Posted by corinroyal@drup... on February 1, 2007 at 9:10pm
Hey Y'all. I tried getting out of computers after the dot com bust. But Drupal pulled me back in because it's so F*%$ing useful, and so many people need it's functionality. So I'm starting up a one geek consulting business doing XHTML/CSS based Drupal setups. I'm just starting out, and plan to work primarily with smaller businesses and non-profits. I'm trying to figure out how to base my rates. Here's my considerations:
- I'm good enough to modify customize existing Drupal templates, but not to themeify a pre-existing design or create a completely new theme
- I can install and configure Drupal and various module configurations.
- I'm good at helping organizations see what's possible and guide them there. Decent proj. mgmt. and consulting skills
- I'd like for my rates to be affordable for small businesses, but within the realm of industry standards
- I'm working in San Francisco primarily with local clients
Question: What sort of pricing structure makes sense for a new Drupal developer such as myself?
Thanks in advance for any enlightenment you can provide.
Corin Royal Drummond
Comments
Prices are negotiated.
The first piece advice I would give is not to publish any prices on a web site or in print advertising. Since your focus is on business consulting rather than software development, some customers will require lots of hand-holding, and others will need merely a cluefull hosting provider. There's no way to please everybody with a single rate sheet; low prices will scare some folks away as much as high prices will scare other folks. So you need to focus on high-level communication -- you're marketing yourself to the managers, whose problems you'll solve, not to their web designers or on-site tech folks who don't make business decisions.
Second, set up some relationships with talented graphics artists and Drupal developers who can be subcontracted in a pinch. Focus on spending your time on your strengths. If you're selling solutions, the last thing you want to tell a prospect is that you can't provide certain functionality because, while you know it's possible, you can't tweak a module or write a new one in a pinch. Look for consultants around the Drupal forums and groups who communicate well and seem to know what they're talking about (hint hint). ;)
Third, don't take losses. I don't mean you shouldn't work on spec or for free from time to time, just that you get something for everything you do. I host a web site for free for a concert band in which my Dad plays percussion. It makes him happy that I'm involved in something he does. Big payoff for a small investment of my time and resources.
Lastly, your pricing. I'd simply charge standard consulting rates. Set requirements for the job, estimate the hours, and pick an hourly figure that you think represents how much time it should take to complete the job. Yes, you'll go over on your first ten jobs. That's okay, you're learning. Don't penalize your first few customers for the benefit of the later ones -- it's the first few customers who will provide you with the references to get the later ones.
I don't know how much consultants go for in the Bay area. You might want to call an established competitor or two, feed them requirements and see what they say.
Paul Chvostek — Developer, integrator, Internet plumber.
Paul Chvostek — Developer, integrator, Internet plumber.
Re: Prices are Negotiated
Paul, thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. It all sounds eminently reasonable, and gives me a pretty good idea how to proceed. I like the part about charging for what I think it should take to complete the job. That's been a stumbling block for me, since I know I'm slow.
Cheers,
Corin Royal Drummond
San Francisco
Expectations
Good point. Figure out what your time is worth, and stick to your guns. You'll hear 'no' (or, in some cases, you won't even hear 'no thanks' from prospective clients) but eventually you'll get the gigs you want.
Always a good idea to showcase your talents with contributed projects, if you have done any. :D You do have something to showcase, don't you?
This is a tough nut to crack. There's lots of competition, and people know they can 'offshore' some of this kind of work - so there is downwards pressure on rates, it seems. But, if you are in S.F., do local work, and offer superior service and good communication skills, you should be able to command a premium rate over the so-called competition - once you have established yourself. Getting there is the major challenge.
Michael Curry | http://exodusdev.com
Michael Curry
Drupal and Windows Tips
Rates and pricing
Hi there,
I think your advice is great but there is still something that I would like to know from experienced web developers. I have around 5 years of experience doing web sites and 1 year working with Drupal, I have been working as a contractor and sometimes as a full time in house web developer. As a contractor I do my quotes based on the estimated time to complete the project and then multiply the hourly rate by the amount of hours I think it will take me to complete the project.
I have a hard time figuring out how much can I charge per hour. Is there a Web Developer union somewhere where you can compare your rates or learn more about the standard industry rates?
TIA
more than a plumber but less than a lawyer
http://www.hwg.org/resources/faqs/ratesFAQ.html of course the best part of that post is that there is advice (like above) on setting rates, but no actual rate setting.
I think not having a published rate sheet allows you to assess what value you bring to your clients. Which in the end is really whats relevant anyways.
my .02.
-dave
Pricing and Ethical Guidelines
There is a book called "Pricing and Ethical Guidelines" by the Graphic Artists Guild that actual states hourly rate ranges for web design. That might be helpful.
This might not be as helpful but the AIGA site posts results from a salary survey. It will give you an idea of what people are making in this industry.
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/salary-survey
http://www.designsalaries.org/
more rate advice along the same lines
"Freelancers, how to determine our rates?"
its a little dated, Aug 06, but the nuggets are in the advise, not the figures.
http://marylandmedia.com/2006/08/freelancers-how-to-determine-our-rates/
I personally would never go
I personally would never go lower than $60, even that depends on how busy I am, and I would not dabble around with small clients or clients that will not interest me as a portfolio piece. For the experience that you listed I would honestly put it at maybe around $15, just do the best job you can for that money, prove yourself, and then you will climb the latter.
vision media
350designs
Tj Holowaychuk
Vision Media - Victoria BC Web Design
Victoria British Columbia Web Design School
Check out this
Check out this article.
http://www.superdorx.com/website-design-pricing