Recent Quote

[ben.davis]

Below are the itemized bits from a quote I put together recently for a prospective client, as well as my extended maintenance plans. Looking for feedback, positive or not so positive.

Custom Design (Photoshop Mockup) – $199.99
PSD-XHTML/CSS Conversion – $149.99
Shopify Theme – $179.99

Shopify Account – $24/mo.
Domain Name – $10/yr.

Maintenance – (complimentary maint. ends 30 days from after launch day)
$19.99/mo. for 3 months
$14.99/mo. for 6 months
$12.99/mo. for 12 months (if two twelve months plans are paid for in advance, the client recieves 15% off both.)

Friends/Family Discount – 10% off total

So, my current client’s package totals out right around $1000. She’s starting the site as a commercial venture, so I don’t think that she will be as shocked by that figure as a client would if they were starting a personal site. How does this quote stack up to what you charge? Do you see any areas where improvement is needed in my pricing structure? What discounts do you apply in your estimates?

I would really appreciate any feedback that you have. :)

[JoshWhiteDesign]

I think you’re going to find it hard to get anyone to pin down what they charge to compare. People charge differently in a pretty huge range plus it depends on your niche.

A good example of this is that personally I don’t do any kind of standard maintenance, and I don’t register domains for people.

Generally my quotes are pretty wide because I set the quote solely on how many hours I’ll estimate it taking. So I’ll meet the client, spend an hour or so really developing an understanding of what they want, then provide an initial investment quote with some additional options up or down.

[ruderic]

I agree with JoshWhiteDesign. As I dont usually provide maintenance for clients, I give them an estimate on how much hours I’ll work on the project. Most of the projects I receive are PSD design, HTML and WordPress code and they usually finish once delivered the website.

[ben.davis]

Thanks for the feedback guys, met with the client yesterday and she thought it looked completely reasonable. I was just worried that clients might not appreciate the amount of work and dedication that goes into "this web thing", and might not be willing to pay a resonable amount.

[JoshWhiteDesign]

I certainly understand what you mean there.

Let me just say that more than half of my time talking with clients has shifted to discussing value, and what I do, how I do it, and why I do it. The problem people usually have with price is that they haven’t properly connected value to it. If you can prove value, and you actually can communicate WHY you charge what you charge that makes sense, then you’re building enough trust to give them a compelling reason to choose you over someone else.

Most ‘savvy’ business owners, those who have been around the block a few times, are cautiously optimistic about cheap prices. They get that you really do get what you pay for, or you have a stunning run of good luck if you manage to land truly awesome services for very low prices.

Sometimes you’ll never win in the minds of some clients because they perceive price as the only factor. It’s kind of like trying to sell 2 water heaters. The first water heater costs $150, but only lasts 5 years and and costs $20 per month to run. The second water heater is $500, but costs $10 per month to run and it lasts 15 years. If you can’t bridge the connection to your client to give them the understanding that spending $500 to save about $2,000 is a better investment than saving $350 right now, you are the person who will lose because that client will drive you nuts in the long run and you will ALWAYS be defending every invoice you send over.

Now, the flip side of this is that you also need to make sure you have superior products, services, and customer service to support higher rates

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