What would you ask for as site like this??

[calpomatt]

Hey guys,

I was recently asked to do a site like this. I told the customer that the price would cost him $100. And that's including giving him the .fla! Am I being unreasonable in asking $100 for a site of this level. What do you think I should have charged?

- Matt

[dIVINEcONCEPT]

yes, a little more than a hundred dollars.. I know I could get at least a 1000 out of it... Good luck..

[Savatar]

Don't underestimate your value. You might as well have charged him nothing.

*S*

[Tatchi]

I would start at 150$ or 175& and negotiate w/ them...try it....

[Eyenovation]

If you ask that little for something like that, you are hurting the business for all of us.. Come on, man.. think. How desperate are you?

[Savatar]

$150 or $175?

The buttons alone from scratch could take you 2-3 hours. The background graphics, the logo and layout could take another 5. So far you are at 8 hours. And the flash content itself could be at least 10 hours...so if you use the lowest figures...thhis could take 18 hours (highly unlikely though). 100/18 = 5.55 an hour, 150/18 = 8.33 an hour, 175/18 = 9.72 an hour. Is this what you really want to be charging???

*S*

[calpomatt]

That's what I figured....but I haven't had any clients yet so I guess I was just excited that I got someone. I didn't want to lose the deal. $100 seemed low to me too.

[OddDog]

You may be the most talented guy/girl out there but for 100 bucks....

How many hours work do you think this project is ??

100 usd will not even pay your legal fees ...

But any client who seriously thinks this is a 100 dollar project IS BAD NEWS, I mean, how much do you expect to make an hour.

Next time do your maths.


But congratulations on your first client.

[Eyenovation]

Well - you will get more clients asking more. I have heard of people saying - if it is THAT cheap, it must suck.

[petesky]

I know how it feels to get excited just to have something, but you'd be better off spending the time you would've put into that on something more creative and exciting of your own---plus, once you get 10 hours into it and you start doing the math, anger and frustration might translate into a less than perfect job, then you're not gonna want to show it to anyone later on anyway....

drink a six pack *before* you hit the bar; you'll have an extra $100 in no time.....

[calpomatt]

Thanks for the advice guys. I was kinda caught off guard when this guy asked me to do a site. All I had done before were personal sites for myself. I really wasn't sure how to approach it. Thanks.

[AGENT 02]

Since you are just starting out - I'd recommend basing your pricing on a $25/hour rate. Make an estimate from there and either bill hourly or use an agreed on set fee. Starting out - I'd recommend doing the set fee route - and asking for 1/2 up front and 1/2 upon delivery. So for example, using the $25/hour rate and estimating it would take you 20 billable hours - you'd have $500. You get the idea.

When I started out I had a set amount I would not work under for. In the beginning of my career, the job had to bring me at least $500. Then it became $750. Then $1000. Etc.. etc.. Granted, I worked a FT job too - so it was more about getting some cash - I didn't need to worry about making a living from it at that point. At that time, building the portfolio meant more to me...

-A02

[borngamer]

$100!?, boy you would really be taking it for that one. Developing a site like that should go for at least $2000.

A project like that would involve some serious time. Unless you plan on taking an exact copy of the site you gave as an example, you would still have some serious design time to consider and how it would apply to your client's site and image.

Developing a site is much more time consuming than it looks. Sure you can say dropping a button only takes 2 seconds, but designing a button to look and feel exactly the way you want can take hours.

Unless he's willing to pay the bucks, I would stay away from this one.

Also, don't be afraid to look at other venues for your contract work. Not everyone wants (or needs) a web site. But there is lot's of money to be made using Flash for other purposes (I have personally done work on interactive catalogues, training materials, and video games). If you are more of an artist than a programmer, sell your skills to local businesses (e.g. flyers, restaraunt menus, etc.), or if programming is your thing there is always lot's of work available. Any time I have actively looked for contract work I have been able to land one within 2 weeks.

I have had my best luck on topic specific message boards. As nice as Flashkit is for postings, you have a hell of a lot of competition on this site. Try looking for areas where clients might hang out (e.g. Casino sites, etc..)

I hope this helps out,

borngamer

[aversion]

always always always charge per hour of your time.

if you're just starting out around $25 an hour would be ok, once you've got a portfolio going the $50 an hour and up.

[AGENT 02]

Exactly. In the beginning you need to be more concerned with getting some real-world projects under your belt than making a lot of money At the same time you don't want to feel like you're working for nothing either!

[Eyenovation]

Originally posted by calpomatt
Thanks for the advice guys. I was kinda caught off guard when this guy asked me to do a site. All I had done before were personal sites for myself. I really wasn't sure how to approach it. Thanks.

Live and learn..

[calpomatt]

Originally posted by aversion
always always always charge per hour of your time.

if you're just starting out around $25 an hour would be ok,
once you've got a portfolio going the $50 an hour and up.

Wow!....really? That high? $25 an hour is pretty damn good in my book. My last job I was making $7 an hour. Maybe I should bail on the whole civil engineering thing and go for proffesional web designer.

Do you think the small "mom and pop" businesses would pay $25 an hour though?? At the level I'm at now, those are probably the types of clients I would get. Although I just saw the company page of a business my CE professor runs and it's pretty bad. Maybe I could hit him up. But if I do a bad job....that may affect my grade.

[Gotha]

Originally posted by calpomatt

Originally posted by aversion
always always always charge per hour of your time.

if you're just starting out around $25 an hour would be ok,
once you've got a portfolio going the $50 an hour and up.

Wow!....really? That high? $25 an hour is pretty damn good in my book. My last job I was making $7 an hour. Maybe I should bail on the whole civil engineering thing and go for proffesional web designer.

Do you think the small "mom and pop" businesses would pay $25 an hour though?? At the level I'm at now, those are probably the types of clients I would get. Although I just saw the company page of a business my CE professor runs and it's pretty bad. Maybe I could hit him up. But if I do a bad job....that may affect my grade.

Oh great, another 14 year old "professional web designer" who's flooding the market...

Time for me to read "Who Moved My Cheese" again and find another line of work. 1 1/2 years of learning Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver down the drain.

[Binky]

aw.. don't be so grumpy Gotha, we all start somewhere

calpomatt - when you're making your project quote count up all the hours you'll spend doing it mentally, and then BE SURE TO DOUBLE THE HOURS.

it may seem awkward if you feel like you're asking for a lot of money, but unless you really really need the cash it's by far the best thing to do.

they may negotiate to fit their budget, but now the ball is in their court and you know roughly how much they have to spend. It's gonna be a hell of a lot more than 100 bucks.

you'll no doubt spend at least half again as much time as you had considered, and the client likes nothing better than a final bill that's below the quoted amount.

besides, it's good training for when you ask for that outrageous salary!

good luck

[calpomatt]

Originally posted by Gotha
Oh great, another 14 year old "professional web designer" who's flooding the market...

Time for me to read "Who Moved My Cheese" again and find another line of work. 1 1/2 years of learning Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver down the drain.

Hey...I'm 20, and the whole point of this thread was to find what kind of rates I should be charging. There's really no need to get insulting here. If you read my posts above, you'll see that I had no clue what kind of rates to charge and was caught off gaurd.
I wasn't being serious about dropping the civil engineering career, but if I am given the opportunity to make decent money working with Flash, something that I do for enjoyment, I am going to follow through with it. If I can, I fully intend to be a web designer on the side. It's something that I enjoy, and if it can bring in some extra dough....all the better.

Peace!