from the regular company i work. so lets say im getting 100 bucks they will make it 120 buck generous guys or they just love my work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derleek Posted August 21, 2008 Author Share Posted August 21, 2008 you cant charge hourly if you're new to programming.. Agreed. I don't exactly feel comfortable having people pay me to learn how to make a good website. Although i'm not new to programming, just web programming. I don't feel i'm TOO far off from establishing some kind of hourly rate, but I think I will stick with a flat estimate for now. The internet is a horrid environment for programming, but it sure as hell pays well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zq29 Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Although i'm not new to programming, just web programming. I don't feel i'm TOO far off from establishing some kind of hourly rate, but I think I will stick with a flat estimate for now. I would still recommend a "flat estimate" on almost all occasions, but this estimate is based on an hourly rate. Charging by the hour can get out of hand quick and you're going to get into dispute with your clients when you bill them for 50 hours when you gave them an estimate of 25... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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