[consulting] General consultant's job question

Thu Aug 6 20:11:58 UTC 2009

I've found this post very interesting. I can¹t tell you how much time I
spend writing emails and doing phone calls. So it¹s nice to know a contract
name for that. 

I wish I could complain about my current client too, it¹s better than not
having any, but all my contracts have come to a close. I¹ve been looking at
drupals site and responding to posts and found two contracts that way, but
haven¹t had any luck recently. So does anyone know of any job opportunities
or have work they need some help with?

A little about me: I've been using drupal since January of 2007 (theming
mostly, but I do set up the site and functionality for clients as well). I¹m
a graphic designer so I have no problem designing websites or print
materials. My portfolio is at www.designbyholly.com. Although I¹m not sure
about pricing according to my skillset, the past year I have been charging
$30 (so the low end of the north american freelancer). I meet my deadlines
and am easy to work with as long as I¹m well informed about the projects
status. 

Thanks,
Holly Ferree
St. Petersburg, FL
---
Looking for: Freelance, Contract, Full time, Part time
Telecommute only if outside the St. Pete Area
contact: hferree at gmail.com
Www.designbyholly.com
skills: drupal, themeing, ecommerce, php, mysql, xhtml, css, flash,
photoshop, illustrator, indesign, etc.

On 8/6/09 3:38 PM, "Christian Pearce" <christian at pearcec.com> wrote:

> The lawyer analogy is good as a practice, but let us not forget if you want to
> be a lawyer you have to pass the bar (at least in the US).  So already there
> is a market differentiation.  Just about anyone can advertise I can do Drupal
> work.  Does it mean they are qualified no.
> 
> Lawyers also have a lot of code of conduct when it comes to setting prices and
> people can file a grievance with the state if they are unsatisfied.
> 
> I sort of like what I saw in this post recently, perhaps as a consulting group
> we should take the categories listed below and work up some descriptions of
> how we in the "Consulting Shop Rate" differentiate ourselves from one
> another.  Let's turn this into something constructive. What to help? ( Edit:
> http://groups.drupal.org/node/25054 )
> 
> http://drupal.org/node/536998
> What is the market price for drupal work?
> The answer to this question is that it depends:
> 
> Off-shore rate: $15-$20/hr
> 
> Freelancer Rate in North America: $30-$60
> 
> Consulting Shop Rate: $70-$100
> 
> High-end Consulting Shop Rate: $150-$250
> 
> P.S: I also know shops that charge $300/hr, and they are one of the most
> experienced Drupal shops around and have built some of the biggest Drupal
> sites.
> 
> Each of these categories come with its own advantages and disadvantages.
> 
> 
> On Thu, Aug 6, 2009 at 3:04 PM, Dave Terry <dave.terry at mediacurrent.com>
> wrote:
>> + 1 on enjoying the discussion thus far.  I think Domenic hit the nail on his
>> head with his legal analogy.  The legal industry, while mostly despised J,
>>  has really figured it out  if you go to visit a lawyer there is an
>> expectation that the first 15 minutes to an hour is free while the details of
>> the case are discussed, discovery, etc. but anything beyond that is billable
>> time.  In the tech sector, the buyer usually does not understand the value or
>> benefits of the services that are being provided.  However, if you walk into
>> a law firm there is an understanding that there are varying levels of
>> expertise (i.e. a senior partner bills more than a newly minted law school
>> grad), and more importantly the client gets ³it.².  Conversely, Drupal/tech
>> customers can¹t comprehend the subjective nature of our rates and why 3
>> developers may charge 3 different  prices  its partially their fault, but we
>> need to do a better job of how we position and market ourselves to avoid
>> these constant fee fights.   There is a reason why the Lullabots or Acquias
>> of the Drupalsphere charge on the high side  not only have they earned the
>> street cred, but really done a wonderful job at positioning themselves in the
>> public market.  In Acquia¹s case it certainly helps that Dries is the
>> co-founder.  Understandably though, they are viewed as the ³senior partners²
>> in the firm.  There will always be a sliding scale of economics at work, but
>> don¹t lose sight of the fact that marketing is a big part of your
>> consultancy.
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Dave
>> 
>> Mediacurrent
>> 
>> 
>> From: consulting-bounces at drupal.org [mailto:consulting-bounces at drupal.org] On
>> Behalf Of Domenic Santangelo
>> Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 12:48 PM
>> 
>> To: A list for Drupal consultants and Drupal service/hosting providers
>> Subject: Re: [consulting] General consultant's vent
>>  
>> 
>> On Thu, Aug 6, 2009 at 6:34 AM, Brian Vuyk <brian at brianvuyk.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I agree with you in principal. If the client doesn't approach us with fully
>> drawn up specification and design documents, they should expect to pay
>> consulting time to get their project refined and firmed up. Historically,
>> probably 10-15% or more of my hours were tied up in this aspect of business.
>> However, as long as so many developers are willing to do this for free, it
>> can't easily be stopped. Small shops, like mine, can't give up a competitive
>> edge like that, and charging a client several days labour that another shop
>> would give for free just doesn't work.
>> 
>> 
>> I recently needed a legal document drawn up, so I called an attorney that
>> came highly recommended from friends in this area. He drew up the (one page)
>> document, sent it over, I looked through it and said, "great, let's do it"
>> and he asked for a large retainer. I can't use this doc unless I pay it. That
>> too got me to thinking about Drupal work -- okay, fine, let's estimate and
>> wireframe for free, and build that cost into contracts we DO land.
>> 
>> I don't really have an answer here, but I think examples from other more
>> established industries might show good patterns that we can follow. I dunno.
>> 
>> -Dom
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> consulting mailing list
>> consulting at drupal.org
>> http://lists.drupal.org/mailman/listinfo/consulting
>> 
> 
> 

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