Re: General Consulting Advice Urgently Needed
Novice <novice@example..com> writes:
For instance, if the customer requests to meet in person at
his office, do I simply charge that rate for the time it
takes me to get to his office and pay for the gas out of
that?
My personal decision: The first personal meeting with a new
customer is always ?free of charge and without obligation?.
Otherwise, personally, I would say that meetings in my home
town are free, when they comprehend less than, say, 5 % of
the time of the paid work and less than 2 hours per month.
Also, meetings to initiate or negotiate the contract should
not be charged, but meetings to work out details of
requirement specifications of a project can be charged.
I already have been paid for meetings by different customers,
so, where I live, this is not uncommon or strange.
I would charge for expenses, when they become significant,
which, in my case means, when I have to leave my home town
and its direct vincinity. However, local craftsmen here charge
a rather high lump-sum for their drive, even if it's small.
But all of the above only reflects my personal view and
my limited personal experience.